Sports People that Shaped 2022

As the 2022 comes to an end Kunle Adewale takes a look at some sports men and women and indeed moments that shaped the sporting year ending

Pele: The King of Football is Gone       

Just as the world was counting the hours to usher in another new year, news broke out on Thursday that Brazil football legend Pele, one of the greatest players of all time, had died at the age of 82.

The former striker, who is the only player in history to win three  

                World    

           Cups, passed away at the Albert     

         Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo following a battle with cancer.

Pele, who is Brazil’s joint all-time top scorer with 77 goals in 92 matches, became an icon of the game after winning the World Cup in 1958 as a 17-year-old, netting twice in the final to defeat hosts Sweden.

A message from Pele’s official Twitter account on Thursday read: “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today. Love, love and love, forever.”

Lionel Messi: At Last, A World Cup Winner

In spite of having won every trophy available at club level and scooping several individual awards, Lionel Messi has been criticized for inability to lead Argentina to winning the World Cup. The little Argentine however put that to rest by leading Albiceleste to victory at the 2022 Mundial in Qatar.

The PSG forward not only won the trophy in Qatar but went on to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament, after scoring seven goals and registering three assists, thus making the Argentina captain the first player in the history of the tournament to have won the award twice, having adjudged the best player in the 2014 edition of the competition as well.

Rafael Nadal: Tops Grand Slam Titles

Rafael Nadal won an all-time record 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, including a record 14 French Open titles. He has won 92 ATP singles titles, including 36 Masters titles, with 63 of these on clay courts. Nadal is one of only two men to complete the Career Golden Slam in singles. At the French Open, Nadal won a record 14th title and 22nd major title overall. In doing so, he became the oldest French Open champion ever.

Tobi Amusan : First Nigerian World Record Holder

Tobi Amusan became the first ever Nigerian world champion and world record holder in an athletics event when she won the 2022 World Championships 100m hurdles gold medal, setting the current world record of 12.12 seconds in the semifinal, followed up by a wind-assisted 12.06 s in the final. The feat earned Amusan, Africa’s Best Female Athlete for the Year 2022. Winner at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she set a record, Amusan has been far above her contemporaries this year. She also won the Diamond League trophy for the second successive season, highlighting her rating as one of the world’s best and Africa’s undisputed number one at the moment.

 Victor Osimhen: Eyes First Scudetto in 32 Years

With nine goals and two assists in 11 matches Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen tops the Serie A goals scorer’s chart. The Nigerian has therefore set a target to help Napoli win their third Scudetto and first in 32 years.

Serena Williams, Roger Federer Bid Tennis Farewells

With 43 Grand Slams between them- Serena Williams and Roger Federer remain two of the greatest tennis players of all time. Both have however called it quit in an emotional farewell. It was all love and tributes Serena played in her final tournament-the US Open in September where she crashed out in the third round. The moments were beautiful, with social media giant, Twitter, adding a goat emoji to Serena’s name on its platform, denoting that the 23-time Grand Slam winner is the Greatest of All Time.

Many tributes also went out for Federer after the Swiss announced he was quitting the sport in September. Among the many tributes paid was that of rival Rafael Nadal, who tagged the day a sad one and expressed his gratitude to his fellow tennis great.

Leon Edwards Ends Kamaru Usman’s UFC Dominance

Jamaican Leon Edwards ended Nigeria’s Kamaru Usman’s dominance after Edwards shocked the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world by inflicting a first career defeat on Usman in their welterweight showdown at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City, Utah in August.

Despite being behind on points in the fifth round, 30-year-old Edwards, who was a big underdog with bookmakers prior to the fight, landed a left high-kick to stun Nigeria’s pound-for-pound number one fighter.

Ibrahim Gusau: The New NFF Boss

Ibrahim Gusau was in September elected president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), fending off challenges from former vice-presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko as well as former international goalkeeper Idah Peterside to emerge successor to Amaju Pinnick.

Karim Benzema : Oldest Ballon d’Or winner

Karim Benzema becomes only the second player aside from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or since 2008. Benzema’s Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric won the prize in 2018.

Aged 34, Benzema is the oldest Ballon d’Or winner since Stanley Matthews in 1956. However, the France international says he has a “burning desire” to keep playing.

The Real Madrid striker scored 44 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions and went on to winning the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

Kylian Mbappe : Set to Rule World’s Football

The story of the 2022 World Cup would not be complete without the name- Kylian Mbappe. He secured the tournament’s Golden Boot with eight goals, and became the sixth all-time top goal scorer in World Cup history with 12 goals, tied with Pele.

Mbappe’s hat-trick against Argentina was the first in a final since Geoff Hurst for England in the 1966 World Cup.

Walid Regragui : Leads Morocco to Historic World Cup Semi

When in August Walid Regragui was appointed as the new head coach for the Morocco national football team after the dismissal of former head coach, Vahid Halilhodizic, critics were unhappy with his appointment and derisively nicknamed him “avocado head”.

Regragui however made his critics to eat their words as he led Morocco to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986, and to the quarter finals after beating making Morocco the fourth African nation and the first Arab nation to qualify for this stage in a World Cup competition. Regragui would eventually lead Morocco to the semi-finals, making the Atlas Lions the first African team, and first Arab team to qualify for the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup. His astonishing performance in Qatar earned him the 2022 FIFA World Cup Coach of the Year Award.