THE LOST YEAR
Tags: Soccer, Football

Another year goes by, this one predominantly different. Unlike many others, it was a chaotic year filled with uncertainty and emptiness. The global health crisis being the major reason for these feelings. It was the type of thing you’d see in a movie and think “this can’t actually happen, right?” But then it did.

In the world of football, there was that uncertainty and emptiness. The beautiful game halted as part of the safety protocols put in place in an attempt to curb the spread of the corona virus, and for many days, we all wondered when our happiness will return.

On the 6th of May, we got our answer. The Bundesliga was set to become Europe’s first major football league to resume playing during the pandemic later that month and gradually other leagues began to announce their return dates.

Despite the year being troubled with a lot, there were still some beautiful moments we all shared. So let’s take a look at 10 of the most memorable football moments in 2020.

Lewandowski’s Big Year

2020 will be a year remembered for the genius of Robert Lewandowski. He deservedly gained recognition for his spectacular performances during the 19/20 season and his massive involvement in Bayern’s treble campaign. The Polish striker was named FIFA’s Best Player of 2020 ahead of two of the game’s greatest players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Lewa’s performances even got fans to sign a petition to bring back the Balon d’Or after it was cancelled for the year by France Football.

Karma’s a bitch

After the 2–0 win against Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League Round of 16 second leg tie, the PSG players mocked Erling Haaland and Dortmund, mimicking the 20 year old’s goal celebration. At first, it came off as a weird thing to do but it was later revealed by some of the players that the gesture was in response to the tweets and posts made by the Dortmund players after the first leg.

The Burofax

As if things couldn’t get any worse for Barcelona, their captain and greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi, informed the club of his intention to leave via burofax. Messi leaving seemed like a possible scenario, even as it came as a shock to the whole world. Fortunately for Barça, he decided to stay one more season, but he expressed his dissatisfaction with the club president in an interview with goal.com.

First female referee in the UCL

On the 2nd of December, Stephanie Frappart made history and became the first woman to referee a men’s Champions League match. The 36 year old was also the first woman to referee a major men’s European football match when she was in charge of the 2019 UEFA Super Cup. She enters the history books, joining Nicole Petignat who became the first female referee to officiate UEFA male matches back in 2003.

Arsenal and the FA Cup

Despite Arsenal’s poor performances and failure to qualify for Europe through league position, the Gunners ended the 19/20 season on a high note, winning the FA Cup at Wembley. It was a great moment for Arsenal fans all over the world as they overcame Chelsea in the final to win their 14th FA Cup title. It was also their new manager, Mikel Arteta’s first taste of silverware in his then eight-month old managerial career. The FA Cup win booked Arsenal a place in the 20/21 Europa League group stages.

Liverpool finally win the league

2020 became the year Liverpool ended their wait to be crowned the champions of England after a dominant title campaign. After 30 years and a slip, the Reds finally won the league doing so in incredible fashion, with an 18 point gap over second placed Manchester City while also breaking numerous records.

Black Lives Matter

During the restart, after the halt in football, the Premier League showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement. All the players wore badges endorsing Black Lives Matter for the remaining nine match days of the 19/20 season while also taking the knee as a gesture against racism. The 20/21 season has seen the league continue to support the movement with the No Room for Racism campaign which was launched back in 2019.

Spurs batter United

Jose Mourinho got a big one over his former employers when his Spurs side hammered Manchester United 6–1 at Old Trafford. It was a shambolic display from the Red Devils and ended up as United’s joint heaviest home defeat in the Premier League. This game will also be remembered for Patrice Evra’s emotional rant on Sky Sports.

Rock Bottom Barça

Barça fans woke up after many hours of sleep, thinking about the night before. “Was it a nightmare?”, they thought. It wasn’t. Barça lost 8–2 to eventual European champions, Bayern Munich. They were destroyed and demolished. For the 90 minutes, all Barça had was 99% faith and 1% chance. It was an embarrassing game which saw the most expensive player in Barça history, Coutinho(who was loaned out to Bayern) net twice against his parent club as a substitute.

Atletico Madrid knock Liverpool out

Firstly, Simeone did what no one in the English League had done at that point of the season, by beating Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League tie. The second leg at Anfield was one of the most dramatic matchups in the tournament seeing Adrian commit blunders, gifting Atleti a place in the quarter finals after extra time. Andy Robertson’s comments after the first leg backfired and nothing was more satisfactory than seeing Liverpool knocked out on his birthday.

Well, what a year that was. If I learnt something from this year, it’s that tough times show us the real face of life. Hopefully, 2021 will be much better than this one. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.