As the year 2022 draws to a close, it has been a time for reflection in sport after what has been another enthralling year.
However, while we often look at the best moments of the year, there should also be an effort to remember the not-so-good, bad, ugly and downright bizarre incidents that fans might’ve forgotten about.
With that in mind, Sportsmail thought we should give out alternative awards for football in the year 2022.
The year is coming to a close and it’s now time for Sportsmail to hand out the alternative awards for some of the not-so-good, bad, ugly and downright bizarre incidents of 2022
Most bizarre goal
Atiba Hutchinson – Canada vs El Salvador
This had to be watched several times before finally understanding exactly what an earth happened for this goal.
For context, Canada played El Salvador in a World Cup qualifying match back in February and Atiba Hutchinson’s bizarre goal ended up helping them reach the Qatar tournament.
Here’s what happened, Hutchinson was found by his club team-mate Cyle Larin inside the box with his diving header striking the foot of the post.
Atiba Hutchinson scored a freak opening goal in Canada’s 2-0 victory over El Salvador
Hutchinson’s header bounced off the post, the defender and then his back into the net
The ball then ricocheted off the leg of centre-back Erig Zavaleta, which then struck the back of Hutchinson as he lay prone on the ground.
El Salvador keeper Kevin Carabantes did not see the deflection coming and only reacted after the ball had already looped over him into the back of the net.
Really unfortunate goal to concede but Besiktas’ captain Hutchinson would not have cared one bit.
Worst signing
Wout Weghorst – Burnley
He was the man billed to save Burnley from relegation back in January but two goals in 20 games did little to stop the Clarets’ drop back to the Championship.
It was a big gamble for Burnley to part with £12million for the towering 6ft 5in Dutchman, who signed on a three-and-a-half-year deal, but it ultimately didn’t pay off.
Having scored 70 goals in 144 games during his three-and-a-half seasons at Wolfsburg, you’d have thought he would have been the perfect striker for a play-style like Burnley’s but he ended struggling with demands asked of him at Turf Moor.
Wout Weghorst proved to be a disastrous signing for Burnley before they were relegated
Weghorst even proved at the Qatar World Cup that he could play the target man well, scoring two late goals against Argentina – one in the 83rd minute and then the 11th minute of stoppage time – to force extra-time and then penalties, which Holland would go on to lose.
Following confirmation of Burnley’s drop to the Championship, Weghorst short spell at Turf Moor came to an end and was shipped out on loan to Besiktas.
While he may still be a Burnley player, don’t expect the 30-year-old to don the claret and blue shirt any time soon.
Worst managerial appointment
Rob Edwards – Watford
It’s fair to say that the whole appointment of Rob Edwards as manager of Watford was a bit of a nightmare from start to finish.
Having guided Forest Green Rovers to the League Two title in May, Edwards was poached by the Hornets which left Rovers chairman Dale Vince incensed after he claimed that the Championship side never contacted them for permission to talk to the 40-year-old.
Not the best of starts but on the pitch, it seemed to be positive in the very early stages.
Edwards managed to win two and draw one of his first three games in charge but as the Hornets’ form dipped and they slipped down the table, so did the Watford owner’s patience.
Rob Edwards was sacked after just 11 games in charge of Championship side Watford this year
And their patience wore so thin that after 11 games in charge, they sacked Edwards and brought in Slaven Bilic.
This award isn’t so much as a reflection of Edwards’ ability in the role, more how badly it was handled from Watford’s side of things.
Edwards’ sacking was even more painful given how Watford vowed to support him ‘come hell or high water’ when they appointed him just months before.
Bilic is now Watford’s fifth boss in a year but the Croatian has managed to guide the trigger-happy Hornets back to the play-off places.
Biggest brainfade
William Akio – Valour FC
Still scratching our heads over this one.
Canadian Premier League player William Akio somehow cleared the ball off the goalline and denied his OWN team – Valour FC – from scoring a certain goal.
During the 17th minute of a Canadian Premier League clash, Alessandro Riggi managed to toe-poke his shot past the goalkeeper and into the open net. But his team-mate Akio cleared the ball off the line in one of the biggest brainfades of the year.
William Akio cleared the ball off the goalline and denied his OWN team from scoring
With the score level, the hosts broke forward on a counter-attack with a ball over the top of the Wanderers defence finding New Zealand’s Moses Dyer.
The 25-year-old held up play inside the opposition box before firing a cross into the box and leaving Ricci in a foot race with goalkeeper Christian Oxner who burst off his line.
Ricci got their first to tap his shot past the onrushing keeper who clattered into the attacker, but drama ensued just as the ball began to dribble over the goal line.
The would-be goalscorer began to get to his feet thinking he had scored before his Akio’s intervention saw the ball scooped off the line and out of the box before going out of play for a throw-in.
Confusion erupted on pitch with Valour FC players claiming the ball had crossed the line while the opposition attempted to play on as the bemused referee attempted to get his head around what had just happened.
The ball was about to dribble into the net but Valour FC’s William Akio had other ideas
Akio boots the ball in celebration but doesn’t realise the ball hasn’t yet crossed the line
Commentators were left stunned and provided one logical explanation that Akio had tried to make sure the ball made it over the line but instead managed to produce a goal line clearance to stop his side going in front.
Akio received a blasting from his teammates who were justifiably incensed by his actions with the winger then later substituted in the match.
