And so concludes a brilliant summer of football.

There was no shortage of action, with the UEFA Nations League, Women’s World Cup, Copa America, CONCACAF Gold Cup and Africa Cup of Nations all taking place.

Who says domestic football was missed?

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah were all in action. It’s like they never went away.

They all had contrasting levels of fortune, though, with Ronaldo flourishing and Messi and Salah both suffering heartache.

We were treated to a masterful showing by the US Women at the World Cup, while Mexico prevailed in the Gold Cup.

Meanwhile, Brazil won the Copa America for the ninth time in their history. 

Let's look back on a thoroughly enjoyable summer.

5 June - 9 June: UEFA Nations League finals

Portugal, Netherlands, England and Switzerland all gathered in Portugal to compete in the inaugural UEFA Nations League finals.

It was the hosts who were the champions, defeating Netherlands 1-0 in the final.

A Ronaldo hat-trick against Switzerland secured Portugal’s place in the final. The 34-year-old added another international honour to his resume, although there are disputes over how seriously we should actually take the Nations League.

England finished third, beating Switzerland in the third place play-off.

7 June - 7 July: Women’s World Cup

The Women’s World Cup was the biggest edition of the tournament to date.

FIFA has estimated that it drew one billion viewers for the first time. Brazil’s last-16 game against hosts France was the most watched women’s football match of all time with nearly 59 million viewers.

The United States were the eventual winners, sealing a fourth World Cup win with a 2-0 win against Netherlands.

Megan Rapinoe was the most talked about player at the tournament thanks to her spat with President Donald Trump.

But Rapinoe, who was criticised by Piers Morgan during the tournament for apparently being arrogant, ended up with a winner’s medal, the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot. She won’t care what anyone has to say.

14 June - 7 July: Copa America

Poor Lionel Messi.

The Barcelona star’s attempts to win a first international honour with Argentina fell short, with La Albiceleste losing to Brazil in the semi-final.

Brazil, hosts of the tournament, didn’t disappoint their fans despite Neymar’s absence through injury.

They defeated Peru 3-1 in the final to win their ninth Copa America title.

15 June - 7 July: CONCACAF Gold Cup

The 15th edition of the CONCACAF was primarily hosted in the United States, with Costa Rica and Jamaica hosting a few group stage matches.

The US were the defending champions but they were beaten by Mexico 1-0 in the final.

Perhaps they need the women to show them how it’s done.

21 June - 19 July: Africa Cup of Nations

And finally, the Africa Cup of Nations.

Always a fun tournament, the 2019 edition saw Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez go head-to-head in the final.

It was Mahrez who came out on top, his Algeria beating Mane’s Senegal 1-0 in the final.

Hosts Egypt entered the tournament as one of the favourites but not even Salah’s presence could prevent them from losing to South Africa in the round-of-16.

Algeria’s win capped a remarkable season for Mahrez, who won the Premier League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Community Shield with Manchester City.

The former Leicester City star finished the tournament with three goals, including a stunning last-gasp free-kick against Nigeria to seal Algeria’s place in the final.

It was certainly a fun summer.

Now, who’s ready for some domestic action?