RONALDINHO

By admin | Published: August 17, 2008

Personal Information

Name: Ronaldo de Assís Moreira

Famous as: Ronaldinho

Date of Birth: 21 st March, 1980

Hometown: Porto Alegre, Brazil

Height: 5′ 11″

Nationality: Brazilian

Current Club: FC Barcelona

Playing Position: Attacking Midfielder

Life before Professional Football

Ronaldihno was born in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. His elder brother was a significant part of football. He used to play for Gremio, who gifted a house to him for staying at the club. Roberto could not move on with his career having faced serious injuries and now it was time for Ronaldinho to move forward. Ronaldinho started taking interest in the game and was a regular participant in beach football. It was here that his great skills were blossomed and unveiled. When he was just 13 years of age, he scored 23 goals in a match against a local team. This gave him his first appearance on Television Media. This was the beginning of the great career of Ronaldinho.

International Career

Ronaldinho stepped in the International arena on 7th March, 1995, representing Brazil against Scotland in an under 15 competition.

The next big stage where Ronaldinho took part was the Copa America 1999.He scored his first goal for the Brazilian side against Venezuela. Brazil won the Copa America 1999 tournament.

Ronaldinho was both top player and top scorer in the 1999 Fifa Federations Cup. His abilities as a world class player were visible to all. In this Cup, he also scored a hat-trick against Saudi Arabia. Brazil were runners-up in this tournament, losing to Mexico in the final.

Ronaldinho appeared in his first World Cup of 2002, where he framed his name along with the two famous “Rs” of Brazil, Ronaldo and Rivaldo. He scored two goals in the World Cup, a famous one against England in the Quarter-finals. He featured in the starting line-up of Brazil in the final against Germany. Brazil were crowned champions in the 2002 World Cup Final.

The next big stage was the 2005 Confederations Cup, where he again showed his magic with his feet. He was named the captain of the team for this tournament and lead the team confidently and came out victorious. He was the Man of the Match in the Final against Argentina.

Ronaldinho appeared in his Second World Cup in 2006 in Greece. This was a gloomy period in the career of great dribbler. He showed poor performances in the first five games of the tournament. And then in the Quarter-finals, when France defeated Brazil 1-0, he failed to make an impression and couldn’t make up to the fans expectations.

Club Career

Ronaldinho started his Club Career representing club Germio in the 1998 Libertadores Cup. His great abilities of ball controlling and dribbling were soon blossomed. He earned a great name for himself and joined the International team in 1999. Great English clubs liike Arsenal, were in vain in signing up the great Brazilian.

In 2001, Ronaldinho went to play European Football. He signed up for PSG (Paris Saint Germain). After the 2002 Fifa World Cup, Ronaldinho decided to quit PSG. This created great interest in famous leagues like Manchester United and FC Barcelona, who were willing to sign him up. FC Barcelona won the race with Manchester United and Ronaldinho signed up for it in 2003.

Ronaldinho’s career in the Spanish League was full of stars and butterflies. His signing of the Barcelona team was according to the footsteps of the great Brazilian players like Romario, Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

The 2003-04 Season with Barcelona was a sparkling one. The starter against AC Milan was a great one for Ronaldinho where he scored a great goal to make the victory margin to 2-0. He took Barcelona to the Second Spot at the end of the La Liga 2003/2004 Season.

The 2005-06 Season again was a good one as proclaimed by Ronaldinho standards. He won many awards in this Season and scored many significant goals. They were crowned the La Liga Champions in 2005-06 when they won against Celta Vigo.

Barcelona became European Champions in 2006 defeating arch rivals Arsenal. Ronaldinho finished the season with 26 goals.

