Feringa: Blissfully chaotic at its best, pining for something lost at its worst. Also trigger alert: long throws.<\/p>\n
Miller: I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll remember much actual football, but I do remember being quite tired and my brain being hammered for most of the year.<\/p>\n
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\n Michael Kayode, master of long throws (Naomi Baker\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The best footballing achievement of 2025 was\u2026<\/p>\n
Miller: This choice is significantly influenced by the fact that I was there to see it happen, but Cape Verde qualifying for the World Cup. At the time, only Iceland had done it with a smaller population (Curacao have superseded them), but the unfiltered and uncomplicated joy in the stadium that day is something I\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neill: Sunderland making it back to the Premier League through the play-offs in the most majestic, last-gasp way. And then actually being a really good top-tier side. It was a long eight years out of the top flight, which included four weary seasons in League One. But Sunderland have bounced all the way back and then some<\/a>.<\/p>\n Feringa: All of us making it through the 2026 World Cup draw<\/a> in one piece and with most of our sanity intact.<\/p>\n James: Crystal Palace beating Manchester City to win the FA Cup (the first major trophy in their 164-year history) was pretty special \u2014\u00a0huge credit to their manager Oliver Glasner and the players. But the most magical thing about that day by far was the reaction of the Palace supporters at the final whistle. People, young and old, sobbing in a mixture of disbelief and joy. It was genuinely heart-warming \u2014 football touching the soul.<\/p>\n Anka: The Lionesses winning their second European Championship title. England entered the tournament in a transitional state, battled through tricky turbulence in three of their five matches, but still\u00a0emerged victorious. In the 21st century, the tournament has been won either by Germany or a team managed by Sarina Wiegman. The Dutchwoman is a brilliant manager who is constantly asking us to reassess what we mean by \u201cGood leadership\u201d. She has excellent taste in music<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n \n Another triumph for England and Sarina Wiegman (Justin Setterfield\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Hero of the year<\/p>\n Miller: Scott McTominay. One of football\u2019s great glow-ups \u2014 from being a solid, arguably slightly boring, taken for granted 7\/10 Manchester United midfielder, to title-winning, hard-partying, cigar-smoking, Pope-meeting, bicycle-kick-scoring, Serie A MVP.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill: It is always Marta. This year, next year, forever. Oh, and Troy Parrott.<\/p>\n Feringa: Any hero on the pitch is someone else\u2019s villain. But Michelle Agyemang really wore that cape in Switzerland: 138 minutes, two goals, twice seizing England from the clutches of \u201creigning champions dumped out\u201d headlines. To accomplish it while being just 19 years old and at her first major tournament with England was sensational, not to mention against a backdrop of racist abuse aimed at her team-mate Jess Carter<\/a>.<\/p>\n James: Stephen Crean, the 61-year-old Nottingham Forest fan who courageously intervened during a mass stabbing on a train from Doncaster to London last month. Crean had been making his way home from Forest\u2019s 2-2 draw against Manchester United at the City Ground when he was caught up in the train attack in Huntingdon, which led to a man being charged with 11 counts of attempted murder.<\/p>\n Forest fans gave Crean a rapturous ovation when he returned to the City Ground for their home game against Leeds United. \u201cIt meant the world to me. I could see people clapping, applauding and I just thank them so much,\u201d he said. \u201cI would have been happy with a few quid to go down the pub. I didn\u2019t expect anything.\u201d<\/p>\n Anka: The two biggest games of McTominay\u2019s 2025 saw him score bicycle kicks \u2014 one to help Napoli win a league title, the other to help secure Scotland\u2019s qualification for the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n I undervalued his talent at Manchester United, and I have spent the year happily eating humble pie while applauding his success.<\/p>\n Also, a quick word on Calvin Bassey \u2014\u00a0because I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a centre-back on the planet who is having more fun in the men\u2019s game. The Fulham and Nigeria defender had good moments in 2025 as well as bad ones, but he\u2019s always found a way to crack a smile, cheer up his team-mates and remind us all that football is meant to be a laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cThat ball has gone to AFCON before us!\u201d \ud83e\udd23 pic.twitter.com\/emg89MR4nz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Villain of the year<\/p>\n Miller: It won\u2019t do to overcomplicate these things, so it\u2019s a toss-up between two.<\/p>\n Either Gianni Infantino, who has seemingly spent the year sleeping in a little bed in the Oval Office, like a particularly dutiful dog, hopping up now and then to hand Donald Trump something shiny.