The New Year is upon us, bringing with it the promise of new heroes, villains and stories waiting to be written over the next 365 days. But before we look ahead, it is only right that the unforgettable moments of 2025 are remembered.
It was a year that crowned new champions and delivered stories that once more defied belief. There was elation and heartbreak, drama and intrigue – moments that remind us why sport is the greatest entertainment on the planet.
But which rose above the rest? That’s the question we set out to answer.
A host of Daily Mail Sport reporters, who were there to witness history being made, have each chosen their defining sporting moment of the year. And as the calendar turns, we invite you to join us on a stroll down a not-so-distant memory lane to see if you agree with our picks.
McILROY’S RYDER TRIUMPH – OLIVER HOLT
Rory McIlroy winning The Masters was beautiful. The only sporting event I covered that was as memorable was McIlroy leading the European team to victory over the USA at the Ryder Cup. And my favourite moment within that triumph came during the Saturday morning foursomes when the cauldron at Bethpage Black was starting to boil.
Rory McIlroy rose above the abuse directed at him to win the Ryder Cup with Team Europe
The narrative of Europe’s first triumph on American soil for 13 years was dominated by the relentless abuse aimed at McIlroy, in particular, by the New York crowds, abuse that was personal and unpleasant and raw. It was abuse that overstepped the mark to such an extent that, by the Saturday afternoon, New York state troopers and police dogs lined the fairways to try to keep the crowds under control.
McIlroy was absolutely magnificent in his defiance throughout the weekend. His performance was a performance of courage and indomitability under pressure and it was summed up by my favourite moment of the year. He and Tommy Fleetwood held a slender lead over Harris English and Collin Morikawa and, as McIlroy prepared his approach shot to the 16th, an American voice yelled out from the galleries to try to put him off. McIlroy spun round. ‘Shut the **** up,’ McIlroy said. Then he addressed his ball and stuck his approach to within three feet of the pin. Match over.
CHELSEA WIN THE CLUB WORLD CUP – KIERAN GILL
Because it was so surreal being there at the MetLife Stadium to see President Trump stood among a bunch of bemused Chelsea players, with Reece James asking him if he’s planing on skedaddling as he’s holding the trophy on the podium, I’m plumping for the summer’s Club World Cup final as my personal highlight. I absolutely understood – and still understand – the scepticism towards this tournament’s legitimacy. FIFA’s slimy president Gianni Infantino hardly helped in that regard.
But in spite of his ludicrousness, I spent the full month following Chelsea around the United States and the longer the competition went on, the less it felt like a pre-season tour and the more it turned into an actual competition.
I’m glad I was there, including for that last game alongside Trump. Hardly anyone expected Chelsea would win, because they were playing the mighty Paris Saint-Germain, but Cole Palmer lived up to the ‘scary good’ billboards that you couldn’t avoid all over New York City. It was a remarkable day from start to finish, with a little football in between.
Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup triumph in the United States was a surreal moment for football
LIONESSES ROAR AGAIN – IAN HERBERT
It can only be that divine July afternoon in Basle when England beat Spain to retain their Women’s Euros crown. They were down and out, a goal behind, stuck on the Spanish passing carousel, until Chloe Kelly arrived after half time and changed things utterly in as memorable a football match as any I have covered.
Those of us who write on sport always look for narratives and Kelly’s was searing. A young woman who had been lost, marginalised by her club side Manchester City, suffering such anxiety that her hair had started falling out, and forced to push for a move to Arsenal to get her chance on this stage. Who else but she would be standing with England’s destiny in her hands for the decisive kick in the shoot-out? She span the ball through her hands five times and scored.
Afterwards, Kelly expressed the wish that her story might give hope to others who were struggling. This hugely optimistic and redemptive story seemed like a beacon of light in a deeply divided country this summer. ‘Thank you to everyone that wrote me off,’ said Kelly, for me the year’s Sports Personality of the Year by a distance.
Chloe Kelly scored the winning penalty for the Lionesses in the Women’s EURO 2025 final
CHIEFS TRIUMPH OVER IRISH GIANTS – NIK SIMON
Northampton’s victory over Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final was one of the greatest club matches I have ever seen. I arrived at the Aviva Stadium with modest expectations because the Saints were massive outsiders against the heavyweights of Jordie Barrett, RG Snyman and Dan Sheehan.
Few clubs land an upset in Dublin but Northampton’s band of brothers were defiant. Tommy Freeman scored a hat-trick but the moment etched in my memory is Henry Pollock’s try. He scorched down the wing and celebrated by checking his pulse, rubber-stamping his bolter selection for the Lions tour.
The game did not have the grandeur of the Lions Tests in Australia but it had soul. The second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was a seismic occasion but the tour delivered few surprises.