Career Highlights:

Club

* Rio Grande do Sul State Championship: 1999
* Spanish Liga: 2005, 2006
* Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006
* UEFA Champions League: 2006
* FIFA Club World Cup 2006: Runners-up

International

* FIFA U-17 World Cup: 1997
* Copa America: 1999
* FIFA World Cup: 2002
* Confederations Cup: 2005

Individual

* Pelé named Ronaldinho in his 125 Top Living Footballers in March 2004.
* FIFA World Player of the Year: 2004, 2005
* World Soccer Player of the Year: 2004, 2005
* European Footballer of the Year: 2005
* FIFPro World Player of the Year 2005, 2006
* FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006
* Onze d’Or: 2005
* UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005-06
* FIFA All-Star team: 2002
* FIFA World Club Cup Bronze Ball Award: 2006

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Cristiano Ronaldo

By admin | Published: June 6, 2008

Personal Information

Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Date of Birth: 5 th February, 1985

Hometown: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Height: 6′ 1″

Nationality: Portuguese

Current Club: Manchester United

Playing Position: Right Wing / Left Wing

Life before Professional Football

Christiano Ronaldo, the rising star of football, was born on 5 th February, 1985 to the Aveiro family. Ronaldo was a fan of football from a very early time of his life. He started kicking the ball when he was three. He started his schooling at age six, and his passion and love for the game was inevitable. By the time he was ten, he had gained enough reputation and the top two teams of Portugal, CS Marimo and Cd Nacional were both ready to accept him as a member. He joined a club named Sporting Clube de Portugal and played against Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. He impressed many with his ability to play on the wings and Alex Ferguson decided to sign him up for the League.

International Career

C Ronaldo played for the first time for the National side in August 2003 against Kazakhstan, scoring the only goal for Portugal and ending up on the losing side.

The Euro 2004, was the first ever tournament that Ronaldo took part in representing his National Team. He scored a goal in the opening match against Greece and then later scored one against the Netherlands in the Semifinals. Portugal moved on to the final thanks to the goal of Cristiano Ronaldo. They ended up as runners up to Greece.

Fifa World Cup 2006 was another highlight of Ronaldo’s career. He scored his first World Cup goal against Iran. He was named the captain of the International Side for the friendly match against Brazil on February 6 th , 2007. In the World Cup, Portugal reached the semi-final stage but lost to France.
Club Career

Ronaldo’s club career started for Sporting Clube de Portugal. He made his debut for Sporting against Moreirense, where he scored two goals. He then featured in the under 17 UEFA Championship.

Impressing Alex Ferguson with his exceptional dribbling and crossing capabilities, he was given the opportunity to join the club in 2003. He was the replacement of David Beckam, who departed from Manchester to play for the Spanish Real Madrid. He made his debut for Manshester United again Bolton Wanderes, which the team won with a 4-0 margin. He scored 8 goals for his Club in the first season he played.

In the 2005 season, Ronaldo again made great milestones which added to his fame. He scored United’s 1000th Premiership goal against Middlesbrough. He gained great respect and honor from the English fans who chanted slogans like “there is only one Ronaldo”.

By 2006, Ronaldo had become one of the most influential players for Manchester United. He great dribbling abilities were unlike any great player of the game and were far from ordinary.

Statistics show that Ronaldo has made 190 appearances for Manchester United and has scored 50 goals.

Career Highlights

Awards with Manchester United

FA Premier League 2006-2007

FA Cup 2004

Football League Cup 2006

Individual Awards

PFA Player of the year 2007

PFA Young Player of the year 2007

PFA Fan’s Player of the Year 2007

PFA Premiership Team of the Year 2005-2006 ; 2006-2007

Barclays Player of the Season 2006-2007

Barclays Player of the Month November 2006 and December 2006

PFA Fan’s Player of the Month October 2006 and February 2007

FifPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, 2006

Portuguese Sports Personality 2006

Portuguese Footballer of the Year 2007

Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2006-2007

Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year: 2006-2007

Special Achievements

* One of only two players to have won both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards in the same year, the other being Andy Gray in 1977.

* Also won the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award, becoming the first player to win all three Professional Footballers Association awards in one season.

* Only the third player in Premiership history to win back-to-back Barclays Player of the Month awards, and the first since the 1995-1996 season.

