Football in 2019: Liverpool rules | US women's team wins World Cup | Lionel Messi takes Ballon d'Or

 | Updated: Dec 31, 2019, 05:35 PM IST

From the Merseyside Liverpool winning the Champion's League 2018-19 to the end of an era as Bayern's Uli Hoeness retires, here is a glimpse of football in the year 2019.

Liverpool

Liverpool has won six Champions League trophies, more than any other English club. 

The English club lifted the cup in 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1983–84, 2004–05, and 2018–19 seasons.

(Photograph:AFP)

Liverpool

Football fans line the streets to see the Liverpool football team take part in an open-top bus parade around Liverpool, north-west England on June 2, 2019, after winning they won the UEFA Champions League final football match between Liverpool and Tottenham.

Liverpool's celebrations stretched long into the night after they became six-time European champions with goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi to beat Tottenham.

The 2-0 win delivered a first win in seven finals for coach Jurgen Klopp.

(Photograph:AFP)

US Soccer

United States' forward Megan Rapinoe celebrates scoring her team's first goal during the Women's World Cup quarter-final football match between France and United States, on June 28, 2019, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris.

(Photograph:AFP)

US Soccer

Megan Rapinoe, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, his wife Chirlane McCray(C) and other members of the World Cup-winning US women's team take part in a ticker-tape parade on July 10 in New York.

Four years after roaring fans lined the route of Lower Manhattan's fabled "Canyon of Heroes" to cheer the US women winning the 2015 World Cup, New Yorkers celebrated once again.

(Photograph:AFP)
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Messi

Almost a decade on, Messi still harbours unfulfilled ambitions, including another Champions League crown and an elusive major trophy with Argentina to add to his 2008 Olympic gold.

With time running out on a career that has seen a record six Ballon d'Ors and six Golden Shoes, those are major factors in convincing him to end his playing days away from the club that has been his home since he arrived as a 13-year-old.

(Photograph:AFP)

Sunil Chhetri

Indian football star Sunil Chhetri scored twice against Thailand at the 2019 Asian Cup to reach 67 goals and overtake Argentina's Lionel Messi to become the second current highest scorer in international football, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo at 85 goals for Portugal this year.

(Photograph:AFP)

Belgium

Belgium was crowned FIFA's "Team of the Year" for the second straight time after retaining top spot ahead of world champions France in the latest world rankings.

(Photograph:AFP)

Bayern

Bayern Munich's supporters light flares during the UEFA Champions League group B football match between Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade) and Bayern Munich at the "Rajko Mitic" stadium in Belgrade, on November 26, 2019.

(Photograph:AFP)

El Clasico

Real Madrid's Spanish midfielder Isco (L) challenges Barcelona's Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic during the "El Clasico" Spanish League football match between Barcelona FC and Real Madrid CF at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona on December 18.

(Photograph:AFP)

Barca

Demonstrators gather during a protest called by the Catalan separatist movement Democratic Tsunami outside the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on December 18, prior to the "El Clasico" Spanish League football match between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Tension in Spain's north-east region boiled over in October when demonstrations and riots caused the original La Liga fixture between Barcelona and Real Madrid to be postponed. 

(Photograph:AFP)

Iraq

Iraqi football fans gesture and cheer for their country ahead of the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup semi-final football match between Iraq and Bahrain at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha on December 5, 2019.

(Photograph:AFP)

ManUtd

Manchester United's manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer embraces "Fred the Red" as he arrives for the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in Manchester.

(Photograph:AFP)

Ronaldo

Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo scores a header during the Italian "Serie A" football match between Sampdoria and Juventus at the Luigi-Ferraris stadium in Genoa.

(Photograph:AFP)

Algeria

Algerian fans line the streets to see their national team take part in an open-top bus parade in Algierson, following their victory in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN).

Algeria celebrated their second Cup of Nations win, 29 years after their first triumph in 1990.

(Photograph:AFP)

KSA

Football fans cheer below a banner bearing the portraits of Saudi Arabia's King Salman (L) and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of the World Cup 2022 Asian qualifying match between Palestine and Saudi Arabia in the town of al-Ram in the Israeli occupied West Bank.

The game marked a change in policy for Saudi Arabia, which has previously played matches against Palestine in third countries.

The match ended in a goalless draw.

Arab clubs and national teams have historically refused to play in the West Bank, where the Palestinian national team plays, as it required them to apply for Israeli entry permits.

(Photograph:AFP)

Uli Hoeness

Outgoing Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness kisses his wife Susanne next to a picture presented to him after addressing the annual general meeting of the German first division Bundesliga football club FC Bayern Munich in Munich, southern Germany.

(Photograph:AFP)