Nothing beats an upset that leaves you with a sense of stunned disbelief and Northampton’s day in Dublin did exactly that. It was an instant classic.
RED ROSES ROAR AT TWICKENHAM – ALEX BYWATER
My sporting moment of 2025 has to be witnessing England’s women lift the Rugby World Cup on September 27.
Not only did the Red Roses deal impressively with the pressure of being the strongest of favourites for their home tournament, the 33-13 final win over Canada was played in front of a sold-out Twickenham. I never thought I’d see a crowd of 81,885 for a women’s rugby match at the home of the English game, but now I have.
There was also a television audience of 5.8million watching on BBC. They were extraordinary numbers, reflecting the huge growth of women’s rugby in England. When star full-back Ellie Kildunne scored a first-half wonder try, the atmosphere was electric.
The England team’s Rugby World Cup victory was a major moment for the women’s game
The women’s rugby success also capped an incredible summer of female sport as it followed the Lionesses winning their second straight European Championship.
Women’s rugby remains the game’s greatest outlet for growth, so long may that continue.
RORY’S AUGUSTA DREAM – RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
Rory McIlroy. The Masters. There are a great many privileges within this job, but nothing quite matches being in the right place when the arcs of a perfect sporting story converge on a moment in time.
That he become only the sixth male golfer in history to complete the career slam, and at Augusta of all courses, was merely half of it. The rest came from the means with which he finally completed his masterpiece.
Or in the words I wrote that evening, he made an absolute meal of it, fusing utter brilliance on the greatest Masters Sunday of all (his ballsy, absurd, exceptional hook around the trees to birdie the 15th) with the inevitable brain farts (wedging into Rae’s Creek at 13), while also finding a way to blend both characteristics into a single stroke (taking on that bonkers shot through the trees on the seventh and somehow pulling it off).
It was quintessential McIlroy, a man whose every undulation and frailty and gift was represented by the round that will forever define his career. It was the ultimate catharsis and performed in the only way he knows how.
The only loose end was Justin Rose – he deserved a green jacket of his own for the grace he showed in defeat after the play-off. With any luck, he too will have his day eventually.
McIlroy become the sixth male golfer to complete the career slam when he won at Augusta
…AND ANOTHER VOTE FOR McILROY THE MASTER – JAMES SHARPE
Just the achievement alone in Rory McIlroy becoming only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam, and at Augusta of all places, would probably have been enough to be the sporting moment of the year. Only it wasn’t just that, was it? It was never going to be just that.
Not after all the not quites, nearly misses and nowhere nears. Not after the buildup to every Masters tournament for a decade being dominated with the question of whether this would be McIlroy’s year but it never was the year.
McIlroy doesn’t know us from Adam but for those who remember that 21-year-old blow a four-shot lead in his infamous meltdown in 2011 it has felt like we’ve all been on this tumultuous journey with him.
So why should we have expected his immortality, when it eventually came, to arrive easy.
The double bogey start. The chip into the water on the 13th. The missed five-footer at the last for glory. A sudden-death playoff with a rampaging Justin Rose of all people.
Most of the country, including my wife, had long gone to bed by the time McIlroy’s final putt rolled in but the rest of us sat glued to the television, child-like, going through all the emotions all over again but this time, at last, it ended with McIlroy slipping his arms into a green jacket.
MAGIC MAGUIRE’S THRILLER – CHRIS WHEELER
Old Trafford has witnessed many memorable moments down the years, and Maguire’s last-gasp goal to crown a remarkable comeback was right up there with the best of them.
United were going out of Europe when Lyon staged a stunning revival of their own from two goals down. The French side drew level and then scored twice in extra-time to lead 4-2 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate with six minutes plus added time remaining.
Harry Maguire’s winning goal against Lyon sparked sheer pandemonium inside Old Trafford
However, United captain Bruno Fernandes breathed new hope into Ruben Amorim’s side from the penalty spot, and the old place was still rocking from Kobbie Mainoo’s equaliser when Casemiro clipped a cross to the back post where Maguire steered a header inside the far post to send United through to the semi-finals.
Cue the England defender’s knee-slide celebration and utter pandemonium inside Old Trafford.
WEMBLEY GLORY FOR PALACE – MATT BARLOW
Crystal Palace win the FA Cup: A new winner for football’s oldest competition. A twinkle of hope in a sport darkened by the wealthiest clubs fuelled by their vaults full of corporate cash that there’s still something for all worth aspiring to. An explosion of joy among the long-suffering Palace faithful. For them, a shared experience for them like no other and an occasion never to be forgotten. The sweet winning goal scored by their star man, a wonderful player at the peak of his powers, oozing style and lighting up Wembley as a parting gift. A reminder of what the FA Cup can deliver. That shot at glory. A reminder of what English football should be about.
