Top 15 sports headlines of 2015

Amanda Acquah claimed in the recording that is the talk of football: “I f***** Jordan for four good years, not four days. He sent me naked pics. “He has slept with me more than Acquah.” She says the striker “intensely humped” her for four years.

Sarah Kwablah and Asamoah Gyan sex saga

A University student, Sarah Kwabla, threatened to make public what she describes as a secretly recorded video of sexual intercourse she had with Black Stars Captain Asamoah Gyan. Sarah said she secretly recorded the video when the Black Stars captain had sex with her at her apartment in February this year and that she has decided to make it public because her relationship with the footballer is not going as she had envisaged. The 22-year-old also claimed she got pregnant after the intercourse and is therefore demanding that Asamoah Gyan gets her a furnished apartment, a housemaid and a monthly stipend of $1,000 for postnatal care.

Ivory Coast beat Ghana to win 2015 AFCON

Goalkeeper Boubacar Barry scored the decisive penalty as Ivory Coast ended a 23-year Africa Cup of Nations title drought by beating Ghana 9-8 in a shootout after the final ended 0-0 following extra time. History repeated itself as the only other Ivorian title came in 1992 when they edged the Ghanaians, also on penalties after a goalless draw. Billed as a 'dream' final between the west African neighbours, it became the fourth decider in the last eight to finish goalless and be settled by spot-kicks.

Sepp Blatter announces resignation

FIFA president Sepp Blatter make the shocking announcement on May 2 that he would resign his position, this after 14 FIFA executives were arrested the week before for their role in a corruption scandal.

Floyd Mayweather defeats Manny Pacquiao

The long-awaited mega fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally played out on May 2 with a star-studded crowd in Las Vegas that included the likes of Michael Jordan and Beyonce. Mayweather won easily via a unanimous decision, running his undefeated record to 48–0 and earning at least $100 million from the richest purse in boxing history.

Aaron Hernandez convicted of first-degree murder

On April 16, former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd. A jury found Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Kobe Bryant says goodbye ahead of time

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has decided to retire after this season. The 37-year-old Bryant made the announcement in a post on The Players' Tribune on Sunday. The decision was not totally unexpected, given that Bryant has said many times in recent weeks that he was considering making his 20th NBA season his last. There's no more wondering now.

Novak Djokovic caps epic year

Djokovic ended 2015 with 11 titles, 82 wins and just six defeats in a haul which included three of the four majors -- the Australian and US Opens and Wimbledon. His on-court earnings of $21 million swelled his career total to a mind-boggling $94 million while the 28-year-old Serb now has 10 Grand Slam titles amongst his 59 career trophies.

Golden State Warriors dominate the NBA

Remember when the Golden State Warriors were a joke? Now that the squad is armed with superstar Stephen Curry, All-Star Klay Thompson and Mr. Everything Draymond Green, alongside a cast of great role players, the team has proven to be the most exciting in the NBA. Golden State’s high-octane offense was too much for the Cleveland Cavaliers and it went on to clinch the NBA Finals in six games this past June – and recently started the new campaign 24-0 –yes, 24-0 – before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks. We’ll find out if the team is a true threat the the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ record for wins in a regular season with 72.

Ronda Rousey falls to Holly Holm

We haven’t seen an athlete dominate his or her sport quite like Ronda Rousey. She became a larger-than-life icon who transformed into a fighter we thought was invincible. Only, Holly Holm took down Rousey in November with a swift kick to the face and the UFC Women’s Bantamweight title was swapped. Some fans on Twitter figured the shock and awe from the bout was akin to when Muhammad Ali lost.

Roberta Vinci stun Serena Williams

After one of the most captivating and dominant runs in sports history, In the US Open semifinals, Serena Williams suffered a shocking upset to unranked Roberta Vinci to knock her out of the tournament and cost her a shot at the Grand Slam.

Chelsea sack Jose Mourinho

The rather unthinkable demise of Chelsea Football Club during the second half of 2015 has to make the list. In May, the Blues were celebrating a well deserved Premier League championship victory, whilst Jose Mourinho was once again back on top of English football. Fast forward a matter of months and Chelsea are languishing near the bottom of the table, leading to the departure of Jose Mourinho from Stamford Bridge. There is no one who would have predicted the club to go on a downward spiral of this magnitude in such a short space of time.

Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Real Madrid’s goalscoring record

2015 was the year that Cristiano Ronaldo entered the record books for becoming Real Madrid’s most prolific scorer of all time. The Portuguese icon surpassed Madrid legend Raul’s goal tally of 323, and the space of time in which Cristiano broke the record surely makes him the greatest striker in Los Blancos’ illustrious history. If this is to be Ronaldo’s last year at Madrid, he certainly has left a lasting legacy.

Seven FIFA officials arrested in dawn raids at a hotel in Zurich

May 2015 may go down as one of the most iconic moments in world football’s recent history. After months of speculation and accusation, moves were set in motion to finally uncover FIFA’s corrupt and unlawful dealings, as FIFA officials were finally arrested on money laundering, and racketeering charges. The arrests led to a chain of events which eventually saw the likes of FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini banned from football for eight years.

David de Gea's move to Real Madrid collapses on transfer deadline day

The story of the transfer window was David de Gea's proposed move to Real Madrid from Manchester United. A transfer that looked destined to take place from early in the window, the clubs dragged it out before finally snapping into action in the final few hours. The brinkmanship from both sides cost the player dearly, as in the end the paperwork went through to late and the Spain keeper was left in limbo.