Best of 2021: 5 stories that shaped an unforgettable year in sport
- From Brady and Messi to the Tokyo Olympics we countdown the biggest sport stories of the year
- Records were made and broken, as Italy’s unbeaten run of 37 games came to a close
The past year has produced some sterling moments for sport in Hong Kong, and around the world. As athletes returned to the playing field and fans returned to the stands, it seemed, if only for a brief moment, that normalcy had returned.
Still, we could not escape the effects of Covid-19, with a delayed Tokyo Olympics, cancelled matches and vaccine controversy continuing to dominate headlines.
From the city’s best Olympic performance, 2021 was a year in which some of the world’s greatest athletes showed why age is just a number. A 43-year-old Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl, while teenage tennis stars Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez dominated this year’s US Open. From big numbers to small ones, there was one number which topped them all in 2021 – Lionel Messi’s pay cheque.
As we close off another year, we countdown the five biggest stories that made their mark in 2021.
5. Italy – Euro 2020 winners
Italy’s run of 37 games without defeat came to an end in July this year with a loss to Lithuania, but not before they swept all before them at the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 tournament.