Like politics and the economy, the year 2024 was marked by significant events in the world of sports. New records were set in cricket and football, and fans celebrated both individual player achievements and team successes. This "Year in Review" highlights the major moments in the sports world of 2024.
On December 2, 2007, Ricardo Kaka became the fourth Brazilian to win the Ballon d'Or. Before him, the award, often called the "Oscars of football," was won by Ronaldo Nazario, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho. Since Kaka's win, seventeen years have passed, and no other Brazilian has claimed this top honor. Even Neymar, who surpassed the legendary Pelé as Brazil's top scorer, could not bring home a Ballon d'Or. However, now Vinicius Junior has a great opportunity to end that drought for Brazil.
It is surprising that women started their Cricket World Cup journey before men. The first men's World Cup was held in 1975, but women played theirs two years earlier in 1973, with England winning the title. However, in the T20 World Cup, men played first in 2007, while women had their first T20 World Cup in 2009. Bangladesh women’s team played in the T20 World Cup even later, in 2014.
Bangladesh has clean-swept Pakistan on their home ground, but there's no time to rest. After defeating Pakistan, another Asian giant, India, is waiting for the Tigers. Rohit Sharma's team is much stronger than Pakistan's. Bangladesh now has to travel to India to face this powerful team. That's why Najmul Hossain Shanto's team has started to practice right after their tour of Pakistan.
For years, there have been whispers of Kylian Mbappe's potential move to Real Madrid. Putting an end to all speculations, Mbappe's transfer to Real Madrid is no longer just hearsay; it's official. Real Madrid made the announcement in an official statement on Monday (June 3), confirming that the French sensation will be donning their jersey for the next five seasons.
The T20 World Cup is just around the corner, scheduled to kick off in the United States and the West Indies at the beginning of June.. The teams are warming up ahead of the biggest competition in the shortest version of cricket. Pakistan played a five-match series against New Zealand to prepare for the World Cup. Babar Azam's team is currently playing a T20I series against Ireland. Following this, Pakistan will intensify their training regime with a four-match T20 series against the defending champions England. Meanwhile, West Indies and South Africa are poised for a three-match clash. Indian players are honing their skills in the IPL. In contrast, Bangladesh opted to prepare for the World Cup by facing Zimbabwe. While teams like Uganda successfully qualified for the World Cup, Zimbabwe did not. The Tigers prepared for the World Cup by playing against this weak team.