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The final days of 2022 are nigh and in the football realm, it’s been a year filled with plenty of joy, sadness and epic moments that constantly left us baffled.
We had a World Cup mired in controversy before, during and after the tournament, but there was little discounting the thrilling action across every match as Lionel Messi finally led Argentina to glory.
There was also a bonkers final day in the 2021/22 Premier League season when the title was headed to Manchester City, then to Liverpool, then finally back to City as victory sparked a wild pitch invasion.
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But that was a safe one and nothing like the disgusting scenes in which a number of Melbourne Victory fans stormed the field at AAMI Park and assaulted Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover.
Safe to say, there were a lot of moments in 2022 no-one could have seen coming.
So, with that said, Foxsports.com.au has gazed into the crystal ball to see what footballing chaos awaits us in 2023 as we make 23 predictions ranging from the realistic to the downright absurd.
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#1: Ange Postecoglou takes up a role at a Premier League club
Right, so this one seems a forgone conclusion.
The Celtic boss was heavily linked with the Brighton vacancy after Chelsea poached Graham Potter from the Amex Stadium and was also mentioned in the conversation for the Wolves gig.
Postecoglou will see out his second season in Glasgow, but after he leads the Hoops to consecutive Scottish Premiership league titles, he’s taking his talents to the Premier League.
#2: Lionel Messi wins his eighth Ballon d’Or
Not exactly swinging for the fences with this prediction, but as we said, some of these had to be realistic.
There can be little to no doubt the next Ballon d’Or is going to Messi thanks to the Argentinian skipper’s exploits in Qatar as he led his nation to glory.
#3: Manchester City finally wins the Champions League
Sometimes you have to make small sacrifices for the greater good.
In Manchester City’s case, that means surrendering the Premier League title to Arsenal.
But it also means winning the trophy that everyone connected to the club has craved for several years: The Champions League.
City came awfully close in 2021, losing to fellow Premier League outfit Chelsea in the final.
However, Pep Guardiola and his troops remain the last team standing as the Spaniard finally learns he doesn’t have to overthink his tactics as much as he does.
#4: Jude Bellingham becomes the next $100m superstar
Jude Bellingham is only 19 years old, but he’s set to become football’s hottest property either in the January window or the summer.
The English midfielder displayed maturity beyond his years for the Three Lions at the World Cup. He’s continued to dazzle for club side Borussia Dortmund, who seem resigned to losing the teen.
Premier League heavyweights Liverpool continue to be closely linked to Bellingham, but Real Madrid won’t let him move to Anfield without a fight as they have the finances to fund a move.
Wherever Bellingham ends up, he won’t go for anything less than nine figures.
#5: Arsenal win the Premier League
The longer Arsenal keep picking up three points and stay at the top of the Premier League, the more realistic this actually seems.
There’s plenty of games left in the season and, admittedly, this journalist tipped the Gunners to come fifth in the pre-season predictions.
But as long as Mikel Arteta’s side continue to win and others drop points here and there, why can’t they win the title?
#6: If Cristiano Ronaldo moves to Saudi Arabia, he doesn’t last the year
All signs point to Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr, with CBS Sports reporting the Portuguese superstar is set for a medical.
There’s murmurs Ronaldo could earn as much as $AUD308 million per year should he sign on the dotted line.
If, and it’s a very big if, Ronaldo signs, is there a guarantee he lasts playing in Saudi Arabia given his belief he can still hack it at the highest level?
It would be a lot of money to walk away from, but Ronaldo is a strong character. And as we saw in his interview with Piers Morgan, he’s not afraid to take on anyone and everyone.
#7: Nick Montgomery is the next A-League coach to be poached for an overseas gig
Since taking over at the Mariners in 2021, Nick Montgomery has led the club to its first-ever FFA Cup final, a fifth-place finish and has overseen the development of serious talent, including Premier League-bound Garang Kuol.
With the Mariners sitting in fourth at the time of writing, the vultures will certainly be prepared to swoop on Montgomery should he continue to lead the club with aplomb.
#8: Everton are relegated
Everton came perilously close to relegation last season and, on current form, will be locked in a dogfight for survival again this year.
Frank Lampard has an almighty job on his hands to turn around the Toffees’ fortunes — and that’s if he’s given enough time to do so.
If the Everton board decides Lampard is the man to guide the team to safety, the worst-case scenario of life in the Championship will quickly become a reality.
#9: Tottenham Hotspur win a trophy
It’s finally going to happen.
All the jokes about Tottenham Hotspur’s empty trophy cabinet will become redundant when Antonio Conte’s side hoist the FA Cup aloft on the hallowed turf at Wembley.
It’s either that or they crash out to Portsmouth in a smash-and-grab loss at Fratton Park in the fourth round. There’s really no in-between.
#10: Harry Souttar becomes the next Australian to move to a Premier League club
Another that seems destined to happen.
Several Premier League clubs were in for Souttar before he tore his ACL while on Socceroos duty in November last year. But his impressive showings on national duty at the World Cup reminded those teams what the towering defender can do.
Where he goes remains to be seen, but Souttar will be the next Aussie in a long list to play in the Premier League.
#11: The Matildas make it to the semi-final stage of the World Cup
It hasn’t exactly been smoothsailing throughout Matildas boss Tony Gustavsson’s reign.
But with four wins from their last four games, could the Aussies be peaking at the right time?
We’ve seen glimpses of just how good this Matildas team under Gustavsson can be, but we’ve also seen the other end of the spectrum, which is rather bleak.
