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2022 was an eventful year for football, for all the right & wrong reasons. Lionel Messi arguably achieved G.O.A.T status by winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup, albeit hosting the tournament in Qatar had its own controversies.
Similarly, the financial complications of the major clubs have come under scrutiny, who are reportedly & unsurprisingly still in the hopes of creating a Super League.
Real Madrid shrowded themselves to glory through their theatrics in the Champions League while Liverpool lost out on multiple trophies narrowly. Chelsea were sold after nearly two decades, while Liverpool & Manchester United have been put on sale by their respective American owners. Hence, while there were several ups in 2022, there were also some lows in the past year.
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On that note, let's take a look at five of the biggest flops in world football in 2022.
#5 Germany national team
The German national team had a terrific 2021 and ended the year by winning 13 games in a row. Their 2022 was expected to be better but things did not go to plan.
Hansi Flick, who has instilled plenty of young players into the national team, went a little awry with his tactics this year. With minimal defensive cover in midfield and a misfiring frontline, Germany failed to perform well in the UEFA Nations League this year.
Although they defeated Euro 2020 winners Italy comfortably, they drew once and lost the other in their two fixtures against Hungary. They also drew twice against England, allowing them to come back from behind in both games.
Hence, the optimism in the German camp was not all that high when the 2022 FIFA World Cup came around. However, they were expected to be favorites alongside Spain to come out of their group. But to their surprise, Japan exceeded expectations and defeated them in their opening fixture, which eventually led to them finishing 3rd in their group.
Thus, it has been a disappointing year for Die Manschcaft, who have now been eliminated from the group stage of the World Cup in back-to-back editions of the competition.
#4 Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard was destined for a successful 2022, after the Liverpool legend was handed the Aston Villa job in November 2021.
Although Villa only finished 14th last season, they avoided relegation comfortably, which was looking hard under Dean Smith's management. But they were expected to compete for a spot in the top eight this season following the signings of Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara, Jan Bednarek, Leander Dendoncker & others.
But the Villans could only pick up two narrow victories in their first 11 Premier League games this season, which saw them get knee-deep into the relegation zone. Gerrard's tactics always felt out of touch, and his team selection was not inspiring either. Understandably, he was sacked in October, just 11 months into the job.
Thus, despite helping Rangers win their first league title in 10 years in 2021, Gerrard could not build on that progress with Villa. The Englishman remains unemployed and it could be some time before he finds himself another job in the Premier League.
#3 Juventus
Juventus have endured a tumultuous 2022, especially after they only just clinched the 4th spot in the 2021/22 Serie A campaign.
Massimilano Allegri's side also crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16 stage against Villarreal with a 4-1 scoreline on aggregate. The Italian's tactics were often outdated, rudimentary, or far too defensive for a side with a lot of attacking nous. Regardless, they were expected to perform better this season, following the signings of Angel Di Maria, Paul Pogba, Gleison Bremer, Filip Kostic & Andrea Cambiaso. They also managed to sign the likes of Arkadiusz Milik & Leandro Paredes on a loan deal.
Despite all of this, the Serie A side are already 10 points behind league leaders Napoli as they have won only nine out of their 15 games so far. Although injuries have been a big reason behind all of this, Juventus' situation off the pitch has not been great either.
The club also reported a €254 million loss in the 2021-22 financial year, which is the biggest loss ever recorded by the Italian side. Hence, 2022 was certainly not their year and they will be hoping to turn things around in 2023.
#2 FIFA
FIFA have been at the epicenter of controversy ever since they awarded Qatar the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup in their country.
Although Sepp Blatter was eventually caught in multiple corruption scandals and resigned from the presidential position, Gianni Infantino has not been an improvement. The 52-year-old Swiss stood strong following FIFA's decision to host the tournament in Qatar this year. He also made very little effort to improve the lives of the migrant workers, who were exploited during the construction of multiple stadiums across the country.
However, one of the most controversial statements made by him was right before the World Cup this year. Infantino said in relation to the human rights issues in the country:
“Today I feel Qatari. “Today I feel Arabic. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel [like] a migrant worker.”
The FIFA president wanted to ensure that he understands the discrimination and the concerns of all these groups, but this statement hardly made that point. Unsurprisingly, it was met with a lot of backlashes despite Infantino trying to explain that Qatar had progressed on a lot of its issues. Regardless, the 6500 migrant workers who have reportedly died since Qatar was handed the right to host the tournament is the dark cloud that will always hang over FIFA.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo inarguably had his worst year in football in 2022 and there will be little debate about it.
The 5-time Ballon d'Or winner could not help Manchester United seal Champions League football last season as the Red Devils finished sixth in the Premier League.
They were also eliminated by Atletico Madrid in the UCL Round of 16 tie, thereby leaving them with no chance of playing in the competition this year. Hence, it was no surprise when Ronaldo arrived late to pre-season training, with speculation rife that he wanted to leave the Old Trafford outfit.
However, not a single club were reportedly keen enough to sign him in the summer, courtesy of which he stayed put at the club. But Erik Ten Hag had other plans as Ronaldo was often seen on the bench rather than in the starting XI. The tension between the two could be seen at times, but they were often quashed as rumors.
But a controversial video by Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview with Piers Morgan explained where it all went wrong for him at Manchester United. After criticizing the coach and the club multiple times in the 50-minute video, the Red Devils terminated his contract during the World Cup break, leaving him as a free agent.
Things only got worse when Ronaldo was benched by Fernando Santos in key games at the FIFA World Cup, including the country's quarter-final defeat against Morocco. Since then, the 37-year-old star has not been approached by any top clubs, which has led to him joining Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr.
Thus, while his wages are bound to be humongous, it is a disappointing end to the legacy of arguably the greatest footballer to ever grace the sport.
