Another enthralling season of European club football has wrapped up. No one can dispute that the 2021-22 seasons was full of twists, turns, highs, and lows - it was full of memorable moments that began even before opening kick-off.
Without further ado, the following are the 10 moments which I believe best encapsulate the most pivotal moments of the season which just concluded.
Lionel Messi signs for Paris Saint-Germain (August 10, 2021)
After months of speculation, Messi answered every question related to his future at Barcelona by ending his legendary stint at the Catalan club. Messi's decision to sign for PSG by way of a free transfer unsurprisingly unleashed shockwaves throughout the football world.
However, it would soon become apparent that age had finally caught up to the player many regard as the greatest ever. At 34, the Argentine looked a shell of the player he once was. His dismal play in the Champions League was a key reason why the French club were once again knocked out in the round of 16.
As Messi continues to age, it appears likely that this move will go on to be one which PSG as well as Messi himself will come to rue. Messi may just have thrown away the twilight of an iconic career.
Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Manchester United (August 31, 2021)
Almost as though he insisted on one-upping his career-long arch-rival, Ronaldo was involved in a blockbuster transfer of his own just three weeks after Messi's. Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford following three years at Juventus just about "broke the Internet"; additionally, following the signing, Ronaldo jerseys and merchandise sold at an unprecedented rate.
Unfortunately for Ronaldo, United, and their fans, reality would soon set in. Ronaldo was just about United's only bright spot in an otherwise horrendous season. Despite the Portuguese striker's best efforts, the Red Devils were not even close to the top four in the Premier League and bowed out of the Champions League in the round of 16.
Much like Messi, Ronaldo might very well end up finishing his career on a moribund, directionless team which is nowhere near contending for even domestic trophies, let alone the Champions League.
Xavi hired as Barcelona head coach (November 8, 2021)
Barça had endured an awful start to the season and had fallen as low as ninth in La Liga. Thus, it came as no surprised when the club fired head coach Ronald Koeman on October 28. To replace the Dutchman, Barça brought another club legend in Xavi into the dugout.
It wasn't long before the move began to pay off. Barça were soon back in top form and in the second half of the season, had a stretch when they won 13 out of 15 La Liga matches - a run which elevated them into second place in the league, where they would finish.
A season that began with such difficulty at Camp Nou ended with much optimism as Xavi established himself as one of the most promising young coaches in world football. While it's unlikely that his coaching career will be even nearly as successful as his playing career, he's nevertheless off to an excellent start.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær fired as Manchester United head coach (November 21, 2021)
Just like what happened at Barça, Manchester United fired a former club favourite who was now on the other side of the touchlines. After months of underwhelming results, the Norwegian was fired to the surprise of absolutely nobody.
However, unlike Xavi, Solskjær's replacement Ralf Rangnick was unable to steer the club in the right direction. United continued to flounder throughout the rest of the season; Rangnick would leave to take the same position with the Austrian national team.
In any case, regardless of Rangnick's lack of success at United, it was evident that Solskjær was never going to get it done. Solskjær was quite clearly out of his depth from day one.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signs for Barcelona (February 2, 2022)
Barça's revival in the second half of the season cannot solely be credited to Xavi. After an alarming decline seemingly caused by age, Arsenal cut Aubameyang from the team, making him a free agent. Aubameyang went on to sign for Barça.
Astonishingly, Aubameyang had a personal turnaround of his own which mirrored Barça's. The Gabonese striker had scored just four goals in 14 Premier League matches prior to his transfer. After arriving in Catalonia, however, he notched 11 in 17 La Liga matches and became the driving force behind Barça's surge up the league table.
Everyone who had been calling Aubameyang "washed up" (myself included) was forced to eat crow. Even at the age of 33, he clearly has some fuel still left in the tank as the spearhead of an underrated front three.
Bayern Munich 7-1 Red Bull Salzburg (March 8, 2022)
This match was the embodiment of a "statement performance". After being stunningly held to a 1-1 draw in Austria, Bayern entered this match with one target in mind: to utterly crush their unheralded opponents after the shock of the first leg.
Crush their opponents they did - Bayern led 4-0 at halftime with Robert Lewandowski having scored a hattrick within just 23 minutes. The onslaught continued after the break; Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané added their names to the scoresheet.
Bayern's victory left absolutely no doubt in the minds of everyone watching - they were so obviously the team to beat in this season's Champions League. It would have to take something truly remarkable to stop them...
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona (March 20, 2022)
Due to their dreadful start to the La Liga season, even an El Clásico victory would not have made Barça a genuine contender to win the league. That being said, the events which transpired at the Santiago Bernabéu just about defied belief.
Aubameyang once again led Barça with two goals; Ronald Araújo and Torres added to Barça's tally. Xavi clearly outcoached his opposite number Carlo Ancelotti, who arguably outsmarted himself by fielding an unorthodox 4-2-4 formation.
Although Barça's victory had little impact on their season in the grand scheme of things, a one-sided win like that over their greatest rivals will surely be cherished by the Camp Nou faithful for many years to come.
Bayern Munich 1-1 Villarreal (April 12, 2022)
Remember when I said earlier that "(it) would have to take something truly remarkable to stop (Bayern)"? Well, this was exactly it. In probably the biggest upset of the season, Villarreal knocked Bayern out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals with this draw that gave Villarreal a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Although Samuel Chukwueze scored the decisive goal which put the Spanish club in the tournament's last four, the lion's share of the credit deservedly went to Villarreal head coach Unai Emery. Emery decisively won the tactical duel against Julian Nagelsmann - an outcome which very few expected.
Villarreal would be soundly beaten by Liverpool in the semifinals, but that of course does not detract from this incredible result in the slightest. It was the club's finest hour on the biggest stage of all.
Manchester City 3-2 Aston Villa (May 22, 2022)
This season's Premier League title race came down to the final matchday. With one match to be played, City led Liverpool by one point. As this match was being played, Liverpool were taking on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.
City's situation appeared dire when they fell two goals behind while Liverpool led Wolves at the same time. Then, within a five-minute span, everything changed. City scored thrice between the 76th and 81st minutes. Two of those goals were scored by substitute İlkay Gündoğan who in doing so permanently etched his name into the club's history.
This three-goal blitz propelled City back to the top of the league. Although Liverpool registered a 3-1 victory of their own, it would not be enough. City claimed their fourth Premier League title in the last five seasons.
Liverpool 0-1 Real Madrid (May 28, 2022)
This rematch of the 2017-18 final saw two clubs with a combined 19 European Cup/Champions League titles facing off. Vinícius Júnior scored the only goal of the match, giving Real their 14th Champions League title and fifth in the last nine seasons.
What made Real's Champions League triumph even more impressive was the difficulty of their path. They played against Inter Milan in the group stage, then PSG in the round of 16, followed by Chelsea, City, and Liverpool.
With the victory, Real head coach Ancelotti all but certified himself as the greatest coach in the history of football. With four Champions League titles to go with a myriad of other honours over a coaching career spanning over two decades, no one has a credible argument over the Italian anymore.
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