As we head towards Christmas, it is time to reflect on what a year 2021 has been in sporting terms. There was certainly a lot more to enjoy with cancelled events such as the Olympics, European Championship football and Copa America all taking place a year after they should have been held.
We also saw some incredible boxing bouts throughout the year, some incredible performances at the Olympic Games and more than a few shocks and surprises that have changed the course of the season for better, or for worse for some competitors.
So what have been the moments of the year that have truly struck you as being amazing? In this article, we have picked our top ten and also looked at some odds for similar bets to consider in the future.
Remember, if you want to have a bet on any of the futures market betting that we mention in this article, then all odds were correct with bet365 Sport at the time of writing and you can sign up with the site and grab those odds if you are quick, but they may change in the meantime.
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Let’s now begin our countdown of the top ten sporting moments if 2021 with a look at what was one of the most amazing finishes to an NFL season and a moment which cemented one player as undoubtedly the greatest player of all-time.
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Tom Brady Wins The Super Bowl With The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Would Tom Brady or Bill Belichick thrive without the other? That was the question on the lips
of many NFL fans when Tom Brady joined the exodus of veteran talent aiming for short term success under Bruce Arians at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While New England suffered their worst season in 20 years or more without their star man, the Bucs qualified for a Wildcard position behind the Saints in the NFC South, but then defeated Washington (31-23), New Orleans (30-20) and then Green Bay (31-26) to earn a chance to win the Super Bowl on their home patch.
They produced a masterclass on defense to negate the Kansas City Chiefs fearsome offense and Tom Brady does what he does, wins Super Bowl, and earning the MVP as he led the Bucs to their second Super Bowl triumph in a 31-9 victory.
The Bucs are 9/2 joint favourites with the Chiefs to repeat that success this season and with a 10-3 record already, few would bet against them doing so.
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Cristiano Ronaldo Re-Signs For Manchester United
By the end of last season, it was increasingly apparent that Cristiano Ronaldo’s time in Turin with Juventus was drawing to a close. Unable to inspire his team to the Champions League as had been. Hoped, and with Juventus forced to make major cuts to costs, moving Ronaldo’s wage off the bill when his contract expired was an open secret.
The question is where would he move to? A move to China or the United States had been mooted with David Beckham’s Inter Miami reportedly interested, but then it seemed that Manchester City would be about to clinch a major signing with Ronaldo set to arrive to replace the departed Sergio Aguero.
However, with the deal seemingly in the bag, suddenly Manchester United appeared and agreed terms with their former star to snatch him away from City. Ronaldo has since repaid that faith with 13 goals in 18 games for his new team in all competitions.
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Chelsea Win The Champions League
The 2021 Champions League final was an all-English affair once again after Manchester City
and Chelsea qualified for the final. City, managed by Pep Guardiola, were the hot favourites to win the trophy for the first time as Chelsea, under their mid-season appointed manager Thomas Tuchel, were expected to play the bridesmaids.
However, Chelsea proved to be much more than that on the day. In the lead up to the final, Chelsea beat City in the FA Cup semifinal, and that warning was not heeded on the day.
In what was a very tactical game, Chelsea had the better of it and their German star Kai Havertz, signed only in the past summer from Bayer Leverkusen, handed them a stunning win with a cool finish in the second half.
City are favourites to lift the title once again this season at 11/4 and Chelsea are 7/1 outsiders behind City, Bayern Munich (7/2) and Liverpool (5/1) but after last season, Thomas Tuchel’s men won’t mind that a bit.
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America Triumphant In Ryder Cup With Big Win Over Europe
Held at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, and after being delayed for a year, the Ryder Cup finally got underway in September 2021 as an experienced European side took on a younger and less experienced home United States team.
However, any hope that this added experience would help Europe to victory were soon quashed. The United States won the first day’s foursomes and fourballs both by 3-1 to lead 6-2 overnight. They then added another 3-1 victory in the foursomes on Sunday and drew the fourballs in the afternoon to hold an 11-5 lead heading into Sunday.
Despite Rory McIlroy winning the opening game for Europe, USA won six of the next seven matches to finish, tying the other to emerge as very comfortable 19-9 winners.
USA are now 8/15 to defend the Ryder Cup in 2023 in Europe, with the home team 15/8.
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Messi Inspires Argentina To Copa America Glory
The 2021 Copa America was moved to Brazil at the last minute but it wasn’t the hosts that
celebrated a second consecutive victory in the tournament on home soil.
Instead, Lionel Messi produced his best tournament performance in an Argentina shirt to lead his national team to his first trophy with them winning both the best player and top goalscorer in the tournament (joint with Colombia’s Luis Diaz).
Argentina topped their group in the opening stage of the tournament, Messi scoring three of their seven goals in the tournament at that stage. He scored again in their quarterfinal win over Ecuador and converted a penalty to help his team get past Colombia on penalties.
He then played a key role in the final, as Angel Di Maria’s 22nd minute strike, aided by some great defending by Argentina saw them hold off the hosts Brazil and claim the Copa America.
Tune in later this week as we will bring you part two of our countdown of the ten biggest sports moments of 2021.
