Premier League review: The good, the bad, and the ugly
The 2016-17 Premier League season provided plenty of talking points both on and off the field, and as we look back on this latest campaign, let's recall some of the best, worst, and ugliest storylines from the year that was.
The Good
Chelsea's heroics: No good story can be told without a protagonist, and Antonio Conte's Chelsea was just that this season. The Blues stormed to the title as Conte turned Chelsea into a cast of likable characters, while John Terry's final bow brought tears to the eyes of the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Touchline throw-down: This season proved to be the battle of the world's best managers, as Conte, Jurgen Klopp, and Pep Guardiola challenged Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, and Mauricio Pochettino for English supremacy. Spurred by increased financial resources, big-money moves brought in players like Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while young stars like Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, and Michy Batshuayi now call England home.
Lowery's love: Sunderland provided the season's most touching moment of humanity in giving young fan Bradley Lowery - the brave 6-year-old fighting cancer - a Premier League experience of his own. Lowery got to hang with his favourite player, Jermain Defoe, and won BBC Goal of the Month for his lovely effort to beat Chelsea's Asmir Begovic.
Related: The 22 best moments of the Premier League season
The Bad
Fall of Leicester: No story hurt worse for football fans than the rapid fall of Leicester City. Claudio Ranieri inspired a miracle last season as the Foxes claimed the title, but Riyad Mahrez and Co. were invisible to start the year - so much so that the iconic Italian was fired after seeing his side dragged into the relegation battle. Leicester ultimately finished 12th.
Bye bye Payet: Mahrez wasn't the only star of the past season to vanish this year. West Ham's Dimitri Payet made a shock move to Marseille after quitting the London club, leaving Slaven Bilic's side in mid-table obscurity.
Betting on Barton: Joey Barton is a figure who often courts controversy on the field, but his off-field betting scandal was particularly tough to stomach. The 34-year-old midfielder was banned for 18 months and fined £30,000 for placing 1,260 bets on matches between 2006-16. Barton's former teams, Rangers and Burnley, ironically both sport gambling sites on the front of their shirts.
Related: Most disappointing player from every Premier League team this season
The Ugly
Child abuse scandal: The ugliest story of the year is also one of English football's great shames, as news emerged this season that children as young as four may have been molested by staff members from 77 named clubs. The Metropolitan Police Service received 255 separate allegations of sexual abuse, with former Chelsea player Gary Johnson publicly revealing being abused by now-deceased ex-chief scout Eddie Heath.
Mason's on the mend: On the field, there were a few nasty incidents - whether intentional or not - that marred the beautiful game. Ryan Mason survived a fractured skull in a clash of heads with Gary Cahill, one that required hospitalization and surgery. Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic's first season in England ended with severe knee ligament injury.
Zlatan and Mings: The Big Swede was involved in another ugly moment with Bournemouth's Tyrone Mings when the latter stamped the former on the head, prompting Ibrahimovic to elbow Mings in the head in response. Zlatan got a three-match ban for violent conduct, while Mings was suspended for five.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)