* Holds the Premiership record for most goals scored in one season by a midfielder, having scored 17 times during the 2006-2007 Premiership campaign.

* One of only two players to feature in the PFA Premiership Team of the Year for both the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons, the other being Steven Gerrard.

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Various Defending Methods in Soccer

By admin | Published: May 13, 2008

The ability to defend the ball is an essential skill for the best soccer players. There are various methods of defending in the soccer. The four most important methods of defending the ball are: containing, block tackle, pock tackle and slide tackle. here are certain tips to use during the application of the above mentioned methods:

Block tackle:

The most important and the fundamental way of running down with the opponent are called the block tackle. It is the method intended to give control over the ball while keeping the proper balance. In order to maintain the balance while using the block tackle method one should place the supporting foot firmly. To get the control over the ball from the opponent it is important to make a quick move in the same direction in which the opponent is moving the ball. If the block tackle is executed properly it is sure to give control over the ball.

Containing:

It is most important to lower the center of gravity while containing an attacker. It is achieved by bending the knee or leaning forward. Backpedal is an option used when the attacker tries to move side ways. It is never a good idea to face the dribbler from at close range; it will give him the chance to put the ball between the legs or cross it by the side. In this position it is difficult to make a U-turn and control the opponent again. One should move toward the opponent from a 45 degree angle and try to force him towards the side line. Side move along with the opponent is better than making a direct attack on him.
Pock tackle:

Pock tackle is a tricky way of pushing the ball away from the opponent. It is better to use the foot that is closer to the ball. This is a risky method and one can lose the possession of the ball while making this attempt.

Slide tackle:

This is a stunning method of gaining control over the ball. It is a side way kick that is used to push the ball away from opponent’s feet. It is more effective when the opponent is running down towards the sideline or attempting to safeguard the ball. This method is to be applied only when the ball is too far from the goal or when there are strong chances of losing the control over the ball.

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How to Practice Best Soccer Moves

By admin | Published: May 3, 2008

It is very important to learn soccer properly before playing a game. The best players are those who start slowly at the initial stages giving full attention and care to learn the game properly. A soccer player needs to have a very good balance and awareness of the body in order to give the best performance.

There are certain moves that a soccer player uses to defeat the opponent while making the pass or attack. Trickling control and defensive control are two important moves that every player learns in order to achieve perfection in the soccer. Running with the ball is known as speed dribbling.

The following are some common tricks that a player of soccer must know in order to be a successful player.

Speed tricks or moves:

A soccer player has to practice changing speed constantly to defeat the opponent. The games like relay race and rugby are very important to learn the speed control and can be integrated into the practice routines.

Direction moves:

A rapid change in the direction is necessary to cross the opponent defender of the ball. A soccer player must learn to move quickly in one direction and than change in the reverse to leave the defender far behind. In addition to that, making a fake kick or fake turns are very important to learn for the successful soccer player. A good professional practice is necessary to learn these moves.

Foot moving tricks:

The above mentioned are the turns or moves of the body. In addition to that there are certain tips to make some moves with the foot while keeping the body stable. The most important moves are cut, hook turn and drag back. The soccer players are practiced at making use of the foot on different sides to move the ball. The soccer players should learn the scissors or Cruyff moves that are used to push the ball behind with the foot while going ahead.

There are a number of practice games like pass relay race, trickling across a square or trickling around the cone that can be used practice the basics of foot work and the moves. To learn all the maneuvering along with fast feet, it is important for the players to participate in the above mentioned soccer practice games with the supervision of a seasoned coach.

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MARADONA

By admin | Published: April 17, 2008

Personal Information

Name: Diego Armando Maradona

Famous As: Master of Rabona

Date of Birth: 30 th October, 1960

Hometown: Villa Fiorito, Argentina

Height: 5′ 5″

Nationality: Argentine

Current Club: Retired (last played for Boca
Juniors)

Playing Position: Attacking Midfielder

Life before Professional Football

Diego Maradona, one of the most famous and exceptional players ever to be a part of football, was born in southern town of Villa Fiorito in the capital city of Argentina, Buenos Aires. His family was also passionate towards football. Two of his brothers were professional football players. He showed great skill and proficiency with the football and was also a part of and entertainment sessions held in between half times. At that time, he was only 12 years old. People were not aware of this great Master and they were also not aware of the thrill that the young boy will bring to the game
of Football.

