World Cup (football)

The World Cup (formally called the FIFA World Cup) is contested every four years by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. (FIFA).

HISTORY

The first World Cup was played in Uruguay in 1930, and 13 countries entered their national teams. 

Lucien Laurent of France scored the first goal in FIFA World Cup history during the inaugural game of Group 1. The game was played on July 13, 1930, between France and Mexico at the Estadio Pocitos in Montevideo, Uruguay. Laurent's goal came in the 19th minute of the game and helped France to a 4-1 victory. 

 Uruguay won that first competition beating Argentina 4-2.

At the first World Cup Egypt missed their boat, Bolivia wore berets, a player was suspended for opening a cafe, a referee called the final whistle after 84 minutes, another referee did all his games in suit, tie and knickerbockers, and a Romanian was believed to have died before turning up at his wake.

In 1950, Brazil were so sure they would win the World Cup final against Uruguay that the local media hailed them as "future champions" before the match and 22 gold medals had already been made with the names of Brazilian players. They lost 2-1.

The opening game of the Maracanã Stadium, shortly before the 1950 FIFA World Cup

In the 1962 World Cup, the Chilean team ate Swiss cheese before beating Switzerland, spaghetti before beating Italy, and drank vodka before beating the USSR. Then they drank coffee before their match against Brazil but lost.

LOS ramblers, a respected Chilean rock group, created "El Rock del Mundial" ("World Rock") which is regarded as the first official World Cup anthem. The rock and roll song was created in support of the Chilean team, hosts of the 1962 tournament. The song became the most sold single in Chilean music history, achieving cult status. Its success gave birth to the traditional World Cup anthem, with different styles and integrating cultures.

The first World Cup was made of gold plated sterling silver and lapis lazuli and depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. When Brazil won the tournament a third time in 1970, they were allowed to keep the real trophy in perpetuity.

The current trophy (held by France forward Ousmane Dembélé in 2018) By Антон Зайцев - 

RECORDS 

Three football players share the record for playing in the most World Cups; Mexico's Antonio Carbajal (1950–1966) and Rafael Márquez (2002–2018); and Germany's Lothar Matthäus (1982–1998) all played in five tournaments.

Miroslav Klose's goal in Germany's 7-1 win over Brazil in the 2014 World Cup was his sixteenth in all World Cups, breaking the record he had previously shared with Ronaldo.

France's Just Fontaine, holds the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup; all his 13 goals were scored in the 1958 tournament.

Fontaine playing for France at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

FUN WORLD CUP FACTS

Japanese football fans always clean up their stadium after their World Cup Finals games, a tradition stemming back to the 1998 World Cup.

Germany is the only nation to have won both the men's and women's World Cups.

The Jules Rimet Trophy for the World Cup is named after the Frenchman who was President of FIFA from 1921-1954. Jules Rimet served as an officer in the French Army during the First World War and was awarded a Croix de Guerre.

Shirt swapping was officially banned in the 1986 World Cup because FIFA did not want players to bare their chests on the field.

Brazil is the only country to have appeared in all 21 World Cup tournaments.

The 2018 World Cup was witnessed by around 3.572 billion viewers worldwide. It means that more than half the world’s population watched the tournament that was held in Russia. The final match between France and Croatia was watched by 1.12 billion viewers.

Here is a list of World Cup songs.

Source Daily Express

Cristiano Ronaldo

EARLY LIFE

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in São Pedro, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal on February 5, 1985. He grew up in the Funchal parish of Santo António.

Ronaldo at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. By Дмитрий Садовников 

His second given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after Ronald Reagan. The then-U.S. president had been his father's favorite actor, and was a person whom he greatly admired.

Ronaldo is the youngest child of the late José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener and a part-time kit man and his wife, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro.

Growing up as a hungry child on Madeira, Cristiano used to beg for hamburgers at McDonalds. A lady called Edna and two other women would then help him there by giving him something to eat.

