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Another year has rolled by in the blink of an eye and to be very honest, it has been one of the best years in recent times. The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia was arguably the most talked about event in world football this calendar year.
Spectators all over the world were in for a treat as the beloved game didn't cease to amaze. The English Premier League was fiercely contested and eventually, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City stamped their rights on the title.
Barcelona had another eventful year as they managed to bag the LaLiga title and the Copa del Rey as well. Bayern Munich sealed the honors in Germany while Paris-Saint Germain won the Ligue 1 title in France. The Old Lady Juventus FC adding another Serie A trophy in their kitty.
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The rise of Kylian Mbappe has been a heavily discussed topic over the last couple of years. It was definitely the year of Kylian Mbappe as the Frenchman won hearts with his amazing performances in the FIFA World Cup. His exploits were so good that he was compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and even touted as the next global footballing sensation.
Superstars like Alexis Sanchez, Manuel Neuer, Alvaro Morata, Jerome Boateng and many others went on a steep decline with their performances getting worse over the course of the year.
These are the five things that grasped the attention of all in 2018.
1) The FIFA World Cup 2018
There is no greater sporting extravaganza like the FIFA World Cup and it is almost at par with the Olympics in terms of grandeur and like Olympics, also takes place once in four years. This time, the World Cup was staged in Russia and the tournament had many interesting stories to tell.
Everyone was expecting Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to deliver and take the trophy back to their respective countries. However, neither of them matched expectations and both Portugal and Argentina bowed out of the tournament in the round of 16.
The biggest surprise packages of the World Cup were dark-horses Belgium and the hosts Russia. Eden Hazard and Aleksandr Golovin both made the headlines as the best players for their respective teams.
Croatia cruised onto the final, riding on the back of some amazing performances by Luka Modric, Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Perisic, and Ivan Rakitic, losing out to eventual champions France. Les Blues lifted the title after 20 years and it was a dream come true for the French players, under manager Didier Deschamps.
2) Real Madrid completing a UCL-hattrick
If there is a club that has justified its title of being the 'Club of the Century' time and time again, it has to be Real Madrid. Real Madrid, under the guidance of Zinedine Zidane, roared to their 13th UEFA Champions League trophy.
The team benefited a lot from the presence of players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos, who were experienced enough to navigate through opposition teams as they smoothly sailed to the title. Besides, when you have Cristiano Ronaldo in your starting XI, victory is almost always assured.
Los Blancos won the final against a spirited Liverpool side by a decent margin of 3-1, riding on Gareth Bale's amazing performance as the Welshman came on from the bench to score two amazing goals. The injury to Mohammed Salah, half an hour into the game, proved costly to Liverpool.
3) Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Juventus
Even though the transfer amount was not staggering when compared to Neymar's transfer fee, Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Juventus from Real Madrid made headlines for many days.
Ronaldo had an illustrious career at Real Madrid where he became a club legend by overtaking Raul as the top goal scorer for the club and won four UEFA Champions League titles. He also won four Ballon d'Or awards during his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ever since he has joined Juventus, he has made the Bianconeri invincible with his exemplary vision and goal-scoring exploits. He feels at home, pairing up with talented youngsters like Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa, and Rodrigo Bentancur.
His understanding with co-forward Mario Mandzukic is almost telepathic and we could say, he is well on his way to winning many more titles with the Old Lady.
4) Luka Modric winning the Ballon d'Or
Luka Modric, the heart of Real Madrid's midfield and the captain of the Croatian team that cruised to the final of the FIFA World Cup, won the Ballon d'Or award in 2018. By doing so, Modric broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly and became the new entrant into the list of illustrious footballers.
Ever since Kaka won the award in 2007, Messi and Ronaldo had won the prestigious accolade five times each. The trophy remained in the possession of arguably the two best players in the history of football for the next ten years.
Modric deservedly won the award because of his services to his club and to his nation. Cristiano Ronaldo came second and the World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann was adjudged third. Youngster Kylian Mbappe finished fourth ahead of Lionel Messi, who was placed at the fifth position.
5) Mohammed Salah and Eden Hazard
No one made headlines more often this year than these two players - Mohammed Salah and Eden Hazard.
Mohammed Salah's story is very interesting. A Chelsea outcast, he went to Fiorentina in 2015 on a loan deal. Roma came looking for the talent and signed him in 2016 and since then, there was no stopping him.
On his return to the Premier League, Salah set the Premier League on fire and won the Golden Boot in his inaugural season. He was also awarded the Ferenc Puskas award for scoring the Goal of the Year as well.
Another player who has been touted as the successor of Messi and Ronaldo for a long time is Eden Hazard. Ever since he joined Chelsea, he has grown from strength to strength. 2018 has been a very eventful year for him. After winning the FA Cup with Chelsea, he lit up the World Cup with some brilliant performances and has carried it into the new season.
