The year (2013) is filled with memorable events that will continue to linger in the minds of millions of sport lovers around the world. It was a year mixed with heart-stopping sensational highs and tragic lows.
2013 in sports had an overwhelming number of fascinating moments. Here is a roll back of the most mystifying, epic and fascinating sports memories of 2013 that left us breathe taken with moments of resounding success, disappointment and pains.

Team Nigeria

In February, 2013, the Super Eagles of Nigeria, against all odds, won the Africa Nation's Cup held in South Africa. The Eagles broke a 19year jinx of not lifting the prestigious trophy.

It is highly impossible for one to forget the great performance and achievement of the Golden Eaglets.

The Golden Eaglet on November 8, won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup held in United Arab Emirates with a commending performance, and for a record, forth time, making Nigeria the first country to lift the trophy four times. It should be recalled that the home base Super Eagles also qualified the nation for the Championship Africa Nation's Cup (CHAN) which was staged in South Africa early 2014, and the qualification of the Super Eagles to Brazil 2014 World Cup, for the fifth times, is another exciting moment in 2013.

Sir Alex Freguson retires after 26 years

Manchester United sent Sir Alex Ferguson out a winner. United's record-setting manager stepped down in May after an unparalleled 26-season run just days after the Red Devils' 13th Premier League title in 21 seasons. Just how good was Ferguson? The 71-year-old is the most successful manager in British soccer history, winning 38 trophies including the Champions League twice at United and an unprecedented 49 overall.

When Sir Alex started his coaching career, Ryan Giggs was six months old. When he ended his career, Giggs was still an important member of a Manchester United squad that took home a record 13th Premier League title.
Alex Ferguson was replaced by Everton's David Moyes, and the Red Devils have been struggling in his first season in charge.

'Blade runner' Oscar Pistorius charged with murder

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius emerged as a household name at the 2012 London Games, becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. But the Blade Runner's story turned tragic in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013. In a case that has gripped the world, Pistorius was indicted for premeditated murder in August 2013. His alleged murder trial began in March, nearly a year after the shooting to death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius, who overcame his disability to become a South African hero and global phenomenon, faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted. However he denies committing murder, saying he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder.

Luis Suarez bites Branislav Ivanovic

At times, Luis Suarez looks like the world's best soccer player. He also can be its most reviled. But even for a player with a history of shameful transgressions, this was a new low. Doing his best Mike Tyson impersonation, the Liverpool striker bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic on the arm in April 2013. Suarez earned a 10-match ban for the chomp, which amazingly was his second suspension for a biting incident. He earned the nickname "Cannibal of Ajax" and a seven-match ban in 2010 for a similar offense in the Dutch league.

Since his return, there has been nobody better. Suarez leads the Premier League with the highest goals despite missing the season's first six games.
He is, in footballing circles, a monster. And yet his incredible talent has Liverpool fans adoring him, echoing his name throughout the corridors of Anfield. He is just that spectacular.

Bayern Munich takes over the world

Bayern Munich officially became soccer's most dominant club in 2012-13. The superpower completed the first treble in German history: It won the Bundesliga (outpacing second-place Dortmund by a staggering 25 points and outscoring its opponents 98-18), rolled through the Champions League (whipping Barcelona by a 7-0 aggregate score in the semifinals before beating Dortmund again 2-1 in a top-notch final on an 89th-minute goal from Arjen Robben) and defeated Stuttgart in the German Cup final. The Bavarians also became the first team to win 10 Champions League matches in a row, a streak snapped by Manchester City on Dec. 10.

Murray ends Britain's Wimbledon drought
Great Britain's 77-year wait for a men's Wimbledon champion ended in grand style in 2013. Andy Murray, one year after falling agonizingly short in a final loss to Roger Federer, beat No. 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets to capture his second major title and become the first British man to win at the All England Club since Fred Perry in 1936. With the weight of an anxious United Kingdom on his shoulders, Murray admitted that he was crippled by nerves all the way up to the tournament's final point. "That last game will be the toughest game I'll play in my career. Ever," said Murray, who is Scottish. "Winning Wimbledon; I still can't believe it, can't get my head around that."

Brazil, Neymar make a statement

Yes, it was just the Confederations Cup. But Brazil's victory over Spain was significant nonetheless; it sent a powerful statement heading into the 2014 World Cup. Brazil brought the world champions' three-year record run of 29 unbeaten competitive matches to a humbling halt with a convincing 3-0 rout in the final. The tournament was a showcase for rising Brazilian striker Neymar, who scored four goals in the competition, highlighted by his thumping left-footed finish in the final and a similarly stunning strike just three minutes into the tournament opener against Japan.

Serena William's season of victory

She won 11 titles, two Grand Slams and a WTA single-season record $12.4 million in 2013. But the most impressive number of Serena Williams' season was 31. At an age when even many of tennis' legends failed to make much of an impact, Serena (who turned 32 in late September) was arguably at her best. She finished 78-4 and became the oldest woman to hold the No. 1 ranking. Even her feuds were memorable in 2013. Williams clashed with 20-year-old American sensation Sloane Stephens, a rivalry that was ignited after Stephens' upset victory in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The feud re-entered the spotlight at the U.S. Open, where Williams exacted revenge with a 6-4, 6-1 fourth-round victory.

Lance Armstrong

Armstrong lied, lied about cheating, probably cheated about lying and did everything a liar and a cheater could possibly do in the realm of cheating and lying, making him one of the biggest liars and cheaters in the history of professional sports.

Armstrong is hated around the world, pilloried in America after his January admission to Oprah Winfrey that he cheated and lied his way to fame and fortune on a bicycle.
Armstrong duped so many people including respected journalists and other athletes and celebrities into believing his lies that he may have started to believe many of them were actually true himself.

They weren't true, and he finally admitted that in 2013, after he was out of legal options and public favor.

He ruined people's lives, destroyed any credibility in his sport and tarnished a legacy for his family and himself. He is the worst kind of cheater and liar, and yet, Armstrong has helped raise more money for cancer research than any one person could ever hope to raise in a thousand lifetimes.

100 Years of U.S. Soccer

Let's end this week's Sport Mania Session on a more positive note. 2013 marked the 100th season of the United States Soccer Federation. Did you know soccer was around in America for that long, because it sure as heck feels like the sport began in 1990.

From a world-class standpoint, it did. From 1950 to 1990, nothing really happened at all, but for the last two decades, soccer in the United States has grown by leaps and bounds.

2013 was one of the best years in the long history of the game in America. The United States not only qualified for the 2014 World Cup, but they did it while defeating Mexico, 2-0, in one of the most fantastic (and memorable) moments in quite some time.

And it wasn't just the men's side that provided memories in 2013, as Abby Wambach passed Mia Hamm this in June2013 to become the all-time leading goal scorer in women's international soccer.

It was a good year for U.S. soccer. Americans hope 2014 is even better.