Story byThe Athletic’s review of 2025: MVP McTominay, the ever-dutiful Gianni and Ronaldo’s red reprieveThe Athletic UK Football WritersSun, December 28, 2025 at 5:31 AM UTC·14 min readWhether it was underdog heroics in World Cup qualifying, England winning Euro 2025, or United States President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino becoming best buds, international football played a big role in 2025 — and a men’s World Cup in the U. S., Canada and Mexico is just 165 days away. In the club game, there were some honest truths from managers, incredible free kicks, the rise of long throws, and shock wins. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut away from the pitch, we could not look back on 2025 without touching on a more serious and tragic note — the death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva. Here, Nick Miller, Caoimhe O’Neill, Megan Feringa, Stuart James and Carl Anka review the year. Describe football in 2025 in 25 words (or fewer)James: Wimbledon, 1988. You can’t snap opponents like Vinnie Jones did, but this long-throw obsession is wild. Anka: Twelve months of “Absolute Cinema” as the top level of the sport further transforms it into a content delivery machine, overshadowing everything else. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementO’Neill: Let it all work out. Let it all work out.