Anthony Kyaw (Social Media Content)

My favorite soccer moment this year would be Spain winning the Euros. As a fan of Spanish football, the national team suffered a big drop off after winning the Euro 2012. Although they won the Nations League last summer, nobody really gave them a chance in this summer's Euros.

Spain got off to a great start but it seemed like their journey would end in quarters when they faced the host Germany. And it looked like they might've gone out after the ball struck Marc Cucurella's hand in the penalty box. Luckily, the referee and VAR didn't give a penalty to the Germans and Spain eventually won in the last minute of extra time.

Then, they came back to beat France after going down early. Lamine Yamal's first goal of the tournament was a golazo and he went down in the record books as the youngest to score in the Euros.

In the final, many people favored England as they looked to have better individual quality. Spain scored first, but when Cole Palmer equalized, it looked like things were going to go in England's favor. Spain then scored another late goal to win the Euros again after 12 years.

It was an amazing moment. Coincidentally in this year, Spain won gold in the Olympics' men soccer, a Spanish club won the Champions League, and a Spanish male player won the Ballon d'or for the first time since 1960. Aitana Bonmati also won the Ballon d'or in the female category and a Spanish club won the Women's Champions League. So 2024 will go down as a historic year for Spanish football.

Jose Tellez (Founder/CEO)

For me, It’s a tie between Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Real Madrid in El Clasico and Spain winning the Euros. Both moments stood out because they put Lamine Yamal and other young Barca players in the spotlight. 

The El Clasico win felt like a statement, while Spain’s Euro victory showed how that talent could translate on the international stage. Seeing those players step up in big moments for club and country was a highlight of the year and a reminder of the potential this new generation has moving forward."

Juan Pereira (Football and Footy)

My favorite moment this year was Venezuela’s incredible group stage performance in Copa America. Many people predicted them finishing third in the group and instead, they beat both Ecuador and Mexico while taking Canada to penalties. 

Players like Jon Aramburu and Salomon Rondon were great in Copa America for Venezuela, and Aramburu specifically has a bright future ahead. I wouldn’t be surprised if he moves on from Real Sociedad and goes to a bigger club soon. 

Other special moments included seeing the drawing of lots live from the press conference room during the last match week of the Concacaf W Gold Cup group stage (Theo Lloyd Hughes did some great coverage of that), the vibes of the Euro tournament, and seeing the rise of the next soccer stars who will dominate the sport for decades to come, such as Lamine Yamal, Cole Palmer, Pau Cubarsi, and more!

2024 was the perfect year for soccer, only missing a World Cup competition, so hopefully 2026 comes sooner rather than later.