International Career

Maradona initiated his International Career, representing Argentina against Hungary, when he was only 16years of age.

The first Fifa World Cup that Maradona was apart of was the World Cup of 1982. They were the defending champions but could not have great success. They were eliminated in the Second Round of the Cup against the champions Italy. Maradona was a constant feature of the team and played in all the games. He scored two goals in that tournament, both against Hungary.

The 1986 Fifa World Cup was the second in which Maradona took part in. He was the captain of the National Side. The team won the World Cup, defeating West Germany in the final. Maradona was the star of the tournament. He was there in every match, not even substituted once and impressed crowds with his great dribbling abilities. This was the tournament in which Maradona scored the great goal which was later termed as “Goal off the Wrist” by the media who saw the videos of the goal on recorded telecasts. Maradona later on admitted that he hit the ball with the hand purposely. Maradona was the highlight of the World Cup scoring several great technical goals which added to his
legendry. He also scored the winning goal in the final of the World Cup against West Germany and Argentina won by a close 3-2 margin. He lifted the World Cup and totally deserved to lift it.

The third World Cup in which Maradona featured in was the 1990 Fifa World Cup. Argentina was again lead by the great legendry Maradona. Although he could  not perform to his standards due to an ankle injury, but still he was able to bag along the team into the Final of the World Cup which however Argentina lost 1-0 to arch rivals West Germany.

The fourth and final World Cup in which Maradona was ingredient of was the 1994 Fifa World Cup. Again he was able to capture the headlines but this time not with his great skills, but by failing a drug test and being sent home only after playing two games. He managed to score a goal against Greece but that could not help him neither his team in the long term of the tournament.

Club Career

Maradona made his Club Debut representing Argentinos Juniors on 20th October, 1976. He played there for five years and in 1981 , he joined the club named Boca juniors. After the 1982 World Cup, Maradona got transferred to FC Barcelona. He did had a poor trip to Barcelona as he experience severe illness due to hepatitis.

Having had a poor and disruptive trip to Barcelona, he signed up for Napoli. Here he gained great fame and honour and was a star to many of his fans. In his presence, Napoli won their Italian Championship, Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup and Italian Super Cup. He left Napoli in 1992 an went to Sevilla FC and then rejoined the Boca Juniors in 1995 till retirement.

Career Highlights:

Club Highlights

* 1981 Argentine league (Boca Juniors)
* 1983 Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
* 1987 Italian league (SSC Napoli)
* 1987 Italian Cup (SSC Napoli)
* 1988 Italian top-scorer (SSC Napoli)
* 1989 UEFA Cup (SSC Napoli)
* 1990 Italian league (SSC Napoli)
* 1991 Italian Super Cup (SSC Napoli)

International

* 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship: Winner
* 1986 FIFA World Cup: Winner
* 1990 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up
* 1993 Artemio Franchi Trophy: Winner

Individual Awards

* 1979 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup
* 1979, 1980, 1981 Argentine league Top Scorer
* 1979-1981, 1986 Argentine Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year
* 1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992 South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas)
* 1986 Argentine Sports Writers’ Sportsman of the Year
* 1986 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup
* 1986-1987 Best Footballer in the World (Once)
* 1986 World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine)
* 1996 Golden Ball for services to football (France Football)
* 1999 Argentine Sports Writers’ Sportsman of the Century
* 2000 “FIFA best football player of the century”, people’s choice.
* 2002 “FIFA Goal of the Century” (1986 (2-1) v. England; second goal)
* 2005 Argentine Senate “Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” recognition for lifetime achievement.

