10 most read sport stories in 2015: From Left Shark at Super Bowl 49 to Sonny Bill Williams at the Rugby World Cup

A look back at the year in sport by what the Independent readers viewed the most

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is unbeaten in 48 professional fights (Getty)

The past 12 months have seen many highs and some shocking lows in the world of sport, with the likes of Great Britain’s Davis Cup triumph and the greatest Six Nations finale ever seen contrasted by the shocking scale of doping in Russian athletics and the widespread corruption engulfing Fifa and world football.

To sum up the year into one short article would be impossible given all that has happened since 1 January 2014, so instead we look back at the year through the eyes of what you, the Independent readers, decided to view most often.

Below is the Independent’s top 10 sport stories from 2015, and it’s filled with surprise and unexpected inclusions, with some big stories from the year missing out.

Click the link next to each one to revisit the story and reflect on the past 12 months as we head into the new year.

10. Gonzalo Jara given Copa America ban for inserting his finger into Edinson Cavani’s anus

The most talked about event from the Copa America quarter-finals was not Uruguay’s surprise exit at the hands of Chile, but rather the unwelcome personal invasion by Chile defender Gonzalo Jara on Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani. The Paris Saint-Germain forward was sent-off for slapping Jara in the face, but it quickly emerged that he had been provoked in the most bizarre fashion, with the former West Bromwich Albion defender caught by TV cameras trying to insert his finger into Cavani’s anus…as you do.

9. Sonny Bill Williams gives his Rugby World Cup medal to young fan after security guard tackles him

It was the heart-melting feel-good story of the Rugby World Cup final, where New Zealand retained their title won four years ago by defeating fierce rivals Australia at Twickenham to cap six weeks of remarkable rugby union. When a young boy attempted to run onto the field to celebrate with the All Blacks as they mounted a victory lap, one over-eager steward suddenly thought he was Sonny Bill and took the 14-year-old down. Luckily, the real Sonny Bill was on hand to pick him up, dust him down and give him a hug, along with an incredibly kind gift of his Rugby World Cup winners’ medal. After all, it was Sonny Bill’s second.

8. This crazy skiing video will leave you feeling queasy

No one for the squeamish, but Candide Thovex's five-minute video from the Val Blanc resort in France is truly incredible viewing. Even after watching it, Thovex’s talents are hard to comprehend having just successfully taken on an incredible run down the mountain, dodging between rocks and trees and throwing in the odd somersault for good measure, all captured on his GoPro camera. With the ski season just getting into the swing of things, it’s worth watching this video as a reminder of what not to attempt when you hit the slopes.

7. Jack Collison: The story of one footballer’s broken Premier League dreams

From the incredibly stunning to the incredibly heart-breaking. The former West Ham defender penned a personal story for the Independent on Sunday to detail how his Premier League dreams were dashed before his very eyes, just like thousands of footballers before him. Now plying his trade with League One side Peterborough along with his studies in journalism, 27-year-old Collison reveals his story of how the beautiful game gave him so much and yet managed to take it all away at the same time. A must-read for any football fan eager to see the hidden side of the Premier League.

6. Pawel Fajdek pays taxi fare with his world athletics championship gold medal

To a bizarre story that emerged during the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, following Polish athlete Pawel Fajdek’s success in the hammer. The Pole went out after his victory to celebrate with friends, but it was claimed the following day that he had taken a taxi home from a bar where he had been indulging in alcoholic drinks and ended up paying for it with his prize-possession. Fajdek would later give his version of events, in which he claimed the medal was lost in the taxi with the driver refusing to give it back, forcing the hammer champion to call the police. Confusion remains, but the hilarity of the whole story is there in equal measure.

5. WWE heel Triple H breaks character during Raw to console young boy crying at ringside

“It’s not a sport!” proclaimed the replies, but there are view that would state the same in front of WWE hard man Triple H should they meet The Game face-to-face. That’s why it was all the more surprising when the on-screen villain broke out of character during a live show to attend to a young boy in the crowd who was crying after seeing Triple H launch one of his famous ultra-aggressive attacks on John Cena. While WWE remains a constant talking point of where it stands in the sporting environment, Triple H’s caring side has to be applauded.

4. Steven Gerrard set for amazing return to Liverpool

The Independent broke the story that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard was heading back to Anfield to join Jurgen Klopps Red revolution. Having left the club in the summer when Brendan Rodgers was in charge in order to join MLS side LA Galaxy, it was revealed that Gerrard had held talks with Klopp about returning to the club to train in a bid to keep fit during the MLS off-season, as well as offer his two pence on the training field and any guidance that the current squad needed. Two weeks later, Gerrard confirmed his return to Merseyside.

3. Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao – Everything you need to know

It was billed as the fight of the century, the battle for greatness, and boxing fans went berserk for the welterweight showdown between two of the greatest boxers ever seen, lapping up any story surrounding the Las Vegas encounter. So it’s no surprise to see our full explainer for the bout breaking into the top three, and given the disappointing 12 rounds that played out between the two, also explains why fans were clearly disgruntled afterwards with what had played out. Rematch? Don’t count on it.

2. Arsenal fan asks the Queen for tickets to the FA Cup final – and gets a response

There was a time when Arsenal used to dominate English football under Arsene Wenger, but those days were well and truly gone by the time the 2014 FA Cup final came about. So a trip to Wembley, albeit the Gunners’ second final in the space of two seasons, was not to be missed, yet one fan was unable to get his hands on tickets for the match against Aston Villa – so he asked the Queen. Hilariously, he got a response from Buckingham Palace, although it wasn’t the answer he was hoping for.

1. Left shark steals the Super Bowl as Katy Perry is upstaged by her support dancer

To number one, and of course, to the Super Bowl. But it wasn’t the story of the New England Patriots defeating Seattle Seahawks, nor the deflategate storm that raged afterwards involving quarter-back Tom Brady. It was to be Katy Perry’s half-time show, and in particular her out-of-time back-up dancer that was strangely dressed up as a shark. Twitter went crazy at his shambolic performance, but with Coldplay announced as the half-time ‘entertainment’ for Super Bowl 50, don’t expect the same to happen in 2016.