Football Twitter 2020: The best football tweets of the year

2020: a year that proved that, with or without it, Twitter will always find ways of linking literally anything back to football

2020 has been shit. Yes, we're all aware. This considered, there's no need for the big, explanatory intro here, is there? This is exactly what it says on the tin: a collection of good tweets about football which tell the story of a year most of us would willingly forget. Will that do? Are you even reading any of this or have you just scrolled on down to read the tweets and nothing else? You have, haven't you? Ah well. At least this will boost the word count a bit.

January

Ah, January... Wait, does anyone actually remember January 2020? Nah, us neither. Thankfully, we have Twitter to help remind us of what life was like before we were all plunged into a world of financial uncertainty, Zoom calls and seeing far, far too much of Matt Le Tissier and Denise Welsh. Football was there in January, of course, but there were other things to occupy our tiny minds, too - important things like reality TV shows. In a time where no more than two football matches were televised in a day (unthinkable now), many of us were subjected to a winter-time dose of ITV's Love Island. Even here, though, there was football, with the male contestants whose names everyone has long since forgotten bearing a strong resemblance to a promising crop of Ajax youngsters. And Erling Haaland. https://twitter.com/ivan_i94/status/1216497281438044162 January was also a time for signings, and as Manchester United threatened to bungle the transfer of Bruno Fernandes (again), it briefly seemed Sander Berge was poised to join the club after being sighted on his way into the club's training ground. In actual fact, it was a case of mistaken identity; instead, Berge joined the United of the Sheffield variety, his arrival marked with Billy Sharp WhatsApping his own chant, to the tune of Oasis' She's Electric, to the club's social media team. https://twitter.com/SheffieldUnited/status/1222960704430493696 Easter was still months away, but Manchester City gave us this Biblical substitution as a reminder as their title defence faltered with a draw at home to Crystal Palace. https://twitter.com/TobyonTV/status/1218670556188422144

February

With the new year blues beginning to fade, February was a time for optimism, a time when spring was around the corner and anything still felt possible in the world. The idea that Ballon d'Or-winning Kaka might cut back a pass to some mere mortal during a kick-about in London instead of arrowing a shot into the top corner also seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to assume. At least for the lad who demanded the pass. https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1226149029165309954 This was the month of Valentine's Day, too, and with that came beautiful poetry from north of the border. https://twitter.com/Oldfirmfacts1/status/1228331255068069889 Sticking with the fitba theme, Ianis Hagi inadvertently destroyed a tender moment between mother and child by scoring for Rangers in a Europa League game with Braga. https://twitter.com/CoplandRoad72/status/1230617511655346177 There was also this. A resemblance you simply cannot un-see once pointed out. https://twitter.com/JonnyGabriel/status/1223561280163844103

March

By now the destination of the Premier League title already felt like a foregone conclusion as Liverpool's frankly ridiculous consistency helped them build a seemingly unassailable lead.  While exits from all three cup competitions and a surprise tanking at relegation-threatened Watford had forced supporters to scale back their expectations for the season, surely nothing could possibly stop Liverpool from ending their three-decade wait for league success... Well, for at least a couple of weeks, it seemed the arrival of a global pandemic might just torpedo their title dreams. With some major European leagues opting to cancel the entire season, the possibility that the Premier League might do the same seemed, at least for a little while, like a genuine possibility. https://twitter.com/willreyner/status/1238099702723284992 Football across the world screeched to a halt. Finally, the gravity of the situation appeared to be sinking in: https://twitter.com/KellyCates/status/1238530196069928960 With no real football, those that would normally have been playing or watching it devised other ways of keeping themselves entertained. This included a viral keepy-uppy challenge with bog rolls, sometimes with disastrous consequences. https://twitter.com/SleevesElliott/status/1242111492717195266 Then there was José Mourinho, whose facial expression perfectly encapsulated the feelings of every single football-deprived one of us. https://twitter.com/AndyHa_/status/1242169009983889420

