Well, that’s a wrap. Another season has drawn to a close, one which offered no end of controversy and quality, as perhaps best illustrated by Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s terrific team finally conquered Europe to complete a historic treble, but an asterisk must be placed against all of their achievements over the past 15 years, with the Abu Dhabi-backed club having been charged with breaching more than 100 of the Premier League’s financial regulations.
There was similar drama in Italy, with Juventus having points being taken away from them, given back, and then taken away again on a seemingly weekly basis, making a farce of the Serie A standings. In an era of football now in very real danger of being completely corrupted by finances, the table, it seems, actually does lie sometimes.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom, though. There were some inspirational success stories. For example, unlike City’s treble, Napoli’s Serie A title triumph was a legitimate fairy tale and sparked one of the biggest street parties the world has ever seen!
So, without a further ado, let’s get stuck into the biggest winners and losers of the 2022-23 European season…