When AC/DC’s Brian Johnson Played Football With Chuck Norris
Picture the scene: it is 1983, and AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson is standing under the floodlights at Florence’s Stadio Comunale in front of 25,000 screaming fans. Only, he is not holding a microphone on a rock stage—he is playing in a charity football match for a United States celebrity all-star team against an Italian show business XI.
Recalling the surreal experience during a vintage interview with Tyne Tees Television, Johnson revealed that the US squad had a secret weapon on the pitch: martial arts icon Chuck Norris.
“There was about 25,000 there,” Johnson remembered. “It was floodlit and yer knees turned to jelly. It was against the Italian showbiz XI and they were unbeaten; they thought we were gonna be a walk-over, but they didn’t know we had Chuck Norris. He was centre-half and you didn’t go near the man – he was dangerous!”
A Red Card and a Man of the Match Trophy
Despite Norris ultimately earning a red card, Team USA managed to pull off a 1-0 victory against the previously undefeated Italian side. To top off the bizarre afternoon, legendary Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff presented Johnson with the Man of the Match award.
“It was a fantastic night,” Johnson said. “Music’s me love and football’s me passion, you know what I mean? They’re two different things.”
During the same 1983 interview, the Dunston-born singer also discussed his deep roots in the North East of England and shared ambitions to financially invest £100,000 into Newcastle United following their signing of Kevin Keegan. While that particular financial backing never materialized, Johnson’s lifelong fandom remains intact, punctuated by a cameo in the 2005 film Goal! The Dream Begins and a voiceover for a Newcastle United hype video in 2025.
(Photo by Andreas Rentz /Getty Images)
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