Ronaldo's interview, Ben Foster's save and the 21 craziest moments of the season

Football is unpredictable, enthralling and occasionally unhinged. It keeps us guessing, that's why we love it so much, and the 2022-23 campaign was no different. Over the past nine months, there's been countless crazy moments across the world's top leagues to keep us entertained.

We've been treated to managers fighting, unbelievable results and dramatic comebacks. Players arguing, explosive press conferences and even an incident that led to a saw being taken to a pair of goalposts.

GOAL have been painstakingly tracking all of these ridiculous scenes and with the season drawing to a close, what better time to relive all of the best bits. Here are the 21 craziest moments of the season:

Thomas Tuchel vs Antonio Conte

A battle for the ages. In the blue corner, Thomas Tuchel. In the white corner, Antonio Conte. Tuchel had the reach advantage, but you can never count a pitbull like Conte out of the running.

Tensions had been simmering all game when Chelsea hosted Tottenham all the way back in August. Things first flared up when Tuchel took exception to the manner of Spurs' first equaliser, with the German locking horns with his opposite number.

The pressure cooker was then dialled up in the second half. When Chelsea poked their noses back in front, Tuchel did his best Jose Mourinho impression, darting off down the touchline to celebrate. Spurs would have the last laugh, though, with Harry Kane netting a 96th-minute equaliser.

And then it happened - the most iconic post-match handshake of all time. Both men's shoulder sockets were stretched to the absolute limit before the pair were pulled apart by players and staff from both teams. What a start to the season.

Gary Lineker gets a nasty surprise

On January 17 2023, the BBC accidently broadcasted porngraphic noises to millions of people, who were tuning in for a family-friendly slice of FA Cup action. It was all a bit surreal.

Gary Lineker sincerely trying to hype up an third-round replay between Wolves and Liverpool in the depth of winter, with an X-rated soundtrack blaring in the background. After the event, a YouTube prankster who had previously disrupted England's cricketing summer, took credit, which rather spoiled things a bit.

Hamburg fans learn a valuable lesson

Hamburger SV is a social experiment designed to determine how much suffering a human being can take. There is no other explanation for their misery. Once one of the jewels of European football, they have descended into hilarity more recently.

A streak of four fourth-place finishes in a row was finally broken last season, when they at last snuck into the promotion/relegation play-offs. Hamburg took the lead in the first leg before promptly blowing it at home in the return fixture.

Things had promised to be different this campaign and automatic promotion was seemingly secured on the final day with a win over Sandhausen. Jubilant scenes followed, with supporters streaming onto the pitch.

However, as it turned out, they had gone too early. Hamburg didn't bargain on Heidenheim scoring two stoppage-time goals and beating Regensburg. That result was enough to jump Heidenheim up from third to first, while Hamburg dropped into the play-off spot once again. Football can be cruel.

Seven-heaven for Liverpool

Manchester United would not have been distraught to enter the break just 1-0 down against Liverpool back in March. The Reds had dominated proceedings for sure, but a few tweaks at half-time and United might have gained a foothold in the game.

Instead of coming out with a point to prove, though, Erik ten Hag's side capitulated in a astonishing fashion. Within five minutes Liverpool had scored twice to put the game to bed - and four more goals would come before the referee mercifully blew his whistle.

After the game, Ten Hag slammed his "unprofessional players" and made them listen to Liverpool's dressing-room celebrations in complete silence at the training ground. A great way to start the week.

Reiss Nelson to the rescue!

Prior to Arsenal's clash with Bournemouth in March, Reiss Nelson had not played in the Premier League since before the World Cup. There was nothing to suggest he could be the man to save the Gunners, which made his match-winning display all the more incredible.

Introduced with just 21 minutes of normal time remaining with Arsenal 2-1 down, Nelson was involved from the off, assisting Ben White's equaliser which set up a grand-stand finish. For so long it seemed that the priceless winner would not come.

Then, in the 97th minute, the ball broke to Nelson on the edge of the box following a corner. Chesting the ball onto his right foot, he then maneuvered it onto his left before unleashing a rifling effort into the back of the net.

Arsenal may not have got over the line in the end, but at the time Nelson's goal seemed to prove that the footballing gods were smiling on them.

Gerard Pique goes out with a bang

Gerard Pique was one of the silkiest defenders to ever play the game, but his final game as a professional was nowhere near as graceful. Named on the bench for the league clash with Osasuna, Pique took exception to referee Gil Manzano's decision to dish out a second yellow card to Robert Lewandowski.

He confronted Manzano at half-time and allegedly said the following: "Did you see the corner you gave against us? You are the referee that has f*cked us over the most by a distance... It is a f*cking disgrace. "F*ck your mother."

