Christmas football: 27 brilliant pictures of the beautiful game in the winter snow and players dressed as Father Christmas

Christmas football: 27 brilliant pictures of the beautiful game in the winter snow and players dressed as Father Christmas
Christmas. It’s a time for family, friends and, most importantly, football.The festive period on these shores is a spell cherished by supporters around the world as the beautiful game is viewed in a dim half-light with snow carrying clouds overhead.We don’t always get a white Christmas, but there is no doubt a flurryof flakes can bring an extra bit of joy, even if it means kicking the undersoil heating into gear.So, for a trip down memory lane as you tuck into your 23rd mince pie, enjoy this talkSPORT.com winter special. 27

1. Paul Gascoigne brings seasonal cheer with an array of cuddly toys

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2. Arsenal and Manchester United players look for the coin on a snow covered pitch after the referees toss up in 1926

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3. Marseille fans get in the festive spirit in 2014 at the Stade Velodrome

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4. Back in 1936, Liverpool players Alf Hobson and Tom Bradshaw put up decorations at a hotel in Rhyl where the club were training ahead of their Christmas schedule

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5. Father Christmas shows off his ball juggling skills ahead of West Ham United v Chelsea back in 2009

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6. Evertons Dixie Dean statue gets into the festive spirit ahead of the Toffees' clash with Queens Park Rangers in 2014

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7. Liverpool fans celebrate German manager Jurgen Klopp with these Christmas jumpers

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8. Mario Balotelli dons a Santa hat after another goal in a Nice victory this December

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9. Liverpool and Everton half-and-half scarves adorn a Christmas Truce statue on Merseyside

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10. Guards at the Tower of London play football in the snow in 1927

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11. Aghanistani children play football in front of the tomb of former Afghan King Nader Shah in Kabul, in 2005

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12. A group of elderly Chinese residents play football on a frozen river, as they gather for a winter swim in Shenyang, north-eastern China's Liaoning province on December 20, 2010

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13. Manchester City star David Silva plays on as snow falls around him during a clash with West Brom on Boxing Day in 2014

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14. Brazilian footballer Jair holds an umbrella in a snowstorm that caused a game between Inter Milan and Padova to be called off in 1962

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15. In December, 2010, Arsenal were forced to postpone a clash with Stoke City due to heavy snow

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16. St. Pauli players throw snowballs during a training session in 2010

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17. St. Pauli fans wave flags and throw fake snow during a 2. Bundesliga match with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2011

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18. Snow causes a match between Newcastle United and Charlton to be postponed in 2005

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19. Carlton Cole plays in the snow during a Premier League match with Blackburn Rovers in 2010

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20. Arsenal footballers Wilf Copping, Eddie Hapgood (captain), George Male, Ted Drake, and Cliff Bastin, shiver in the snow

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21. Paul Gascoigne can't resist having some Christmas fun, this time with Chris Waddle

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22. Weather postponed this match at White Hart Lane in 1963

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23. Chelsea's Johnny Boyle, Terry Venables, Ron Harris and Eddie McCreadie train in the snow at Stamford Bridge in 1965

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24. Even Father Christmas needs to have his person and bag searched before football

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25. Bayern Munichs Ze Roberto jumps into the snow during a friendly with FC Eintracht Bamberg in 2009

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26. It's the magic of the Cup

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27. Bonus picture: Jeff Winter! – We're not sorry.

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