Football is the world’s most popular game, followed by cricket, and it has been played for 2000 years as its origin is traced. FIFA generated 4.6 billion dollars of revenue in 2018, which is how football has become. In this blog, we will discuss some of the most interesting facts about football.
Interesting facts about football
Where was football invented? Football is the most-watched and popular sport in the west, but what if we told you its origin was in an Asian country? Yes. It was originated in China. Today, China’s rank in FIFA/ Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking is 175, but football was invented around 476 BC in China. It was called ‘Cuju.’ This must be noted; it is unlikely that football has a unilateral origin. Football may have originated in different parts of the world independently. It was played in China, Greece, Rome, and parts of central America nearly 2000 years ago.
Who made football global? England made football very popular. The way we know football today is due to this country. England first started recording a uniform set of rules for this game. Forbidding, tripping the opponents, and touching the ball with hand unless the player is a goalkeeper were the rules recorded by England.
World’s most popular sport- As per FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), a survey was conducted in 2001, 21 years ago. As per the results, roughly 240 million people from different parts of the world play football regularly, which makes football the world’s most popular sport.
The largest football tournament– The largest football tournament in terms of the number of football teams that participated was in 1999. It was for the second Bangkok League Seven-a-side competition. 5098 teams participated and competed with each other. There was a record of more than 35,000 players participating. This makes it the world’s largest tournament to date.
Oldest football club– Sheffield, A city in South Yorkshire, England, holds the record of the oldest football club in the world. The club’s name was Sheffield Football Club (FC). This football club was founded in 1857, and this year will mark its 165th birthday.
World’s first football match (official)– As recognized by FIFA, the world’s first official, International match.
Richest football club– As per Deloitte’s football money league, the richest football club is Manchester City. Its revenue was 644.9 million euros in 2020-21, and this club is 4.2 million euros ahead of the Spanish Giant Real Madrid.
Most goals in a single match– On 31st October 2002, the game of football saw a bizarre thing. The game was between two arch-rivals, A S Adema and SO I’Emyrne. The referee decided against the SO I’Emyrne team, which the team thought was unfair in the previous game. That team, as a protest, in the next match on 31st October 2002 scored 149 own goals, and the game ended with the most bizarre scoreboard, 149-0.
The fastest goal was scored in football.- On 26 December 1998, Ricardo Oliviera scored a goal in mere 2.8 seconds. This looks bizarre when you put it into perspective. An average human can speak 7.5 words in 2.8 seconds. “We have just had the kick-off” is what the commentators have said, and the scoreboard shows 1-0.
There are asteroids named after football players!– Yes. It is true. There are asteroids named after football players, which is a considerable feat. Here is the list of asteroids and the names of football players on which the formers are called.
Asteroid ‘33179 Arsenewenger’ named after Arsene Wenger, ‘14282 Cruyff’ named after the football player John Cruyff, ‘10634 Pepibican’ named after Josef Bican, ‘82656 Puskas’ named after Ferenc Puskas and ‘79647 Ballack’ named after Michael Ballack. Arsene Wenger is the current chief of Global Football Development at FIFA.
Player transfer fees were paid in ‘footballs.’ Angel Di Maria is one of the wealthiest football players in the world from Argentina. The interesting fact is he was once traded between two of his homeland football clubs for ‘35 footballs’
Football manufacturing country– It is an interesting and unknown fact that Pakistan is the country where 60% of the world’s football is manufactured, and out of the 60% footballs, 40% of footballs come from a single city called Sialkot.
The oldest professional football player– Football is a sport that demands physical and mental strength, so it is not a long professional career, but there is a football player in Japan who is 55 years old and still plays in the forward position. His name is Kazuyoshi Miura, and he plays for Yokohama FC, and he has been playing for the last 36 years.
The average distance covered by a football player– An average football player covers 7 miles (11.2 kilometers) with an obvious exception of the goalkeeper
The Soccer– Soccer is a term used for football in America and Canada, and for this, Americans are constantly trolled in a good way, bu6 do you know neither of the country coined the word soccer, and it was coined in England.
Football for other game– The world’s first official Basketball match was played using football, which is one of the most interesting facts about football.
We are playing two matches in a single day– Mark Hughes, a Manchester United player and a Welsh star, had to feature in two matches in a single day. Usually, at least 3-4 days’ rest for a player as football is a demanding game.
The Biggest football stadium – Shockingly, the biggest football stadium is present in North Korea. Its name is Rungardo 1st of May Stadium. Its seating capacity is 1,14,000 and is located in Pangyong, North Korea. The bizarre thing is, some reports claim it has a seating capacity of 1,50,000
The only football team Brazil has never defeated– Brazil is considered the greatest of all time as per as football is concerned, but there is a team that Brazil has never defeated. The country is Norway. There have been four matches between Brazil and Norway, out of which Norway has won two matches, and the other two matches are ties.
The players who scored goals in every minute of football– This sounds crazy to even think about because football is a taxing and demanding game, and one cannot achieve the goal in every minute of the game, but two players in the world achieve this feat. They are Christiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The most expensive football player– He is the most expensive football player in terms of his transfer fees. Neymar is the most expensive football player brought by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona at a rate of whooping €198 million, which amounts to 1659 crore rupees.
Most Goals by a goalkeeper– Rogerio Ceni, a Brazillian footballer, has in his name the record for the most number of goals as a goalkeeper. He has scored 131 goals, and it is a number any striker will be proud to have. He has played more than 1200 games for his team, played for Sao Paulo Football Club, and is among the ten highest-scoring players of all time.
First Black football player– Arthur Wharton is the world’s first black football player.
It longest unbeaten streak ever recorded– As per the Union of European Football Association, Steaua Bucharest, A Romanian football club, has a record of an unbeaten streak. The team went unbeaten for 106 matches which is the highest ever. The team won 5 straight league titles and the 1985-86 European cup.
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