<\/p>\n Or Jim Ratcliffe, for\u2026 well, claiming to understand the needs of the fans while jacking up ticket prices, making hundreds redundant while squandering millions himself, his undisguised contempt for Manchester United Women \u2014 take your pick really.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill: Vecna.<\/p>\n Feringa: A toss-up between whoever signed off on Sky Sports\u2019 Halo<\/a> and Joey Barton<\/a>.<\/p>\n James: Infantino. Where to start? The farce of the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize<\/a>. Where to end? The absolute scandal of ticket prices at the 2026 World Cup. And there\u2019s plenty in between, too.<\/p>\n Anka: If a series of ghosts had visited Sir Jim Ratcliffe over the cold Christmas nights, it would do us all the world of good.<\/p>\n \n The ever-dutiful Gianni Infantino with Donald Trump (Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Most surprising moment of the year<\/p>\n Miller: Troy Parrott\u2019s miracle hat-trick against Hungary. For not one minute did I think that the Republic of Ireland were going to come back and win that game, but when they did, my word: I can\u2019t remember the last time I so enjoyed a moment for a team with whom I have no emotional connection.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill: The fallout after Mary Earps released her book or Arsenal Women winning the Champions League. And not forgetting Burna Boy and Sarina Wiegman linking up on stage at England\u2019s Euro 2025 victory parade. That was iconic.<\/p>\n Feringa: Gotham\u2019s victory in the NWSL Championship. Winning it two seasons ago as the No 6 seed \u2014 a league-record low \u2014\u00a0was one thing. But lifting the trophy again two years on? This time as the No 8 seed? That\u2019s silly script stuff that no one believes in until it happens.<\/p>\n James: Well, I certainly didn\u2019t expect Chelsea to turn over Paris-Saint Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup final in New Jersey in July. The way Liverpool\u2019s 2025-26 season has unravelled, including Mohamed Salah\u2019s outburst<\/a>, was another big surprise. And who could have predicted that Sunderland would not just return to the Premier League but make a real splash. From a personal perspective, Snoop Dogg coming on board at Swansea City as a minority owner was a surreal moment. If only he could play right-back.<\/p>\n \n Mohamed Salah\u2019s outburst headlined a difficult start to the season for Liverpool (Molly Darlington\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Anka: Ajax letting the 2024-25 Dutch league title slip through their fingers<\/a>. They were nine points clear of PSV in mid-April before a four-game winless run allowed their rivals to snatch the Eredivisie trophy on the last day of the season.<\/p>\n Most predictable moment of the year<\/p>\n Miller: Chloe Kelly scoring the winning penalty for England at Euro 2025. Even though she had missed a penalty a few days earlier (before tucking in the rebound), there was absolutely no chance she was missing that one. She seems to enjoy those moments of crushing pressure: she is, in the nicest possible way, a freak.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill: Robbie Williams singing a duet with Nicole Scherzinger at the World Cup draw. Pretty sure I predicted that a year ago\u2026<\/p>\n Feringa: England winning Euro 2025. I really don\u2019t know why everyone kept panicking. You don\u2019t come back from the dead that many times and not win the whole lot. Also, Chloe Kelly is kind of inevitable at this point.<\/p>\n James: Ange Postecoglou and Nottingham Forest being a brief and unhappy marriage. It was, quite simply, never going to work at the City Ground, which makes you wonder why on earth Evangelos Marinakis, Forest\u2019s owner, and Postecoglou signed up for the 39-day eight-game farce that followed.<\/p>\n Anka: Chelsea winning the Conference League, and I mean that as a compliment. Chelsea are at their most compelling when they turn up and snatch the footballing dreams away from others (ask Bayern Munich fans about 2012<\/a>), and they did so brilliantly in 2025.<\/p>\n \n We knew Chelsea would win, didn\u2019t we? (Marco Steinbrenner\/DeFodi Images\/DeFodi via Getty Images)<\/p>\n The biggest injustice was\u2026<\/p>\n Miller: \u00a0Cristiano Ronaldo being let off his three-game suspension for a red card<\/a>, thus opening the door for him to play in the first two games of the World Cup.<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill: Not letting Robbie Williams sing Angels at the World Cup draw.<\/p>\n Feringa: The decision to simultaneously broadcast most of the Women\u2019s Super League matches for the 2025-26 season at 12pm local time (and then 11.55am).<\/p>\n James: Steve Parish would like to answer this question. Back in July, the Crystal Palace chairman said that UEFA\u2019s decision to remove his Premier League team from the Europa League, for breaching multi-club ownership rules, is \u201cthe biggest injustice in the history of football\u201d.<\/p>\n UEFA\u2019s judgement was harsh but I wouldn\u2019t go that far.<\/p>\n Anyway, with my football pyramid hat on, I\u2019ll always struggle with the idea that being runners-up in the National League, which is the gateway to the Football League, gets you nothing other than a play-off spot. Last season, York City finished 23 points above Oldham after 46 matches. But it was Oldham who won promotion.