Ex-Newcastle United midfielder Darren Ambrose believes his former club were the outstanding team of 2022. At the start of the year, the Magpies were glued to the relegation zone and were embarrassed in the FA Cup by Cambridge United.
Within months, Eddie Howe inspired a surge towards mid-table, finishing a comfortable 14 points above the bottom three. That form continued into the new campaign and, by December, the Magpies were flying high in the Champions League places.
Ambrose, signed by Sir Bobby Robson in 2003, scored his first goal for Newcastle in European competition. A header against NAC Breda in the UEFA Cup was the first of six strikes in a black-and-white shirt.
