The Football Daily Christmas Awards 2025: A Satirical Review
On 17 December 2025, the fourth edition of the Football Daily Christmas Awards was published as a satirical list highlighting notable moments and controversies in football.
Liverpool received the Battlefield Earth Award for their title victory followed by ambitious plans to spend nearly half a billion pounds on new signings including Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitiké. They also renewed contracts for key players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, with a nod to Arne Slot's Merseyside team.
Manchester United were given the Jack Carter Award, depicted as facing financial difficulties under Jim Ratcliffe's ownership. Issues cited included rising debt, staff cuts, asset disposals, increased ticket prices, and an unusual plan to install an outsized circus tent at Old Trafford.
The Ally MacLeod Award was bestowed on Scotland for their heartbreakingly entertaining World Cup campaign, highlighted by a notable game against Denmark and a dramatic journey towards securing third place.
Arsenal's North London Forever song received the Nick Drake Award, criticized as unsuitable and mocked with suggestions for replacements such as Guns of Brixton or Nouvelle Vague.
The Charli XCX Award praised Chloe Kelly for her pivotal late contributions at Euro 2025, including scoring the winning penalty and being named England's player of the tournament.
Brentford and Sunderland defied relegation predictions to earn the Dilly-Ding Dilly-Dong Award. Brentford maintained their momentum despite summer upheaval, while Sunderland were commended for investing TV revenue according to a coherent long-term plan.
Russell Martin at Rangers was given the Alan Partridge Award for public missteps including not wearing a suit. His team suffered a 9-1 aggregate defeat, and following his sacking, he was noted seeking solace near Loch Lomond.
The Will Smith Award highlighted Javier Tebas's controversial push to stage a Villarreal versus Barcelona match abroad, which was met with player protests. Tebas was later seen in Riyadh, signaling Saudi interest in hosting future matches.
Lastly, the Sam Altman Award recognized Seattle Reign coach Laura Harvey for creatively using ChatGPT to implement a back five formation, leading her team to rise to fifth place in the NWSL and reach the playoffs.
