There were a couple of events that year that were hard to miss.
Merkel gone, Scholz there, of course.
Or the global game changer.
For example: Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Ali Daei's goal world record.
Who will ever forget September 1st, 2021?
Forecast: one of the participants probably not.
The other one, Ali Daei, is meanwhile romping around in other biotopes than on the green lawn.
Three weeks ago, reported the "Tehran Times", a species of catfish newly discovered by Iranian and German biologists was named: Glyptothorax alidaeii swims in the tributary of the Seymareh River in the southwest of the Kermanshah province.
And this week I read of Ali Daei in a much more serious context: He saved a prisoner from execution at the last minute by personally convincing the family of the victim to refrain from blood revenge after 16 years.
The report, picked up by the BBC's Persian-speaking service, garnered more than 26,000 appreciative comments within 24 hours.
Probably not a world record.
But deserved applause.
For a truly life-changing mission.