10 Stories from the 2021/2022 Football Season

So there we have it, the 2021/2022 football season is sealed into the history books. From the joy of winning silverware, the despair of relegation and the hope of better things to come, the past football season had a lot of moments and memories that we will talk about for years to come. Here are the ten stories from the 2021/2022 football season.

• AC Milan winning the Scudetto

The 2021/2022 Serie A season had one of the best title races in recent years. With no standout favourite from the beginning, it was a real tussle on who will win the Scudetto this season. Earlier on, it looks like a three-horse race between Inter Milan, AC Milan and Napoli. With Juventus' poor start to the season and Napoli falling away later on, the Scudetto will go to Milan, but with it be in Red or Blue? Inter Milan had the upper hand in the last ten leagues. However, dropped points against Torino, Fiorentina, and Bologna opened the opportunity for AC Milan to win Serie A for the first time in 11 years. They took it with both hands, winning their final six league matches, beating Atalanta, Lazio, Fiorentina and Sassuolo with the likes of Rafael Leao, Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori and Mike Maignan writing their names in Milan folklore. Despite being outscored by Inter and Napoli, Milan kept 17 clean sheets, the most in the division. The Rossoneri can finally celebrate after being in the wilderness at home and in Europe for years.

• RB Leipzig win the DFB-Pokal

Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga for the tenth year in a row, the most in any of Europe's top five leagues. However, the big takeaway from Germany was RB Leipzig winning silverware for the first time in their 13-year history in the DFB-Pokal. Having had an underwhelming start under Jesse Marsch, the American was dismissed, with Domenico Tedesco coming in from December. Die Rotten managed to seal Champions League football for next season, plus reaching the semifinals of the Europa League with Christopher Nkunku having an unbelievable season, scoring 35 goals in all competitions. Being awarded Bundesliga Player of the Season. However, Leipzig has never won a major trophy in their history. That unwanted record ended, winning the DFB-Pokal against SC Freiburg on penalties. For Leipzig supporters, it was a dream come true. For their fierce critics, it leaves an uncomfortable feeling that a club that stands against German football culture can be successful. Lord knows the feeling it will be if they win the Bundesliga.

• Senegal become the Kings of Africa, at last

The African Cup of Nations took place from January to February in Cameroon. Senegal was one of the favourites, with the crop of players including Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Idrissa Gueye and Sadio Mane. The West African nation has never won Africa's biggest prize, having become runners-up twice. After a slow start in the group stages, they turned up a gear in the knockout stages. Beating Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso to reach the final, where they faced the most successful team in the competition's history, Egypt, led by their star player Mohamed Salah. A tense affair in the final, the game went to a penalty shootout. After three spot-kicks each, it was 2-2, but Edouard Mendy saved Mohanad Lasheen's penalty. Giving the Senegalese the chance of creating history.  and Sadio Mane drilled home the winning penalty, giving Senegal their first international title. They got the better of Egypt again in the World Cup qualifiers as they reached the World Cup Finals over the Egyptians on penalties again. Senegal's golden generation finally delivered.

• Roma won the Inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League 

A new competition was introduced this season by UEFA in the form of the Europa Conference League. The competition started this season for the first time, giving clubs from countries that have to play long qualifiers from the Champions League and Europa League the opportunity to have a European adventure. Some stories from the competition included Bodo/Glimt beating AS Roma 6-1 and Leicester City reaching the semifinals but Roma will have the final say, winning the first edition of the competition. Despite a somewhat poor season in Serie A, the Giallorossi went all-in on the Conference League. Beating Vitesse, Bodo/Glimt and Leicester City to reach the final where they faced Dutch side Feyenoord. A goal from Nicolo Zaniolo in the final gave Roma their first piece of silverware since 2008 and Jose Mourinho won the fifth European trophy of his career, after winning the Champions League and Europa League twice. With silverware in their hands already, plus having Zaniolo, Tammy Abraham and Lorenzo Pellegrini, Roma is one to watch next season in Serie A and the Europa League.

• Mbappe Stays

After much speculation regarding his future, Kylian Mbappe decided to stay in Paris Saint-Germain for another three years as his contract was up at the end of the season. This came as a surprise for many as the Frenchman looks set to go to Real Madrid after the Spanish giants placed a bet of over 180 million euros which the French side rejected. Despite their massive transfer spree and reclaiming Ligue 1 after missing out on the title last season, PSG had a disappointing season, failing to impress on the eye and being knocked out in a 17-minute collapse against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Keeping Kylian Mbappe is a big win for PSG as losing Mbappe will be a blow for the French champions and also the Qataris in anticipation of the World Cup later this year. Renewing Mbappe's contract was a very expensive one and will look to build the team around the French forward with sporting director Leonardo and manager Mauricio Pochettino both being relieved of their duties. It is a blow for Real Madrid having missed out on Eerling Haaland as well but Mbappe's decision to stay will have a domino effect on the summer transfer window and gives players more power at the negotiation table.

