The sporting calendar rarely struggles to offer headlines and talking points to reflect on, and as 2024 comes to close, there were certainly some monumental moments. England once again fell at the final hurdle in the European Championships when they fell to Spain and Gareth Southgate made his exit. The Paris Olympics brought another bumper medal haul for Great Britain and saw the likes of Keely Hodgkinson become a star but also saw the fewest number of golds in 20 years.
It was also a year that saw long-time greats Sir Andy Murray and Sir Mark Cavendish retire from tennis and cycling respectively. Tears were shed and records broken along the way. New stars will take their places in future but first, Mirror Football looks at 10 things we learned in 2024.
Gareth Southgate ’s resignation after England’s 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 left England seeking a new direction, one that led them to name former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel as only the third non-British manager to hold the role on a permanent basis.
There was a mixed reaction given some of the English candidates hoping for the job, but the Football Assoction wanted a proven winner. Tuchel’s record includes the Champions League with Chelsea, two Ligue 1 titles in charge of Paris St Germain and the German Cup at Borussia Dortmund.
Can he be the man to end England’s 60-year wait for success at a major tournament?. Team GB came home from the Paris Olympics with 65 medals, the third-highest tally for any nation. But only 14 were gold, the lowest number since Athens in 2004, as they dropped to seventh in the medal table.
