Earlier this month the great and the very good of world football were honoured at the Best Fifa Awards.
Even in a year as unpredictable as 2020, the usual names were in the all-star XI, with Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski the pick of the bunch.
But this year will not be remembered for normality and predictability, so let’s unearth and celebrate the lesser figures who lit up football in 2020.
Disrespect Award
Before the coronavirus era, ex-Arsenal forward Serge Gnabry caused problems for the white half of north London by scoring four times as Bayern won 7-2 at Spurs in October 2019.
When the final rounds of the Champions League were staged in August, Gnabry was again on the scoresheet, once in the 8-2 win against Barcelona and then twice in the semi-final against Lyon.
Those latter two strikes mean Gnabry ends 2020 with as many European Cup semi-final goals as Arsenal – one in 2006, one in 2009.
And you have to say Tony Pulis didn’t predict that.
Confused Goalkeeper Award
Modern goalkeeping is a bit more complicated than it used to be.
William Foulke built his career at the start of the 20th century on the sturdy foundations of a 152kg frame but he never had to marshal half the field behind a defence playing a high block.
The modern keeper has a lot more to think about so let’s celebrate Sampdoria’s Emil Audero and Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou, who are the only goalkeepers in the big five leagues in 2020 to both assist a goal and score an own goal, sadly not in the same game.
The highs and lows of the custodian have never been more dramatic.
Drift Award
Aston Villa drafted in Pepe Reina in January as they fought against relegation to the Championship.
Dean Smith’s team survived but the jury’s out on whether Reina’s contribution was decisive. He let in 20 goals in 12 games, which isn’t too shabby for a team towards the bottom of the table, but for 10% of those goals Reina was not in his own penalty area, which is avant-garde goalkeeping at best.
Emergency Services Award
Roamin’ Reina may dream of drifting outfield but in truth there’s nothing better than an outfield player going in goal.
That scenario was taken to a higher plane when Sevilla played Eibar in July. Luis Ocampos scored for Sevilla early in the second half (normal) but then had to go in goal after his goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik got injured (here we go) and Sevilla had made all five substitutions (OK, bordering on unique now).
Eibar piled on the pressure as time ran out, sending their goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic upfield. The ball then fell to Dmitrovic who saw his shot saved by Ocampos, the man who had scored past him earlier in the game (yes, this is as good as it gets).
Achievement unlocked.
Carb-Loading Award
The Premier League might boast Declan Rice but Serie A can counter with Kevin Lasagna and you can accurately say that Lasagna’s 2020 had at least three layers.
Between January and the league lockdown in March he scored one goal. When the division resumed in the summer Lasagna scored six times in five games to help Udinese finish 13th.
But the 2020-21 season has seen an undercooked Lasagna fail to score in nine appearances. In a world in which an increasing number of footballers have sauce, Lasagna’s year has gone a bit dry.
Luckless Award
Talking of Kevins, the player with the most chances created without a single assist in the big five leagues in 2020 is Kevin Rodrigues, who has spent the year on loan at Leganes and Eibar. Thirty one chances crafted for team-mates and none taken.
Slightly less unlucky is the player with the most shots without scoring, because you, yourself, are responsible for where the shot goes.
The guilty man is Wolves’ Ruben Neves, who has had 47 shots in the Premier League – 42 of them from outside the box, naturally – in 2020 without seeing a single one of them go in the goal.
Unforgiveable in the expected goals era.
On In Off Award
Andrea Favalli, October 25 2020. Not even Shakespeare could have scripted the antics of this gentleman of Verona.
54:25, Favalli is brought on for Nikola Kalinic in the big away game at Juventus.
59:04, Favalli scores with his left foot to give the visitors the lead.
61:33, Favalli is substituted, injured. Tragedy and comedy in equal measure.
Favalli is the only player in recorded Serie A history to come on, score and go off in under 10 minutes.
To quote Shakespeare himself: “Thrust from the company of awful men. Myself was from Verona banished. And then Juve equalised with Morata assisting.”
Hope Award
The footballers have done their bit in 2020, no doubt, but you also have to say well done to the scientists with all their vaccine work.
That’s the plot for 2021 sorted but it begs the question: who is the only player with all the letters in vaccine in their name to assist more than one goal in the big five leagues in 2020?
That man is Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who has created three goals in Serie A this year.
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