Check out the 10 most memorable moments of 2014 in what was an unforgettable year in football.
This year's biggest news stories saw Ronaldo win awards, Luis Suarez bite another player and Germany's World Cup win (and Brazil's failure) take centre stage away from FIFA's crisis... just.
Jan. 13: Ronaldo back on top of the world
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the summit of the game in January by reclaiming the Ballon d'Or he first won in 2009, neatly bookending Lionel Messi's four-year era as the undisputed best player in the world. Since then, the Portuguese has been front and centre as Real Madrid won four trophies in a calendar year for the first time in their history.
The 29-year-old forward scored 56 goals in his 60 competitive club appearances of 2014 as Los Blancos claimed "La Decima" -- a record 10th European Cup/Champions League triumph -- as well as the FIFA Club World Cup, Copa del Rey and Spanish Supercopa. Even a disappointing World Cup with Portugal -- and Messi surprisingly being named the tournament's best player after reaching the final with Argentina -- has done little to diminish Ronaldo's status as favourite to win the Ballon d'Or again on Jan. 12, and few would argue if he claimed the award for a third time.
April 2: Barcelona ban sparks shopping spree
Just a day after their disappointing Champions League quarterfinal first-leg draw at home to Atletico Madrid -- who would go on to knock them out of Europe and then beat to the Liga title on the final day of the season -- Barcelona's woes were compounded when FIFA hit them with a year-long transfer ban. After a lengthy investigation, Barca were found guilty of several "breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18."
The ban, which covers the entirety of 2015, forced the club into making a slew of transfers -- Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, Thomas Vermaelen, Marc Andre ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo and Douglas -- with varying degrees of success. Barca were kept waiting until the last day of the year before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the ban on appeal, thereby leaving them unable to sign any new players until January 2016.
April 22: United boot out Moyes, call in Van Gaal
The general consensus upon David Moyes' appointment at Old Trafford was that he must be given time to manage the transition from Sir Alex Ferguson's unprecedented era of glory at Manchester United. However, it was not so much the poor results or the non-existent defence of their Premier League title, but the uninspiring style of play and little apparent prospect of that improving that were the key factors in his demise. The situation was exacerbated by the club failing to sign Moyes' other major transfer targets -- Cesc Fabregas, Toni Kroos, Leighton Baines and Ander Herrera (the deal for whom collapsed in farcical circumstances, although he eventually signed in the summer for 28.8 million pounds.)
United first faced up to the prospect of ending Moyes' tenure in mid-March but it was not until April 22 -- shortly after a Champions League quarterfinal exit to Bayern Munich and a loss at his former club, Everton -- that the club confirmed the departure of a second manager in a year and reached out to Louis van Gaal to fill the vacancy. Ryan Giggs took the reins for the final four games of the season, and has stayed on as Van Gaal's No. 2 when the Dutchman's appointment was confirmed before he headed off to the World Cup with Netherlands.
April 27: Gerrard slip sends Liverpool tumbling
Steven Gerrard missed his best chance to get his hands on the title.
For one club, it was supposed to be the end of nearly a quarter of a century of waiting to return to the top of the tree. For one player, it was meant to be the crowning achievement of a one-club career that had taken him from the terraces as a boy to wearing the armband as a man. Liverpool welcomed Chelsea to Anfield two weeks after beating Manchester City on the same ground in a game that had given them the initiative in the title race. Following that win, Steven Gerrard geed up his teammates by saying of their advantage that "we do not let this slip." Those words came back to haunt him against Chelsea when his balance momentarily failed him and allowed Demba Ba to race forward and open the scoring. Willian added another close to full-time -- assisted by ex-Liverpool favourite Fernando Torres, no less -- leaving Manchester City to leapfrog them on goal difference by winning their game in hand.
If Brendan Rodgers' side let the title slip that day, however, then they well and truly dropped it in their next match when a 3-0 lead at Crystal Palace was wiped out in a breathless final 11 minutes that left Luis Suarez in tears and the title on its way to the Etihad Stadium. Gerrard's career has not yet fully recovered -- as he quit the England team after a poor World Cup showing and has been regularly benched for his club this season with his contract up in the summer -- while the sale of Suarez to Barcelona is one of the many reasons that Liverpool as a whole have spent the rest of the year struggling at home and abroad.
