With so many highlights from the past year we take a look back on what made 2018 one to remember.
In June the world stood still for a month as the greats of the game battled it out on the field's of Russia for the FIFA World Cup. Shocks aplenty Jorge Sampaoli's brief stint in charge of Argentina came to an abrupt end as the omnipresent Lionel Messi usurped him before their clash with Nigeria prior to his own departure from the international fold. Spain's manager Julen Lopetegui meanwhile had the own foresight to make his own grave with his appointment at Real Madrid coinciding with his sacking from the national side. Meanwhile Mezut Ozil's performances on and off the pitch in Russia sparked political consternation which continues to this day and overshadowed the 2014 winners humiliaiting exit. England's youth led by General Southgate captivated a whole nation and inadvertently nearly led them to just a second World Cup final which surely would have been the ruination of British media as we know it. Hosts Russia rekindled memories of South Korea's 2002 World Cup sojourn with their advancement to the quarter finals where Croatia led by a spirited Luka Modric dealt an iron fist to their chances of glory. Some order was restored when Neymar and Brazil confirmed their respective perennial underachievers tags with a quarter final exit to ex-Wigan man Roberto Martinez' Brazil. Neymar's PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe and his French side gave a glimpse of the futurist post Messi and Ronaldo world when the Golden Boy catapulted his name among the greats in the defeats of Argentina, Belgium and Croatia with jaw dropping skill, poise and scintillating speed. Mbappe's French side saw off a brave Croatian team to etch their names among the pantheon of greats.
Just overshadowed by the World Cup the Champions League lived up to it's blockbuster tag with never ending subplots this past year. As usual Real Madrid navigated their way through the jungle and ravaged corpses to lift the coveted trophy once more. Their path encompassed the usual drama that we synopsize with a prize of such great stature. Under performing in the league and with several senior players and staff including Zizou under scrutiny "Los Blancos" dispatched that seemingly indestructible Qatari funded juggernaut in Paris with relevant ease. Neymar's absence from both legs served as an anecdote as to his impending summer performances in Russia while defeat marred the end of Unai Emery's reign in Paris much to the delight of his hairline and doctor If that did not quench the thirst for drama both legs of Madrid's quarter final clash against Juve certainly did. CR7 won the unofficial Puskas with an absolute stupendous mesmeric bicycle kick against Gigi Buffon to give Real a 3-0 advantage prior to the second leg in the Bernabeau. The 90 minutes that ensued will forever live long in the memory with Juventus remarkably levelling the tie racing into a 3-0 lead before all hell broke loose. On awarding Real a pivotal last minute spot kick Gigi Buffon nearly sought the end of Michael Oliver's refereeing career (and life) informing him he had the "heart of a garbage can". Meanwhile in Rome after their own 3-0 victory at home to Barcelona, owner James Pallotta was launched into the "Piazza del Popolo" fountain by his own fans in the midst of the celebrations. However their escapade would end in the semi's with defeat to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool who had in the previous round dispatched Man City with ease. After Madrid themselves saw off Bayern Munich the mouthwatering final showpiece was set. Despite all the billing the game turned out to be quite the anti-climax save for one piece of skill from Gareth Bale who did his best impression of Ronaldo's Juventus strike against a hapless Loris Karius. The German keeper offered a helping hand (or two) and "Los Blancos" and Zidane were soon celebrating a third consecutive Champions League crown.
