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The year belonged, once again, to Barcelona and Lionel Messi. Messi dazzled opponents and fans alike with his brilliance on the pitch, further cementing his place among the game's greatest. He finished the year with 59 goals, one of which was his 200th for Barcelona as he became the club's second-highest goalscorer of all time. Expect more records to break in 2012, with the Argentine also likely to win a third successive Balon d'Or.
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Barcelona benefited from the talents of Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and others to maintain their supremacy in the league and the continent. Days after sealing their third consecutive La Liga title, the Catalans handed a masterclass to Manchester United at Wembley to win their second Champions League crown in three years. Pep Guardiola has now won 13 out of a possible 16 competitions since taking over at Camp Nou. Total dominance.
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It was a year that saw seven clasicos across four competitions, yet Real Madrid could manage a victory in only one. That was in the Copa del Rey final, handing Jose Mourinho his first trophy in Spain. The Portuguese coach is yet to defeat Guardiola in the league though, as he looks for a way to end the Catalans' dominance.
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Just like his team, Cristiano Ronaldo also found himself overshadowed by Messi and Barcelona, despite finishing the year as the leading goalscorer with 60 goals in 60 games. He also broke the record for most goals in a La Liga season, scoring 40 in 2010-11.
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Ronaldo's former team Manchester United may have had no answer to Barcelona, but they did create history in England by winning a record 19th league title, overtaking Liverpool.
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It was manager Alex Ferguson's 12th Premier League title, coming in a year in which he completed 25 years at Old Trafford.
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Ferguson did, however, suffer his worst-ever day as neighbours Manchester City humiliated United 6-1 at home. The Red Devils also made an early exit from the Champions League, giving their manager and the fans plenty to think about.
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The retirement of club legends Paul Scholes and Gary Neville also left a hole that United are yet to fill.
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Manchester City, meanwhile, continued to make the headlines. The big-spending club won the FA Cup - their first trophy in 35 years, finished in the top four, and then ran riot in the first half of the new season to top the league. However, their emergence as serious title contenders was tempered with an early exit from the Champions League.
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There was plenty of controversy at the Eastlands too, with Carlos Tevez finding himself blacklisted after allegedly refusing to come on as a substitute during a Champions League game.
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If Tevez was the biggest villain of the year, Fernando Torres was easily the biggest - and most expensive - flop. A lot was expected from the striker after a dramatic 50-million-Pound transfer from Liverpool to Chelsea at the end of the January ... A return of 3 goals from 27 appearances was not. The reports claiming Chelsea are willing to sell Torres for 20 million Pounds just a year later, say it all.
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Torres' replacement at Anfield, Andy Carroll proved to be no more of a success, with just five goals in 28 games since his 35-million-Pound move. Fortunately, fellow signing Luis Suarez brought his scoring boots along with him.
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The best news for Liverpool, though, came at the start of the year, with the return of Kop legend Kenny Dalglish to the dug-out. The manager has had mixed success so far though, with Liverpool still failing to find the consistency to return to the top four.
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Meanwhile, Arsenal just about finished in the top four after a disappointing year which saw them miss a chance to end their six-year trophy drought with a loss in the Carling Cup final. Things got a lot worse for Arsene Wenger in his 15th year in charge with the loss of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri and an 8-2 drubbing by Manchester United, but Robin van Persie's outstanding form sees them end the year in hope.
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Anticipation was also high at Chelsea after Carlo Ancelotti - ruthlessly sacked despite finishing second in the league - was replaced by then-33-year-old Andre Villas-Boas. While comparisons with Mourinho continue, Chelsea and their new manager are yet to convince.
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At the other end of the table, Blackburn Rovers endured a season of turmoil and narrowly avoided relegation, a task they may find difficult to repeat in 2012. The poor results have resulted in the fans turning against manager Steve Kean and Indian owners Venky's. An advertisement for Venky's chicken featuring the club's players only added to the sense of outrage.
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Fulham fans were not too pleased with their owner Mohamed Al Fayed either, after he had a statue of Michael Jackson placed outside the club stadium.
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Over in Italy, AC Milan are a club known to have an eccentric owner in Silvio Berlusconi, but the decision to hire the unheralded Massimiliano Allegri paid dividends as the team, with stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho, won the Serie A to end rivals Inter Milan's five-year control over the title.
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It was a tumultuous year for Inter, who went through a series of coaches and a run of terrible results before ending the year under the steadying influence of Claudio Ranieri. The biggest shock, though, came when their striker Samuel Eto'o moved to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala after a hefty pay-rise.
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Napoli were the surprise club in Italy, with the goal-scoring exploits of Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi helping them finish third. They have kept pace with a rejuvenated Juventus in the new season as well, besides knocking Manchester City out of the Champions League.
