Paul Stewart column: My 2018 sporting highlights and predictions for next year

The revival of our national football team under Gareth Southgate has been a long time coming, but some excellent World Cup performances coupled with qualification for the Nations League finals next summer show we are on the right road at last.

Gareth has created a real team spirit amongst a very talented group of players which I’m sure will deliver something special in the next few years.... perhaps Jose Mourinho could take a tip or two from Gareth’s leadership style?

British cycling domination

In Sports Personality of the Year Geraint Thomas we have yet another British winner of the world’s toughest bike race, the Tour de France, showing our domination in world cycling.

Geraint has previously won three World Championships, two Olympic gold medals and became the third British winner of this gruelling event, following Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

The investment which has gone into British cycling over recent years across all disciplines is a clear demonstration that with the correct infrastructure in place great results can be achieved.

An OBE for Jermain Defoe

In late 2017 we all witnessed the sad death of Bradley Lowery, a young Sunderland fan with neuroblastoma – a rare type of cancer.

His smile in the face of such sadness brought the entire football community together and Bradley went on to be the club’s mascot and ‘best mates’ with his hero, striker Jermain Defoe.

Jermain remained by his side the entire time and made some special memories for Bradley and his family before his sad death.

During my time at Spurs I became very close to a young boy who also sadly died of cancer, so I know just how difficult this must have been for Jermain.

But he typified what’s good about football and deserved his OBE, which he dedicated to his young friend. RIP Bradley.

Looking forward to 2019, here are just a few predictions I’m going to make.

Woods to win another major

Golfer Tiger Woods completed one of sport’s most astonishing comebacks in 2018 by returning from a succession of career-threatening injuries to win the Tour Championship.

It was the 14-time major winner’s first victory for five years and came less than 12 months after he was ranked 1,199 in the world following spinal fusion surgery.

2019 will be the year when Tiger defies all the odds and wins his 15th major.

England to win the Cricket World Cup

England will win a home- based Cricket World Cup this year following 11 previous attempts at doing so.

Under Eoin Morgan’s brilliant leadership, our one-day team is probably the strongest we’ve ever fielded in a competition that has been dominated by Australia (four-time winners), and one in which we’ve finished runners- up three times.

Joshua to unify the heavyweight division

Anthony Joshua’s emergence as a sporting superstar will continue with a further two defences of his world heavyweight crown.

In doing so he will unify the division and hold all its recognised belts – the first person to achieve that since Lennox Lewis in

2000.

This young man has the sporting world at his feet and Eddie Hearn has to take so much credit for the way in which his career has been carefully managed to

date.

Have a happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.