The Premier League was not without it's own fair share of drama however. Mike Ashley put his Newcastle side up for sale. 71 year old Roy Hodgson was drawn into a war of words versus Harry the Hornet over Wilfried Zaha's propensity to avoid tackles . Alan Pardew came and no sooner left. Three of his West Brom players were reprimanded by the club for stealing a taxi outside a Barcelona McDonald's as part of a bonding trip whilst they footed up the Premiership table. Pardew's old foe Arsene Wenger also departed (to more critical acclaim) this summer as he vacated the helm at Arsenal after a 22 year stint. He has been succeeded by Unai Emery the former PSG manager who in November alone notched up as many miles pacing through the Arsenal dugout as his predecessor did throughout his tenure. Their North London rivals, Spurs literally continue to do a Spurs and their relocation back to White Hart Lane has been delayed once more amid speculation over Mauricio Pochettino's future. Chelsea although winning the FA Cup missed out on Champions League qualification so decided to part ways with the eccentric former Serie A boss, Antonio Conte and replace him with another eccentric former Serie A boss in Maurizio Sarri. Liverpool continued their resurgence spearheaded by the unlikely duo of the bespectacled enormous Jurgen Klopp and dynamite although minute Mohamed Salah with the latter securing the Golden Boot breaking all sorts of records. They now leave 2018 in pole position to secure a maiden Premier League crown. Their rivals Manchester United more concerned with their position on the New York Stock Exchange than Premiership table finally disposed of Jose Mourinho who's pugnacity decreased as United's league position worsened. His replacement Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has enjoyed a fine start thus far which conveniently coincided with Paul Pogba returning from hibernation. However it was their Mancunian rivals; Manchester City who stole the headlines with their record breaking campaign clinching a third Premier League title. The Catalan genius that is Pep Guardiola delivered a near duplicate to that of his former Barcelona side in their triumphant campaign. 100 points and a gap of 19 points to nearest rivals, United only serve to paint an image of the fraction of dominance which City enjoyed last year. If Liverpool are to deliver on their early promise and do indeed win the title they will have to usurp Guardiola's City from the mix. As I write this Newcastle are still for sale.
Just below in the EFL Championship things are hotting up. "El Loco" AKA Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds end 2018 on top with Daniel Farke's youthful Norwich just behind. Frank Lampard's first venture into management has seen him take charge at Derby County where young Premiership loanee's Harry Wilson and Mason Mount are continuing their annual promotion push. His former teammate John Terry has taken up assistant coaching duties at Aston Villa now under Dean Smith's tutelage who no doubt will aim to go one better than last season's playoff final heartache defeat to Fulham. Sheffield United are the neutral's team this year and with centre backs overlapping wing backs it is little wonder why, it would be certainly interesting to see Chris Wilder adopt such an approach in the Premiership. Sunderland continued their gigantic fall from grace with a second consecutive relegation to League One. Having watched the recent Netflix special one does not need a PhD in football to understand the size of the challenge facing the new owners and management at restoring pride to the Mackems. They fall just behind Luton Town and Portsmouth in the League One standings. Luton having just secured League Two promotion have hit the ground running under eccentric Nathan Jones while Portsmouth are in prime position to secure Championship football next year. Another former England international in Sol Campbell entered football management taking charge of Macclesfield Town at the foot of League Two. Paul Tisdale's reign at Exeter finally came to it's climax after twelve years and his tophat and MK Dons side now lie in second place behind the Cowley brothers at Lincoln who continue to defy expectations. Forrest Green have been a welcome addition to the EFL too with their solar powered stadium, atypical club owner and vegan protocols and in sixth lie in peak position to surmount a promotion push in the upcoming months.
Spain's La Liga took a delve into the unknown and made moves to export the Barcelona-Girona fixture to Miami this coming January much to the behest of diehard football fans. La Liga President Javier Tebas has tackled the elephant in the room that is the European Super League and is certain other league's will follow suit in exporting their domestic game to a larger global audience to extract further commercial revenues. The year on the field saw Lionel Messi once more the image of banality for his Barcelona side to capture a 25th league crown and as he and his La Liga colleagues enjoy the winter break has left Barcelona in pole position to claim a 26th when they return to action in January. They narrowly missed out on an invincible season when they succumbed to Levante in a 5-4 thriller in early May. Atleti under the aberrant Diego Simeone finished runner's up and enter 2019 in same position with their eyes firmly fixed on a home Champions League final at the Wanda in early June. Valencia thanks to the pockets of Peter Lim and the astute deranged coaching of Marcelino returned to Champions League football with a 4th place finish falling just behind Real Madrid who endured one of their most worst recent domestic campaigns. This season has done little to appease fans with the sacking of Julen Lopetegui in November following an utter abomination at the hands of arch rivals Barcelona. Quique Setien won hearts and minds in the green half of Seville when he guided his Betis side on a shoestring budget to a 6th place finish and more importantly above city rivals Sevilla. "Los Rojiblancos" expertly marshalled by new manager Pablo Machin and some astute signings in Tomas Vaclik and Andre Silva have enjoyed a great start to this season and remain hot on Barcelona's heels going into the new year.
