The Football Daily Christmas Awards 2025: Key Highlights and Satire
The Football Daily Christmas Awards 2025, the fourth annual edition, was published on 17 December 2025, offering a mix of serious football news and satirical commentary.
Liverpool, fresh off their Premier League title win, plans to invest nearly £500 million in new players including Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitiké, while renewing contracts for Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Satirical notes highlighted Arne Slot's efforts to integrate the new Liverpool squad.
Manchester United's strategy under Jim Ratcliffe was lampooned for ongoing staff reductions, asset sales, and increasing debts, with plans for a circus tent-like new Old Trafford and investments outside the UK receiving particular mockery.
Brendan Rodgers faced criticism for Celtic's poor form, especially after a defeat by Dundee, with suggestions he might leave the club due to transfer budget cuts.
Aston Villa was portrayed as stable under financial sustainability rules, with Unai Emery trimming the squad. The club missed promotion to a bigger competition. Peterborough United earned praise for a “Hollywood ending” after winning the Freight Rover Trophy, while Wolves were mentioned briefly.
Chloe Kelly won the Charli XCX Award for Supercool, recognized for scoring the winning penalty at Euro 2025 and being England’s player of the tournament. Other contenders named included Michelle Agyemang, Jess Carter, and Lucy Bronze.
The Armitage Shanks Award referenced the Copa Gianni event with implications for Xabi Alonso and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid careers. It also noted Donald Trump pocketing a medal amid speculation about a World Cup trophy situation.
The Will Smith Award for Services to Miami covered Javier Tebas's proposal of a Villarreal–Barcelona game in Miami, which faced player protests. Tebas was last seen in Riyadh pursuing additional ventures.
The Sam Altman Award for Fostering AI Dependence highlighted Seattle Reign coach Laura Harvey’s innovative use of ChatGPT to inform a tactical shift to a back-five defense, helping the team rise from second-bottom to finish fifth in the NWSL.