April

With no football to keep us occupied, word that the game may return behind closed doors - at least in countries with semi-competent governments - had started to surface in the press. It prompted this excellent thread: https://twitter.com/thegraphicbomb/status/1252335498749775873 But mostly, April was a month where a lack of games meant any football-related content on Twitter was completely out of context. Take former Arsenal winger turned sensible, highly-respected Ajax technical director Marc Overmars smashing a ball into the face of a cyclist, for example. No idea but brilliant, nevertheless. https://twitter.com/ArchitectHughes/status/1247493263348715520

May

With the country doing its best to follow the pandemic rules, the prime minister's chief adviser didn't. Dominic Cummings' infamous drive to Barnard Castle and frankly insane attempts to provide a legitimate explanation provided opportunity aplenty for football-related tweets. https://twitter.com/RichJolly/status/1264126356008427520 The resulting press conference was even enough to prompt Gary Neville to revisit a particularly damaging event in his short-lived managerial career. https://twitter.com/GNev2/status/1264951602231861254 There was good news, though. Instead of inexplicably blaming football for not doing enough to help, government had realised that its return was a useful tool in distracting a good chunk of the population from their general incompetence, or the fact they were handing out multi-billion pound contracts to their mates while simultaneously allowing kids to starve. Not only was it coming back, but some Premier League fixtures would be broadcast on the BBC. This really would take some getting used to... https://twitter.com/FootballCliches/status/1266053905517084673 There was also a five-substitution rule which, while raising Dele Alli's hopes of making it off the Tottenham bench, also increased the possibility that he'd instantly be hooked off again minutes later, simply because Jose Mourinho now had the luxury to do so and some kind of point to prove. Alternatively... https://twitter.com/maxrushden/status/1266280754624909313

June

Finally, the long wait was over. Football in England did return, albeit without fans. Meanwhile, as the world continued to struggle to adapt to life in a pandemic, Marcus Rashford forced the government to have a good hard look at their approach - or lack of one - to helping feed some of the nation's children throughout the summer holidays. The Manchester United forward used his platform to hold the powers that be to account, ultimately forcing a change in policy from Boris Johnson that was celebrated across football twitter and beyond. https://twitter.com/_jasminebaba/status/1272866119972524033 Finally, after a nervy few weeks in the spring, Liverpool were able to clinch league glory for the first time since 1990. Manchester City's defeat at Chelsea was enough for Jurgen Klopp's side to mathematically seal what had realistically been theirs since the previous November. The crowds began to gather outside Anfield... https://twitter.com/StanCollymore/status/1276260111435120645 And Kenny Dalglish forgot to set his phone to silent before speaking live to BT Sport. His phone is still pinging. https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/1276263835477966857 Naturally, it was an opportunity for some to have a dig at Steven Gerrard. https://twitter.com/CFC__Kevin/status/1276107183390781440 Liverpool's success dominated FT for days and was a far bigger deal than two or three tweets will ever do justice. As things settled down a bit, there was also a magnificently put-together thread on how every single Premier League manager would get on as your step dad before the month of June was done. Because, well, why not? https://twitter.com/CaddysWmc/status/1277598652043853824

July

Remember this time a year ago, when none of us even knew what a Zoom call was? Working from home and chatting to friends and family probably wouldn't have been possible without it these past few months. That said, it remains a complete and utter pain in the arse, as was highlighted in this extremely relatable video featuring Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Absolutely no chance the Glazer family were ever going to sanction an upgrade to the pro plan in this financial climate - not at $14.99-a-month. https://twitter.com/vonstrenginho/status/1278975629539651585 After Liverpool sealed Premier League glory in June, another long wait reached its end for Leeds United, as they returned to the top flight. While this sparked joyous scenes in and around the city, Marcelo Bielsa's forensic approach to every single aspect of match preparation meant their promotion would only spell bad news for his coaching staff. https://twitter.com/BenF86/status/1284198149918208007 Also in July, restrictions were eased in English pubs, providing the perfect opportunity for more football-related tweets. Neil Warnock, incidentally, really would make an excellent landlord. https://twitter.com/SevenNathanArmy/status/1279067386575028225 We also said goodbye to a football legend in July as 1966 World Cup winner Jack Charlton passed away. Breaking away from the tone of many of the tweets included in this round-up, here is one of the more wholesome things we saw on our timelines all year. https://twitter.com/Mr_Dolf/status/1281862166791049217

