Monday 28 December 2015 21:43, UK
It's been quite a 12 months. From the FIFA scandal to Jamie Vardy's rise and Chelsea's fall, there's been plenty of bizarre, brilliant and unpredictable storylines in 2015.
The reigning Premier League champions sacked their most successful coach seven months after he guided them to their fourth top-flight title, Liverpool hired one of Europe's most sought-after managers, and Barcelona conquered the continent.
With that in mind, Sky Sports looks back at five of the biggest football stories of 2015...
FIFA scandal
What a year for the embattled governing body. It started with US Department of Justice indictments, Swiss criminal investigations and luxury hotel raids, and it's easy to forget Sepp Blatter initially won re-election amid all that, before his 2015 ended with an eight-year ban from all football-related activity.
US authorities kicked things off, indicting 14 officials on charges of "rampant, systemic and deep rooted" corruption in May following a three-year FBI investigation. The Swiss Attorney General followed that up, and Michel Platini was caught in the investigative web too, named as a recipient of a "disloyal payment" from Blatter in 2011.
In late December, Platini and Blatter received eight-year suspensions from FIFA's ethics committee as a result of the investigations, a few weeks after 16 more officials had been charged and accused of "involvement in criminal schemes involving over £132m in bribes and kickbacks".
Blatter had intended to resign in February 2016, and while he plans to appeal his ban along with Platini, the suspensions effectively remove both from their respective offices immediately. Who would have predicted that back in January?
In the background remains the controversy that prompted the fresh questions in the first place - the voting process for the successful Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cup bids. With growing pressure on FIFA to reform from key sponsors like Adidas, McDonald's and Coca-Cola, and with a huge number of unresolved issues remaining, it's a story set to run well into next year.
Transfer drama - broken fax machines, private jets and last-minute deals
Transfer deadline day did not disappoint, with much of the action this year taking place at Old Trafford. After a summer of more Ed Woodward memes than we'd care to remember, United clinched the £36m signing of forward Anthony Martial. The Frenchman became the most expensive teenager in football history with the switch, and ended a frustrating summer for the club's fans on a high.
Earlier in the window, Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph concluded protracted sagas at Manchester City, while Pedro seemingly ditched United for Chelsea at the eleventh hour. Sterling occupied most of the column inches, though, as Manuel Pellegrini had two bids rejected before making it third time lucky in mid-July. The 21-year-old predictably became public enemy No 1 at Anfield after turning down a new contract and declaring his intention to leave.
Even when actual transfers failed to materialise, there was still drama. Saido Berahino failed to secure a late move from West Brom so left on a private jet, while David De Gea took the collapse of his transfer to Real Madrid slightly better. United and Real tripped over themselves to blame each other for that one, but De Gea kept his head down and continues to be one of Louis van Gaal's most consistent performers.
Barcelona win the treble
It's a problem almost worthy of the Millennium Prize - just how do you stop Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar? Well, in 2015, that puzzle remained unsolved.
It should be no surprise, two of the three are Ballon d'Or candidates, and the third has a strong case too, as the triumvirate spearheaded a trophy assault every bit as beautiful as it was brilliant.
The trio hit 74 per cent of Barca's La Liga goals as they surged to the title, Messi scored one of the great cup final solo strikes in the Copa Del Rey, and Suarez and Neymar struck as they completed the treble against Juventus in Berlin in May, an occasion that also happened to be Xavi's last game, and 25th major trophy, for the club.
Fast forward a few months and even a subsequent knee ligament injury to Messi was no problem - Neymar and Suarez scored every one of the club's 16 league goals, eight each, before his return in El Clasico in November, which they won 4-0 at the Bernabeu.
It's fair to say their year, one that started with Messi and Neymar on the bench in a defeat to a David Moyes-managed Real Sociedad and ended with a Club World Cup triumph, has been spectacular.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool arrival
The "normal one" finally arrived in the Premier League, and for Reds fans it has been worth the wait. Jurgen Klopp replaced a Brendan Rodgers for whom the spectacular highs could not cover for the depressing lows, and a Merseyside derby draw in early October sealed his fate.
Klopp was immediately installed as favourite, much to the excitement of Liverpool supporters and journalists alike, and his brand of "heavy metal football" is already bearing fruit.
The former Dortmund boss has lost just three games since taking charge, chalking up signature wins at the Etihad Stadium and Stamford Bridge, and the mood at Anfield has lifted despite nagging injuries to Daniel Sturridge.
It's not just on the field that Liverpool have profited either, because what's a managerial appointment these days without an accompanying fashion line? The Klopp Collection is well-stocked in the club shop, the press conferences have been box office and the performances improved. Can it last? It will certainly be fun to find out.
Changing fortunes - Leicester riding high, Chelsea in trouble
They spent last Christmas rooted to the foot of the table, but 12 months on Leicester City were top of the tree and the team of the year.
But cast your mind back to March, and Leicester, bottom of the league, had just lost 4-3 at White Hart Lane. Only a miracle would keep them up. The Foxes could take one small positive from that bleak north London visit, though, as struggling striker Jamie Vardy struck for the first time in more than six months.
At the other end of the table, Jose Mourinho's Chelsea had shrugged off Hull City at the KC Stadium to go six points clear at the top, inspired by goals from consensus player of the year Eden Hazard and an in-form Diego Costa.
That was just nine months ago. The Foxes survived, winning seven of their next nine games, and carried that form into this season with all the momentum of an unstoppable freight train, albeit one led by the most mild-mannered of managers, Claudio Ranieri.
As for Vardy, that goal against Spurs sparked a run of form that led to an England call-up in May, but the best was still to come. In late November he capped a stunning hot streak with a goal against Manchester United in his 11th consecutive league game, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's Premier League record.
But while Leicester and Vardy have gone from relegation fodder to table-toppers in the blink of an eye, Chelsea's descent from champions to also-rans has been every bit as swift. The depths plumbed were so deep that Mourinho got the boot for the second time in mid-December with Chelsea one point above the relegation zone following a run of nine defeats in 16 games. Meanwhile, Hazard and Costa have hardly got going.
There's unlikely to be a quick-fix as Guus Hiddink began his second interim stint in charge with back-to-back draws, and such is the unpredictability of the Premier League this season his remit is either to avoid relegation or to finish in the top six depending on who you ask.
Talk about a change in fortunes.