June 26: Suarez bite takes four-month chunk out of his career
All those watching Uruguay's Group G clash with Italy at the World Cup were united in disbelief in the 79th minute when Luis Suarez collided with Giorgio Chiellini. Both men went to ground -- one holding his teeth, the other his shoulder. FIFA came under pressure to act decisively regarding a player who had already served two bans for biting opponents, and so it did. The striker was suspended for nine international matches and "all football-related activity" for four months, making his 75 million-pound move from Liverpool to Barcelona eerily low-key.
CAS rejected his appeal but did allow him to train with his new teammates and compete in friendly matches ahead of his official debut, which came in the 3-1 clasico defeat at Real Madrid on Oct. 25. Suarez may have finally sealed the transfer which brings him closer to his wife and family -- who are based in Catalonia -- but in his subsequent 10 appearances he has scored only three goals as Barca coach Luis Enrique still tries to find a way of accommodating him in the same attack as Lionel Messi and Neymar.
SUAREZ'S HISTORY OF CONTROVERSIES
June 2014 - Bites Giorgio Chiellini - 4-month ban.
April 2013 - Bites Branislav Ivanovic - 10-game ban.
Dec. 2011 - "Offensive gesture" at Fulham fans - 1-game ban.
Dec. 2011 - Found guilty of racially abusing Evra - 8-game ban.
Nov. 2010 - Bites Otman Bakkal - 7-game ban.
July 2010 - Red card in World Cup for handball vs. Ghana.
Nov. 2007 - Altercation with teammate - suspended by Ajax.
Feb. 2007 - Sent off on Uruguay debut for dissent.
July 13: Germany triumph at the 2014 World Cup
Watching Germany's campaign in Brazil culminate in a fourth World Cup triumph felt like the justified conclusion. Their squad was full of talent, had the right blend of youth and experience, improved throughout the tournament and peaked at the right time, with the added flourish of Miroslav Klose's 16th goal sealing his place in the record books as the tournament's all-time leading scorer.
The 1-0 win over Argentina in the final, however, paled in comparison to the drama created by the host nation. Against the backdrop of protests against the competition even being staged in the football-mad country and with the spectre of their humiliating defeat to Uruguay on home soil in the 1950 final, Brazil's campaign began with optimism but lurched to despair when star striker Neymar sustained a fractured vertebra in the quarterfinal against Colombia. Although Brazil advanced, that severe blow appeared to be the breaking point of the Selecao's psychological fragility under the weight of such heavy expectation, and the result was their stunning 7-1 crushing at the hands of Germany in the semis. That match was the most discussed sporting event of the year on Twitter, and it is difficult to remember too many more stunning single results in the history of the game. Certainly Brazil were still reeling when Netherlands beat them 3-0 in the third-place game.
Aug. 2: Lampard proves his point against Chelsea
Frank Lampard ending his 13-year association with Chelsea in the summer was no surprise. After all, he was about to turn 36, and had seen his previous contract almost expire the year before only to sign a new deal in the nick of time. It was not even the biggest shock for the Blues' record goal-scorer to make the move to MLS, having long been linked with L.A. Galaxy. But the surprise element of Lampard's next move was that, having instead opted to sign for the fledgling New York City FC, he returned to the Premier League on loan at the franchise's stablemate and reigning English champions, Manchester City.
Having made his debut as a starter at Arsenal on Sept. 13, the following weekend Lampard came off the bench to score a late equaliser against his former club, Chelsea. With six goals in 17 appearances for City in 2014, it's no wonder boss Manuel Pellegrini has repeatedly stated his hope that Lampard extends his stay at the Etihad until the end of the Premier League season and doesn't head to New York at the end of January. Such a position threatens to create a schism between City and Lampard's parent club, who share owners, in the New Year and will surely have an effect on both side's short-term fortunes.
Sept. 2: United spend £153m on transfers
Angel Di Maria arrived from Real Madrid for a princely sum.
One of the key factors in Moyes' failure at United was the club's failure to act decisively in the transfer market, with only Marouane Fellaini arriving at the start of his tenure and Juan Mata being bought at a premium in January. Club chief executive Ed Woodward was determined to ensure that did not happen and attacked the summer transfer window with gusto. Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo and Ander Herrera all came for over 60 million pounds, and Radamel Falcao was signed on loan with a view to a big-money permanent deal. However, the stand-out new recruit was Angel Di Maria, who arrived for a British-record fee of 59.7 million pounds.
