2010 - A Year In Review Of Football

*As Featured On epltalk.com

As yet another fantastic year of football comes to an end, I took a look at what made this years highlight reel.

Match Of The Year

Tottenham 3-1 Inter Milan

What a bloody match. As debutant's of the world's finest European competition, Spurs were paired with last years champions Inter Milan and with the presence of German's Wolfsburg, they were unexpected to progress from the group. But, as we have come to learn since September, Spurs can take on anyone on their day and they defied the odds to top their group, only losing once in the process.

This match was the return fixture of that fateful night at the San Siro, with the presence of a certain Mr Bale earning credibility for Spurs when anything was looking unlikely. Bale was again phenomenal in this match at White Hart Lane, setting up two and starring in a rather marvelous performance to beat Inter Milan.

Player Of The Year

Florent Malouda

I was forced to think long and hard about this one. On one hand we had the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi etc. who perform superbly year in, year out. Then we have the players who have really come on as their own, and i decided to go with the latter, since the others have received huge amounts of praise over the years.

Malouda had not really established himself come 2009 and that was a big year for him. He proved to be a massive hit with the fans upon his arrival from Lyon. Last season he finished with a fine goal to assist ratio, netting 16 and assisting 14. Prior to January 2010 he had not been such a success, but hard work finally paid off when he helped Chelsea to a Premier League & FA Cup double, finally regaining what was rightfully theirs, following a tight campaign with arch rivals Manchester United.


Goal Of The Year


Matty Burrows - Glentoran

Irish football goes relatively unnoticed these years but one goal changed it all. In a match between Glentoran and Portmarnock, the home side continually pushed for an equaliser, and in the 92nd minute they scored what proved to be football's goal of the year. The extent of the goal was exquisite. A cross was delivered for Matt Burrows and with his back to goal, he - rather flimsily, attempted a back heel volley. Usually such an attempt would end up soaring high and wide but somehow he managed to perfect it and the video itself became a massive hit on youtube, racking up more than 4 million hits.

Messi & Co. eat your hearts out:







Moment Of 2010

Year Of The Pigeon

It inevitably summed up England's world cup campaign. In the dire match that was England vs Algeria, a pigeon seemed to have perched itself on top of the Algerian goal, as it sensed there it would be no sense of danger throughout the 90 minutes. England lacked any real venom going forward, and in truth never looked like scoring. When the final whistle went, Algeria celebrated like they had won the World Cup, holding on for a famous 0-0 draw against a country in decline.





Best Signing Of 2010

Rafael Van Der Vaart - Real Madrid to Tottenham

Virtually a last minute signing for Harry Redknapp, Van Der Vaart proved imperious from the off. He quickly established himself as a fan favourite with 6 goals in as many games. Unfortunately, injuries have prolonged his goalscoring record, for the time being and he returned to action on fine form, grabbing a double against a weak Aston Villa side taking his tally to 8 goals and 4 assists for this seasons campaign.


Worst Signing Of 2010


Joe Cole - Chelsea to Liverpool

Cole's career took a turn for the worst after Chelsea declined to extend his contract. He was snapped up by Liverpool, which was labelled as the "bargain buy" of the season but a red card against Arsenal on his Premier League debut for the Merseysiders didn't do his confidence a whole lot of good. As a result, Cole lost his place in the team, and he has resorted to taking up a spot on the bench, not what he had intended upon arriving at Anfield.


Worst Moment 2010


Mike Ashley Sacks Toon Manager Chris Hughton

Mike Ashley's decision to sack Chris Hughton sparked outrage amongst the world of football after Hughton had guided the Magpies to a solid tenth in the league. Football fans worldwide were shocked as he was the one who guided Newcastle to Championship glory, directly after they had gone down. This was news to Hughton who recalled being called into David Levy's (chairman) office along with goalkeeping coach  Paul Barron and was unexpectedly given the boot.

Ashley appointed Alan Pardrew as Hughton's successor and has had a mixed spell since taking over, beating Liverpool but also losing to Tottenham and Manchester City.


Best Moment 2010

Spain Win World Cup

It was delight for Vincente Del Bosque & Spain as they won their first ever World Cup this past June. They also broke a few more records in the process, being the only side to win the World Cup after losing their first match. They also posted the record by winning the World Cup with the least amount of goals, only managing 8 goals, with hitman David Villa netting 5.

Iniesta became a hero in the eyes of the Spaniards after he sent the fans into jubilation following his 116th minute winner. It was ecstasy for Spain and agony for Holland as they also, were competing for a first World Cup.

Any inclusions I may have left out please comment.