Zidane's comeback, City's dominance and a car in space - how the world has changed since Spurs last made a signing

Tottenham have made their first signing in 18 months, bringing in Jack Clarke, but what has happened since January 31, 2018?

Lucas Moura was the last player to sign for Tottenham

The wait for Tottenham is over – they have finally signed a player!

After what felt like an eternity since their last new arrival, Mauricio Pochettino's side have signed teenage winger Jack Clarke from Leeds United - and there could be more to follow in this transfer window.

The previous time Tottenham added a new face to the squad was on January 31, 2018, when Lucas Moura arrived from Paris Saint-Germain.

Plenty has happened in the period since the Brazilian landed in north London. We take a look at how the world has changed in the past 18 months.

MADRID'S MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND

Five days after winning a third successive Champions League, Zinedine Zidane announced his departure from Real Madrid. But his replacement - Julen Lopetegui - did not last long, and was sacked in November.

Santiago Solari took over, but he too found himself out of the role within a matter of months, and on March 11, Zidane returned for his second spell in charge of Los Blancos.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, left Madrid for good, going on to star as Juventus cruised to another Serie A title - in total, the Portuguese star has scored 55 goals for club and country since January 31, 2018, while Lionel Messi has netted an astonishing 72.

CITY'S DOMESTIC DOMINANCE AND FOOTBALL (ALMOST) COMES HOME

By the end of January 2018, Pep Guardiola had yet to win anything at Manchester City. Since then, however, the Spaniard has lifted the Premier League twice, the EFL Cup in successive seasons and also the FA Cup, completing a domestic treble at Wembley in May.

Meanwhile, Liverpool, who ran City close in the Premier League last term, have made it to two Champions League finals, losing in 2018 to Real Madrid before beating Spurs 2-0 this year in an all-English showdown in Madrid.

While English sides have enjoyed success in Europe, England have also undergone a rejuvenation under Gareth Southgate, reaching the semi-finals of a World Cup before also enjoying further success in the Nations League.

TRANSFER RECORDS TUMBLE

While Liverpool had already brought in Virgil van Dijk for a record fee for a defender by the time Lucas signed for Tottenham, the Reds then smashed the previous amount paid for a goalkeeper when they drafted in Alisson from Roma for a reported £56million.

The record did not last long, with Chelsea paying £72m for Kepa Arrizabalaga a few weeks later.

Overall, the rest of the Premier League's so called 'big six' have spent over £600m on new players since Spurs' previous signing.

PREMIER LEAGUE LEGENDS HEAD INTO MANAGEMENT

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard both took their first senior management roles in 2018, taking charge of Rangers and Derby County respectively.

Lampard's efforts with the Rams look set to have landed him the Chelsea job after Maurizio Sarri's one-season stay, with the Blues in talks to bring their former player and record scorer back to Stamford Bridge.

Paul Scholes also took charge at Oldham Athletic, but quit after just 31 days. Thierry Henry tried to arrest an alarming Monaco slump, yet his reign was short and not so sweet, the Frenchman spending 104 days in charge of the Ligue 1 club.

BOLT'S FORAY INTO FOOTBALL, ZION GRADUATES AND AUSTRALIAN DUO BANNED

Usain Bolt finally started his football career - at the age of 32 - when he joined A-League side Central Coast Mariners in August, scoring two goals on his first start for the club in October, before retiring from sport in January.

In the NBA, Zion Williamson became basketball's next star, graduating from high school and, following a dominant freshman-year stint with the Duke Blue Devils, he was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans first overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Steve Smith and David Warner both received 12-month bans for their participation in the ball-tampering scandal that rocked Australian cricket. The duo have since returned to action, taking part in the Cricket World Cup on English soil.

Rafael Nadal has won two French Open titles while Tiger Woods returned to the pinnacle of golf with his victory at the Masters.

IN THE NEWS

The political landscape in Britain remains uncertain, with Theresa May, amid ongoing furore over failed Brexit negotiations, announcing her resignation as Prime Minister.

Donald Trump has sent in excess of 3,000 tweets, while North and South Korea came together in an historical summit in September.

And finally, Elon Musk's SpaceX programme managed to launch a Tesla Roadster into space, complete with a mannequin in a spacesuit. Well, why not?