Top Football Moments of 2018

As the year ends, it is time to rewind back to the best football moments from this beautiful year. It was indeed an amazing year of football, as always, and in this article, I plan to recall the extraordinary moments experienced by different clubs and players, and of course, by the fans.

2018 was an incredible year for football, as Russia hosted the FIFA World Cup with France bagging the prestigious trophy. Months before the World Cup, Real Madrid clinched their 3rd UEFA Champions League trophy in three years and Manchester City's incredible league run saw them lift the Premier League 2017-18 trophy, as well as Barcelona success; the Catalans grabbed yet another domestic double.

So, here are the top moments of 2018 and I am certain this will make you feel relaxed and relive your team's success.

#6 Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid; Big El Clasico win for the Catalans

In the month of October, the El Clasico was set to take place at the legendary stadium of Camp Nou. The visitors, Real Madrid, were struggling to catch form in the league games and on the other hand, Barcelona were well off their rivals.

But the fear was still perceptible in the Camp Nou crowd as their star player Leo Messi was sidelined due to a shoulder injury. It was Suarez, Coutinho and Rafinha who took up the attacking duties on their shoulder in the absence of Leo, and the home side completely outperformed their rivals.

A Luis Suarez hat-trick took Real Madrid 4 goals down to Barcelona and it was indeed a humiliating night for the Whites. The game ended 5-1 and Luis Suarez won the MOTM award, deservingly.

It was a huge win for Barcelona and fans were immensely happy with the result with Gerard Pique showing off his palm (the 5 finger celebration) he last did against Real Madrid at Santiago when his side beat them 5-0.

#5 Roma's comeback victory against Barcelona in the UCL

AS Roma v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg

In April 2018, the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals second leg were set to take place. It was Roma facing Barcelona at Stadio Olimpico. The last time they faced each other, Barcelona won 4-1 at the Camp Nou, a humiliating defeat by the hands of Catalans.

However, in the second leg, the Romans turned the tables! They pulled off a sensational comeback to beat Barcelona 3-0 and reach the Champions League semi-finals on away goals.

Barca were heavy favourites to progress after a big first-leg win, but they fell apart to Roma's brilliant performance. Defender Kostas Manolas scored the vital third goal, as he headed the ball from the corner to the far post to win it all for Roma.

Edin Dzeko struck early to give Roma hope and Daniele de Rossi added a second-half penalty. The crowd at the Stadio Olimpico went nuts after the full-time whistle as Roma celebrated in style; arguably their biggest win ever.

There were tears in the stands from those watching, not quite believing what they had witnessed.

#4 Real Madrid winning a hat-trick of Champions League titles

Real Madrid Celebrate After Victory In The Champions League Final Against Liverpool

Real Madrid completed their third straight UEFA Champions League triumph with a 3-1 win against Liverpool in Kyiv to take the trophy for the third year running.

What a team Real Madrid was under Zinedine Zidane, indeed. His man-management skills were incredible. However, he felt the need to leave after three cheerful years with the Bernabeu outfit.

Though they only managed to win one domestic cup in Zidane's three years, in the bigger picture, they have outperformed every club, especially Barcelona. The Catalans won 5 domestic titles in three years out of the six available to them, but Real Madrid fans were least interested as they were titled the "European Champions" for three consecutive years.

They were winning the UCL like it was just a normal thing to do, and the Zidane era was unbelievable. And since Zidane's departure, the amount of struggles Real Madrid are traversing through to remain as a top club in Europe is startling.

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Juventus!

Ronaldo, at the age of 34, is still one of the best strikers out there, and he is only improving with each week passing by. The team he scored the legendary bicycle kick against, is his current club. How cool is that?

A deal worth €112 million had been reached between Real Madrid and Juventus that has seen the Portuguese sign a four-year deal with the Italian champions.

Ronaldo won four Champions League titles in his nine years at Real and scored a staggering 451 goals in 438 appearances. And he is Real Madrid's all-time leading goal scorer.

Real Madrid fans were stunned by his decision to leave, though he hinted about his departure on a few occasions over the years. It was a huge blow to the Madrid side as they are now in short of nearly 50 goals a season; vital goals that played a major part in their success over the years.

Real Madrid is struggling to perform consistently, and Ronaldo's transfer to Juventus is probably the most-talked-about, after Neymar's incredible €222 million transfer move to PSG back in 2016.

#2 Luka Modric ending the Messi-Ronaldo dominance

Argentina v Croatia: Group D - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Luka Modric enjoyed a decorated season this year, and to end the year on good terms, the Croatian won the prestigious Ballon'dOr award, ending the Messi-Ronaldo dominance on the award which lasted nearly for a decade.

Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and guided Croatia to their maiden World Cup final in July. He was voted the player of the tournament.

"As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big and win important trophies. The Ballon'dOr was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honour and a privilege to hold this trophy." Modric said.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the 5-time Ballon'dOr winner, ended 2nd in the Ballon'dOr race, with Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe coming 3rd and 4th respectively.

It was a beautiful season for Luka Modric, and though he was a subject for countless trolls and criticisms, sensible football fans knew he deserved it for his contributions to Real Madrid and Croatia. He earned the trophy with his scintillating performances for club and country, and according to me, he deserved to win it.

#1 South Korea beating Germany to knock them out of the World Cup

Korea Republic v Germany: Group F - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Defending world champions Germany crashed out of the World Cup after a shock loss to South Korea. Two back-to-back stoppage time goals were enough to see off Germany as they ended 4th in the group.

Though South Korea could not qualify for the knock-out stages of the FIFA World Cup, this win was a huge victory for them. Being an Asian, I was immensely proud of the fact that an Asian team outperformed a European side and knocked them out from the world's most important tournament.

It was the earliest exit for a German team at the World Cup since 1938, which seems even more distant when you consider Hitler was then the country’s leader and only 15 teams participated.

These were, however, not the only great moments of 2018. Wenger left Arsenal after serving the London side for an unbelievable 22 years, their longest serving manager. Well, Unai Emery, their new manager went on a 22 games unbeaten streak in his very first season with Arsenal Back in Merseyside, Mohammad Salah, in his first season with Liverpool, won the Premier League Golden Boot and guided them to a Champions League final.

Also, Ronaldo's insane bicycle kick against Juventus in the knockout stages of the UCL was one heck of a moment! Leo Messi ending 5th in the Ballon d'Or race was something the fans could not digest easily as well.

Well, it was a brilliant year for the footballing world, and we look forward to such breathtaking moments in 2019 as well. Wish you a Happy New Year, fellas!