• Four titles in five years for Manchester City

Despite what people think of Manchester City, from the Abu Dhabi ownership and Pep Guardiola, they have been arguably the best team over the past five years. Whilst it has not produced a Champions League title, they have dominated the Premier League and have broken records in the process as well. They defended the Premier League after a dramatic 3-2 win against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium to finish the season with 93 points. However, it looked like their season was crumbling before their eyes, getting knocked out in the League Cup to West Ham, the FA Cup to Liverpool in the semifinals and the Champions League to Real Madrid in the most dramatic fashion. With Liverpool catching up to them in the title run-in and being two goals down against Villa on the final day stoked fears even among the strongest City fans. However, Ilkay Gundogan had a moment similar to Sergio Aguero, coming off the bench to score a brace including the winner to seal City's title win. The last team to win four league titles in the same period was Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2006 to 2011 and with Haaland coming in next season, City is not going to slow down anytime soon.

• Liverpool's Quadruple Push

As for Manchester City's closest competitor Liverpool, their season was one of the massive opportunities which could have become something amazing. They won two pieces of silverware in the League Cup and FA Cup, both winning on penalties against Chelsea. They crawled their way back into the title race and reached a third Champions League Final under Jurgen Klopp. With Virgil van Dijk back to his best, Sadio Mane moved as a centre-forward with great success and new signing Luis Diaz added speed and trickery to Liverpool's attack. They did not win the Premier League as they missed out on the title to Manchester City despite accumulating 92 points in the process. The Champions League did not have a happy ending either. Vinicius Junior added another dagger to Liverpool's hearts as the Brazilian scored the winner in the Final to deny Liverpool a seventh Champions League crown. Despite suffering the fewest defeats, scoring the most goals and playing every minute possible, the season had a disappointing end for the Reds despite their efforts throughout the season.

• Canada qualify for the World Cup

Back into the International scene, the final round of qualifiers for the World Cup took place in the early part of the year with some big hitters missing out on the World Cup from Egypt, Colombia, Algeria and Italy but the story of World Cup qualification was Canada. Having not qualified for the World Cup since 1986 and outmatched by their neighbours the United States and Mexico, many did not fancy the Maple Leafs to reach the Finals of the World Cup. They stunned the football world, reaching qualification for the World Cup losing one match in the process and going unbeaten against Mexico and the United States, which culminated in a 4-0 win against Jamaica at BMO Field in Toronto. Under coach John Herdman, they have star player Alphonso Davies, who is also their highest-profile player. Aside from Davies, they have Lille forward Jonathan David and Club Brugge forward Tajon Buchanan. A lot of anticipation for the Great North as they will be in the World Cup this coming November.

• Football and the War in Ukraine

The War in Ukraine has shocked the world and has had its effects on football as well. Russia was kicked out of the World Cup qualifiers and the Women's European Championship which is taking place later in July. Russian clubs have also been barred from participating in European club competitions next season, the original venue for the Champions League Final this season the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg was also moved to the Stade de France in France. Russian businessmen also felt the effects like Roman Abramovich of Chelsea, who had to give ownership of Chelsea Football Club after acquiring Chelsea in 2003 following sanctions from the British government. As for Ukraine, they can still qualify for the World Cup as they still have to face Scotland and potentially Wales but the football scene has been suspended and has received support from the wider football world. Let's hope for the conflict to be resolved soon.

• Madrid's mythical season

Real Madrid capped off an incredible season by winning La Liga and their 14th Champions League title but many did not fancy Los Blancos for both competitions. After Zidane left, Madrid re-hired Carlo Ancelotti to rejuvenate a depleted squad and start the transition away from the old guard. Despite the chaos at Barcelona and Atletico Madrid struggling to win games, Real Madrid ran away with the La Liga with Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior forming a deadly partnership between them, scoring 44 goals in the process. After losing at home to Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League, they faced a difficult run-in from PSG to Chelsea and then Manchester City. Despite being outplayed by all three, Madrid still came out on top against all of them from the brilliance of Karim Benzema to the super subs in Rodrygo and Eduardo Camavinga. They still were not fancied against Liverpool in the final in Paris but they still came out on top winning the game 1-0 with Thibaut Courtois saving nine shots in the final. This season further cements the legacy of the old guard in Benzema, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and  Casemiro as well as Carlo Ancelotti, who has won every league title in Europe's big five and four Champions League titles. More than anyone else. The myth of Real Madrid lives on.