At 15 years old Cristiano was diagnosed with a condition called racing heart. He had an operation that used a laser to cauterize the area of his heart that caused the problem. The operation enabled him to continue his training and love affair with football.

FOOTBALL CAREER 

At the age of 12, Ronaldo went on a three-day trial with Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon, who signed him for a fee of £1,50.

Ronaldo credits his close friend Albert Fantrau for his admittance to Sporting Lisbon's academy. They were both involved in the trials for the club's youth foundation when Fantrau passed up a goal during a youth club game so that Ronaldo would be the one to be taken on. When Ronaldo asked him why he did it, he simply said, "You're better than me."

When Real Madrid won their tenth Champions League trophy in 2014, Ronaldo left the group’s celebration and surged towards the stadium where a huge number of fans were sitting. He pulled one man and embraced him lovingly. That man was Albert Fantrau.

Ronaldo was the first player to play for Sporting Lisbon's under-16, under-17 and under-18 teams, the B team, and the first team, all within one season.

He made his debut in the Primeira Liga, against Moreirense on October 7, 2002, and scored two goals in their 3–0 win.

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed before the 2003–04 season. His transfer fee of £12.24 million made him, at the time, the most expensive teenager in English football history.

Ronaldo playing for Mamuchester United against Chelsea By Ray Booysen

Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee at the time, of £80 million (€94 million).

Ronaldo signed a profitable contract with Real Madrid that made him the highest paid football player in the world.

When Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 324th goal for Real Madrid in October 2015 in a game against Malmo, he became the club’s top goalscorer of all time.

By Chris Deahr - Ronaldo fir Real Madridvs. FC Schalke 

In December 2022, Ronaldo signed a contract to join Saudi club Al Nassr until 2025. He received the highest football salary in history: an annual guaranteed football salary of €90 million, with commercial and sponsorship deals included bringing his total annual salary to €200 million.

130 km per hour (80 MPH)  is the speed of Ronaldo's free kick.

Ronaldo lifts about 23,055 kgs of total weight during his training session, which basically is like lifting a total of 16 Toyota Prius cars.

Ronaldo's achievements include, FIFA World Player of the year award, Ballon d'OR, the Golden Boot, and he has been named the UEFA Club Forward of the Year.

Ronaldo presenting his third Ballon d'Or to fans  By Anish Morarji

He is the first player to have scored in every minute of an official football game.

Ronaldo is the only player in the world who has scored in 8 consecutive major international tournaments: the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 editions of the European Championship; and the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions of the World Cup.

On September 1, 2021, Ronaldo scored both Portuguese goals in a 2–1 win against Ireland overtaking Ali Daei of Iran's record of 109 international goals and becoming the all-time international top goal scorer. 

He is the only player to score more than 50 goals in six different seasons (Ronaldo did it consecutively).

PERSONAL LIFE

Ronaldo opened his fashion boutique in Madeira, Portugal in 2006. The shop called CR7 is his initials and his shirt number.

In 2008 Ronaldo opened a CR7 boutique in Lisbon which included jeans with leather pockets, diamond-studded belts and patented buckled loafers.

Ronaldo spends a fair proportion of a normal day in his personal spa and all his towels have ‘CR7’ on them.

Unlike many sports stars today, Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to get any tattoos on his body. He refuses all inking so he can continue on donating blood.

Ronaldo does not smoke or drink alcohol as his father died at the age of 52 from alcoholism and he also deems it will affect his football performances.

On July 3, 2010 Ronaldo announced the birth of his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. He requested his privacy when he posted a reference on social media and has never publicly revealed the identity of his son's mother.

In June 2017, Ronaldo confirmed on Facebook that he had become the father to twins.

FUN RONALDO FACTS

The Museu CR7 in Funchal, Maderia, Portugal opened on December 15, 2013. It is a museum dedicated to Ronaldo and contains his rare photos, medals, trophies and other items related to him.

