JAMIE CARRAGHER: So another year is almost over and, as this is my final column, I wanted to look back at the past 12 months and recognise those individuals who, in their own unique way, have left a lasting impression on me. I'll remember 2015 as being the year the Barclays Premier League recaptured its unpredictability and drama and I don't think anyone could disagree we watch the most exciting football in the world - what would we do without it?! Best wishes to all for the New Year.

DOMINIC KING: For a split-second it seems as if Romelu Lukaku is kidding. Sitting in the library at Everton's Finch Farm training base, the subject of his vast improvement in 2015 has arisen and he has been asked to divulge his secret. His answer, initially, sounds surreal. 'It was just me in the summer, playing the ball against a wall,' says Lukaku, his giant frame draped over a two-seat couch. So no extra one-to-one coaching? No hours spent with a laptop studying clips of his own performances and others of the best strikers in the game? Just a ball and a wall?

MATT LAWTON: The longest-serving player at Liverpool has witnessed a fair amount of upheaval in almost nine years with the club. Managers have come and gone. Players have come and gone. At one stage earlier this year he very nearly left himself. But Lucas Leiva says certain things have remained the same, even if one particular example only highlights the fact that change is not always for the better. Lucas says the departure of Steven Gerrard, and Jamie Carragher before that, has left a huge void inside the Liverpool dressing room. 

DEREK LAWRENSON: Given his wealth and the circles he moves in, you might have thought it impossible for Rory McIlroy to enjoy a Christmas present this year with childlike wonder. But you would be wrong. The gift of perfect vision is something he has wanted since the age of 18 and, having finally had his eyes zapped earlier this month, he has been blown away by the results. 'Look at the small writing on that plug,' said the 26-year-old, staring at the socket about 20ft away. 'I can even read that!'

ADAM CRAFTON - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: It is perhaps an indication of quite how comfortable Bojan Krkic feels at Stoke City that he is readying his Cheshire home for the New Year arrival of his uncles, aunties and young cousins. Bojan's parents will on be the terraces at the Britannia on Boxing Day as Stoke City host a beleaguered Manchester United. They will quickly learn that their son has become a cult hero in the Potteries...

PAUL NEWMAN IN DURBAN: It was all going so well. England were looking so good in a proper warm-up match in Pietermaritzburg that comparisons were even being made with the super smooth build up to their winning Ashes winter under Andrew Strauss. Then a spanner was quickly thrown into the works. Just when it felt that England just might be able to knock the world's best team, looking unusually vulnerable after heavy defeat in India, off their lofty perch, injury struck Jimmy Anderson and reality came calling again.

Sir Ian Botham has just completed his 16th charity walk in 30 years - an epic 110-mile adventure across the 'Rainbow Nation' that is South Africa. The England cricket icon was raising funds for four local charities and walked in eight stages in six different cities before concluding the walk with a safari. Sportsmail's ADAM SHERGOLD accompanied Beefy and his team every step of the way. Read our diary and watch the video here

It may well be the festive season but when you're in the hunt for the Premier League title, there's still plenty of hard work to be done. Despite having to train on Christmas Day, Arsenal's players were still in a cheerful mood as they prepared for their Boxing Day trip to Southampton. And with good reason - following an excellent opening half to the campaign, Arsene Wenger's side are just two points off the summit and installed as title favourites.

INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS FOY: It was both Kevin Sinfield's parting gift to rugby league and the game's farewell present to a favourite son - second place in the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year poll, ahead of various champions and icons. The 35-year-old flew to Belfast after helping Yorkshire Carnegie win their Championship clash at London Scottish last Saturday and the following day he wound up clutching a trophy on stage and being feted by the great and the good in attendance. Having crossed codes last month, for a final career challenge, he reverted to being a Rhino to claim yet another coveted prize.

Jose Mourinho has been sacked but the commitment of Chelsea's players is in question. Why do managers find it so easy to lose that dressing room? Get set for another lively DEBATE.

Christmas is a special time for the world of sport. Some of the most iconic moments in history have taken place on a freezing cold day with temperatures plummeting and the snow falling. From the traditional day of Premier League football on Boxing Day, to the winter tours of Australia for England's cricket team it all happens in December.  Here, Sportsmail brings you some of the best pictures through the years of festive sport.  

PAUL NEWMAN: Dale Steyn has admitted South Africa are in need of 'coaching and guidance' as they prepare to face England on Boxing Day following their recent meltdown in India. Home advantage means the South Africans - who remain No 1 in the Test rankings despite their traumatic 3-0 defeat by the Indians - will begin the four-match series against Alastair Cook's side as favourites. But the manner of that loss, in which they went down by 108 runs in Mohali, 124 in Nagpur and a whopping 337 in Delhi, has shaken the dressing-room to the extent that Steyn - the world's greatest fast bowler - has challenged his team-mates to get their heads right.

From Ashes glory to an eventful Rugby World Cup on home soil, it has certainly been a memorable year for sport. But how much of the sporting year can you remember? James Restall has 60 questions to test your memory - with 80 points up for grabs. The answers are at the bottom of the page...