So what was the sporting moment of 2005? The eerie, confusing conclusion to that unbelievable Ashes series at The Oval in September? England’s footballers upsetting the Argentinians 3-2 in Geneva in November? Or perhaps Chelsea lifting their first championship in 50 years?
For some, the scenes in Trafalgar Square after London’s surprise triumph over Paris in the race to host the 2012 Olympics will linger long in the memory.
Then there was Ellen MacArthur’s ecstasy when she landed in Falmouth after her record-breaking round-the-world trip. Sentimental souls might point to Jack Nicklaus’s emotional final farewell to The Open at St Andrews in July or a nation mourning George Best in December.
But surely, for sheer gut-wrenching drama, Liverpool’s European Cup final triumph over mighty AC Milan in Istanbul has to be the most dramatic episode in a fascinating year of sport. At 3-0 down, even diehard fans had accepted defeat. But not Rafa Benitez’s men, who went on to level 3-3 and then win 3-2 on penalties.
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards chose to honour the cricketers, with England winning team of the year and Andrew ”Freddie” Flintoff rightly taking the individual accolade.
But by then, Duncan Fletcher’s men had been battered to something resembling humiliation in Pakistan. The bubble had burst. Sure, beating the Australians for the first time since 1986 was a triumph that put cricket on the front pages for a couple of months.
But given the cricket team’s rapid deterioration in Pakistan, how can Liverpool’s astonishing achievement be overlooked? Sure, the Reds’ 1-0 defeat to Sao Paulo in the World Club Championship on Sunday saw them denied a second trophy, but that defeat came after a record 11 games without conceding a goal.
My favourite story about Istanbul involves several busloads of Liverpool fans. At half-time, about 300 of them begged their bus drivers to take them back to the town centre 40 minutes away so they could drown their sorrows. Imagine their surprise when they got there to see the 3-3 score on the television screens, with extra time about to start and penalties to come.
By the time they’d persuaded their weary drivers to take them back to the stadium, the penalty shoot-out was over. The cup was won.
There were other great moments, of course. Michael Owen’s double saw England come from behind to beat old rivals Argentina 3-2 in Geneva, ensuring England were seeded second in the draw for next year’s World Cup, where they drew a very encouraging threesome of Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and Sweden.
Lance Armstrong won a record seventh Tour de France despite drug allegations and his history of testicular cancer. Paula Radcliffe triumphed in the London Marathon and the World Championships after her awful Athens Olympics last year and despite the desperate urge to stop for the occasional leak.
Hot Scot Andrew Murray came out of nowhere to replace Tim Henman in British tennis affections, beating England’s perennial Wimbledon hope in Switzerland in October.
Double world light-welterweight champion Ricky Hatton’s triumph over Kostya Tszu provided a bloody epic in Manchester in June, and Gavin Henson’s last-gasp penalty saw England beaten and Wales on the road to a historic Grand Slam. Just don’t mention the Lions tour to New Zealand.
Some year. But what about 2006? The World Cup, four British sides in the Champions League, Murray at Wimbledon … watch this space!