THAT was the year that was — the footballing highs and lows of 2016 . . .
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Leicester
Despite their troubles this term, the Foxes are still the only candidates for me.
Their Premier League title can rightly be regarded as the biggest shock in sport.
From 5,000-1 outsiders and favourites for the drop to No 1.
How did they do it? Well, every single player clicked and not just for two months but ten.
And they had a goalscorer who had the season of his life.
GOAL OF THE YEAR
Luis Suarez
Yes, Suarez scored it in Barca’s 4-1 win over Espanyol last month but it owed everything to the genius of Lionel Messi.
He nutmegged one player, eased past another then ducked between two more before changing direction and shooting. The keeper saved it but Suarez followed up. If you haven’t seen it, find it. The close control is something to behold.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
N’Golo Kante
No coincidence Leicester were champions with him last season and Chelsea are top now.
He does the work of two men. And this allows the likes of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa to do the damage.
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Claudio Ranieri
There were plenty of eyebrows raised when he succeeded Nigel Pearson, who had kept Leicester up the previous season.
But people reckoned without the experience of the man.
What impressed me most was how he handled the pressure as the weeks ticked by.
He did it with his sense of humour. It was as much about his press conferences as what was happening on the pitch. A truly exceptional achievement.
BEST FOOTBALL MOMENT
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Bradley Lowery
The five-year-old Sunderland fan has captured the hearts of the nation in his brave battle against neuroblastoma.
Ahead of the home game against Chelsea, the Black Cats let him warm up with the players, score a penalty then finally lead them out in the arms of Jermain Defoe.
Despite his heart-breaking illness, he has an infectious smile and Sunderland have helped to make that wider than ever.
They have been a class act.
WORST FOOTBALL MOMENT
From where the club had come, to what they were about to achieve was a fairytale. But it turned into tragedy when the plane carrying this Brazilian football club crashed.
And the fact it came on the verge of their finest hour just added to awful sense of loss.
Football united behind them and Atletico Nacional of Columbia gave them the Copa Sudamericana they were due to play for.
Now the facts point to the crash being wholly avoidable. That can only have added to the despair felt by the families of the 71 people who died.
BIGGEST LET DOWN
England
The Euro 2016 finals campaign, if you can call it that, really topped the lot. I thought things could not get much worse after the World Cup in Brazil.
I was wrong. The 2-1 defeat against Iceland in the last 16 was the worst performance I’ve seen from an England team and the most embarrassing night in our footballing history.
The supposed cream of English football could not trap a ball, pass to a team-mate and didn’t know where to run. There was a collective meltdown on and off the pitch. Dreadful.
UNSUNG HERO
Francis Benali
My old Southampton team-mate has been doing some incredible work for Cancer Research.
In three weeks between August and September 2014, he ran to all 20 Premier League grounds covering around 1,000 miles to raise £100,000.
He topped that this October when, in a fortnight, he ran and cycled to the 44 Premier League and Championship stadiums to raise £350,000.
HOPES FOR 2017
I have three main ones and all purely selfish! Somehow I want to see my old club BLACKBURN get out of the mess it is in both on and off the pitch.
They are threatened with relegation to League One thanks mainly to mis-management off the pitch. Crowds are down, confidence is low and the future looks very gloomy.
Not so at NEWCASTLE, where promotion beckons.
I hope they can keep it up to the end of the season and get back into the Premier League.
Then they will have to invest wisely to make an impact. But there is a great chance for something special to happen under Rafa Benitez. It must be taken.
Finally I just want to see ENGLAND move forward under Gareth Southgate.
It is not the greatest crop of players ever but there is potential. I hope Gareth unlocks that.
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