The Cristiano Ronaldo Museum By Hesekiel -

In December 2007 Cristiano Ronaldo's autobiography, Moments, was published.

There is a university in Canada that offers a sociology course about Cristiano Ronaldo.

Following Portugal's triumph at Euro 2016, Madeira Airport in Funchal was renamed the Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport on July 23, 2016,

Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport in Madeira. By Peter Forster

Ronaldo shares his birthday with Paris St Germain’s Brazilian striker Neymar and Argentina and former Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez,

In 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo gave his agent a Greek island as a wedding present.

Source Techtimes

Pelé

Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born to a poor family on October 23, 1940, in Tres Coracoes, Brazil. He was named after the inventor Thomas Edison.

Edson's nickname Pelé arose when he mispronounced the name of a local goalkeeper called Bile. It does not mean anything. He was also known as "Perola Negra" (Black Pearl).

Pelé began playing for a local minor-league clubs when he was a young teenager. He led Bauru Athletic to three consecutive São Paulo state youth championships between 1954 and 1956

He made his debut with the Santos Football Club in 1956. With Pelé at inside left forward, the team won several South American clubs' cups and the 1962 world club championship. His best season was 1958, when he scored 139 times.

Pelé is the all-time leading scorer with Santos.

Pelé holds the world record for being the youngest scorer in the FIFA World Cup: He was 17 years and 239 days when scored a goal for Brazil v Wales in 1958.

He led the Brazilian national soccer team to three World Cup victories in 1958, 1962, and 1970 and to permanent possession of the Jules Rimet Trophy. He is the only footballer to win the World Cup three times.

Pelé dribbling past a defender during Malmö FF–Brazil 1–7 in May 1960. 

Pele scored his 1,000th goal on November 19, 1969 playing for Santos against Vasco da Gama in Rio de Janeiro.

The legendary footballer retired in 1974 but made a comeback in 1975 after accepting a reported $7 million contract for three years with the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League, making him the world's highest-paid sportsman. He said he came out of retirement, not for the money, but to "make soccer truly popular in the United States."

Pelé played the final game of his storied career at the Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 1977. He played the first half for his current club, the New York Cosmos, and the second half for his old Brazilian club Santos.

In his career he played in 1,363 matches and scored 1,281 goals, the most ever football career goals.

In addition to his many accomplishments in football, Pelé published several best-selling autobiographies, starred in several documentary and semi-documentary films, and composed numerous musical pieces, including the entire sound track for the 1977 movie Pele.

In 1969, Pelé’s visit to Nigeria caused a 48-hour ceasefire in their civil war. Nine years later, he was the 1978 recipient of the International Peace Award.

Pele was a devout Catholic who believed his football ability was God's gift. 

Pelé was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his work as a Unicef goodwill ambassador in 1997.

Pelé by Fábio Rodrigues Pozzebom/Agência Brasil Wikipedia Commons

In 1999, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). That same year, he was elected Athlete of the Century by the IOC.

Pele died  from multiple organ failure, a complication of colon cancer, on December 29, 2022, at the age of 82.

Source Comptons Encyclopedia

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Argentina the third of four children of Jorge Messi, a steel factory manager, and his wife Celia Cuccittini, who worked in a magnet manufacturing workshop.

Lionel's parents were huge Lionel Richie fans and they named their son after the singer.

Messi shares his birthplace with famous revolutionary leader Che Guevara. They were both born in Rosario, Argentina.

As a child, Lionel's father would take him into the mountains to wrestle bears.

Lionel Messi By Football.ua, Wikipedia Commons

At the age of 11, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.

Messi began football at a young age and his potential was quickly seen by Barcelona FC. He left Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe for the club. They moved because Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency.

Messi's first football contract was actually penned down on paper napkins. FC Barcelona's sports chief Carles Rexach was impressed with the Argentine's talent, that made a contract on the spot with no official paper being available.

