The magic of Mohamed Salah, the speed of a refulgent Raphinha, Kylian Mbappe ploughing a lonely furrow, the rediscovery of Ousmane Dembele and Harry Kane holding aloft his first major trophy of his playing career.

As the curtains came down on the European leagues on Sunday, football did what it has been doing for the ages: enthralling the world with electric exuberance. And there were heartbreaks, disappointments and goodbyes too.

Reds rule

Liverpool, making the most of Manchester City’s surprising implosion, locked the Premier League title with 82 points with four rounds to spare (they finished on 84), something that was beyond imagination in the past few years, and was one of the highlights of the 2024-25 season.

Arne Slot, who took over from Juergen Klopp last summer, delivered in his first season in the Premier League. The hero, of course, was Salah. No wonder he walked away with the Premier League Player of the Season, the Golden Boot and the Playmaker Award with a mindblowing 47 goals/assists for Liverpool, which propelled Slot’s men to their 20th league title. Twenty-nine goals in the league at the ripe age of 32.

“What he’s done this season definitely has to be in contention for the Ballon d’Or,” former England captain Gary Lineker and a Salah admirer, had said earlier this month.

When the season started, nobody gave Liverpool a chance but Slot kept it simple. Their cause was largely helped by City’s fall, giving an indication that the cycle has turned full for Pep Guardiola and his men.

Runners-up Arsenal did not have the wherewithal to challenge Liverpool. Mikel Arteta paid the price for not signing a No.9. Sample this — Kai Havertz was their highest scorer with nine goals.

Manchester United went from bad to worse. Erik ten Hag got the boot in October last year, but new coach Ruben Amorim failed miserably. United finished 15th, their worst season in the top-flight since they were relegated in 1974.

The loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final also meant United would not be in the Champions League. It’s an instant loss of at least $90 million, and around $169 million for a run deep into the knockout stage.

The surprise package was Nottingham Forest. They were in the top three for most of the season, but a slump had them finish seventh. However, they return to European football (Uefa Conference League) for the first time since 1995-96, which is a huge achievement.

Brilliant Barca

If Salah was the cynosure in England, in La Liga it was the Barcelona winger Raphinha who was in rampaging form. After a relatively subdued two seasons with Barca, there were speculations last summer that he could make way for Athletic Bilbao’s 22-year-old winger Nico Williams. But Raphinha thrived under new coach Hansi Flick.

By his admission, the Brazilian got a new lease of life under Flick as he scored 18 goals and had 11 assists in the Spanish league. Raphinha, along with the 17-year-old magician Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, brought back the days of MSN — (Lionel) Messi, (Luis) Suarez and Neymar — leaving rival defences in their wake.

Lewandowski finished with 27 goals while Yamal had nine goals and 15 assists. Barca had a goal difference of plus 63 after scoring 102 times and conceding 39.

Not just the front three, midfielder Pedri also had a standout season under Flick. Fitness trouble had bogged him down ever since he played more than 70 matches in 2020-21. This season, the 22-year-old midfielder was at his best, playing in 37 matches (35 starts) in the league. The goal — a delightful volley — against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final last month was the icing on the cake.

Barca won all four Clasicos against Madrid who had a trophyless season. Yet one man shone in the white shirt. Kylian Mbappe became the top scorer of the league, scoring 31 goals, including a hat-trick in a lost cause in the La Liga Clasico earlier this month, giving him the European Golden Shoe Award for the first time.

Dembele dazzles

As Mbappe turned on the style in Spain, his former club Paris Saint-Germain soared in France. Luis Enrique’s young yet compact side had a domestic treble (Ligue 1, French Cup and the French Super Cup) and are just a win away from their maiden Champions League title.

Free of the egos of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, PSG have shown the world how good they can be with proper planning. Enrique helped Dembele break the shackles. With twenty-one goals in Ligue 1 in 29 matches, Dembele has been a treat to watch. The ball at his feet and he elevates the game to a different level. He is expected to do more magic in Munich against Inter Milan on May 31.

Serie A is becoming more competitive with each season. Napoli got their second crown in three seasons and coach Antonio Conte hogged the limelight. His two signings — Scott McTominay from Man United and Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea — were the architects of this triumph which was decided in the last round. McTominay was a revelation in his debut year in Serie A and rightly scored a goal in the last match, sealing the deal for a team which is still synonymous with Diego Maradona. It’s a surprise United let McTominay go. Another bungle that proved costly for Old Trafford.

Goodbyes

Real Madrid’s Luka Modric played his last match at the Bernabeu, and manager Carlo Ancelotti left to revitalise Brazil. Kevin de Bruyne bid farewell to Man City, so did Trent Alexander-Arnold to Liverpool and Oscar De Marcos to Athletic Bilbao.

Firsts & rare triumphs

This year, the underdogs basked in glory. Harry Kane got his first major trophy as Bayern won the Bundesliga, and Crystal Palace got their maiden cup in the club’s history by lifting the FA Cup.

Union Saint-Gilloise sealed their first Belgian league title in 90 years, Bologna ended their 51-year wait for a major trophy by winning the Italian Cup, Newcastle United’s 70-year domestic trophy drought came to an end with the League Cup victory, and Tottenham bagged a major European trophy after more than four decades.

Football, like life, is a great leveller.