Year-End Sports Recap: Remembering The Biggest Football Moments Of 2021

With 2021 coming to a close, there were a lot of developments in the world of football.

Some players made shocking jumps, but the names of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo took the big slice of the cake.

Lionel Messi’s move to Paris Saint-Germain

After 21 years, Lionel Messi made headlines when he opted to leave Barcelona and join Paris Saint-Germain.

The parting of ways was imminent with Barca unable to back up the five-year contract they had agreed to with the 34-year-old player.

Hence, the Argentine striker ended up settling for a two-year deal with PSG this past August, a move that was allegedly influenced by Neymar and Mauricio Pochettino, Sky Sports reported.

Ronaldo Returns to Old Trafford

In August, Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to a new two-year deal to return to Manchester United.

The deal included an option to extend his tenure for another year but subject to international clearance.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner mentioned that the Red Devils always had a special place in his heart.

Ronaldo was initially supposed to move to Manchester City before ending up back in Old Trafford.

The Sky Blues pulled out of the deal due to the overall cost of the potential transfer, ESPN reported.

Untouchable Lukaku ends up at Stamford Bridge

One of the surprise additions to Chelsea was Romelu Lukaku, someone allegedly untouchable when he was still with Inter Milan.

Coming off a sensational showing in Serie A, the second-highest scorer was undoubtedly a target by multiple teams.

Persistence paid off for the Blues, reuniting with the Belgian striker for a club-record fee of £97.5 million ($13 million) in August.

French youngster joins Real Madrid

Known to be one of the most sought-after players the past couple of years, Eduardo Camavinga ended up joining Real Madrid after Rennes tried to do everything it could to retain the French footballer.

The 19-year-old ended up signing a €30 million ($34 million) deal with Los Blancos that would last until 2027.

It was a far cry from the demanded €100 million ($113 million) transfer fee that Les Rennais was asking for.

Red Devils part ways with Solskjaer

There were a lot of managers who were either fired or left voluntarily for some reason.

One name that rings a bell is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, someone who left the Red Devils following a humiliating defeat to Watford in November.

The decision was mutual with the Glazer family pretty upset with the performance of the team.

Ralf Rangnick took over from Solskjaer but on an interim basis until the end of the 2021-22 season.