Messi holds two passports - Argentina and Spain. He was declared a Spanish citizen in 2005.

The Leo Messi Foundation supports access to health care, education, and sport for children. It was established in 2007 following a visit Messi paid to a hospital for terminally ill children in Boston, an experience that resonated with him to the point that he decided to reinvest part of his earnings into society

Messi makes his Maradona-esque run against Getafe in April 2007.

Messi's international debut in 2005 lasted only 47 seconds as he was sent off after being brought on as a substitute.

Messi is the first football player in history to have won the Ballon d’Or a record four consecutive times: 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

In March 2012, Messi made UEFA Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one match, achieving the feat in a 7–1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

On December 9, 2012, Messi scored twice against Real Betis, his 85th and 86th goals in 2012, surpassing Gerd Müller's world record of 85 goals scored in a calendar year in 1972 with Bayern Munich and the German national team. His final tally for 2012 was 91 goals.

Messi joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on August 10, 2021, on a two-year contract with an option for a third year. He was signed as a free agent after his contract with Barcelona expired.  Messi chose the number 30 jersey, the same number he wore as a teenager when he made his senior debut for Barcelona. 

After two years with Paris Saint-Germain, Messi joined American club Inter Miami in July 2023 on a three-year contract. He made his debut for the club on July 21, 2023, in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul. He scored two goals in the match, which Inter Miami won 3-0.

Messi has played in six finals (2014 and 2022 World Cup, and 2007, 2015, 2016, 2021 Copa Americas) with Argentina and failed to score in any of them. He lost the first four, but won the 2021 Copa Americas against Brazil 1-0. and the 2022 World Cup against France on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

Messi did not score in any of the first five finals, but he scored two goals in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. He also won the Golden Ball award as the best player in the tournament in both the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Messi has a tattoo of the six of diamonds on his left wrist. He's never explained why nor does he remember getting it.

Lionel Messi bathed a six-month-old Lamine Yamal for a charity photo shoot in 2007.

Sources Mid-day.com, Starsandstripesfc.com, Sportskeeda.com

Footballer

Robert Crawford, scorer of the first goal in international football, was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment with hard labor for causing a servant to be flogged to death.

When Andrew Watson made his debut with the Scotland national football team on March 12, 1881, he became the world's first black international football player. He captained the side and Scotland won 6 – 1.

Watson also played for Queen's Park F.C. – then Britain's largest football team – and became their secretary in November 1881. He led the team to several Scottish Cup wins, thus becoming the first black player to win a major competition.

Andrew Watson (top centre) with the Scottish team that played England at Hampden Park 

Dr Robert Mills-Roberts was the goalkeeper of the Preston North End soccer team who remained unbeaten throughout the 1888-89 season. Mills-Roberts assisted quarry workers disabled in accidents by designing a contraption to help them raise their hats in chapel.

Franz Beckenbauer captained West Germany to the 1972 European Championships and the 1974 World Cup. After retiring as a player, he became West Germany's team manager, taking them to victory in the 1990 World Cup. He is the only person both to captain and manage a winning World Cup team.

The Brazilian footballer Carlos Kaiser staged his whole career for 24 years - he could barely kick a ball. During the 1980s, Kaiser signed short time contracts with top Brazilian clubs including Botafogo and Flamengo, stating each time that he was lacking match fitness so that he would spend the first weeks only with physical training where he could shine. At the time he went to train with other players, he would feign a hamstring injury and, by the lack of technology at the time, it was difficult to discover that it was a fake injury.

One time Kaiser was forced to play as the team had no strikers. He was worried he would get exposed, so before the game he started a fight with a fan and as a result got sent off before the game even started.

During center half Dennis Smith's 14 seasons with Stoke City, between 1968-82, he became known for his fearless mentality which led to him sustaining a large number of injuries. These included five broken legs, breaking his nose four times, a cracked ankle, broken collar bone, chipped spine, breaking most of his fingers and toes and needing more than 200 stitches. The sequence saw him named in the Guinness Book of Records as the most injured man in football.

