The Ringer's 52 Favorite Sports Moments of 2022

2022 was a year of long-awaited triumphs: Lionel Messi. Matthew Stafford. Georgia football. It was a year of goodbyes: Serena Williams. Roger Federer. Coach K. And it was a year of highlights: Aaron Judge. Ja Morant. The Butt Punt. With the calendar turning to 2023, The Ringer is looking back at the most iconic sports moments of the past 12 months. Here, in no particular order, are the 52 that stood out most: Lionel Messi Kisses the World Cup Trophy Before He Has Actually Been Awarded the World Cup Trophy Brian Phillips: The cheekiness of it. The sheer impish mischief of it. My God, the audacity of it. Lionel Messi, 35 years old, a grown-ass adult, a father, an occasional if not enthusiastic taxpayer, a man with responsibilities, a businessman, a role model, wins his first World Cup, and what does he do? Does he wait? Does he follow the carefully choreographed ceremony that was planned months in advance to ensure that the trophy presentation made the maximum brand impact for FIFA and Qatar possessed the proper gravitas? Does he say to himself, “This is a serious moment. A historic moment. As the greatest male soccer player who ever lived
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