Well, if you know you cannot get suspended, you may as well get a few things off of your chest. Unfortunately the red card that followed meant he was robbed of his Barca swansong. Oh well, at least he got a nice send off at Camp Nou a few days earlier.

Shakira sings about Pique - and he fires back

His abuse of officials is not the only reason Pique has been in the headlines this season. His high-profile split from Shakira has also caused quite the stir. The pop megastar's song BZRP Music Sessions #53 - wow, what a catchy name - included several thinly-veiled digs at her former partner.

In the track Shakira claims she "traded a Ferrari for a Twingo" and "a Rolex for a Casio" to be with Pique. The Barcelona man relished the drama. Soon after, Pique was pictured wearing a Casio watch and he later rocked up to work in a Renault Twingo. Lovely stuff.

Ronaldo 'tells all' to Piers Morgan

He might not be an elite footballer anymore, but Cristiano Ronaldo's ability to draw a media circus remains world class. After a fraught start to the season with Manchester United - which began with him pushing to leave and ended with him bizarrely being handed the captain's armband despite p*ssing off home early following a victory over Tottenham a few weeks earlier - he sat down for an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

No one was safe from Ronaldo's wrath during the broadcast, with Erik ten Hag, the Glazers, Wayne Rooney and Ralf Rangnick all being savaged. Every night a new part of the interview would drop and social media would explode. It was the perfect way to fill the time before the World Cup kicked off.

Darwin Nunez channels Zinedine Zidane

Darwin Nunez doesn't do anything in half measures. On his Premier League debut, he stole the show, registering a goal and assist against Fulham. Expectations were high for his follow up against Crystal Palace the next week, and he did not fail to draw attention.

Joachim Andersen had been winding him up all game long and in the 57th minute, Nunez snapped, jerking 180 degrees and thrusting his head in the general direction of his tormentor. Andersen played his part of pantomime villain perfectly. Feeling the contract, he grabbed his face and then theoretically glided to the floor, remaining dead straight the entire time. It was comedy gold, but Nunez, who received a three-game ban, wasn't laughing.

Chelsea's January transfer window

It was open season at Stamford Bridge as soon as the January transfer window opened. Just when it appeared that the spending had stopped, you'd go to sleep and wake up to the news that the Blues were poised to announce yet another signing.

In the end, Chelsea would add nine new faces to the squad: Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, David Datro Fofana and Joao Felix. This crazy splurge cost more than £300 million ($370m) in total and it wasn't just the incomings that were noteworthy.

Chelsea capped off a bonkers window by submitting the paperwork for Hakim Ziyech's loan move to Paris Saint-Germain late, condemning the Moroccan to a few more months on the bench.

Conte buries Spurs

If you've never been to a Premier League press conference, they're normally pretty boring affairs filled with stock answers and journalists desperately bashing away so they can make the last train home.

Sometimes, though, a manager treats us to a gem - and Antonio Conte was in a generous mood after Tottenham threw away a two-goal advantage against Southampton in March. In St Mary's cramped press room, Conte eviscerated his players, accusing them of being "selfish", lacking fight and having no winning mentality.

His bile was sprayed wider than that, too. He went on to slam the club's transfer policy and, most shockingly of all, suggested that Spurs were used to failure so low standards were accepted. Can we just shock you? Conte didn't last much longer after this.

Everton fans confront players outside Goodison Park

It was another pitiful season for Everton, who secured their Premier League status on a dramatic final day. The nadir of their campaign came on January 14, when fans confronted a string of players following their 2-1 defeat to basement-dwellers Southampton.

Anthony Gordon, who left for Newcastle not long after, and Ellis Simms, who'd only just returned to the club from a loan spell, were both targeted, as was Yerry Mina. Never one to shirk a challenge, Mina left his vehicle and engaged in some honest conversations with Toffees fans, who were imploring him to "be a leader" on the pitch.

In response, Mina vowed to "give his life" to help the club avoid relegation. This likely explains why the former Barca man was so emotional when survival was finally secured, in what was his final ever game for Everton.

Juventus' points deductions

Juventus are no strangers to a scandal, but it was still a huge shock when the Bianconeri were slapped with a 15-point deduction in January for false accounting. The decision came just few months after the entirety of the Juve board resigned when the allegations first came to light.

The saga has dragged on for the duration of the season, too. After the points were re-added to their total on appeal, a second penalty - this time a 10-point deduction - came their way in May. This led to Juve dropping out of the top four, which could lead to a mass exodus of players in the summer.

