The year 2015 was a touchstone year for some soccer clubs and a dismal one for others. Some clubs reached the pinnacle while others dropped from it. Some teams started 2015 on a tear and with promise only to face embarrassment as it came to an end.
Let's take a look at which soccer clubs had terrific years and which sides could not be happier to see 2016 come to them.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi each got time in yet another game this week, albeit in rather different circumstances. While Ronaldo played in the Spanish League, Messi was off in Japan competing in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Champions League draw was announced on Monday showcasing some wildly interesting matchups that should allow for some fun spectacle come February.
There were undoubtedly some big winners and some big losers. Teams that will love their draw and teams that will have nightmares about their scenario throughout the holiday season. So who are they? Let's have a look.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were back to work in two separate games this week - one in the Champions League and another in the Spanish league.
Both players faced rather unimportant Champions League tilts but had crucial fixtures in Spain to resolve.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich appear to be the two best soccer clubs in the world right now, but who is better? Vote in our fan poll on who you think has the advantage in the UEFA Champions League.
In 2010, Barcelona performed the "manita" on Real Madrid, taking down its rivals 5-0 on its home field.
It was arguably the finest performance by Barcelona in the Clasico and a defining performance of the tiki taka style that flourished during its "Golden Generation."
On Saturday, the team topped that feat taking down Los Blancos 4-0 in Madrid.
It was a match defined by Barcelona's efficiency in attack without Lionel Messi making a major impact on the proceedings. On the other end of the pitch was a Madrid team that had no answer for a Blaugrana side finding its stride.
In many ways this match was as much a show of Barcelona brilliance as it was of calamitous Madrid play. So what went wrong for Los Blancos?
