Top 5 Footy GIFs of the year
The end of the year brings with it an opportunity to reflect on the many wonders the football world has delivered over the past 12 months.
Thankfully, the internet was there every step of the way, eager to try and satisfy our insatiable appetite for football by capturing the most memorable moments of the year.
Without further ado, here are five of our favorite GIFs emanating from the pitch in 2014 - goals not included.
The saddest man in Brazil
Mario Gotze's brilliant goal to win the World Cup for Germany was the pivotal moment of the tournament, in the match that got the Germans to the final that proved to be football's defining moment for 2014. It was, simply, that match.
Seven goals. A nation, weeping together, in disbelief. No Brazilian bore the pain on their face more than noted superfan Clovis Acosta Fernandes, who was appropriately dubbed "the saddest man in Brazil" following the 7-1 loss to Germany in the World Cup semifinal.
He barely moves, and yet we can't look away.
Never let go.
Hot coffee 1, Marcelo Bielsa's backside 0
There were no sufficient words to describe that moment in October, during a match between Marseille and Toulouse. After two months of perusing the dictionary, the same remains true.
Just sit back, watch, and enjoy as Marseille manager Marcelo Bielsa loses his battle with a scalding cup of coffee that really snuck up and bit him in the...
(Courtesy: Reddit)
The slip heard 'round the world
Look away, Liverpool supporters.
Steven Gerrard, a living legend at Anfield, helped bring the club to the brink of the Premier League title last season. The Reds, languishing in the three years prior and finishing no better than sixth, looked destined to end their 24-year league title drought. It was all out of a storybook. Wondrous and magical.
We even had Gerrard delivering a rousing, tearful speech to his teammates following their victory over Manchester City late in the season, after a win that should have sealed a historic league crown.
"We don't let this slip," he roared to his teammates.
Two weeks later, in a match against Chelsea, they did. He did.
Liverpool would later go on to lose the title by a mere two points to City, with Gerrard's infamous gaffe becoming the seminal moment of the campaign.
Tim Howard is everywhere versus Belgium
American goalkeeper Tim Howard (and his magnificent beard) was one of the stars of the 2014 World Cup this summer, particularly after he set a tournament record by making 16 saves in the United States' 2-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16.
The marvelous performance, which drew special praise from President Barack Obama, was captured in one of the most mind-bending GIFs ever created. Watch each save individually? What is this, the Stone Age?
(Courtesy: Yahoo Sports)
Miguel Herrera, the gift that keeps of giving
Mexico manager Miguel Herrera has long been a cult hero, his goal celebrations along the touchline being a thing of legend in world football. In 2013, his renowned Super Saiyan GIF was all the rage. Herrera was trying to break the internet before Kim Kardashian ever uttered the phrase.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Mexican bench boss added to his Rolodex of exuberant moments, with one in particular - from his side's 3-1 victory over Croatia - stealing the show.
(Courtesy: @myregularface)