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KAKA

By admin | Published: March 16, 2008

Personal Information

Name: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite

Famous As: Kak á

Date of Birth: 22 nd April, 1982

Hometown: Brasilia, Brazil

Height: 6′ 1″

Nationality: Brazilian

Current Club: AC Milan

Playing Position: Attacking Midfielder

Life before Professional Football

Ricardo Kaká, another promising youngster, was born on 22 nd Arpril, 1982. Kaká is the nickname given to Ricardo. This name was given to him by his brother Rodrigo, who used to call him “caca” because of his inability to pronounce Ricardo. He is now often called “Ricky Kaká” by the European Media. Kaká is a member of an association called Atletas de Crist, meaning Athletes of Christ. He is still very much into religion and sees faith to be the decided of fate. He sometimes wears shirts entitled “I belong to Jesus” and “God is Faithful”.

International Career

Kaká started his International Career representing Brazil in January , 2002 against Bolivia. He only contributed to his team for 19 minutes in the Fifa World Cup 2002 and all of this was in the first round match against Costa Rica.

In 2003, Kaká was the captain of the Brazilian side in the Gold Cup tournament. Brazil were able to reach the final but could not win it. Kaká scored his second best lot of three goals. Kaká was again a member of the Brazilian side in the 2005 Federations Cup. He scored the only goal in the 4-1 defeat against Afghanistan with one of his greatest shots on goal, hitting it the right corner of the goal. His efforts and skills took him upto tenth place for the 2004 Fifa World Player of the Year.

Kaká played for the first time for his National side in a World Cup finals in 2006. here he featured Brazil’s first match agaisnt Croatia in their 1-0 victory. He could not continue the good form and Brazil were elminated from the quarterfinals stage by the hands of the French. Despite his poor form, he was always the member of the first 11
of the Brazilian team.

Kaká refused to play in the Copa America 2007, because of the hectic schedules of Serie A and the Champions League. Kaká however played in the friendly match against Brazil on June 1 st and was in the field for 70 minutes.

Club Career

Kaká started his club career by first registerign to the Club named Sau Paulo FC, in 2000, when he was 17 years of age. He made his Debut in January 2001, and then moved on very comprehensively. He went on to score 12 goals in 27 appreances. He even got the oppurtunity to lead the Club in the Torneio Rio-São Paulo championship. His great performances in this season attracted many European managers.

He stepped his first in AC Milan in the year 2003. His great performances got him into the favourites of the team and very soon, he became a regular member of the starting lineup. He made his Serie A debut against A.C. Ancona. He scored heavily in that season, 10 times finding the back of the net in 30 appearances. Milan went on to win the European Super Cup that season.

The 2004-2005 reason gave great respect and confidence to the young Brazilian. He was a regular member in the attacking midfield region. He made great assissts and also scored 7 goals in 36 appearances, which made Milan runnersup to Juventus.

One of the main strikers of Milan, Shevchenko departed to Chelsea for the 2006-2007 season. This layed the spotlight on the young Brazilian, Kaká. he now swticed between midfield and the striker position. He was named the highest scorer in this season, scoring ten magnificent goals. One of the greatest achievements of Kaká were helping Milan out in the Champions League semifinal against Manchester United. He scored two great goals in the second leg of the match, when they were 3-2 behind on aggregate.

He got appreciation from the Manchester United’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson who called him “One of the best players in the world”. Kaká was in the starting lineup against Liverpool in the final of the League which Milan won by a 2-1 margin.

Career Highlights

For AC Milan

* Torneio Rio-São Paulo 2001
* Supercampeonato Paulista 2002
* European Super Cup: 2003
* Serie A: 2004
* Italian Super Cup: 2004
* UEFA Champions League 2004-05: Runners-up
* FIFA World Cup: 2002
* 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup: Runners-up
* Confederations Cup: 2005
* UEFA Champions League:2006-2007

Personal Awards

* Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball; Best Player Of Brazilian League), 2002
* 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI
* UEFA Club Football Awards 2004-05, Best Midfielder
* Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year 2004, 2006
* Serie A Footballer of the Year 2004
* UEFA Team of the Year 2006
* FIFPro World XI 2006
* UEFA Champions League Top scorer: 2006-2007
* UEFA Champions League Fans Player of the season: 2006-2007
* Kicker Best player in the world: 2006-2007

