Djoker in the pack and City's treble: Five major sporting triumphs of 2023

This year saw several major sporting achievements across the globe, with records broken in individual and collective disciplines.

Tennis

In tennis, Novak Djokovic arguably became the greatest-ever player to date.

The Serb eclipsed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and won a record of 24 men's singles Grand Slam titles by claiming a fourth US Open title.

He also won three prominent Grand Slams, despite losing to Spanish hotshot Carlos Alcaraz at the UK's Wimbledon final in the summer.

Earlier in the year, Djokovic was coy about what his victory means and where it places him in the pantheon of greats.

"When you talk about history, people mostly talk about the Grand Slams won or the amount of time you spent at the No. 1 ranking," he said, describing it as "amazing" to break the records.

He also pushed back against describing himself as "the greatest", calling it "disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that was played in a completely different way than it is played today."

"I feel like each great champion of his own generation has left a huge mark, a legacy, and paved the way for us to be able to play this sport on such a great stage worldwide," he added.

Cricket

In November, Australia managed to win the Cricket World Cup. The Aussies beat the hosts India in the final played in Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat state.

As a result, Australia continued its dominance in 50-over cricket, lifting its 6th World Cup.

On the day chasing 241 runs, stars like Travis Head struck a notable 137 runs, while Marnus Labuschagne's half-century helped ease Aussie anxieties as they won by six wickets.

The Australian victory put India's dominant form firmly to bed, where the Blues had gone into the final 10 games unbeaten.

India's barren spell has continued on as a drought since its victory at the 2013 Champions Trophy.

In June, Australia had beaten India at the Oval, in London, at the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship final – a Test cricket match. The Aussies won the second edition of the ICC World Test by 209 runs.

Soccer

Messi’s seismic arrival in the MLS

Less than a year after leading Argentina's men's national soccer team to a victory at the World Cup in Qatar, Messi was unfurled at Inter Miami, making his "seismic" arrival in North America.

Like Englishman David Beckham, Brazil's Pele and Dutchman Johan Cruyff, the diminutive Argentine has sparked a footballing renaissance in the US, helping grow the sport's popularity in a country where soccer is not the champion sport.

Before Messi's arrival, Inter Miami fans had witnessed their team – which claimed but one victory in 22 Major League Soccer (MLS) games – in a dismal form. And despite the razzmatazz surrounding Beckham's involvement, the fourth season of the Miami franchise had been regarded as a flop among critics.

In a revamped competition between US MLS teams and Mexican clubs, Messi took centre stage, entering the playing field after the hour mark during Inter Miami's game against Mexican club Cruz Azul on July 21. With the game tied 1-1, the referee gave Inter Miami a free kick deep into stoppage time. As if it had been predestined, Messi dutifully stepped up, unleashing a beautifully curled effort into the back of the net, leading to mass celebrations in the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which seats around 21,000 spectators.

In addition to boosting the club's commercial operations, from selling sports memorabilia to closing rights deals with Apple, Inter Miami's form has radically improved. The side went 12 games unbeaten and won its first-ever trophy, lifting the Leagues Cup. There were some disappointments, however: Persistent injuries saw Inter Miami lose the US Open Cup tournament in the final.

The Saudi Professional League (SPL)

The footballing world also experienced a tectonic shift as Saudi Arabia sought to transform its domestic soccer league, the Saudi Professional League (SPL). It started in January with the announcement that it had signed footballing giant and Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo as part of a big push to develop the league and attract top talent globally.

In June, the Jeddah-based Al Ittihad signed Balon D'or winner Karim Benzema after his contract with Real Madrid expired at the end of the season following the player’s trophy-laden spell at the Bernabeu. The ex-France national team footballer of Algerian heritage said he hopes to create a lasting legacy playing for Al Ittihad.

In the same month, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, which has an 80 percent stake in Premier League football club Newcastle United, announced it would take majority stakes in SPL's top four football clubs: Al Ittihad, Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli.

Later, Brazilian soccer player Neymar signed with Al Hilal, while other prominent players, including Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez, also headed to the Middle East.

European Football

Manchester gained their first-ever Champions League trophy this year in European football and the treble.

In Istanbul, Manchester City were crowned the UEFA Champions League winners against Italian side Inter Milan.

Manchester City's midfielder Rodrigo earned the British side a memorable night for Blues fans at the Ataturk Stadium and overseas.

The European crown, Premier League and FA Cup successes put Manchester along ten other European sides that have shown a rich vein in form - Celtic (1967), Ajax (1972), PSV Eindhoven (1988), Manchester United (1999), Barcelona (2009 and 2015), Inter Milan (2010) and Bayern Munich (2013 and 2020).