This year witnessed the birth of a new global superstar, as Neymar inspired Santos to a first Copa Libertadores title since 1963 and threatened to crash Europe’s hegemony of the Ballon d’Or.
Already a YouTube sensation because of his distinctive mohawk hairstyle and jaw-dropping dribbling ability, Neymar confirmed his reputation by guiding Pele’s old club back to the summit of the South American game.
He scored the opening goal in the 2-1 defeat of Uruguayan giants Penarol in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final, before stealing the show and finishing top scorer as Brazil won the under-20 South American Championship.
Photo: AFP
He could not repeat his success with the senior side at the Copa America, but the 19-year-old was still the only player based outside Europe to be named on the 23-man shortlist for FIFA’s Ballon d’Or.
His performances for club and country saw him strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid, but last month he committed himself to Santos until the 2014 World Cup, when he will carry the hopes of the host nation on his shoulders.
One of the year’s most enduring images captured Pele embracing Neymar after the Copa Libertadores final in the middle of the Pacaembu pitch in Sao Paulo.
The great Brazilian was even moved to declare Neymar a “more complete” player than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, but Neymar came out second-best in this month’s FIFA Club World Cup final, as Messi scored twice in a 4-0 Barca win.
“Messi is the best, there’s no question about that,” Santos coach Muricy Ramalho said. “He’s been building up to be the best player for many years, but Neymar is improving and in the future he will be the best.”
With Brazil and hosts Argentina both crashing in the last eight at the Copa America, Uruguay were able to claim a 15th continental crown, which followed on from their superb fourth-place finish at the previous year’s World Cup.
After eliminating old enemies Argentina on penalties and beating Peru 2-0 in the semi-finals, they crushed Paraguay 3-0 in the final through an early strike from player of the tournament Luis Suarez and a Diego Forlan brace.
“I’m really proud of the way we played and the way we did it,” Uruguay captain Diego Lugano said after hoisting aloft the trophy at Buenos Aires’ fabled Estadio Monumental. “We’ve made a lot of people very happy.”
A month after controversially winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup, Qatar welcomed the cream of the Asian continent to Doha for the Asian Cup in January.
Although a logistical success, the tournament was notable for poor attendances, but it concluded with a high-quality final decided by a fine extra-time volley from Tadaneri Lee that gave Japan a 1-0 win over Australia.
The Blue Samurai also tasted success in the women’s game, with Japan securing their first ever World Cup title after beating the US on penalties in the final in Frankfurt, Germany, in July.
Mexico had two reasons to celebrate as well, following up their triumph in the CONCACAF Gold Cup with success in the under-17 World Cup on home soil.
For all the on-pitch spectacle, the year will go down as a black year for world soccer’s governing body FIFA after a succession of corruption scandals saw the organization’s name dragged into the gutter.
Sepp Blatter won a fourth consecutive term as president in June, but only after his main rival, Mohamed bin Hammam, had been removed from the race over bribery allegations that would eventually earn him a lifetime ban.
“I cannot go now,” Blatter said this month. “I haven’t finished my mission. The organization’s image needs to be improved.”
The FIFA chief also announced plans to introduce goal-line technology in time for the 2014 World Cup, despite objections from UEFA president Michel Platini.
As the new year approached, fans had reason to reflect on the losses of some of the game’s most cherished names.
England great Nat Lofthouse, former Hungary star Florian Albert and Socrates, captain of the acclaimed 1982 Brazil World Cup side, all passed away, while the sport was stunned by the tragic suicide of Wales manager Gary Speed.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Taiwan’s top male badminton player, Chou Tien-chen, on Saturday bowed out in the men’s singles semi-finals at the Thailand Open after losing in straight games to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The world No. 6 Chou, seeded fourth at the Super 500 tournament, lost to the world No. 2 Thai 21-7, 21-19 in 53 minutes. The victory improved Vitidsarn’s head-to-head record against Chou to 3-5. Chou, 36, trailed throughout the opening game after the score was tied 2-2. His relatively passive approach allowed the 25-year-old Thai to capitalize on Chou’s defensive clears with powerful smashes while committing few unforced errors. The Taiwanese
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago, but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph. Saturday’s win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French
West Ham United’s 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday left Tottenham Hotspur realistically only needing one more point to win the battle for English Premier League survival, while Bruno Fernandes made history in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Spurs can avoid dropping out of the English top flight for the first time in nearly 50 years with victory at Chelsea today, but a draw would also likely suffice thanks to their much superior goal-difference over West Ham. “Overall bad performance. Too many things [went wrong], I think we gifted them the goals,” West Ham head caoch Nuno Espirito Santo
RSS