Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world, and events such, as those viewed by hundreds of millions of people, are testimony to that fact.
Given that only a ball, some players, somewhere to play and a vague idea of a goal is all that is needed, it is no surprise that the sport has traversed the globe.
So who invented the sport and what were the earliest signs of it being played?
Some of you might remember the recent chants for the European cup from the English fans that could be heard singing “bringing football home” at the top of their lungs. While some fans from opposing nations might have construed this as arrogance.
There is some truth to the statement despite its optimistic implications of England advancing through and winning the cup.
Believe it or not, the Football Association established the first set of regulations for the game of football in England in 1863.
Remember that even though the sport's regulations have steadily changed since then, football's core principles and goals have mostly remained the same. Prior to that, several football games were played in England on the grounds of public schools, but because there was no set of standardized regulations, the games were quite erratic.
Although Ebenezer Morley has been referred to as the "father" of the Football Association, no one person can truly claim to be the "creator" of football.
Morley, the founder of Barnes Football Club, was not a student at the public schools, but his letter to the newspaper Bell's Life was what sparked the momentous meeting that set the new rules.
Representatives from 12 clubs attended the meeting, which took place on October 26, 1863, at the Freemasons' Tavern on Great Queen Street in London, and the football game was shortly formalized.
Take a look at England today, the English leagues have some of the best football games that are played in the sport. The players in the English league are renowned for their defence. After a century of rebuilding, they finally have a team with the potential to bring home some silverware.
We can see just how much the game has evolved dramatically and is both loved and celebrated by fans from all around the world. Let’s take a look at some of the contributions and events that the sport has produced since its invention.
The best football players
The dispute over who is the greatest football player of all time is something that can never be decided. Each player is completely unique and will have players with an entirely different set of players, in different leagues and possibly even in different eras of football.
This is a conversation that sparks debate all over the internet, at half-time discussions and at just about every bar in the country.
No all-time best player list in the world of football could ever be complete without the inclusion of Ronaldinho.
Perhaps you were lucky enough to witness the legend that is Ronaldinho in his prime or anytime that he kitted out to play for that matter. For those who don’t know what Ronaldinho brought or contributed to the game of football take this as an introduction.
From Pele to the great Maradona, several prominent names emerged as the face of football over the 20th century and the early part of the 21st century. The sport of football has seen stars dominate the sport at various times.
The rise of two young players signalled a new era in football as the sun was setting on the careers of these players who had enthralled spectators for years.
Christiano Ronaldo has also dominated a number of leagues, proving his ability to play effectively as the main part of a number of different teams.
Lionel Messi is widely considered the best football player to play the sport of football. The Argentinian burst onto the scene at a young age when he moved to Barcelona where he spent almost his entire career.
With any of these players out on the pitch, the opposition would have little hope of returning home with any points.
Have a read of our listing of some of the top football players of all time.
What is super league football?
This league would allow these clubs that wouldn’t necessarily get the chance to compete against each other a chance to compete. While this might sound interesting from a fan's perspective there is much more to the story.
A move that appeared to completely alter football as we know it never materialized as a number of different clubs withdrew from the competition just two days after confirming their participation.
The initiative was significantly impacted by fan pressure and high-profile resistance from many sports figures, including UEFA and FIFA.
Fifa had also expressed disapproval of the Super League. They even provided that any players involved in the proposed breakaway league could be stopped from playing at a World Cup!
On top of this, UEFA said players involved would be banned from all other competitions at domestic, European or world level and could be prevented from representing their national teams.
The league soon met its demise with ample retaliation from both players and clubs.
Find out about the Super League and the subsequent retaliation across the football world.
The World cup 2022
Everyone enjoys watching football, and the world cup is certainly no exception. You can still join forces with your fellow countryman and support your nation in their World Cup trip regardless of whether you are a fervent supporter, a casual fan, or have a loose grasp of the rules altogether.
The league comes around just once every four years, giving players and fans enough time to prepare themselves. This break also allows just the right amount of time for the tournament to remain special without losing our patience.
Even if it may seem like we disagree on a variety of topics, coming together to celebrate and congregate over a shared love of football is undoubtedly a marvel to behold.
Be ready to celebrate some upsets if you're a lover of football since you probably know how anything can happen in the tournament's knockout rounds.
Even if your team is quickly eliminated, you can still root for the remaining underdogs or cheer on players who want to establish themselves among the all-time greats.
Learn more about the world cup 2022 while it’s still being played.
The game of Football or soccer as it is also commonly referred to is a game that once you learn all of the rules you will rarely want to miss a match. Once you pick a team to support and familiarise yourself with all of the players you will want to spend more time watching the team play in their games.
World cup 2022 groups
The group stage of the world cup is exhilarating, Take a look at why.
Since the World Cup group stages have already begun, the sports-obsessed people in your life, such as your father, spouse, brothers, or sisters, will likely be inaccessible on weekends for the foreseeable future for the next two months. Don't worry if you're new to sports and don't know the distinction between soccer and football.
Given the small number of games that are played between participating nations in the group stages of the world cup, you might be asking what if teams have identical points when the games have been played?
In such a scenario, given that a team is awarded three points for a victory and a single point for a draw, other metrics need to be evaluated in order to separate the sides.
FIFA use other metrics at the end of the group stages other than the points that the respective teams have managed to accumulate through their games. Provided that these points are identical at the end of the group stage, the goal differential will then be taken into account.
The teams are ranked here based on their goal difference, which is determined by subtracting the total of goals scored from the goals allowed. This is a reasonable metric that gives weight to the team's performance, which is frequently underrated in football.
It's not the same as being destroyed by seven goals from one of the tournament's worst teams if your home nation lost by a razor-thin margin after an extra-time goal. Therefore, it cannot be questioned that this metric will be used to determine which teams progress in the event of a tie.
Now that you have a better understanding of how the group stages work this might add to your enjoyment of the tournament.
The rules of modern football haven’t changed all that much and are a lot less complicated for the casual fan to understand in comparison to a sport like rugby. The World Cup games are for anyone to enjoy, you can watch your team play ball even without knowing all of the rules.
The energy present during the games, especially at the group stages, will astound you. Keep in mind that certain nations just want to advance from the groups. Thus, you can be sure that their games will be fiercely contested.
If you feel like you want to try and imitate some of what you see on tv then you can reach out to a football coach and get back on the pitch.
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