of the last 30 years. 5live have compiled a list. Vote for your defining UK sporting moment of past 30 years Which would you go for and should anything else be there? Probably go for the Ashes and Andy Murray winning Wimbledon as that hadn’t happened for a long time. Super Saturday was fantastic too. Guess they all are memorable really!
Rugby World Cup Final 2003 in Australia Australia v England Johnny Wilkinsons drop goal in the final minute for the England win. I sat watching that in tears because it was so momentous - that and my parents should have been there to see it in person but my dad was so very sick it became obvious he probably wouldn't survive that long and even if he did there was no chance he'd be in any shape to go. He died never knowing that it had been cancelled
I went: - Murray, as most British people had never seen a Brit lift the men's title - England winning the Rugby World Cup, as it had never happened before, and it seemed the king of thing that was destined to only ever be won by 1 of 3 teams. - The Treble. A team built around a bunch of academy players winning the 3 main trophies. The massive size and cost of squads now, compared to the 90s, makes it much easier to achieve now (still ridiculously hard), so I think people also forget how rare it was. We were also in a period where PL teams were well behind the likes of the Italians and Germans in terms of quality.
Ashes 2005, hardly missed a ball in the whole series, apart from the day I went Trent bridge and got too pissed.
Extremely surprised Istanbul (2005) isn't on there? 3-0 down at half time to just about the strongest starting XI (Milan fielded that day) you'll come across and to think we had the likes of Djimi Traore lining up for us A lot of people don't realise what a side Milan put out there. A full XI of world renown stars. We fielded a side consisting of Traore, Baros, Riise, Kewell, etc Leicester City anyone? come on, one of the biggest upsets in sporting history, side starts the season as 5000/1 outsiders and favourites for relegation and thats not "defining"? GTF
I saw all of those sporting moments and most of them are just meh, ok. Like who on earth can claim that sir steve redgrave winning an olympic medla for the 5th time really meant that much to them even at the time. Its a very niche item to be up there. I'd agree with the above that the rugby world cup stands out. the cricket world cup in 2019 was dramatic at the end 100% Yes the 2005 ashes were something given the timing where it was thrashing after thrashing and yes murray iwnning topped and era of not really ood enough but close contenders. There are a lot more dramatic monets across more sports that are not mentioned like in boxing (before it died as a sport) or football (there moust be 20 moments in that alone) BTW if any athletics of the past 30 years is up there i think usain bolt should be the one defining moment.
love it. One thing I never ever got to do was go to a proper Cricket match, in the sun, having a good bevvy. Always fancied it, never got around to doing it. No longer into cricket as I was back in the 80s/90s so doubt I'll ever do it. Its UK ones mate. Yeah its a pitiful list, so many "defining moments" not included, strangely. Despite the shite we give you and City about how you've won your titles, etc...how this moment was not added is beyond comprehension? just about the most dramatic end to a season since Michael Thomas's winner...should have well been included. Im damn sure more people witnessed that and thought WOW than folk did with the Lionesses winning the Euros, something 80% of the country didnt give a toss about. Who can forget those United fans celebrating their "title win" only for Aguero to snatch it from them in the dying seconds, in particular that blonde woman pure classic TV. This was the first of your recent titles too wasnt it? How the **** were this, Istanbul or Leicester's title win left off that list? Three of THE most defining moments in football this century.
Leicester I get because of the shock of it, favourites for relegation, etc... Istanbul was a seminal moment for Liverpool fans, but not for English/British football. It was an amazing comeback, a fantastic game of football, but no-one else really cared. The Ashes is like the boat race in that it's the same two teams - England were bound to win it again eventually. Take nothing away from them, the series is certainly the best test series of my lifetime and, like others, I was transfixed. For me, over the last 30 years it has to be Andy Murray winning Wimbledon. Tiger Tim had carried British tennis for years, but couldn't seem to break that semi-final hoodoo and with him him heading out, it looked like it was back to the doldrums. Then Murray came onto the scene. All of a sudden we had a player who couldn't just compete but could win! He looked like he was going to be another nearly man, losing 4 slam finals (Australia x2, US Open and Wimbledon) before winning gold at the Olympics. That seemed to spark something and a few weeks later he breaks the slam curse and wins the US Open. He then reaches another Aus final before sitting out the French and then achieves the unachievable at Wimbledon in 2013. The first British male winner in 77 years!! That was truly remarkable and, in an era of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic - arguably the three greatest players of all time, he more than held his own. I'm not even that big on tennis (I like it, but I won't go out of my way to watch it), but Murray winning Wimbledon in 2013 is up there in best sporting moments of my lifetime.
so it has to have happened on uk soil? why is man utd 1999 in it then. for me I'd rather have a few of the cycling medals in there or the swimming in the Olympics in 2008 where Phelps won 8 or bolt?
It's the most defining UK sporting moment of the last 30 years. So a moment achieved by a UK team or personality.
You could say that about any in truth? I get what youre saying if we just won the thing, but surely that comeback, against one of the best starting XI's this world has ever seen?
I was in Birmingham for the weekend when that was in the telly, then later on went to watch Blues v Arsenal. Listening to the whole ground singing Swing Low which even stopped Thierry Henry from taking a corner for a few seconds was electric. But The Ashes in 2005, not just 80 minutes of.rugby but a whole summer of sporting magic
Yeah I knew it wasn't your first title ever...but of the era And see @Si Robin non Liverpool fans were interested too Yeah it was before we became "rivals"...never used to mind Man City at all, perhaps helped by the fact we'd usually give you a good tonking. Funniest thing about Istanbul is reading the Chelsea, Man United, etc forums of that night and how things panned out some absolute comical reads.
Ireland beating Italy in the world cup which just makes the 30 year cut off point. Peps barcelona destroying United in 2011.Messi finally winning a world cup and agueros last second goal
We are trophy rivals that's all, Sky build it up more than most match going fans , let's be honest Liverpool and United haven't even had a title race. City Liverpool is like what Liverpool Chelsea was, just over trophies. Arsenal , Liverpool always good to at least try stop United winning trophies in 90s/2000s
Even though I only heard most of it on the day, mainly because I was watching Kevin Pietersen play what is still one of the very best innings I've seen live at Headingley, Super Saturday is on a completely different level to any of the other moments on this list. It surely doesn't get any better than the defining day of a home Olympic Games, the likes of which we probably won't see again in our lives.
