We’ve rounded up the top nominations that best describe this year.

Match of the year: PSG — Inter 5:0. Champions League final

The final match of the Champions League in Paris was a real demonstration of strength. It is not every time in the decisive game of the main European Cup that one can find such an indisputable advantage of one team. “Red and Blue” left no stone unturned from the defense of Milan’s “snakes”, confirming the status of the new dominant force in Europe.

5-0 is the biggest goal difference in a deciding game. Before that, the biggest difference in the final was four goals.

In the modern history of the Champions League (starting with the 1992/93 season), only once has the final ended with an advantage of four goals. It happened in the final of the 1993/94 season, when Milan defeated Barcelona 4:0.

There were three more occasions when the tournament was called the European Champions Cup.

• Season-1959/60. Real – Eintracht 7:3
• Season-1973/74. Bayern – Atletico 4:0
• Season-1988/89. Milan – Steaua 4:0.

Event of the year: Ousmane Dembele’s Ballon d’Or

For a long time, the talent of the Frenchman was the object of controversy due to injuries, but 2025 became his peak. Dembele has had a phenomenal season, becoming a key piece in Luis Enrique’s system. The award for the best player in the world in the hands of Usman is a symbol of the fact that his career has finally shone at full power.

Coach of the year: Luis Enrique

The Spanish specialist managed to do what many famous predecessors failed to do — to win almost all possible trophies with PSG. The main achievement was the first victory in the history of the club in the Champions League. Enrique has built a team where the stars finally work for the team and not the other way around.

The only trophy that the team of the Spanish specialist did not win is the updated Club World Cup. We will remind that the Parisians lost in the final to London Chelsea with a score of 0:3.

Scandal of the year: Turkish referees and betting rigging

Turkish football was at the epicenter of an unprecedented scandal that shocked even fans accustomed to chaos. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) released the results of an internal investigation: out of 571 active referees, 371 had accounts in bookmakers, and 152 were actively betting. The scale of “gambling” is impressive: one of the judges made more than 18,000 bets over the past five years.

Scandal with Turkish referees and betting on matches: what is the point and what will happen next

7 top league referees and 15 assistants were under suspicion. TFF President Ibrahim Hadjiosmanoglu, who himself once locked referees in the dressing room, has now promised to “cleanse football of dirt”. The Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office has already started criminal proceedings regarding the possible contractual nature of the matches.

The incident was the culmination of a years-long crisis of confidence in Turkey, where teams have repeatedly walked off the field in protest and club presidents have beaten referees during the game. Now, not only the careers of hundreds of officials are at risk, but also the reputation of Turkish sports.

Tragedy of the year: the death of Diogo Zhota

This news became the most difficult shock of the year for the entire football world. The Portuguese striker, an important player for Liverpool and the national team, passed away at the peak of his career. He was appreciated for his modesty – Zhota was never involved in scandals, instead he remained a true professional and an example for young people.

How Diogu Jota will be remembered

At Anfield Stadium, fans staged a massive commemoration, performing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in honor of his 20th cap. The Portuguese national team was also without one of its players, and this loss united even the most bitter enemies on the pitch, reminding everyone that football is only a game and human life is the highest value.

PS Also, let’s remember Volodymyr Sysenko (one of the co-founders and head coach of SC Poltava), Volodymyr Muntyan, Volodymyr Bilotserkovets and all others…

Sensation of the year: LNZ and Crystal Peles

INthe national Premier League got a new leader, on whom no one bet at the beginning of the season. Under the leadership of Vitaly Ponomarev, LNZ turned into a real “thunderstorm of authorities”. The team from Cherkasy went to the winter break in first place with 35 points. The main highlight of the first half of the season was the match against Shakhtar Donetsk. LNZ did not just defeat the champion, but literally destroyed the “miners” with a score of 4:1.

IN “Eagles” made a real mess of England. The London club, which had never before won significant awards, added two prestigious cups to its museum in one year. First, Crystal Palace created a sensation in the final of the FA Cup, where thanks to an iron defense and realization of moments, they beat Manchester City. It was the first major trophy in the club’s 120-year history. But the Londoners did not stop there: in the match for the English Super Cup, they again proved to be stronger than the top rival, this time defeating Liverpool.

Selhurst Park is now officially the home of the two-time English tournament winners.

Transfer of the year: Luka Modric

The summer transfer window of 2025 was full of high-profile transfers, but it was not easy to choose an unequivocal favorite. That is why our gaze stopped at the Croatian maestro. The transfer of Luka Modric to Milan as a free agent became a top event for Serie A.

Despite the fact that the winner of the Golden Ball turned 40 in September, he proved from the very first matches that age is just a number in the passport. Modrych did not come to Milan “to play catch-up”; he immediately became the mental and tactical center of Massimiliano Allegri’s team. His professionalism and composure under pressure have so impressed Rossoneri fans that Luka has already been named MVP, ahead of even younger leaders such as Rafael Leau.

Some have compared Modric’s impact on current Milan to Andrea Pirlo’s arrival at Juventus or the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Failure of the year: Alexander Isak

If the transfer of Modric was an example of the perfect reinforcement, then the transfer of Alexander Isak to Liverpool is a real textbook on how not to conduct a transfer campaign. For the Swedish forward, the Merseysiders paid an incredible 125 million pounds, which became a record in internal negotiations between Premier League clubs. Expectations were huge: Isaac was seen as the new Erling Holland, who was supposed to close the issue with performance at Anfield for years to come.

Why Isak is becoming a big problem for Liverpool

However, things did not go according to plan even before the contract was signed. Alexander acted extremely unprofessionally in relation to the “forty”: he refused to train, ignored the calls of management and actually blackmailed the club to speed up his sale. T his farewell to St. James Park caused a wave of indignation among the fans, and many in Britain began to talk about the “karma” that will surely catch up with the player for such behavior.

The final chord of this year was an injury in a recent match against Tottenham. Liverpool’s medical staff predict the player will miss “several months”.

The surprise of the year: the transfer of Vladyslav Vanat to the top championship

The transfer of the main forward of Dynamo Kyiv to the top league was a complete surprise. Most expected Vanat to stay in Kyiv for a few more seasons, but the choice in favor of the Spanish project Girona was an unexpected move.

Let’s be honest: no one believed that the president of Dynamo would let the Ukrainian go to another team. But it still happened. And few believed that a team from the top championship would show serious interest in Vladyslav. And it happened!

Meme of the year: Uncut Manchester United fan The story of the Manchester United fan, who at the beginning of the season recklessly promised not to visit the hairdresser until his favorite team won a series of five consecutive victories, became a real hit on social networks. Photos of the poor guy regularly appear on the network, and they clearly show how the fan’s hopes melt in proportion to how his hair grows.

Considering the total instability of the “red devils”, the length of the boy’s hair already causes some people to laugh, and some people – sincere sympathy. Currently, he looks more like a member of a rock band from the 80s than the average football fan.