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Soccer Coaching

By admin | Published: January 7, 2008

Professional coaching plays a vital role in the performance of the players in a game. A professional coach is not only the master of the game but also knows the psychological aspects of the game. The coach can balance the fun and work in the game to make it more interesting and ensure the involvement of all the players in the training. Minor training will not be able to maintain the interest of the player or their skill. A good coach understands very well the importance of special training exercises in soccer.

Most of the players are fond of scrimmaging. though it is not an effective practice as the players would not be able to learn much from it. Most of the practice drills are not so interesting but these are necessary practices to perform. These drills when performed with other self-motivated exercises provide a great deal of learning to the players. These drills are very helpful in making the player more attentive.

Practice games:

There are certain practice or training games that play a vital role in making the player physically hard and good. These practice games lead the player to work hard on certain parts of the game that are more vital. There are a number of small-sided and stipulated games that plays an important role in learning the rules and regulations of the game. For example, controlling the number of passes or touches will make the players more habitual with the rules of the game and they will adapt these rules thoroughly.

A longer practice plan:

A good practice plan is that which last for a longer period of time. It progresses slowly while teaching the necessary aspects of the game. At the initial level making the player physically tough is the key to success. To achieve such level the players must follow the race and other hard practices regularly. The first step of a professional coaching plan is to teach the fundamentals to the players so that they became familiar with the rules and regulations. Tough, these rules are easy to understand and tough to apply. These require a hard physical practice to adapt properly.

There are a number of practice games that are played by the soccer players to achieve balance for the body. The major categories of such games are slow race and long race etc. the constant practice makes a perfect soccer player.

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Soccer in Africa

By admin | Published: December 27, 2007

Many of the African countries have participated in numerous soccer world cups. Whenever you travel to the continent of Africa, you are likely to find the people playing this sport on the streets. From the country of Morocco to South Africa, the nations of Africa enjoy playing the game of soccer.

There have been some great soccer players who originated from the African part of the world. Some of the current best African soccer players includee the likes of Austin Okocha of Nigeria, Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o Fils of Cameroon, Obafemi Martins and of course, Didier Drogba who plays for the country of Ivory Coast.

In Africa, it the men who have traditionally followed and played the game of soccer. But the sport is steadily becoming popular with the women as well. Some of the notable African soccer nations include:

Cameroon is one African nation which is blessed with natural soccer talents. Cameroon enjoys the unique distinction of being the first African nation to qualify for the finals of the World Cup in 1990. To date Cameroon had won 4 African Nations Cups and the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in 2000.

Soccer in Cameroon is regulated and well organized by the Fédération Camerounaise de soccer. The Cameroon soccer team began their maiden world cup campaign 1982. The 1990 World Cup saw Cameroon attain a spectacular stature. They team was in the same group as formidable teams, including the defending champion Argentina, the Soviet Union and Romania.

In the opening match of the tournament Cameroon stunned Argentina with a 1-0 win. Romania also suffered defeat at the hands of the ‘Indomitable Lions’, as Cameroon players are adoringly known. However their dream run ended when England managed to pull up a close victory in the quarter finals.

Soccer in South Africa is placed under the governance of the South African Football Association. The domestic set-up of South African football is based on the Premier Soccer League (PSL). The PSL is split up into two independent leagues – the Castle Premiership and the Mvela Golden League. The former league is the major league sponsored by Castle Lager while the latter is sponsored by the Mvelaphanda Group, owned by eminent business tycoon Tokyo Sexwale.

Football in South Africa was banned from any FIFA competition from 1961 to 1992 due to the country’s Apartheid policies. This created a vacuum in the overall infrastructure and general involvement as well as awareness about this game. But spending 31 years in such hibernation could not curb down the strong spirit of the Africans as exemplified by their won the African Cup of Nations in 1996. Another success was the national team’s participation in the finals of the World Cup in 2002. In this tournament they beat the European superpower Spain by 3-2 but but didn’t advance to the second round. As a host nation South Africa is all set to play in the 2010 World Cup.