Having played an instrumental but often unsung role in Real Madrid's successes over recent years, the Argentina international now gets a star billing at Old Trafford alongside Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, who himself signed a highly lucrative new deal with the club in February. Despite each of United's new players suffering injury problems at times since arriving, they have all contributed to the team arresting the slide and now appearing to be on an upward trajectory under Van Gaal. And all it took was a record 153 million pounds of spending to make it happen.
ALL-TIME HIGHEST TRANSFER FEES
1) £85m Gareth Bale -- Tottenham to Real Madrid, Sept. 2013
2) £80m Cristiano Ronaldo -- Man Utd to Real Madrid, June 2009
3) £75m Luis Suarez -- Liverpool to Barcelona, July 2014
4) £71m James Rodriguez -- Monaco to Real Madrid, July 2014
5) £59.7m Angel Di Maria -- Real Madrid to Man Utd, Aug. 2014
6) £56m Kaka -- AC Milan to Real Madrid, June 2009
Oct. 15: Klinsmann comments take club vs. country row across Atlantic
U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann raised hackles in October when he stated his belief that Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley's respective returns to MLS would make it "very difficult for them to keep the same level that they experienced" in the Premier League and Serie A. Those words drew a forthright response from MLS commissioner Don Garber, who called the German's comments "detrimental," "wrong" and "personally infuriating." The following month, several sources told ESPN FC that Klinsmann and his coaching team were encouraging players involved with the national team at youth level to head to Europe to develop their careers and bypass MLS.
In a statement via the USSF, Klinsmann said: "You have to look at every situation individually and help the player to determine what is best for himself." This potential split of opinion between national team and domestic league could lead to Klinsmann's most testing time since taking the role in 2011, particularly since the team has won only one of its five matches since the World Cup.
Dec. 16: Henry retires to take up pundit role
Thierry Henry's final match as a player may have ended in disappointment with defeat to the New England Revolution in the MLS Eastern Conference final for New York Red Bulls, but that had little effect on the reflection over his career when he confirmed his retirement the following week. The 37-year-old scored 462 goals in 1,040 games for club and country, winning the World Cup and European Championship with France and at Barcelona lifted the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League trophies. But it was his eight-year spell at Arsenal as the star man of the club's greatest ever side for which he will be most fondly remembered.
Henry arrived at Highbury as a raw winger who had flopped at Juventus and left the Emirates Stadium as the club's record goal-scorer and with two Premier League winners' medals -- one as part of a double with the FA Cup in 2002 and the other with the Gunners going their entire championship-winning campaign unbeaten two years later. Henry has stated several times around the confirmation of his retirement that he wants to help the club win the Champions League, something he was unable to do as a player as part of the side which lost the 2006 final to Barcelona in Paris. His old boss, Arsene Wenger, has said there will always be a place for his protege at the club, but in the meantime the legendary striker will be tackling another job as a full-time pundit.
THIERRY HENRY
Henry retires | Premier League Hero | Top moments
Clubs and goals: Total - 411 goals in 917 games
Monaco (28), Juventus (3), Arsenal (228), Barcelona (49), New York Red Bulls (52)
Internationals: France - 51 goals in 123 games
Trophies: Ligue 1 (1); Trophee des champions (1); Premier League (2); FA Cup (3); FA Community Shield (2); Spanish La Liga (2); Copa del Rey (1); Supercopa de España (1); UEFA Champions League (1); UEFA Super Cup (1); FIFA Club World Cup (1); MLS Supporters' Shield (1); MLS Eastern Conference (2); World Cup 1998; Euro 2000; Confederations Cup 2003.
Nov. 13-Summer 2022?: Garcia report and subsequent mess
FIFA's controversial decision to name Qatar as hosts of the 2022 World Cup has led to several different threads and sub-plots developing from the moment president Sepp Blatter made the announcement -- and all have served to further damage the reputation of world football's governing body. So when the summary of Michael Garcia's report into allegations of corruption in the bidding process was due to be published, it promised to deliver answers and apportion culpability.
But Hans-Joachim Eckert's 43-page summary of Garcia's 430-page report exonerated both the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 bids of any punishable wrongdoing, which Garcia immediately described as "incomplete and erroneous." The former U.S. attorney later quit his role as FIFA's independent ethics investigator, and the governing body's executive committee "agreed unanimously" to publish a "legally appropriate" version of the report. However, at this point, even full disclosure would not be enough to make up for yet more damage to FIFA's credibility.