4 January 1920 - First Blood In The Battle Of Belgium

On 4 January 1920, Standard Liège claimed the first victory in their rivalry with Anderlecht with a 1-0 Belgian second division win in Brussels. It was the second meeting of the two sides, with the first ending in a 2-2 draw on 19 October 1919 in Liège.

The rivalry is the most popular in Belgium, with the country divided between Les Rouches of Liège and Les Mauves of Anderlecht. Since that first loss, Anderlecht have been the more successful side. Of their 163 meetings, Anderlecht has won 74 and Liège 46, with 43 draws.

The disparity is even more pronounced away from the derby, with Les Mauves winning 33 Belgian First Division titles, 9 Belgian Cups, and 12 Belgian Super Cups. They have also had success in Europe with 2 Cup Winners' Cups, one UEFA Cup, and two European Super Cups.

Liège, meanwhile, have won 10 First Division titles, 6 Belgian Cups, 4 Belgian Super Cups, and one Cup Winners' Cup.

3 January 1995 - In A League Of His Own

On 3 January 1995, reigning CONCACAF Player of the Year Tab Ramos became the first player to sign with Major League Soccer.

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1966, Ramos moved to the United States when he was 11. In 1983, he led his high school team to the New Jersey state championship and was named the Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year. He was drafted by the New York Cosmos in the following year, but chose instead to attend North Carolina State University where he was a four-time All ACC selection and a three-time All American.

After brief spells with the American Soccer League's New Jersey Eagles (1988) and Miami Sharks (1989), Ramos was one of several players to sign contracts with the United States Soccer Federation to play exclusively for the national team in preparation for the 1990 World Cup. After the World Cup, the USSF loaned him to Spanish second division club Figueres.

Ramos played well for Figueres in 1990-91, leading to club to purchase his contract from the USSF. At the end of the following season, however, Figueres transferred him to fellow Second Division side Real Betis. Ramos made 59 apperances for Betis over the next two seasons which ended in promotion to Spain's top flight for the 1994-95 season. Ramos' play for Betis, along with his work for the US national team, won him recognition as the 1994 CONCACAF Player of the Year. Although Ramos remained with Betis through 1994-95, he suffered a skull fracture that kept him sidelined for the entire season.

When Ramos signed with MLS, the new league was not yet ready for play, so it loaned him out to Mexican First Division side Tigres. He returned to the US in 1996 to play for the NY/NJ MetroStars in MLS' inaugural season. He played eight seasons for the MetroStars before retiring at the end of the 2002 season. In 2005, he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame at his first opportunity.

2 January 1971 - Disaster Strikes At Ibrox Again

On 2 January 1971, a stairway at Ibrox Stadium collapsed under the weight of exiting spectators, killing 66 people and injuring over 200 others. It remains the worst disaster in the history of Scottish football and is second in Britain only to England's Hillsborough Stadium tragedy.

The collapse occurred in the waning moments of an Old Firm derby between Rangers and Celtic. The match was a 0-0 draw until the 89th minute, when Celtic's Jimmy Johnstone scored to put the visitors up 0-1. At that point many Rangers supporters began to leave.

It the last moments of stoppage time, Rangers striker Colin Stein equalized, causing a loud roar from the Rangers fans still in attendance. After the match, rumors suggested that the stairway collapse was caused by returning Rangers fans climbing the stairs to get back into the stadium, but a subsequent inquiry concluded that it was caused solely by the pressure of fans exiting the stadium.

In 2001, Rangers officials erected a memorial in honor of the victims. It includes the names of all 66 spectators who lost their lives, as well as a statue of John Greig, who was captaining the Rangers side during that fateful match.

Sadly, it was the second such disaster at Ibrox. The first occurred in 1902 during a Scotland-England international when the West Stand collapsed, killing 25 and injuring 517.

1 January 1973 - Hibs Start The Year By Breaking Hearts

On 1 January 1973, visiting Hibernian defeated Hearts 0-7 in the Edinburgh derby before a crowd of 36,000 at Tynecastle. The scoreline remains the largest margin of victory in the derby and Hearts' record margin of defeat in all competitions.

One of the oldest active rivalries in football, the Edinburgh derby is currently played three or four times a season, depending on whether both sides are in the top half of the SPL table when it splits near the end of the season. It can be played more often, as the the sides also meet occasionally in cup competitions. The mid-season derby is traditionally played on New Year's Day or the following day, though it has moved slightly in recent years to accommodate television schedules.

