It's very nearly a World Cup year, but before fully turning the page to 2022, there's much to look back on from the last 12 months in soccer across the globe.
In the men's game in Europe, for instance, there were league champions that we've grown accustomed to seeing lift the trophy (Manchester City, Bayern Munich) and a refreshing change of pace in some of the other top leagues (Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, Lille). We've witnessed the continued growth of the next generation of stars, led by Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, while the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema keep piling up the goals as they age.