🔝 The five biggest shocks of 2023 😲 | OneFootball

It’s been another hectic of year of football with plenty of thrills and spills along the way.

2023 brought the good, the bad and the ugly, featuring plenty of moments to remember and some to forget.

Here are our five biggest shocks from 2023.

5. Bayern Munich lose to third division FC Saarbrücken

Needless to say given their uber-dominance of German football, Bayern Munich have the record number of DFB-Pokal wins – their 20 titles just the mere 14 more than any other club.

So, when Thomas Tuchel’s side rolled into Ludwigsparkstadion to take on third division FC Saarbrücken, little was expected bar the usual trashing when big side faces lower-league side, particularly when the gulf is this big.

Normal service seemed in order when Bayern took an early lead through Thomas Müller, but instead one of the great giant killings took place, Patrick Sontheimer equalised before a late, late Marcel Gaus sent Saarbrücken into a craze and sealed the most famous win in their history.

Harry Kane signing for Bayern was a shock in itself, but it doesn’t quite compare with losing to a club whose yearly budget is equivalent to his weekly wage.

4. Girona flying high LaLiga

In the history of LaLiga, very few teams have ever threatened the near-duopoly enjoyed by Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the only exception in more than a decade being Diego Simeone’s Atlético de Madrid.

That has changed this season, and via the most unlikely of sources – Girona and their motley crew of players. Sure, they are part of the Abu Dhabi owned-City Football Group, but of their players, Daley Blind, Eric Garcia and, at a push, Paulo Gazzaniga would be recognised by most.

Promotion specialist Míchel guided the Blanquivermells back into the top flight in 2021/22, achieving a very respectable 10th-place in just their third LaLiga campaign.

Their fourth started strong and has barely slowed, with a 4-2 win at neighbours Barça being the pick of their 14 wins from 18 games, which sees only second to Real on goal difference heading into the new year.

It is one the shocks of this year, but could 2024 see the greatest in recent Spanish history?

3. How incredibly bad Chelsea have been

On the flip side of low-budget but high-performing Girona is Chelsea, whose year can be best described as money and, frankly, little else.

Everyone knows the story of the Todd Boehly and co. era: a billion pounds spent, two British record transfers, two manager sacked, the disastrous Frank Lampard 2.0 run.

There is also the threat of serious sanctions for financial breaches during the Roman Abramovich years, although the club did self-report those in fairness.

Mauricio Pochettino has shown promise at times and injuries have not helped but the same issues remain and the numbers are scarcely believable: no side has lost more Premier League games than the Blues this calendar year (19), while their points tally in 2023 is akin to a side battling relegation.

European qualification this season already seems a push but new year, new Chelsea? Right?

2. Everton receive record top flight points deduction

November 17th sent shock waves across English football as Everton were handed a 10-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules over a three-year period.

The Toffees did not dispute their guilt, but the shock was the severity of the sanction – the biggest in English top-flight history, which probably says more about the lax regulation than anything else, in truth.

This has led to anger, frustration and full-blown protests among Evertonians, most notably at Goodison Park, where “corruption” banners have been prominent at all home games since the ruling.

Much of that allegation is related to Manchester City and Chelsea’s apparent wrongdoing (which are very different for myriad reasons) and the perceived example-making on the blue side of Merseyside.

Sean Dyche’s ability to thrive in tough situations will almost certainly see Everton stay up but the Premier League’s pushback against impending independent regulation in the sport has opened up a can of worms that could change the English game forever.

1. The Luis Rubiales scandal

Even with previous allegations of mistreatment and numerous female players refusing to play for the national team, what transpired at the Women’s World Cup final was a shock to everyone.

After Spain had won their first-ever crown, their president tarnished it all by forcibly kissing Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony.

It seemed extremely inappropriate and once Hermoso said she did not like it on an Instagram live, a can of worms opened up that eventually led to Rubiales resigning and being handed an initial 90-day suspension from all football activity.

Rubiales then refused to stand down; his mother went on hunger strike; 81 Spanish players boycotted the national team until changes were made, while shamed coach Jorge Vilda was also sacked.

While the most shocking moment of 2023, the saga will rumble on into the new year, and hopefully lead to some much-needed change in football as a whole.