The Football Daily Christmas Awards 2025
Liverpool made a significant investment of nearly £500 million on new players after winning the Premier League. Their signings included Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitiké, alongside new contracts for Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Alexander Isak was also mentioned in this context.
In contrast, Manchester United under Jim Ratcliffe faced financial difficulties. The club implemented headcount cuts, disposed of property assets, raised ticket prices, and saw rising debt. Old Trafford was described as planned to resemble a circus tent, while the team managed by Ruben Amorim showed fluctuating form.
Chloe Kelly was honoured with the Charli XCX Award for Supercool, recognized for her decisive interventions in matches against Sweden, Italy, and Spain, and for scoring the winning penalty in Euro 2025. She was also England’s player of the tournament.
The Armitage Shanks Award for Services to the Global Game highlighted the Copa Gianni, reviewing the beginnings and ends of Xabi Alonso and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s careers at Real Madrid, and noted Donald Trump’s involvement with the original trophy.
Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Tottenham Hotspur was depicted as unsuccessful, leading to his move to Nottingham Forest. His 40-day period at Forest was chaotic and ended with his departure, followed by Sean Dyche’s appointment.
The Dilly-Ding Dilly-Dong Award for Proving People Wrong was given to Brentford and Sunderland for defying expectations by avoiding relegation difficulties and pursuing cohesive club strategies.
At Wolverhampton Wanderers, Vítor Pereira’s three-year contract extension was soon regretted after six weeks without a league win and a public dispute with fans. His dismissal followed, with Rob Edwards appointed as successor.
Julen Lopetegui secured a managerial role with the Qatar national team, achieving their first qualifier win against Iran after a prior winless stretch.
Russell Martin's time at Rangers attracted criticism for his unpopularity, public conflicts with players, a heavy 9-1 aggregate loss to Club Brugge, a poor start to the league season, and a notable moment following his sacking at Loch Lomond.
