In a year full of uncertainties and improbabilities, sports brought some sort of normalcy back into people's lives and football played a huge part in it. Though the sport was halted temporarily due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic earlier in the year, it returned back a few months later, to the aid of a sport-starved world. Novak Djokovic’s Moment of Madness, Naomi Osaka’s Silent Fight Against Racial Injustice and Other Top Tennis Moments From This Season.

However, nothing was the same, as due to quarantine regulations and lockdowns around the world, fans were barred from attending live matches as games were played inside empty stadiums. Players were required to be inside bio-secure bubbles, away from the families and undergo weekly tests in order to be eligible to play. But restricted football is better than no football, so we take a look at some of the best moments from the sport in 2020.

Top Football Moments of 2020

Football’s Restart From Coronavirus Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had brought the sporting world to a halt and at that time there were no indications as to when it will return. But German Bundesliga got the ball rolling as they resumed their league after a gap of 60 days in May 2020 with a strict set of protocols.

Liverpool’s Title Glory

Liverpool finally ended their 30-year-drought of league glory in top-flight English football as Jurgen Klopp’s men lifted the Premier League trophy earlier in the year. This was also the Reds’ first-ever EPL title as well. Chelsea’s win over Manchester City in June crowned Liverpool the champions of England for the 2019-20 season.

Leeds United Secure Promotion

The Whites secured promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years after winning the Championship last season. Leeds United were relegated to the second division in 2004 but after years of anguish, Marcelo Bielsa finally led the club back into the big leagues.

Barcelona’s European Humiliation

Once the greatest footballing team on the planet, Barcelona are now struggling to stitch up two consecutive decent performances. The Blaugrana have been underwhelming for a couple of years but hit their lowest point when they were beaten 8-2 in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by eventual champions Bayern Munich. This was the Catalans' heaviest defeat in almost 80 years.

Bayern Munich's Treble

Bayern Munich wrote their names in the football folklore as the German club won the second treble (Bundesliga, German Cup and UCL) in their history. On their route to European glory, the Bavarians won every single game, defeating French club PSG in the summit clash.

Lionel Messi’s Burofax

The Argentine shocked the entire footballing world when he asked Barcelona to let him move on from the club via a burofax. Lionel Messi after 16 years at the Blaugranas wanted to leave on a free transfer but his exit was blocked by the club hierarchy. The 33-year-old then decided to stay for at least another year at the club.

Lionel Messi Surpasses Pele

Lionel Messi, despite not being at his best in 2020, surpassed Brazilian legend Pele’s record of most goals for a single club. The Argentine scored in a 3-0 win over Valladolid in December 2020, registering his 644th official goal for the Catalans, going past the former footballer’s record at Santos of 643.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 29, 2020 08:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).