WREXHAM REACH THE CHAMPIONSHIP – NATHAN SALT
Seeing my hometown team make history as the first team in the EFL to win three successive promotions and reach the second tier for the first time in 43 years was the year’s best moment.
People laughed when Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac jetted in to North Wales in 2021 with bold claims of one day reaching the Premier League. Snorts of derision and eye rolling was par for the course that day with the Hollywood duo outlining their dreams.
Safe to say nobody is laughing any more with Wrexham a serious player in the second tier and generating revenues higher than a handful of teams in the Premier League.
The day they beat Charlton Athletic to seal promotion was one of the great afternoons in recent memory for anyone associated with the club.
Wrexham secured promotion to the Championship for the first time in more than four decades
THE WILLIE MULLINS GRAND NATIONAL – DOMINIC KING
When you have the privilege of being a sports journalist, the ultimate ambition is to be there to chronicle a moment in history and so that was the case at Aintree on April 5.
There was always a chance Willie Mullins was going to have the winner of the Randox Grand National, given the depth of quality in his all-conquering stable but what transpired left the Champion trainer in a state of tearful disbelief and his son, Patrick, lost for words.
Patrick rode Nick Rockett and had the day when all his dreams came true as 33/1 shot galloped home in front. But then, like a battalion coming over the hill, there was more. Mullins had the second and third horses – I Am Maximus and Grangeclare West – and, for good measure, the fifth and seventh, too.
We will never see something like that again: the Mullins family have scaled every imaginable peak but this was completely different. This was a once-in-a-lifetime of experience. What a thrill it was to see it unfold.
WOAKES’S INJURED HEROICS – LAWRENCE BOOTH
England were about to lose the fifth Test to India by six runs, but no one knew that when Chris Woakes walked down the steps from the Oval dressing-rooms, his left arm cradled in a sling beneath his short-sleeve sweater after he dislocated his shoulder on the boundary four days earlier.
Chris Woakes rose above his dislocated shoulder and was heroic for England against India
As a packed house rose to greet him, a series full of drama was about to reach a perfect conclusion: England needed 17 runs to secure a 3–1 win, India one wicket to grab a 2–2 draw. For a quarter of an hour, Gus Atkinson inched England closer, with Woakes protected from the strike but wincing as he ran. And then, it was over, Atkinson missing a wild heave at Mohammed Siraj as Woakes looked on helplessly from the other end.
His courage was one thing, confirming Woakes as the ultimate team man. But there was a poignancy too: even as he walked out to the middle, Woakes was wondering whether this would be his last deed in an England shirt. And it was: he announced his retirement a few weeks later.
ENGLAND’S T20 EPIC – RICHARD GIBSON
On the night that England’s selectors met for initial discussions on the make-up of their Ashes squad, the country got a glimpse of the very best of the current regime when Harry Brook’s white-ball team posted Twenty20 international’s maiden triple hundred score in a contest between two major nations.
Yes, the pitch at Emirates Old Trafford was a belter, but the power and precision of England’s batting, and of Phil Salt in particular, against high-quality opponents in South Africa, was something to behold.
Five days after Brook’s team had inflicted a record 342-run victory over the South Africans in a one-day dead rubber in Southampton, they dominated a ‘live’ contest from the opening exchanges when Salt crunched the first three balls from Marco Jansen for four. It took him only a further 36 to make his fourth T20 international hundred England’s fastest.
In between, Jos Buttler, another player on his home ground, threatened to take the speed title himself by smoking 76 off just 23 deliveries immediately prior to falling for 83 in a first-wicket stand of 126.
But a raucous occasion belonged to Salt, who transformed the fastest of England’s eight 20-over tons into the biggest – an unbeaten 141 – in an overall score of 304 for two.
NORRIS JOINS THE BRITISH GREATS – JONATHAN MCEVOY
It had been a long and vulnerable journey to Abu Dhabi for Lando Norris, the British boy who had been nagged by doubts.
Not only had he his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to contend with but Max Verstappen – by any yardstick the best driver of the current time – on a title charge in a resurgent Red Bull.
Lando Norris won the Drivers Championship in a topsy-turvy F1 season with a perfect ending
Norris’s form had fluctuated; at times he seemed anaemic in close combat with the pugnacious Verstappen. He also suffered hydraulic failure in the Dutch Grand Prix and sat on a sand dune on the North Sea coast wondering whether his dream had died.
During the season, he took on extra mental preparations to harden himself for the task. And, after a good run, he arrived at the desert decider needing to finish third no matter whether Verstappen won or not.
How could Norris or McLaren, who had bungled the previous two weekends, contrive to throw it away? Or could they finally hold their nerve?
Well, Verstappen duly won a tense but uneventful race and Norris finished third. He was world champion for the first time and when it was over and the tears had stopped, he declared: ‘I did it my way.’
