Andrew Ridgeley has said George Michael would be 'beside himself' to know that Last Christmas has finally got the Christmas number one.
The late pop star - who died on Christmas Day in 2016 aged just 53 - released the festive tune in 1984 but it had never managed to achieve the coveted top spot over the Yuletide period until Friday night.
Upon receiving the news, Andrew, 60, remarked that he and his bandmate - whom he nicknamed Yog - had always measured their success in Wham! by chart positions and how it had been such a 'disappointment' to them both when it stalled at number two.
He told Official Charts: 'George would be beside himself after all of these years to finally obtain.
'Yog and I perceived music largely in the sense of the Official Charts. We always contextualised our success by our chart success.
Andrew Ridgeley has said George Michael would be 'beside himself' to know that Last Christmas has finally got the Christmas number one
Andrew shot to fame alongisde George (right) as part of pop duo Wham! in the 1980s, but their festive classic had never bagged the Christmas number one until now
'It was a huge disappointment to us both when it didn't reach No1 because in our opinion, it was nailed on.
'Had it not been for Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? it probably would have been No1. '
Andrew went on to add that the new feat will be the 'crowning glory' for the 1980s duo as he noted the song was always intended to be number one in the first place.
He said: 'It'll mean a lot to Wham!'s legacy, it's the crowning glory. Last Christmas was conceived as a Christmas No1. Lofty ambitions, but Yog set lofty ambitions for himself as a songwriter.'
Andrew added that Wham's fans will have a sense of achievement now that the song has finally reached the Christmas number one.
The 1984 perennial favourite, penned by George Michael, has topped the charts in the past, but never in the last week before Christmas. It was denied the top spot in the year of its release by Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas?
And amid one of the most furiously fought battles for the Yuletide crown in recent memory, the race was almost too close to call as the 80s icons fought off the likes of Mariah Carey, The Pogues and Sam Ryder to claim the title 39 years after its release.
The song became the bookies' favourite to climb the charts after an earlier rush by fans of The Pogues to get Fairytale of New York to number 1 in memory of the Irish folk outfit's frontman Shane MacGowan, who died in November.
Andrew Ridgley as he appears int he video for Last Christmas
George Michael as he appeared in the video for 1984 festive favourite Last Christmas, now at number one for the first time at Christmas
Shane MacGowan in the video for The Pogues' Fairytale of New York. A campaign to get the song to number one is being coordinated by fans in memory of the late frontman
Mariah Carey in the video for the Make My Wish Come True Edition of All I Want for Christmas Is You
Eurovision star Sam Ryder has embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign in the battle to get his new song, You're Christmas To Me, to number one later today
In the end, the band's duet with Kirsty MacColl failed to crack the top five, which was rounded out by Eurovision star Sam Ryder's You're Christmas To Me, Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You, Noah Kahan's Stick Season and Ed Sheeran and Elton John's duet Merry Christmas.
Speaking about Wham!'s historic achievement, Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts, said: 'Having claimed the top spot for the first time last year, it is fantastic that WHAM! have claimed the Christmas Number 1 honour at last.
'Of course, WHAM!'s victory also means that someone has to come second and it is hard to recall harder-working Christmas Number 2 artist than Sam Ryder, who has chalked up more than 30 shows over the past seven days in a bid to take the crown.
'Sam has made it truly a chart battle to remember – and should be comforted by the many years it has taken a song as iconic as Last Christmas to claim this most prized of chart achievements.
