Verstappen, Raducanu, Fury, Kohli and Ronaldo - 52 of the best sports images of 2021

We pick out some of the most memorable images from the last 12 months

Red Bull's Max Verstappen collides with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes during the F1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza on September 12. EPA

Referee Russell Mora stops the fight after Tyson Fury knocks out Deontay Wilder in the 11th round during their WBC heavyweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on October 9. AFP

Paris Saint-Germain's Lionel Messi lies on the pitch to defend a free-kick during the Champions League match with Manchester City at Parc des Princes on September 28. Reuters

Riders during the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic race, between Compiegne and Roubaix, northern France, on October 3. AFP

New York Giants quarterback Mike Glennon throws a pass in the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on October 10. USA TODAY Sports

Oleksandr Usyk lands a punch on Athony Joshua on his way to victory in their WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight title fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on September 25. PA

Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani breaks his bat in the seventh innings against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium in California on September 18. USA TODAY Sports

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker is congratulated by teammates after scoring the winning goal in the Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on May 16. Getty

Competitors dive off the starting block in the men’s 50m freestyle prelims during the US Olympic trials at CHI Health Center Omaha on Nebraska. USA TODAY

Poland's Daria Pikulik, left, and Lina Rojas of Colombia collide during the women's madison final during the UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup in Cali, Colombia, on September 12. AFP

Monster Energy Yamaha Fabio Quartararo during practice for the MotoGP British Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 28. Reuters

England's Bukayo Saka is fouled by Giorgio Chiellini of Italy during the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium on July 11. Getty

Adelaide Crows' Tom Doedee and Nicholas Murray and Max Gawn of the Melbourne Demons during the AFL match at Melbourne Cricket Ground on August 15. Getty

UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar during Stage 18 of the Tour de France on July 15. EPA

A surfer rides a wave at the Praia do Norte in Nazare in Portugal on December 11. AFP

Manchester United supporters protest against the club's owners inside Old Trafford that would force the postponement of the Premier League game against Liverpool on May 2. AFP

Runners and riders after finishing the Dubai Nursery at Newmarket Racecourse in England on October 9. Getty

India captain Virat Kohli plays a shot during Day 1 of the fourth Test match against England at The Oval in London on September 2. AFP

US athlete Sam Kendricks during the men's pole vault at the International Athletics Meeting Anhalt at Paul Greifzu Stadium, Dessau, Germany, on May 21. Reuters

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez lands a punch on Billy Joe Saunders during the Mexican's world title unification bout victory at Arlington's AT&T Stadium on May 9. PA

Australia's Xantheia Pennisi dives from the 21.5 metre platform during the final competition day of the sixth and final stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Polignano a Mare, Italy, on September 26. Getty

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring in the Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on October 24. Getty

Italy's Luigi Samele and Aron Szilagyi of Hungary compete in th men's sabre team semi-final at Makuhari Messe Hall during the Tokyo Olympicss on July 28. Getty

A major crash during the Nascar Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on February 14. AFP

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale makes a save during the Premier League match against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on October 30. Getty

Shattered athletes after the men's decathlon 1500m at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium during the Summer Games on August 5. Getty

Germany's Tobias Mueller falls as Johannes Aujesky of Austria continues in the men's ski cross of Audi FIS Cross World Cup 2022 at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, China, on November 27. Getty

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring in the Premier League match against Arsenal at Old Trafford on December 2. AFP

Competitors take part in the Marathon des Sables desert race between Sud Jebel Irhfelt N'Tissalt and Bou Dib in the southern Moroccan Sahara desert, on October 9. AFP

Britain's Emma Raducanu after beating Leylah Fernandez of Canada in the US Open final at Flushing Meadows, New York, on September 12. PA

Russian swimmer Anastasiia Gontar, left, and Aurelie Rivard of Canada compete during the women's 100m freestyle - S10 heat at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre during the Paralympic Games on August 25. Getty

Lionel Messi is removed from a poster at the Barcelona's Camp Nou on August 10 after it was announced that the Argentine was leaving the Spanish club. Getty

Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina competes during the Rip Curl World Surf League final at Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California, on September 14. AFP

Fireworks during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Japan on July 23. PA

KTM-Tech3 rider Iker Lecuona falls during the second free practice session ahead of the San Marino MotoGP Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit Marco-Simoncelli in Italy on September 17. AFP

England's Jesse Lingard celebrates scoring against Andorra in the World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium, London on September 5. Reuters

Belarus' Iryna Zhuk in action during the women's pole vault at the Diamond League Zurich meeting at Stadion Letzigrund on September 9. Reuters

Red Bull's Max Verstappen after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the F1 world title on December 16. PA

Germany's Andre Greipe during the Stage 2 individual time trial at the UAE Tour at Hudayriyat Island, Abu Dhabi, on February 22. AP

Germany's Christian Diener competes in the men's 100m backstroke final during the Fina Swimming World Cup Berlin on October 3. Getty

Athletes compete in the rain during a women's 400m hurdles semi-final race at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium at the Summer Games in Japan on August 2. Reuters

Chelsea's Pernille Harder celebrates after scoring during the FA Women's League Cup semi-final against West Ham at Kingsmeadow on February 3. PA

Distraught Denmark players look away while their teammate Christian Eriksen receives medical treatment after collapsing during the Euro 2020 match against Finland in Copenhagen on June 12.

Switzerland's Beat Feuz in action during the men's Super G at the FIS Ski World Cup meeting in Val Gardena, Italy, on December 17. Reuters

Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is beaten by West Ham United's Arthur Masuaku mishit strike in the Premier League game at the London Stadium on December 4. Reuters

Argentina's Franco Caimi during during Stage 2 of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on January 4. EPA

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after beating the Italian Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final at the All England Club on July 11. PA

Norway's Jarl Magnus Riiber during a test jump at the FIS Ski Nordic Combined World Cup in Ramsau am Dachstein, Austria, on December 18. AFP

Britain's Charlotte Worthington during the women's cycling BMX freestyle at the Ariake Sports Park during the Tokyo Olympics on July 31. PA

A player pile-up during the Channel One Cup match between Russia and Canada at the CSKA Arena, Moscow, on December 15. Reuters

Runners and riders make their way down the straight during the MansionBet Handicap Hurdle at Huntingdon Racecourse in England on February 25. PA

Fans show their support for Marcus Rashford on July 13 after a mural of the England striker was vandalised in Withington, Manchester, after he missed a penalty in the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy. PA

After the decimated sporting calendar of the previous year due to Covid-19, it was a welcome relief to have a jam-packed fixture list in 2021.

We had two major competitions — in football's Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympic/Paralympic Games — finally take place a year later than planned due to the pandemic.

Italy were crowned champions of Europe after defeating England in a penalty shoot-out at Wembley Stadium in London to round-off an extended tournament to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

The Summer Games took place in Japan under the shadow of a major Covid-19 outbreak in Japan that lead to protests before and during the action at both the Olympic and Paralympic events. Despite the shadow of Covid, the were still plenty of highs, lows and inspirational tales from the action in Tokyo.

The year saw some unforgettable fights in the boxing ring too. Tyson Fury came out on top in the third of his remarkable heavyweight trilogy bouts against Deontay Wilder, while Anthony Joshua lost his WBA, WBO and IBF titles after being outboxed and outclassed by Oleksandr Usyk.

In cycling, the dominance of UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar continued after the Slovenian superstar started the year by winning the UAE Tour, was victorious again in the Tour de France, sealed an Olympic bronze medal and rounded off the campaign by triumphing in the Giro di Lombardia.

On the Formula One racetrack, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton completed one of the most thrilling battles in the sport's history. The title race came down to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale with both drivers level on points after a bitter campaign filled with controversy and crashes.

The decider at Yas Marina Circuit proved no different as Red Bull's Verstappen came out on top againstthe seven-time world champion following chaotic scenes and a last-gasp final lap run-off between the pair.

In the gallery above, we have picked out 52 of the most memorable images from the last 12 months of sporting action.