2025 Sports Achievements: Record Breakers and Milestones

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The year 2025 witnessed several remarkable sporting feats and milestones across various disciplines. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland broke records by reaching 100 Premier League goals in just 111 games and swiftly achieved 50 Champions League goals in 49 matches, outperforming the previous record by 13 games.

Meanwhile, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrated his 1,000th game with a significant victory: a 3-0 win over Liverpool, marking his 716th career win. In other notable achievements, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah joined the elite club of players who have scored 250 goals for the team, becoming the third in history after Ian Rush and Roger Hunt. Salah also clinched the Golden Boot for the 2024-25 Premier League season with 29 goals.

In youth records, 15-year-old Max Dowman from Arsenal became the youngest player ever to feature in the Champions League, while Southampton barely escaped setting a record low Premier League points total, finishing with 12 points—just one above the record set in 2007-08.

The Championship saw both Leeds and Burnley securing 100 points to achieve automatic promotion, while Birmingham City set a new record in League One with 111 points. On the women’s side, Chelsea won their sixth consecutive Women’s Super League title, amassing a record 60 points in the process.

England‘s national team had an impressive World Cup qualifying campaign, not conceding a single goal while scoring 22 over eight games. Manager Sarina Wiegman guided the Lionesses to their second straight Women’s European Championship victory despite leading for only a brief duration throughout the tournament.

This year also featured record transfer spending in the Premier League, totaling £3 billion. Liverpool led the charge, spending a British-record £125 million for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.

In individual performances, several athletes shined. Rory McIlroy‘s Masters win made him only the sixth player in history to achieve a modern-era Grand Slam. In cricket, Joe Root marked a significant milestone with a century in Brisbane, while Lando Norris became the 11th different British winner of the Formula One drivers’ title.

As the year closed, the spotlight shifted towards the upcoming Ballon d’Or ceremony, with players like Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland vying for recognition due to their stellar performances.