Football in 2025 did not disappoint on the numbers front. There was Liverpool’s 20th league title, Tottenham’s first trophy for 17 years, England’s second successive win at the UEFA Women’s European Championship and the first-ever 32-team FIFA Club World Cup.

That’s some of the headline stuff, but what about some of the subtler moments that might have passed you by?

The Athletic’s Duncan Alexander and Will Jeanes look back at the year through a numerical lens.

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January

The year 2025 saw Champions League games played in the month of January for the first time since 1968 (Eintracht Braunschweig 3-2 Juventus on the 31st in case you were wondering) when the competition was still known as the European Cup.

Before 2025, there had been just nine European Cup/Champions League matches played in January, but in the opening month of this year there were 36, thanks to the tournament’s expanded format.

There will be a further 36 games in January 2026, too.

PSG’s players celebrate a January victory over Manchester City (Franck Fife/Getty Images)

February

Everton’s long goodbye to Goodison Park took in many elements as the first half of the year unfolded and the final men’s Merseyside derby, in February, certainly didn’t disappoint. Via a thumping finish from James Tarkowski, it contained the second-latest goal Liverpool have ever conceded in the Premier League and also ensured that Everton didn’t leave their second home having lost more times to Liverpool than they defeated them — a handy outcome given Everton won their first league title in 1890-91 with Anfield as their home stadium.

And no fixture in the Premier League era has seen more red cards, so it was apt that Curtis Jones, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were all sent off after the final whistle following a classic melee.

March

Newcastle United won their first major trophy since 1969 (and since humans walked on the moon for the first time) in March when they triumphed over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

The north-east club’s previous piece of silverware had been the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which they claimed after beating Hungarian side Ujpest in a two-legged final just weeks before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the lunar surface.

Managed by Eddie Howe, the victory at Wembley on March 16 this year was also the first time an English head coach had won any of the country’s three main domestic trophies (Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup) since Harry Redknapp’s victory in the 2008 FA Cup with Portsmouth. The previous 48 trophies had all been won by non-English managers.

April

There are certain things that don’t seem right. An animal operating heavy machinery, perhaps. Or a goalkeeper assisting goals. That’s quite literally not their job, and yet as the position has evolved, certain ‘keepers are getting creative. And none more so than Ederson, someone who pretty much redefined the role in his time with Manchester City.