The best football moments of the year in pictures.
With 2014 almost at an end, CaughtOffside looks back at this memorable football year in pictures, with great moments featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, James Rodriguez, Thierry Henry, Louis van Gaal and much, much more! Enjoy…
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January – Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is presented with the FIFA Ballon d’Or for 2013, finally claiming the prize ahead of Barcelona forward and rival Lionel Messi after a sensational run of goalscoring form.
January – In a somewhat surprise move, Chelsea agree to sell unsettled Spanish playmaker to Manchester United, who becomes the Red Devils’ club-record signing at the time, arriving for a fee of around £37m in an attempt to salvage something from a difficult season under David Moyes.
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February – Two goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain give Arsenal a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium and keep them top of the Premier League table after a strong run of form.
March – Manchester City come from behind to beat Sunderland 3-1 in the Capital One Cup final at Wembley, with a stunning goal form Yaya Toure stealing the show, as well as further efforts from Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas to give Manuel Pellegrini his first piece of silverware in English football.
March – Arsene Wenger takes charge of 1000th game in charge of Arsenal. Sadly for him, it ends in an absolutely shambolic 6-0 defeat to Chelsea, who blow the Gunners away with four first half goals, three of which came in the first 17 minutes. Despite a strong title challenge for so much of the season, Arsenal’s hopes of winning the league start to crumble at this point.
April – David Moyes returns to face Everton at Goodison Park as manager of Manchester United for the first time. However, a dismal display and a 2-0 defeat sees him run out of time after an awful campaign at Old Trafford and it proves to be his final game in charge of the Red Devils.
April – Ryan Giggs replaces David Moyes as manager of Manchester United on a caretaker basis and in a player-coach role. The Welshman endures mixed results in the final few games of the season and the club finish a shockingly low 7th place, their worst final position in the league since 1990.
April – In one of the most defining games of the season, a slip from Steven Gerrard and a smash-and-grab display by Chelsea at Anfield ends Liverpool’s sensational eleven-game winning streak and puts their surprise shot at the Premier League title out of their own hands.
May – Liverpool’s slip up against Chelsea proves costly, and they are beaten to the Premier League title on the final day of the season as Manchester City beat West Ham United 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium, making it a second title in three seasons to complete a superb double in Manuel Pellegrini’s first season in England.
May – Jack Wilshere mobs match-winner Aaron Ramsey after the Welshman’s extra-time goal against Hull City ends Arsenal’s long trophyless run with a 3-2 victory in the FA Cup final at Wembley. The underdogs took a shock 2-0 lead in the first ten minutes to set up a memorable game, with goals from Santi Cazorla and Laurent Koscielny also aiding the Gunners’ comeback.
May – In one of the great upsets in the modern era, Atletico Madrid seal a sensational La Liga title win on the final day of the season, with Diego Godin’s goal giving Diego Simeone’s side the draw they need to finish top of the pile in Spain. To make it sweeter, they achieved it with a 1-1 draw against reigning champions Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
May – Atletico Madrid also reach the final of the Champions League and come agonisingly close to another major upset as they take a 1-0 lead in the final in Lisbon. However, arch rivals Real Madrid grab a last-minute equaliser through Sergio Ramos and run away with the game in extra time with goals through Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the European Cup for a record-breaking 10th time in their history.
May – Prior to leading the Dutch national team through the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil, Louis van Gaal is confirmed by Manchester United as their new manager for the 2014/15 season, replacing David Moyes. Caretaker boss Ryan Giggs is kept on at the club as the Dutchman’s assistant, whilst also retiring from playing after a long and great career at Old Trafford.
June – Louis van Gaal gets off to a great start with the Netherlands at the World Cup as they kick off the tournament with a thumping 5-1 win over holders Spain. Robin van Persie scored one of the goals of the tournament in the process, equalising in the first half with an acrobatic diving header from a cross-field ball from Daley Blind.
June – Far and away the best player in England during the 2013/14 Premier League campaign, Luis Suarez then haunts the England national team with two superb goals for Uruguay in their Group D match, helping knock Roy Hodgon’s side out of the competition early on.
July – In one of the most amazing World Cup games ever and perhaps one of the biggest upsets in sporting history, Germany thrash host nation and five-time World Cup winners Brazil 7-1 with a superb performance. Miroslav Klose was on the scoresheet, becoming the all-time leading scorer in the history of the tournament in the process, overtaking Brazilian legend Ronaldo, to rub salt into the wound.
July – Germany go on to win the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Argentina in the final, making it the fourth time they have taken home the biggest trophy in world football. Bayern Munich starlet Mario Gotze was the matchwinner in extra time with a well-taken goal, though the match itself was not a classic.
July – Despite exciting at the quarter-final stages, Colombia are one of the most impressive teams at the World Cup, with sensational attacking midfielder James Rodriguez the stand-out performer. The 23-year-old scored six goals in Brazil to finish as top scorer in the 2014 tournament, shortly before earning a big-money move to Real Madrid.
August – Breaking their transfer record for the second time in a year and also beating the British transfer record overall, Manchester United sign Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid in a £59.7m deal to lay down a marker ahead of the new season.
October – The other biggest signing of the summer, Luis Suarez, makes his long-awaited debut for the Catalan giants since leaving Liverpool, though he starts on the losing side as Real Madrid triumph 3-1 in their La Liga clash at the Bernabeu. The Uruguayan’s debut had been delayed as he served a lengthy ban from FIFA after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
November – Barcelona star Lionel Messi is thrown in the air by his team-mates after his stunning hat-trick in a win over Sevilla moves him top of the all-time La Liga scoring charts. Telmo Zarra’s record of 251 goals in the Spanish top division had stood for almost six decades. Messi has also become top scorer in the Champions League this season, overtaking Real Madrid legend Raul.
December – Arsenal legend and all-time Premier League great Thierry Henry announced his retirement from playing after finishing a spell with MLS side New York Red Bulls. The 37-year-old will now work for Sky Sports as a pundit and has attracted floods of tributes after calling time to a glorious career.