The year 2022 was one to remember for world soccer.
Lionel Messi fulfilled a lifetime dream of winning a World Cup, cementing his status as one of the greatest of all time. Argentina’s epic win over France will go down as one of the greatest finals, and reminded legions of sports fans around the world why the World Cup is the greatest event on the planet.
Elsewhere, Canada’s men’s team announced its presence by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years, Real Madrid claimed the UEFA Champions League for a record 14th time, and iconic Canadian captain Christine Sinclair won a third NWSL championship with the Portland Thorns.
What will next year bring? Here are five bold predictions for 2023:
Canadian women’s team wins the World Cup
Having struck gold last summer in Tokyo, the Canadian women’s team will add a World Cup title to their résumé when they win next summer’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
Canada has enjoyed great Olympic success with three straight podium performances but has found the going much tougher at the World Cup. In seven tournament appearances, the Reds have bowed out in the group stage on four occasions and have only won two knockout matches.
But it’s all going to come together for the Canadians in 2023, thanks to the efforts of a tactically astute coach in Bev Priestman, one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Kailen Sheridan, a stout back line anchored by Kadeisha Buchanan and Vanessa Gilles, a veteran core led by Christine Sinclair, and an exciting crop of youngsters that includes Julia Grosso.
Canadian men’s team wins Concacaf Gold Cup
Eager to prove that its stellar run in World Cup qualifying wasn’t a fluke, the Canadian men’s team will further assert itself as the new kingpins of Concacaf by beating the United States in next summer’s Gold Cup tournament.
John Herdman’s side has something to prove after failing to earn a point at the World Cup and being eliminated from contention after only two games. Stephen Eustáquio (Porto) and Tajon Buchanan (Club Brugge) are gaining valuable UEFA Champions League experience this season, while Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) and Jonathan David (Lille) continue to be key figures for their clubs.
These four players will serve as the backbone of a Canadian side that will ruthlessly attack their opponents and put them under constant pressure at the Gold Cup, while veteran Atiba Hutchinson, playing in his last international tournament, will hold things down in the middle of the park.
Cristiano Ronaldo signs with Sporting
Since parting ways with Manchester United last month, the “Portuguese Prince” has been linked with a number of high-profile European outfits, while it’s also been reported that he’s close to signing a mega-money deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.
But rather than chase the big bucks, Ronaldo will be overcome by sentimentality and go back to where it all began by signing with Sporting. It was at the Lisbon-based club where Ronaldo, now 37, first cut his teeth by coming up through the team’s youth ranks before making his professional debut as a 17-year-old.
He only ended up playing one season with Sporting, as he was soon whisked away by Manchester United. But he’s always talked about one day returning home and now is the perfect time for such a happy reunion to take place.
FC Barcelona lands Kylian Mbappé
Real Madrid has aggressively pursued Kylian Mbappé for years and came close to signing the French striker before he inked a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain back in May. Mbappé has since won the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s top scorer with eight goals in Qatar, which only intensified Real Madrid’s interest in the Frenchman.
But rather than sign with Los Blancos, Mbappé will exit PSG next summer and join FC Barcelona, Real’s bitter rivals, and tip the balance of power in La Liga in the Blaugrana’s favour. In Madrid, Mbappé would be just another Galactico. But in Barcelona, he could become the central figure of the Catalan club, and see the entire squad built around him.
Benfica wins UEFA Champions League
Benfica was one of the best teams in the group stage of this season’s Champions League, going undefeated in six games (with four wins) and finishing first in a group ahead of French league champions Paris Saint-Germain and Italian giants Juventus.
Rafa Silva and João Mário combined for eight goals in the group stage, while future World Cup champions Nicolas Otamendi and Enzo Fernandez provided the Eagles with plenty of grit in central midfield and the middle of the defence.
Riding high atop of the Portuguese league table at the moment, Benfica is one of the hottest clubs in Europe right now, and it will continue to go from strength to strength over the next few months. Gonçalo Ramos, the top scorer in Portugal’s first division, will explode for goals during the knockout stages of the Champions League, helping Benfica brush aside Belgian side Club Brugge in the round of 16 en route to winning the Champions League final on June 10 in Istanbul.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