Juventus under Massimiliano Allegri once more won the Scudetto although it was not plain sailing as the previous infinite trimuphs. Napoli under Maurizio Sarri in their best impression of Total Football ran them all the way only to fall at the last hurdle. The runner's up lost both coach and their midfield general; Jorginho to Chelsea replacing Sarri with the ubiquitous Carlo Ancelotti. Juventus' reward for the title triumph was the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo who alone has attracted a whole new fanbase to the league. The Bianconeri have reaped the rewards from his early form and enter 2019 nine points clear at the top taking 53 out of a possible 57 points. AC Milan's struggles failed to dissipate despite the continued funds ploughed into the "Rossoneri" which saw them capture Gonzalo HiguaÃn from Juve. Inter meanwhile despite a dramatic final day shootout win away to Lazio to clinch Champions League football imploded in the group stages and lost out on the knockout rounds with their failure to beat PSV Eindhoven at home. Roma led by the American businessman James Pallotta and director of football Monchi continue their pursuit of Italian's elite. Eusebio De Francesco despite an enormously successful debut season at the helm has come under fire this season due to his side's slow start with another Monchi acquisition in Nicolo Zaniolo proving one of very few positives. For all the progress the league on the pitch there have been some tragedies off it. Fiorentina lost their captain Davide Astori in March while the players of Genoa and Sampdoria deserve an honourable mention given how they have coped and led their fans through the Genoa bridge disaster in August. Despite all the goodwill the league has received it is fair to suggest most of it has been quashed given the recent Inter Napoli clash last week. Ultras clashed prior to kick off resulting in a death coinciding with the inexcusable, vile, inhumane abuse Kalidou Kouliabaly was subjected to by idiots in the San Siro. It's repercussions are expected to dominate and linger once the league recommences in late Janaury.
Jupp Heynckes completed a third spell in charge of Bayern Munich with another Bundesliga title. This only served to paper over the huge cracks in Bavaria as Eintracht Frankfurt led by Niko Kovac defeated the Reds 3-1 in the DFB-Pokal decider. Kovac after took the reigns at Munich and with Hoeness and Rummenige still in charge above the Croatian is mere cannon fodder to the ultimate ruling party above. Kovac has soon learned the renowned duo have built the Bavarian house on gingerbread. Despite many fans protestations it is not just Kovac who should depart. However the Bavarians incompetence has been upstaged by the might of Lucien's Favre's youthful and energetic Borussia Dortmund side who are in the title ascendancy. Favre's attention to detail along with the shrewd signings of Axel Wistel and Thomas Delaney have provided the platform for the salient Marco Reus to don his propensity for flair and Jadon Sancho to announce himself to the world. Paco Alcacer meanwhile has brought a whole new meaning to the role as impact sub. The league as a whole meanwhile continues to be renowned for it's plethora of young exciting managers. Julian Nagelsmann is the stand out candidate and continues to work wonders at Hoffenheim while 33 year old Dominic Tedesco enjoyed a terrific start to life at Schalke despite their subsequent tail off in the second half of the year. Florian Kohlfeldt meanwhile at Werder Bremen continues to excite. Despite it's relegatory standing behind the Premiership and La Liga the Bundesliga remains a source of pride and authenticity for the most ardent of football fans. The league's refusal to sell out as their corporate cousins on the continent ensures 2019 and the forthcoming years will continue to produce the expense, youth and drama whih 2018 has provided.
The year has not been without some batshit crazy moments either. Remember Sporting Lisbon and their (former)president Bruno De Carvalho after their failure to secure Champions League football last season? De Carvalho invited a few dozen of the Ultra group down to their Lisbon training ground to admonish some beating on several of the Sporting Lisbon players who had been public in their disgruntlement with the Sporting Lisbon owner. Rui Patricio, William Carvalho and Bas Dost were some of the players most effected. Only the Superclassico Copa Libertadores double legged final could out-stage what happened in Lisbon. The buildup in the first leg dominated by headlines of houses burned, McDonald's riots and presidential views was superseded by the dramatic 2-2 draw which unfolded at La Bombonera. The second leg then due to take place at El Monumental was postponed following the obtrusive behaviour of River fans and a heavy police presence which nearly blinded Boca player Pablo Perez. Following lengthy discussion between the effected parties, CONMEBOL and FIFA the second leg was moved to the Bernabeu in Spain. River Plate emerged victors after extra time with a 3-1 win however their victory lost much of it's reverence given the events which had unfolded in Buenos Aries. The case has now been subsequently elevated to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and there still remains the possibility "Los Millonarios" could lose their crown. If 2019 serves up a fraction of the emotion, drama and action we were exposed to in 2018 football fans will be in for a treat.