It was dubbed as one of the worst misses of all time and, understandably, went viral with Akio later releasing a statement explaining exactly what happened in his own head.
‘I want to start off by saying I’m happy for the three points and our teams resilience last night,’ Akio said in a statement. ‘I really just missed a wide open net. It’s simple as that. Everyone makes mistakes on the job, it’s part of life. I will bounce back as I always have in life and football.’
Best (worst) dive
Sunday Afolabi – Perak FC (Liga Premier Malaysia)
The Reddit users over on the /r/soccer subreddit have nominated Sunday Afolabi’s hilarious dive for their brilliantly-named ‘Fallon d’Floor’ awards – but we think it’s a worthy winner.
For context, Afolabi’s Perak went into the game second from bottom and were facing league leaders Kelentan, who they were surprisingly leading 2-1 at the time of this hilarious dive.
In the 85th minute, one player was receiving treatment on the sidelines while Perak had a corner. Afolabi decided to take it upon himself to try and hype up the crowd during the stoppage in play with some over-the-top dancing.
Perak FC’s Sunday Afolabi danced for the away fans as both teams waited for a corner
Afolabi appeared to have his foot stepped on by an opposition player as he danced in the box
The fairly innocuous incident caused Afolabi to collapse to the ground in an almighty heap
The Nigerian midfielder then proceeds to roll around eight times, holding his face and foot
As he jumped up and down in front of an opposition player, Afolabi then appeared to have his foot trodden on by a Kelentan player, causing him to collapse to the ground in an almighty heap.
While the dive itself was criminal, Afolabi’s antics that soon followed were utterly ridiculous.
The Nigerian midfielder then proceeds to roll around eight times in the box, holding his face and foot while screaming in pain.
Nobody, of course, bought his theatrics as he tried to waste as many seconds to see out the game. Afolabi was incredibly able to return to his feet and see out the game, with Perak holding on to all three points.
Biggest controversy
The Qatar World Cup
There was only one event this year that would dominate the headlines for all the wrong reasons and it was the hugely controversial World Cup in Qatar.
While the football on the pitch was thrilling and fans finally got to see Lionel Messi win the World Cup with Argentina, matters off the pitch marred this month’s showpiece due to the treatment of migrant workers and women, criminalisation of homosexuality and the Gulf State’s poor human rights record.
Captains from countries like England, Holland and Germany among others planned to wear OneLove armbands in support of LGBTQ people, but ended up backing out due to FIFA-imposed sanctions, including yellow cards at the start of matches from those wearing the armband.
The Qatar World Cup was one of most controversial events in 2022 following huge protests
Qatar has been criticised for its treatment of workers during the construction of stadiums
From protests against the Iranian government, unfinished fan accommodation, security breaches at stadiums and fan safety – as well as a scary moment for Sportsmail reporter Kathryn Batte when World Cup officials forced her to delete videos of chaotic scenes outside a stadium – it turned out to be a farce of a tournament when setting the actual football aside.
…and a special mention for Cristiano Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan
We couldn’t forget Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive two-part interview with Piers Morgan that eventually led to him mutually ending his contract at Manchester United.
On the eve of the World Cup, Ronaldo remarkably slammed United boss Erik ten Hag and his former team-mates in the interview, before claiming he felt ‘betrayed’ by the club.
As a result, Ronaldo missed out on £16m in compensation as a result of the interview and is now a free agent after a disastrous World Cup campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo criticised Man United in a two-part bombshell interview with Piers Morgan
Most bizarre celebration
Emi Martinez – Argentina
After winning the World Cup and the Golden Glove, Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez somehow managed to completely baffle fans with his antics after becoming their hero in the penalty shootout final win over France.
As he collected his Golden Glove award on stage with millions watching from all over the world, Martinez thought it would be the perfect time to make an obscene gesture which has led to Villa boss Unai Emery vowing to talk to his No 1 about ‘controlling his emotions’.
Emi Martinez make an crude gesture as he accepted his Golden Glove award at the World Cup
French FA president Noel Le Graet has made a formal complaint to his Argentina counterpart, Claudio Tapia, regarding the Argentine players’ ‘abnormal’ behaviour since the final, where he has baited France star Kylian Mbappe in the days that have followed.
Martinez has since explained exactly why he did the lewd gesture while collecting his award. ‘I did it because the French booed me. Pride does not work with me,’ Martinez told Argentine radio station La Red.
‘How did he miss that?!’ award
Danylo Sikan – Shakhtar Donetsk vs Celtic
While William Akio’s brainfade could easily scoop this award as well, we can’t let Danylo Sikan off the hook for this howler.
In this season’s Champions League group stages, Sikan had the chance to roll the ball into an empty net and give his side a 2-1 lead at Celtic but somehow contrived to fail with the goal at his mercy.
The chance came about when Arsenal-target Mykhaylo Mudryk made a darting run down the wing, which drew out Joe Hart off his goalline, leaving him to square the ball for his team-mate, Sikan.
It looked more difficult for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Danylo Sikan to miss against Celtic in October
In acres of space and just the need to simply tap the ball in, Sikan took a very poor touch which got away from him and went out of play. On a plate would not do the chance justice.
It would prove a costly error from the Ukrainian forward as, had he scored, Shakhtar may have made it out of their group and into the knockouts. Instead, they ended up dropping to the Europa League. Yikes.