August

In early August, Fulham were promoted via the play-offs. More importantly, manager Scott Parker's post-match interview was used to replaced Mike Skinner's vocals in this version of The Streets' Dry Your Eyes. Near seamless, and one of many Parker-Streets mashups to appear on Twitter during the second half of 2020. https://twitter.com/MarkyPickard/status/1291168882519150593 With all major domestic European leagues concluded, the final stages of the Champions League and Europa League were finished off in Portugal and Germany respectively. The most talked-about game was undoubtedly the one in which a ruthless Bayern Munich side humiliated Barcelona 8-2 in Lisbon. Amongst a sea of pictures of Lionel Messi looking very sad, football twitter enjoyed itself. https://twitter.com/Oldfirmfacts1/status/1294405328847753221 Unexpectedly, even Tottenham came out of this well. https://twitter.com/GraceOnFootball/status/1294383621701328897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1294383621701328897%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.90min.com%2Fposts%2Ftwitter-reacts-barcelona-suffer-heaviest-ever-european-defeat-bayern-munich-social-media Even more unexpectedly given the way the last couple of years had panned out, so did on-loan Barça midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who came on as a Bayern sub and scored a couple of goals. All the excuse needed to resurface that old tweet. https://twitter.com/R24AFC/status/1294380732484214784 Despite a first Champions League final appearance for Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern were victorious. Manuel Neuer, in true Manuel Neuer fashion, came off his line a few times, prompting one of our favourite tweets of the year. https://twitter.com/kylepicknell/status/1297657556853313536 With an established European superpower's name etched onto the European Cup, there was also a comforting familiarity about the latter stages of the 2020 Europa League. https://twitter.com/WeahsCousin/status/1295447794979938305 Their season ending in a disappointing semi-final defeat to Sevilla, Manchester United stars jetted off for short holidays before reporting back for pre-season. In the circumstances, several opted for Greece which, given it was within Europe and classed as a safe place to visit, seemed a sensible choice. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right? Harry Maguire's arrest made big news. With United's long and ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of Jadon Sancho already incredibly tedious by this stage, it was also an opportunity for a few barbed tweets about the club's latest transfer failings. https://twitter.com/SmnLlyd5/status/1296761326623232001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1296761326623232001%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffootballburp.com%2Fjokes%2Fthe-best-jokes-as-harry-maguire-is-arrested-in-mykonos%2F https://twitter.com/NoraUtd/status/1296709727477473280 Back in Barcelona, Lionel Messi made it known that he wanted out of Barcelona after growing tired of the the way in which the club had been run. Thankfully, newly appointed manager Ronaldo Koeman would be able to draw on similar experiences when at Everton if Messi got his wish. https://twitter.com/MatthewStanger/status/1298334096628867072 Alternatively, changing career was all the rage in the UK at this point. Perhaps that might provide Messi with a way out. https://twitter.com/AFHStewart/status/1298335524747382785 Messi remained at Barca, at least for another year.

September

With TV broadcasters and various sponsors to satisfy and little care about unimportant stuff like player welfare, football busily pressed ahead stuffing every possible game from every possible competition into an already congested calendar. The Premier League returned in September after only a few weeks, with Eric Dier leaving the field to go to the toilet one of the highlights of the early weeks. https://twitter.com/BeardedGenius/status/1311050888459554816 Staying with Tottenham, Daniel Levy orchestrated a particularly eventful end to the transfer window - the highlight being the homecoming of Gareth Bale, who ended a turbulent 12 months at Real Madrid with a season-long loan back in north London. https://twitter.com/afckarl/status/1306225059367972865 With Mick McCarthy still a month off sealing his Championship Manager 2001/02 long save-like move to APOEL, the former Ireland boss' vocals were added to a deep house track, just in case anyone was missing him. https://twitter.com/_Jamaha/status/1308407179167363080 September 2020 also saw Burnley boss Sean Dyche brought up a managerial milestone... https://twitter.com/eddo75/status/1309617535113928704 And even more perplexing pandemic restrictions fuelled more football-themed tweets. https://twitter.com/jakeperry97/status/1303461935518822401