Prior to the 2010 World Cup, the country is ready to undergo major renovations. Thirteen venues have been shortlisted so far, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Kimberley, Orkney, Polokwane, and Rustenburg. Johannesburg will be upgraded to the Soccer City.

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Soccer History

By admin | Published: December 15, 2007

Soccer is one of the most widely played sport and offers many interesting matches. This is a very popular game among millions of people around the world. The number of fans and participants for sport is increasing rapidly. It is more popular among the countries of Europe and South America. The popularity of this sport can be recognized by the fact that the FIFA world cup is considered to be the most popular sporting event of the world. Notably, soccer’s popularity is increasing and is spreading to other countries outside Europe and South America.

History of the game:

The modern form of football started in late 1800’s when Scottish shopkeeper William McGregor first started the international games and FA cup competition. The initial form of soccer is quite different from the modern game. The game of soccer faced lots of changes in the span of three centuries to be evolved in the form of modern soccer game. There are many evidences of playing soccer like game in Europe as well as other countries of the world before 18th century. Many stories of twelfth centuries tell that most primitive form of soccer was played in England with the skulls of the enemies in the battlefield.

William McGregor was the first person to form the world soccer league in 1888. The league organized weekly competition of the sports that became the foundation stone of the professional form of the game. This league later started the use of cards in the game. First international game of soccer was played between England and Scotland.

A number of rules made to increase the level of competition. The constant change in these rules made the game more interesting.

The first set of rules for the game was published in 1580. The set of rules was designed by Giovanni Bardi.

The first set of rule for Cambridge was published in 1848.

The formation of association of Great Britain took place in 1877 to provide a unity to the rules.

The first official meeting of the international football association board was held on 2nd June 1886.

The penalty kick was introduced in 1891.

FIFA was formed with the membership of seven countries in 1904. The initial members of FIFA are Belgium, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and Switzerland.

In 1913 the international football association board joined hand with FIFA.

1925 was the year when the offside rule was amended.

The previously active laws were reinforced in 1937-38 with a new and accurate
codification.

The last revisions of the law were made in 1997.

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Facts About Soccer

By admin | Published: December 2, 2007

Soccer is a well-known game, played by two different groups of players. There are eleven players in each group. In the course of soccer game, participants go faster, shift pace, cut, turn, jump, head, pivot and kick the ball. It gives plenty of demand on the physical and technical skills of the players and can even cause serious injuries. The following are some facts about soccer:

* It is accepted that soccer started in the Britain.

* Sheffield FC is recognized as the oldest club in all over world that was established
in the year 1857.

* It is projected that this game is the most watched and most played in various parts of the world.

* Practically, soccer is known as football in most of countries excluding America, who describe it as soccer or ‘Grid Iron Football’.

* Well-known soccer competitions are the Manchester derby, Milan derby, Scotland, Real vs Barcelona, London derbies and many more.

* Maradonna, Eusebio, Dalglish, Beckham, Pele, Mattheus, Ronaldo, Charlton and Cruyff are well known players of soccer.

* It is indeed true that there were 199,854 spectators present for match – Uruguay vs. Brazil in 1950 at the Maracana Municipal Stadium.

* There were 5,098 soccer teams in the biggest soccer tournament in 1999 for Seven-a-Side Competition.

* It is fact that 16 goals scored by participant in a single soccer match- Stephan Stanis from France playing in the year 1942 for Racing Club de Lens.

* FIFA (Federation International Football Association) is recognized as the international leading organization of soccer and is located in Switzerland.

* At sixteen-year-old Diego Maradona accomplished his appearance in Soccer for Argentina.

* WUSA (Women’s United Soccer Association) made and won its first presentation in the year 2001.

* Goalies of Soccer did not have to put on colored clothes from their teammates until 1913

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