January-February: Chelsea spend, Liverpool eat
Winter transfer window obliges, in January, the football news mainly revolved around the transfer market. And in this game, Chelsea particularly stood out. Todd Boehly’s Blues spent more than 300 million euros in one month. Symbol of this expensive transfer window: Enzo Fernandez, arrived on January 31, 2023 for 120 million euros from Benfica, and who is one of the most expensive transfers in the history of football.
Enzo Fernandez, Chelsea player. (IconSport)
The results did not really follow for Chelsea. This is not the case for Real Madrid, who struck a big blow in the Champions League. On February 21, the Merengue won 5-2 at Liverpool in the round of 16 second leg. A manita at Anfield Road synonymous with elimination for the Reds. Six days later, on February 27, 2023, Lionel Messi won The Best trophy two months after his coronation with Argentina in the World Cup.
March-April: the months of scorers and saving Maignan
A few days later, his teammate Kylian Mbappé made history. On March 4, 2023, the Parisian number 7 became the top scorer in the history of PSG. He scores his 201st goal against FC Nantes and surpasses Edinson Cavani. The same day, Antoine Griezmann scored his 150th goal with Atlético. Ten days later, it is Erling Haaland who stands out. The Norwegian striker scored a quintuple on March 14, in a 7-0 victory against Leipzig.
Three days later, Alexandre Lacazette imitated Griezmann and scored his 150th goal in the colors of Olympique Lyonnais. He becomes the second top scorer of the Rhone club. However, it’s not just the attackers who are getting noticed. On March 28, during a victorious France-Ireland for the Blues, the action of the match was this point-blank save by Mike Maignan, for a photo that left its mark.
On April 27, Erling Haaland became the top scorer in a 20-team Premier League season by scoring his 33rd goal of the 2022/2023 season against Arsenal. He is thus ahead of Mohamed Salah while there are still seven matches to go! Finally, April 29, 2023 is an important date in the history of TFC. The Pitchouns won the first Coupe de France in their history. A big 5-1 success in style against FC Nantes, defending champion.
May-June: City offers Europe, Benzema and Messi leave
The month of May saw the coronation of most of the champions of the major European championships. The first winner was Napoli, author of a great season and who formalized their third Scudetto on May 4. On the 14th, FC Barcelona won the Spanish championship title to crown a nice treble. Six days later, Arsenal’s defeat at Nottingham Forest allowed Manchester City to achieve another success in the Premier League. Finally, PSG and Bayern Munich were crowned late, on May 27, 2023. In Ligue 1, the month was also marked by the match of the year. A 5-4 between OL and Montpellier, with quadruplets from Lacazette and Wahi. Finally, two days later, on May 10, 2023, the departure of Jean-Michel Aulas, historic president of the club, was announced. The end of an era.
Jean-Michel Aulas, the former president of OL. (IconSport)
The month of June 2023 marks the start of Saudi influence on the transfer window. Thus, on June 6, Karim Benzema formalized his transfer to Al-Ittihad. A second big blow for the Saudi Pro League after the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo seven months earlier. The next day, Lionel Messi left PSG and Europe. Unlike many players, La Pulga rejects Saudi Arabia over the United States. He signed for Inter Miami, and would later be joined by Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. Finally, on June 10, Manchester City won the first Champions League in its history by defeating Inter Milan. A new stone in a historic quadruplet.
2024-01-01 09:31:12
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