October

With October came the news that the incessant stream of live football would be coming to an end, with football authorities deeming it perfectly fine to charge £15-per-game on top of subscription packages for fans to watch games they had no way of attending. Because, y'know, football without fans is nothing and all that. In actual fact... https://twitter.com/JoeStephenson96/status/1314598868068249601 Marcus Rashford was awarded an MBE in October for his services to vulnerable children. Despite his high-profile campaigning to help those most in need, it still wasn't enough to stop Rio Ferdinand from coming out with a terrible, terrible analogy. https://twitter.com/OSullivanMUFC/status/1321574335983878159 By this stage, it was also clear that a second national lockdown was on the horizon in England. https://twitter.com/_jasminebaba/status/1322323529958871041 With various other restrictions changing in other parts of the UK. https://twitter.com/ROSAZAMBONINI/status/1317428507836809218 News that Gunnersaurus has temporarily been made redundant was all the excuse needed to resurface an old and particularly brilliant Shawshank Redemption-inspired David Squires cartoon. https://twitter.com/HughRBrechin/status/1313036900681371650

November

The fallout from the 2020 US elections in November provided a welcome change in news headlines as infection rates escalated across the globe while also reminding us that, whichever way we look at it, humanity is well and truly fucked. The Twitter rantings of Donald Trump did at least provide Southampton with the perfect way of marking their brief spell at the Premier League summit. https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC/status/1324836694420578304 And as if 2020 couldn't possibly seem any further from reality, then came the news that National League Wrexham AFC were the subject of a takeover bid from Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The pair have already proved popular owners-elect at the north Wales club, and set about further ingratiating themselves with club sponsor Ifor Williams trailers - Britain's leading trailer manufacturer, we should add - with the following video. https://twitter.com/Wrexham_AFC/status/1328339177746927624 This was good. Very good. https://twitter.com/tomvictor/status/1325073985890115585 Diego Maradona's death saw tributes flood in from across the football world. Peter Shilton, the man he famously beat with his Hand of God in 1986 and who has spent the past 34 years banging on about it to anyone who will listen, offered one of his own. Though it was enough for the former goalkeeper's name to trend on Twitter, fittingly, he was not able to get quite as high as Diego. https://twitter.com/BatesInThePlace/status/1331644347536846848 November also saw the 'news' that, in between being a professional footballer and pressurising the government into feeding hungry children, Marcus Rashford had had the audacity to invest his own hard-earned money in some nice houses. The Daily Mail did a report on it (of course the Daily Mail did a report on it) and in response, The Exploding Heads did this. https://twitter.com/Exploding_Heads/status/1328297958945775616

December

And so, December. We're nearly done with 2020. The vaccine may have provided genuine light at the end of the Covid tunnel, but we're not through it yet. Christmas may not be the one we were hoping for, but this year's football has at least shown us that we can improvise. https://twitter.com/FootballCliches/status/1340590443604619265 In the meantime, football rumbles on, relatively unperturbed. As 2020 has shown, with or without it, Twitter will always find a way of making anything - literally anything - about football. https://twitter.com/NoContextScouse/status/1334917100104773632 (And if one Steven Gerrard-animal tweet wasn't enough,  here's a bonus one...) https://twitter.com/mangis1891/status/1341073506801504257?s=21 And as has been shown by the recent collapse of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, no matter how bad things seem, there's always someone much worse off. https://twitter.com/tomwfootball/status/1339304185288945665 https://twitter.com/Regan_Cotter/status/1338188204785197058 Stay safe. Good riddance, 2020.