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One of the most captivating aspects of football is its unpredictability. The beautiful game never follows a script and always delivers mouth-watering stories and drama.
Football is a gift that keeps on giving and every year we see some major events that shock the footballing world. This year was no different and we were all blessed with a fascinating and enthralling football season which saw major upsets and key talking points.
There is no better example than Real Madrid's Champions League run this season. They made incredible comebacks against three big names of the football world enroute to lifting the trophy.
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Let's take a look at some of the moments in world football that caught everyone's attention this year :
#5 Sheriff Tiraspol defeat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu
One of the biggest upsets in UEFA Champions League history took place in the group stage of the 2021-22 season. The world of football watched in shock as Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol, coming into the group stages all the way from the first qualifying round, beat Real Madrid in their own backyard. An absolute rocket from Sébastien Thill beat Thibaut Courtois and flew into the top corner in the 89th minute to give Sheriff a historic 2-1 win.
Real Madrid went on to win the entire competition, beating Liverpool in the final which added weight to the shock Sheriff pulled off. The Moldovan champions can hold their heads high knowing they beat the 14 time European Champions, a feat which will live long in the memory of football fans.
#4 Robert Lewandowski misses out on a deserved Ballon D'or
Robert Lewandowski had a stellar 2021, scoring a ridiculous 69 goals across all competitions in the calendar year. The Polish phenomenon broke Gerd Muller's Bundesliga record by scoring 41 goals in the German league's 2020-21 season.
Lewandowski had a goal-per-minute ratio of 71, an astonishing return from a striker. No one came close to him in 2021 and the footballing world was disappointed when he was not given the Ballon d'Or, which instead was awarded to Lionel Messi.
Lewandowski may consider himself extremely unlucky as he deserved to win the award in 2020 as well. He scored 55 goals across all competitions and won the Champions League as well. However, due to Covid-19, the annual awardshow was cancelled, leaving the striker cruelly empty-handed.
#3 Villarreal's journey to the Champions League semi-finals
Villarreal had already made history last season by beating Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final, giving them qualification to this season's Champions League. While not many had thought they would compete against the European elite, the Yellow Submarine shocked everyone and reached the semi-finals.
Their semi-final run was incredible as they beat Juventus in the R16 and then German powerhouse Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. Villarreal were drawn against Liverpool in the semi-finals and were on the verge of causing another huge upset by taking a 2-0 lead in the second leg. Liverpool, however, scored three goals in the second half of the second leg and ran out comfortable winners.
Villarreal's UCL campaign will always be remembered as one of the greatest underdog stories in Champions League history.
#2 Manchester United suffered their worst season
Manchester United finished second in the league last season and then went on to sign three world-class players in Jadon Sancho, Raphaël Varane and perhaps the greatest player of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo. With everything set to be a dream season for the Red Devils, expectations were high. Fast forward ten months and the season has been nothing short of a nightmare.
They ended their trophyless season with the lowest points total in Premier League history, a goal difference of zero, a worse defensive record than Burnley (who were relegated) and no top-four finish. It has been a shambolic season for United. The Reds lost 12 league games, including a 9-0 aggregate defeat by Liverpool over the two league matches against their rivals.
Manchester United fans will be happy to see the season come to an end and will hope for a much brighter future under new manager Erik ten Hag.
#1 Kylian Mbappe's transfer saga and U-turn
Kylian Mbappe's transfer to Real Madrid has looked inevitable over the past 12 months. After a long saga last summer when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) rejected a massive bid of €200 million (as per ESPN) from Real Madrid, it looked like Mbappe will join Los Blancos for free this year.
In a stunning twist, the French superstar snubbed the Madrid club and signed a new contract with PSG. The mega-contract will reportedly cost the Parisians €435 million over three years (as per La Reppublica via BeSoccer).
Real Madrid were very confident of signing Mbappe but were left in shock when he decided to stay at PSG at the last moment. There has been no transfer saga as fascinating as Mbappe's and it will be interesting to see what happens in three years' time when his contract runs out.