At a home World Cup, the Tillies will deliver en route to an epic run to the semi-finals on the back of a certain stat striker scoring a ton of goals, which leads us perfectly into …
#12: Sam Kerr (finally) wins the Ballon d’Or Feminin
Sam Kerr scores goals for fun at both club and international level — and 2023 will be no different.
It will also be the year she finally pushes higher up the Ballon d’Or Feminin rankings, having finished third in 2021 and 2022.
With performances to remember at her home World Cup, Kerr will show the world why she is one of the best on the planet and get the global recognition she deserves.
#13: Plans for a second division in Australian football are locked in
It’s a discussion that pops up every few months, but 2023 is when plans for the National Second Division (NSD) are finally put in to place.
That includes the list of competing teams, the format of the league and how all clubs will be supported financially, among several other elements to the league’s formation.
There’s a lot of work that must go into it, but given that discussions surrounding the NSD were as strong as they were in 2022, significant progress in the form of an official announcement can’t be further than 12 months away.
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#14: Erling Haaland smashes Alan Shearer’s 34-goal record and scores 40
We’re not even halfway through the Premier League and Erling Haaland has 18 goals to his name.
It’s a freakish run of scoring from the Manchester City striker — and there’s plenty more to come.
The fact Haaland didn’t go to Qatar for the World Cup means he’s fresh and ready to tear opposition backlines apart once more.
Hopefully Alan Shearer has enjoyed his time as the record-holder for most goals scored in a single Premier League season, because he’s going to be dethroned when it’s all said and done.
#15: The A-League All Stars beat whichever European powerhouse visits next
The A-League All Stars gave a brilliant account of themselves against Barcelona and even led 2-1 at one stage in the clash, but it was not to be as the La Liga outfit ran out 3-2 victors.
It’s the second time the All Stars have lost by that scoreline, with a 5-1 loss to Manchester United the big outlier.
However, the All Stars’ luck might finally turn when they take on the next European heavyweights to tour our shores.
The question is, who might that be?
#16: Kevin Muscat scores a gig in Europe
Ange Postecoglou won the J1 League with Yokohama F. Marinos in 2019 and scored the Celtic gig only two years later.
Fellow Aussie manager Kevin Muscat accomplished the same feat this year and it’s extremely difficult to imagine he won’t be on the same continent as his former mentor next year.
Where that might be remains to be seen, but Muscat almost certainly won’t follow Postecoglou’s footsteps for a third time to Celtic given the defender’s ties to bitter rivals Rangers.
#17: Tony Gustavsson produces another whiteboard masterclass
The Matildas boss delivered one of the more interesting press conferences in 2021 when he brought out a whiteboard and produced a picture to resemble external pressure, internal pressure and the “performance zone” between the two.
It was certainly a unique way of getting your point across and not a method seen often, if at all, in the football world.
Let’s hope a whiteboard and marker aren’t out of reach from Gustavsson in future press conferences so we get a few more of these golden nuggets of insight.
#18: Garang Kuol makes his Premier League debut
It’s the 84th minute in one of Newcastle’s first Premier League fixtures in the 2023/24 season.
Star winger Miguel Almiron claps the St James’ Park faithful after a masterful display.
Waiting to take the Paraguayan’s place on the sideline is none other than Aussie teen sensation Garang Kuol, who steps onto the pitch to a massive roar from the Toon Army.
It just sounds so perfect, doesn’t it?
#19: Belgium fails to qualify for Euro 2024
The Qatar hangover continues for Belgium.
Of course, it heavily depends on who the Red Devils bring in as Roberto Martinez’s replacement, but the fact the Belgian FA advertised the vacancy on their website should be a case for some nervy times.
Some may say the individual prowess of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku will drag Belgium over the line.
However, with Austria and Sweden in their Euro 2024 qualifying group, nothing can be taken for granted.
#20: Newcastle United finishes in the top three
It’s been a long, long time since Newcastle last had the chance to play in the Champions League.
But the Magpies are sitting pretty in the top three with just one loss to their name all season.
Although the mega-rich owners’ willingness to loosen the purse strings for new signings has helped, manager Eddie Howe’s role in the club’s turnaround cannot be overstated enough.
Newcastle will continue to ride their tidal wave of momentum and finish the 2022/23 season in the top four for the first time in 20 years.
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#21: San Marino wins their first international match since 2004
We did warn you that some of these might be bordering on the absurd.
San Marino, ranked 211th in the world by FIFA, have not won a game in a long, long time.
But 2023 is the year of La Serenissima, despite featuring in a Euro 2024 qualification group of Denmark, Finland and Slovenia to name three.
Bring on the upsets!
#22: A League One team makes it to the quarterfinal of the FA Cup
There’s nothing like a bit of FA Cup magic, is there?
You have to go as far back as the 2017/18 season to the last time a League One team made the quarterfinals, when Wigan Athletic made it after a stunning upset over Manchester City.
Yet there’s always an upset in this competition every year, the question is: Which team will be the one to deliver it?
#23: The Socceroos crack the top 25 in the FIFA rankings
After the incredible run to the Round of 16 at the World Cup, the Socceroos are ranked No. 27 in the world and have all the momentum going into 2023.
No fixtures for next year have been announced, but with a fully-fit team that doesn’t have to worry about any more Covid bubbles and protocols, there’s no reason to doubt this team and what they can do next year.
