GOAL looks back on a crazy year of football that produced no end of delight, disappointment and debate…
World Cup years are always special and 2022 was no different. The biggest tournament in football brought with it controversy and quality in equal measure.
However, the club scene was not exactly devoid of drama itself. Real Madrid alone pulled off one miracle after another on their way to winning the Champions League in May.
So, as we prepare to bid farewell to 2022, GOAL looks back a truly remarkable year for football…
(C)Getty ImagesWINNER: Lionel Messi
Well, he finally did it. Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup, the one trophy he was missing, the one glaring omission from his stunning CV.
What's most remarkable about the pivotal role Messi played in Argentina's triumph at Qatar 2022 (seven goals, three assists) is that he was being written off during the first half of the year. Jerome Rothen even called him a "fraud" after Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League capitulation at Santiago Bernabeu in March.
Messi wasn't quite that bad, but even he admitted that he had underperformed in his first season in France, for a variety of reasons, including a bout of Covid-19 from which he found it difficult to recover.
Consequently, he returned to pre-season with a whole new mindset and the real Messi returned. At 35 years of age, which is just ridiculous.
With his sensational performances at the World Cup (he became the first man to score in the group stage, the last 16, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final), he put the ridiculous Ronaldo-Messi debate to bed once and for all.
Now, the only question is whether you rank him above Pele and Diego Maradona. Messi won't care about that, though. He has completed football.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Cristiano Ronaldo
Rarely has a superstar suffered such a dramatic and rapid fall from grace.
Father Time catches up with us all, of course, there is no shame in that. However, the way in which Cristiano Ronaldo handled his Manchester United exit, and reacted to his relegation to the Portugal bench, was embarrassing, particularly coming from a 37-year-old man who is an idol to millions of children across the world.
The Piers Morgan interview was particularly pathetic. It was one thing lashing out at the Glazers, who are despised by most United fans. But the way in which he publicly questioned the character of his young team-mates was particularly undignified.
It was a sad and wholly unnecessary way to bring an end to his Old Trafford love affair. The supporters were devastated but understanding when Ronaldo left for Real Madrid in 2009. This time around, they were just glad to see the back of a former idol who revealed himself to be the biggest prima donna in football.
GettyWINNER: AC Milan
AC Milan are officially back among Europe's top 16 clubs, which is an incredible achievement for a club that was facing an uncertain future just four years ago.
Nobody quite knew what was going to happen when Li Yonghong's investment group defaulted on its loan repayments and was, thus, forced to hand over control to the Elliott Management Corporation.
Luckily, the American firm steadied what looked like a sinking ship and, after a couple of mis-steps – most notably the appointment of Marco Giampaolo as coach – Paolo Maldini proved himself as adept and intelligent in the directors' box as he was once on the field, making one excellent signing after another.
The appointment of Stefano Pioli was key, though. The journeyman coach was initially only brought in as a caretaker manager, but he got the job on a permanent basis after overseeing a remarkable turnaround, thus prompting Ivan Gazidis to abandon his plans to hand control of the club to Ralf Rangnick. Talk about sliding doors moments…
Milan just haven't looked back, showing impressive mettle to beat Inter to the 2021-22 title to end an 11-year Scudetto drought. Then, to top it all off, Pioli led the resurgent Rossoneri into the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since 2014.
A sleeping giant has been well and truly awoken.
GettyLOSER: Mohamed Salah
Reports of Mohamed Salah's demise have been greatly exaggerated. The Egyptian hasn't had a poor year by most metrics. However, he has suffered a number of devastating defeats.
At international level, Salah twice suffered penalty shootout heartbreak, with Egypt beaten on spot-kicks by Senegal in both the Africa Cup of Nations final and their Qatar 2022 play-off, meaning the winger may never get another chance to play in a World Cup.
At club level, meanwhile, Salah failed to settle his score with Real Madrid, and even suffered the ignominy of being mocked by Luka Modric after Liverpool's unlucky 1-0 loss to Los Blancos in the final of last season's Champions League.
This time last year, Salah was in contention for the Ballon d'Or. Now, he probably can't wait for 2022 to end.