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Another year is coming to an end. 2017 saw Real Madrid win the UEFA Champions League for the 11th time, while Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or for the fifth time equalling Lionel Messi's tally in the process. Neymar moved to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona for a whopping €222 million to break the all-time transfer record and much more.
But all that are over. Past is past and we have to move on. We have a big year ahead and 2018 has a lot to offer with the FIFA World Cup being the biggest of it.
Here are 5 bold predictions for 2018:
#5 Arsene Wenger to get sacked, Carlo Ancelotti to replace him at Arsenal
Arsene Wenger was appointed as Arsenal manager on the 1st of October 1996. Since then the French manager won the London club three Premier League titles out of which the title win in 2004 saw them acquire the nickname 'The Invincibles' for going unbeaten the whole season. Under him, the Gunners also won seven FA Cups and FA Community Shields each.
However, the team have not won any league titles since 2004 nor have they made any UEFA Champions League triumphs despite qualifying for the tournament 19 years straight (Arsenal have not qualified for the Champions League this year and are currently playing in the Europa League, which perhaps points to the downfall of the club).
Three FA Cups and FA Community Shields each are the only achievements that Wenger has to boast about for 12 years. Arsenal fans have been calling for the manager to be sacked for some time now. They almost believed that the 68-year-old was gone this year with his contract running out, but the management decided to trust the former Monaco manager and gave him a two-year contract extension.
Arsenal currently sit seventh of the league points table below Burnley and have shown no much improvement from last year. 2018 might be the year that Stan Kroenke and co lose patience with Wenger and give him the boot.
Former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti could be the ideal replacement for Wenger at Arsenal. The Italian was sacked by German Bundesliga champions in September and will be looking for a new club to manage.
#4 Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, Gareth Bale back to Premier League
Eden Hazard has been one of the best wingers in the Premier League, if not the best, since his arrival at Chelsea in 2012. The Belgian international played a crucial role in his side's two league wins in 2015 and 2017. The player is also a regular for the Belgium national team, even captaining the team in the UEFA Euro 2016 in the absence of Vincent Kompany.
Hazard has scored 80 goals and assisted 69 in his 270 games for Chelsea. In his 82 performances for Belgium, the 26-year-old has found the net 21 times and paved the way for 22 goals.
The former LOSC Lille player has been on 12 time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid's radar for quite some time. The Los Blancos are said to be big admirers of the ambidextrous player and 2018 could be the year where they wrap up a deal for him.
The deal could see Real Madrid breaking their club transfer record of €100 million that they paid for Gareth Bale and could also signal the end of the end of the Welshman's tenure in Spain.
While Hazard will be moving to Spain from England, Bale could be doing the opposite. The 28-year-old could join his former club Tottenham Hotspurs or Jose Mourinho's Manchester United or even be the replacement for Hazard at Chelsea.
#3 English club to win the Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious tournament for the European clubs. Teams from various countries in Europe compete for this trophy which gives them the right to call themselves the best in the continent.
Since the turn of the century, Spain has got the most number of Champions League winners with Real Madrid lifting the trophy five times and Barcelona doing it four times. Italian and English clubs have won three times each. Bayern Munich from Germany have become champions twice, while Portuguese club Porto won once.
The Premier League is said to be one of the most competitive league in the world and has more than a few big clubs. Despite all those 'biggies' like Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspurs trying, they could only win it thrice in 17 years.
Liverpool triumphed in 2005 after a historical comeback against AC Milan. Manchester United came out victorious in 2008 after an all English final against Chelsea who won it in 2012.
Since Chelsea, no English club has even reached the finals of the tournament. However, in 2018 we could see an English club winning the Champions League for the first time in six years. Five clubs from the country have qualified for the round of 16 this term and we could even see an all English finals this term.
#2 Zidane to get sacked and be appointed as Paris Saint-Germain manager
On the 4th of January 2016, Real Madrid sacked Rafa Benitez and replaced him with Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman began his managerial career with a 5-0 win over Deportivo de La Coruna and went on to two Champions League titles in two years.
Zidane also led the Los Blancos to their first La Liga title in five years in 2017. However, the 2017-18 season has not been smooth for them so far. Real Madrid currently sit fourth on the Spanish league points table, eight points behind leaders Barcelona.
Real Madrid faces the threat of getting knocked out of the Champions League when they face French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in the tournament's round of 16. As of now, the 12 times European champions won't be able to defend both of the major trophies resulting in the team's worst season in the Zidane era.
The poor season could see Real Madrid president Florentino Perez getting disappointed at the 45-year-old manager and sacking him. Zidane could then go on to be the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, who will sack their manager Unai Emery if he fails to lead the team to a Champions League triumph.
#1 Brazil to win FIFA World Cup and Neymar to win Ballon d'Or
The FIFA World Cup is the most anticipated event in 2018 and football fans are eagerly waiting for the festival. After Brazil, the tournament will be held in Russia this term. The World Cup has already surprised us even before it started as Italy failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time in 56 years.
This term, we have a proper set of strong sides and underdogs, who are ready to fight for the big prize. A strong Germany will be looking to defend their title, Argentina led by Lionel Messi will be hoping to put their last term's setback aside and bounce back, while other teams will be giving their all to the cause.
Going into the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil were one of the favourites as they had the crucial home advantage and a 22-year-old Neymar to lead their attack. However, the Paris Saint-Germain player went down injured against Colombia in the Quarter Finals and Brazil crashed out of the competition after an embarrassing 7-1 lose to Germany in the Semi-finals.
The Canarinho head to the World Cup with Tite as their coach (Brazil have lost only one game under the 56-year-old) and a determined squad. In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Brazil will make the world forget about their pathetic defeat to Die Mannschaft after Neymar proudly lifts the trophy for his country.
After Neymar makes his country proud at the grand stage and having a great season with Paris Saint-Germain, the 26-year-old will then go on to become the first player other than Messi and Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or in 11 years.
