The sports stars set to take 2025 by storm

As we reach the end of 2024 and reflect on another wonderful year of sport, it’s time to start thinking about next year. There are so many incredible events to look forward to, including the Women’s Euros, the Ashes and the Six Nations.

Ahead of an exciting 12 months of sport, we’ve highlighted eight stars that we think could enjoy success in 2025.

Cole Palmer

There were more than a few raised eyebrows when Chelsea splashed out more than £40 million on Palmer last summer. Nobody could have predicted how quickly he’d take to life at Stamford Bridge but he enjoyed a remarkable debut season, scoring 25 goals in all competitions.

He also scored England’s equaliser in the Euro 2024 final before continuing where he left off for Chelsea, bagging 11 so far this term. And if Palmer continues on this trajectory, we could be talking about a Premier League winner come May.

Chelsea have dismissed all talk of being in a title race but they’re flying under Enzo Maresca and with their rivals routinely dropping points, they could well be challengers at the end of the season. If that were to happen, Palmer would have had a huge part to play, which would only strengthen his claims of being a key player for England once new boss Thomas Tuchel takes charge.

Lauren Hemp

England are set to defend their Euros crown next summer – the Lionesses won the competition for the first time back in 2022, beating Germany in the final. Sarina Wiegman takes her side to Switzerland and she’ll be hoping Lauren Hemp is fit and firing by then.

The Manchester City star has scored twice this season and provided five assists. But she’s set for a short spell on the sidelines following recent knee surgery. Hemp was a key part of the 2022 squad and she scored three times as England reached the World Cup final last summer.

The 24-year-old is a crucial part of the side and if England are to continue their recent trend of reaching the latter stages of international competitions, they’ll need Hemp to repeat her previous heroics.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso

Those in charge of England’s rugby side experimented with the squad during the recent Autumn Nations Series, giving plenty of opportunities to younger players with less experience.

One beneficiary of that was Feyi-Waboso, who has taken to international rugby like a duck to water since making his debut back in February. After choosing to represent England over Wales, the Exeter Chiefs wing has already scored five tries in his 10 appearances.

His most recent three tries all came in separate defeats to New Zealand, proving he can compete with the best sides in the world. And he’ll undoubtedly be part of the squad as England look ahead to the Six Nations – they’ll be hoping to win the competition for the first time since 2020.

Harry Brook

Since making his international debut two years ago, Brook has established himself as a key cog in the England batting machine – and he’ll be crucial as Brendon McCullum takes his side to Australia for the Ashes next winter.

Brook became the first England player in 34 years to hit a triple century as he scored an astonishing 317 against Pakistan back in October. And he recently overtook teammate Joe Root to become the number one Test batter in the world rankings.

He has 2,281 runs in just 24 matches and he was the fastest England player to reach 1,000 in terms of balls faced. If the 25-year-old continues at that rate, he’s set for a huge 2025, which can only be good news for the national side.

Jack Draper

Following Andy Murray’s emotional farewell to tennis earlier this year, Britain needs a new tennis star to adore. Fortunately, Jack Draper could be that man.

Having crashed out in the second round of Wimbledon, Draper shocked the tennis world as he remarkably stormed to the semi-finals of the US Open. He became the first British male player to reach the final four in 12 years.

Ultimately, he lost in straight sets to eventual champion Jannik Sinner but he more than proved his pedigree across the tournament in New York. Whether it was a fluke or a sign of things to come remains to be seen. Draper will be determined to prove it was the latter in 2025, starting at the Australian Open in January.

Emma Raducanu

Raducanu burst onto the tennis scene three years ago when she incredibly won the US Open aged just 18. Since then, her career has sadly been blighted by injuries and she has failed to progress past the fourth round in any subsequent Grand Slam.

However, after battling through issues both on and off the court, Raducanu seems to finally be on the way back up. She’s worked her way up to number 57 in the world rankings and has recruited Yutaka Nakamura to her team, a fitness coach that has previously worked with Maria Sharapova.

And if she can put her injury issues behind her, 2025 could be the year that she finally fulfils her potential. Still aged just 22, she’s got her best years ahead of her and she’ll be looking to win her second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open next month.

Josh Allen

Following a phenomenal few months in the NFL, Allen has raced ahead as the clear favourite to be named this season’s MVP. The Buffalo Bills quarterback has provided 15 touchdowns in his last four games, with six of those coming in one game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Allen was imperious as the Bills ended the Detroit Lions’ 11-game winning streak last weekend and he’s been a key part of his side winning eight of their last nine games. They’re currently top of the AFC East and they’re the bookies’ favourites to win their first ever Super Bowl.

They famously lost four consecutive finals, with the most recent coming in 1994, and if Allen can secure their maiden title 31 years later then he’ll go down as one of their greatest ever players.

Lando Norris

Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive Formula One title earlier this month but unlike in previous years, he didn’t race away with it.

He ultimately won by 63 points but British driver Norris wasn’t far behind. And if this year is anything to go by, the McLaren star is more than capable of challenging for the title in 2025.

Norris won four races, coming out on top in Miami, the Netherlands, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. He also secured 13 podiums in his best season yet since making his debut back in 2019.

Aged just 25, he’ll no doubt learn from the experience and will improve next year – but he’ll be wary that Verstappen will also be looking to put the mistakes that made the title race so close behind him.?

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