By New Year's Day 1973, Hibs had enjoyed a dominant run in derby matches, with 4 wins and 5 draws since their last loss on 7 September 1968. Hibs had won 2-0 in the first derby of the season, played on 9 September, and were sitting in second in the table at the start of the match, two points behind Celtic. Meanwhile, the Jambos were four points back in seventh place.

The match itself was entirely one-sided, as Hibs forward Jimmy O'Rourke scored in the 9th minute to start the rout. By the break, Hibs were up 5-0 after goals from Alan Gordon (15'), Arthur Duncan (26', 37'), and Alex Cropley (35'). O'Rourke and Gordon both scored again in the second half to complete the thrashing.

The win sent Hibs to the top of the table, but they finished the year in third, behind Celtic and Rangers. It nonetheless remains a favorite match of Hibernian supporters, who refer to it as the Greatest Match of All Time.

31 December 1973 - Cruyff Returns To The Top

On 31 December 1973, Dutch international Johan Cruyff won the European footballer of the year award, the Ballon d'Or. It was the second time for Cruyff, who first won the award in 1971.

He began the calendar year in the middle of his ninth season with Ajax and led them to a treble consisting of the 1973 European Super Cup, their sixth Eredivisie title, and their third consecutive European Cup. Then, in the summer of 1973, he moved to Barcelona.

Internationally, Cruyff's Netherlands team had qualified for the 1974 World Cup, edging Belgium out at the top of the group on goal differential.

The award catapulted Cruyff into another successsful year in 1974, with Barcelona winning their first La Liga title in 14 seasons and the Dutch advancing to the World Cup Final, eliminating Brazil, East Germany, and Argentina along the way. Although the Oranje lost to West Germany in the Final, Cruyff was named Player of the Tournament and went on the win his third Ballon d'Or, the first player in history to win the award three times.

30 December 1972 - There's A Doc In The House

On 30 December 1972, Manchester United appointed Scotland boss Tommy Docherty as the club's new manager. Always a controversial figure, Docherty's tenure was tumultuous, involving relegation, promotion, and an affair with the wife of United's physiotherapist.

The former Scottish international had started his managerial career as a player-manager for Chelsea in 1961 and moved to a number of different clubs, including Rotherham United (1967-68), Queens Park Rangers (1968), Aston Villa (1968-70) and FC Porto (1970-71) before taking the Scotland job in 1971.

When Old Trafford came calling in 1972, Docherty took charge of a United side that was slipping down the Division One table and sitting in 17th place after a 1-3 Boxing Day loss away to Derby County. Although his first match in charge was a 1-3 loss to Arsenal at Highbury, Docherty successfully kept the club above the relegation zone, finishing the season in 18th position.

He was less fortunate the next season. Following the retirement of Bobby Charlton, the transfer of Denis Law, and the implosion of George Best, United were relegated to Division Two for the 1974-75 season, but returned to the top flight at the first opportunity.

After winning the FA Cup in 1977, news broke that summer that Docherty was having an affair with Mary Brown, wife of club physiotherapist Laurie Brown, and he was sacked in July. He and Mary eventually wed and had two children. After spells with a number of clubs, he retired in 1988.

29 December 2007 - The Death of Phil O'Donnell

On 29 December 2007, 35-year old Motherwell midfielder and captain Phil O'Donnell collapsed during the second half of a Scottish Premier League match against Dundee United. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The cause was later determined to be left ventricular failure.

O'Donnell had started his professional career with Motherwell in 1990 and claimed a Scottish Cup winner's medal in his first season. He continued to impress, winning the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year Award in 1992 and 1994. In 1994, he transferred to Celtic for a fee of £1.75 million, which remains the highest fee ever earned by a Motherwell player.

He earned another Scottish Cup medal and won a league title with Celtic, but his time in Glasgow was plagued by injuries and he left the club in 1999. After an uneventful time at Sheffield Wednesday, where he made only 20 appearances in four seasons, he returned to Motherwell in 2004.

Motherwell were enjoying a successful season in 2007-08. Going into the match on 29 December, they were sitting third in the table, which is where they would finish the season.

O'Donnell was just about to be substituted before he collapsed. His nephew, David Clarkson, was also playing for Motherwell that day and had to be substituted himself after seeing his uncle taken away in an ambulance.

After O'Donnell's death, supporters around the world paid tribute, some by leaving mementos, including scarves and shirts, at Motherwell's Fir Park ground.