<\/p>\n Yeah, I know \u2014\u00a0everyone knows the rules at the start of the season. But still.<\/p>\n Anka: The Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations final in July saw Nigeria battle from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Morocco 3-2. However, they scored their first goal after the VAR decided Moroccan defender Nouhaila Benzina handled the ball inside the box, and before the VAR later overturned a penalty that was awarded to Morocco after they believed a possible handball from Nigeria\u2019s Oluwatosin Demehin was accidental. The Confederation of African Football would later receive a formal complaint from Morocco\u2019s federation, calling the match decisions \u201crefereeing injustices\u201d.<\/p>\n \n Cristiano Ronaldo had his suspension suspended (Charles McQuillan\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n The best goal I saw<\/p>\n Miller: Not the best from a technical point of view, but by a distance my moment of the year was James Tarkowski\u2019s stoppage-time equaliser in the final men\u2019s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, followed as it was by some fabulously undignified scenes from the Liverpool contingent and then a glorious, life-affirming singalong to I Guess That\u2019s Why They Call It The Blues by the Everton fans that simply did not want to leave.<\/p>\n The latest in a long line of Goodison Park heroes, James Tarkowski \ud83c\udfac pic.twitter.com\/31v3dCZfQH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Premier League (@premierleague) February 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n O\u2019Neill: I wasn\u2019t there to watch it live but it has to be the final Liverpool goal from the late, great and dearly missed Diogo Jota.<\/p>\n It came against Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield in April and proved to be the winner. It was so Jota. Off the bench and on to come up with the goods for Liverpool just when they needed him to. A weaving move and a wonderful finish at the Kop end.<\/p>\n Feringa: I was in the Spanish end for their Euro 2025 semi-final against Germany when Aitana Bonmati scored the winning goal in the dying moments of extra time. The celebrations were visceral.<\/p>\n Aitana’s turn for the goal \ud83e\udd75 #WEURO2025<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/WbwTRCbyfJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UEFA Women’s EURO (@WEURO2025) July 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Close second: Jack Grealish\u2019s first for Everton against Crystal Palace. It was pretty grubby. But the limbs. I was convinced I\u2019d be tumbling down the Hill Dickinson Stadium stands and taking at least four with me.<\/p>\n James: Paris Saint-Germain\u2019s third goal in the Champions League final against Inter was glorious and felt almost symbolic in terms of how it represented their team, their way of playing, and their coach, Luis Enrique. Vitinha was effortlessly weaving beautiful patterns inside his own half before driving forward with the ball, Ousmane Dembele\u2019s backheel was exquisite and then Desire Doue applied the coup de grace. Magnificent.<\/p>\n The results are in for the best play of the year!<\/p>\n The winner is\u2026 @PSG_inside<\/a>, with a stunning goal by D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 in the @UEFA<\/a> @ChampionsLeague<\/a> final!<\/p>\n Thank you for voting, the fun doesn\u2019t stop here \u2014 more games and surprises are coming soon on https:\/\/t.co\/HPYRKgym8v<\/a>. Stay\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/4SVAEDoPZg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ballon d’Or (@ballondor) September 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Josh Tymon\u2019s volley, for Snoop\u2019s Swansea against Oxford United, deserves a mention too. Postage stamp.<\/p>\n Anka: I prefer my Goal of the Month contenders to be long-range pingers rather than well-coordinated team goals so\u2026<\/p>\n In real life? Amad\u2019s edge-of-the-box volley to rescue a 2-2 draw for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest at the start of November. Bonus points for how Matthijs de Ligt dips his neck as it flies past him, as he rightfully understands the strike would have taken his head off.<\/p>\n Outrageous technique from Amad \ud83d\ude31 pic.twitter.com\/gmZaBTkG37<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Premier League (@premierleague) November 1, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Watching live on the telly? Declan Rice\u2019s perfect free kick against Real Madrid. His continual growth and improvement since the 2019-20 season are remarkable.<\/p>\n Best quote<\/p>\n Miller: \u201cTo be really honest, every time we have a defeat like that, I\u2019m going to be like that. I\u2019m going to say sometimes I hate my players and sometimes I love my players. Sometimes I want to quit, sometimes I want to be here for 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard not to love Ruben Amorim, speaking here after Manchester United lost to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup<\/a>\u2026 while at the same time desperately wanting to give him a hug and tell him to just stop being so honest.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2227541531-scaled.jpg\")
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