Tottenham fall apart against Newcastle

Tottenham are used to being the butt of the joke. But even by their own low standards, this humiliation at the hands of Newcastle was something special.

With just nine minutes on the clock, the Magpies had already put the game beyond Spurs by scoring three times. Two further goals would come before the 22-minute mark, with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris being substituted at half-time due to an 'injury'. Sure mate.

Harry Kane's early second-half strike failed to spark a famous comeback, with Callum Wilson ensuring the winning margin was five 23 minutes from time. In the aftermath, the poor Tottenham fans who chose to travel had their tickets refunded while interim boss Cristian Stellini was shown the exit door.

Mourinho mics himself up

After two pretty torrid Premier League stints, Jose Mourinho is feeling himself again in Roma. And he reached peak paranoid Special One in a game against Monza in May, revealing that he wore a microphone to protect himself from wrongful accusations from officials.

"I am not stupid, you know. I went to the game with a microphone. I recorded the match – from the moment I left the locker room to the moment I returned. I protected myself." Careful your tin-foil hat doesn't fall off, Jose.

Sheffield Wednesday's ridiculous comeback

Few clubs typify the label 'fallen giant' more aptly than Sheffield Wednesday. And it looked like their long-suffering fans were set to endure more disappointment when the Owls lost 4-0 to Peterborough in their play-off semi-final first leg. Darren Moore's side just would not lie down and die, though.

Within nine minutes of the second leg, the comeback to end all comebacks had begun, with Michael Smith pulling one back from the penalty spot. Wednesday made hard work of forcing extra-time, but finally got their equaliser in the 98th minute through Liam Palmer - sparking unhinged celebrations inside Hillsborough.

The drama didn't end there too. A Lee Gregory own goal put Peterborough back in front in the additional period, before Callum Paterson struck to send the tie to penalties. Wednesday were perfect in the shootout to book their place in the final, where they secured a return to the Championship in similarly dramatic style.

The Eredivisie in general

The Eredivisie has been in a funny mood this season. Groningen's hooligan faction have been prolific providers of the craziness, with one of their contingent punching Jetro Willems and their fixture against Ajax also being abandoned after a few minutes due to crowd trouble.

Elsewhere in the league, Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow went viral for an inspired piece of sh*thousery, while Steven Berghuis punched a fan right at the end of the season. We've not even mentioned the period in April when beer showers halted two fixtures. Let's hope things calm down a bit in the Netherlands next season.

Jurgen Klopp shows the importance of stretching

As you get older, your muscles get tighter and bursts of explosive movement without proper preparation are more likely to end in disaster. Jurgen Klopp discovered as much when he celebrated Diogo Jota's dramatic winner against Tottenham with an excited dart down the touchline.

Then again, perhaps it was karma at work. Klopp was sprinting to gloat in fourth official John Brooks' face after all. What goes around comes around Jurgen.

Some rapid DIY in the Championship

This one is scarcely believable. Back in October, Hull City and Birmingham were scheduled to face off in the Championship, only for kick off to be delayed by 30 minutes. The reason? The goalposts were too big. Yes, really.

Fortunately, the ground staff came up with an ingenious solution. Out of nowhere, they produced a saw to cut the posts down to size. The whole situation makes you wonder just how often Hull have been playing games with the wrong-sized goals.

Ben Foster proves he's still got it

Picking just one crazy moment from Wrexham's 2022-23 season was not an easy task. With Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at the helm, the club were never far from the headlines this year. However, few moments were quite as bonkers as this one.

Wrexham shocked the footballing world by tempting former Premier League star Ben Foster out of retirement back in March - but signing him was no PR stunt. Foster also had a transformative effect on the field.

With Wrexham 3-2 up in the 96th-minute of their likely promotion-deciding clash with Notts County, they conceded a penalty. A goal would have been disastrous for the Robins' title hopes, but thankfully 39-year-old Foster was equal to the spot kick, diving low to all but seal his side's promotion.

The Bundesliga final day

Why would you even bother being a Borussia Dortmund fan. You just know they're going to break your heart time and time again. Dortmund's latest collapse was their most spectacular by some distance.

Heading into the final day all they needed to do was beat Mainz and the Bundesliga title would be theirs. So, of course, they went 2-0 down inside 24 minutes - with their opposition's two goals coming either side of a Sebastien Haller penalty miss.

Bayern Munich almost conspired to hand them the title back in the dying moments of the season, with Koln drawing level before Jamal Musiala's 89th-minute strike finally secured the title for Die Roten. To add to the madness, Bayern's 11th-straight Bundesliga title came at the exact moment they were cleaning house in the boardroom, with Hasan Salihamidzic and Oliver Kahn both fired in the aftermath.