In other countries, they take Christmas off. La Liga takes a break of two weeks over the festive period while Bundesliga teams put their feet up for almost a whole month. Of course, this is in stark contrast to the footballing schedule around Christmas and the New Year in England. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the busiest time of the year.

Boxing Day is the centrepiece of this packed schedule. After the confinement and etiquette of Christmas Day, this is a day that provides some sense of refuge for football fans. It’s little wonder then that Boxing Day fixtures tend to draw some of the biggest attendances of the whole season, with friends and family back home for the festive period.

The tradition of football on Boxing Day dates back to 1860 when Hallam and Sheffield, the two oldest clubs in world football, played the first-ever fixture between two clubs. Back then football wasn’t even recognisable as the game we know now. Instead, the match was played under Sheffield Rules, a 19th-century interpretation of the modern sport. This underlines just how deep-rooted the tradition of Boxing Day football is.

Football, usually an arena of tribal division, becomes an influence of good will over Christmas. Fans around the country, for instance, hold food collections at this time of year. Even going back to World War I, British and German soldiers put down their weapons and called a temporary truce over the festive period to have a kickabout with each other between the trenches.