Mick Hucknall - Manchester United & Barcelona

This article was generously provided to ClubFootball by the British Council, which operates in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy.

A self-confessed Manchester United fanatic, the Simply Red singer's love of his team has been a constant throughout his life. He has even admitted that the band's name was a tribute to his support for the Red Devils. He has never hidden his love of Manchester United, the home-town team he has supported since his father took him to his first game at Old Trafford at the age of seven.
 
In a music career that spans over fifteen years, he has effortlessy combined his love of music and football on numerous occasions. In 1996, he performed the official Euro 96 anthem at Old Trafford during the tournament's closing ceremony. The next year, he opened a football-themed bar in Manchester called "Barca" in tribute to his second favourite team, Spanish giants FC Barcelona.
 
Last year, he described the "great, great honour" of singing at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's testimonial dinner, describing him as "the finest manager we've ever had".
 
Mick Hucknall's favourite Manchester United player of all time is George Best and he is a good friend of David Beckham.

May 2001