Italian footballer Giuseppe Lorenzo holds the record for the fastest-ever sending off in a professional match; The Bologna man was sent off after just 10 seconds on December 9, 1990 in a match against Parma for hitting an opponent.

Archie Thompson set the world record for goals scored in an international match with 13 on April 11, 2001, as Australia played American Samoa in Coffs Harbour in a qualifier for the 2002 World Cup. Australia won 31-0.

 Archie Thompson Self-published work by Kuwait-Ra'ed Qutena. Wikipedia Commons

After South Korean player, Ahn Jung-hwan scored the goal to eliminate Italy from the 2002 World Cup, his contract was cancelled by Perugia- the Italian club he played for, for "ruining Italian soccer."

Lionel Messi sets a new scoring record for a single European football season in 2012. Messi scored all the goals, including a Spanish league-record 50th goal, to take his season tally to an unprecedented 72 in the 4-0 defeat of rivals Espanyol.

Brazilian goalkeeper Rogério Ceni holds the record for the most appearances for the same club, with 1197 appearances for São Paulo  from July 7, 1993 to October 28, 2015. In addition to his record number of appearances, Ceni also holds the record for most goals scored by a goalkeeper. He scored 129 goals in his career, most of which came from free kicks and penalties. Ceni was a free kick specialist, and he was known for his power and accuracy.

Ali Daei, a former Iranian professional association-football forward, scored 109 goals in 149 international appearances between 1993 and 2006. His final goal came in a 3–2 victory over Costa Rica match on March 1, 2006, He is the all-time top international men's goalscorer. 

Jari Litmanen is the only footballer to have played international football in four separate decades.

Yossi Benayoun is the only to have scored a hat-trick in the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.

Goalkeeper Brad Friedel is the current holder of the Premier League record for most consecutive appearances with 310, a feat he achieved during spells at Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur. Until he was left out of the Tottenham team on October 7, 2012, the previous Premier League game Friedel missed was Blackburn's last fixtures of the 2003–04 season against Birmingham City, on May 15, 2004.

Brazilian footballer Neymar joined French club Paris Saint-Germain F.C. for a world-record fee of €222 million on August, 2017.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović are the only two players to have ever scored in every possible minute of a football match.

Polish forward Robert Lewandowski graduated his master’s degree with top marks after writing a thesis about himself, entitled “RL9, Path to Glory.”

After Marcelo Bielsa became manager of Leeds United FC in 2018, he found out that the average fan had to work three hours to pay for a match ticket. He called his players together and made them pick up litter from around the training ground for 3 hours, to appreciate how the fans labored for their passion.

Soccer players run much farther than other sports averaging 7 miles a game, compared with 2.55 miles for Basketball and 1.25 miles for American football.  Midfielders average 9.5 miles and referees average more miles than players.  

Football Match

An account of a 14th century football match stated: "At Shouldham Priory in 1321 one of the canons, playing football, killed another player, a layman, who collided with the canon's sheathed dagger in a tackle."

The first ever inter-club football match took place between Hallam F.C. and Sheffield F.C. at the Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England on December 26, 1860. The match report for the game in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph states that the game was played between 16 of Sheffield and 16 of Hallam and Stumperlowe (Stumperlowe being a hamlet half a mile from Sandygate).

In the first-ever final of the FA Cup Wanderers F.C. defeated Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 on March 16, 1872. 2,000 spectators attended the game, which was held at The Oval in Kennington, London.

By Unknown (original creator) Oldelpaso (photo) - Wikipedia Commons

The first official football match programmes were sold at a Queens Park v Wanderers game at Hampden Park, Glasgow on October 9, 1875. The early programs were simple affairs, consisting of a single sheet of paper with the team names, player positions, and other basic information. However, they quickly became popular with fans, and by the late 19th century, they had evolved into more substantial publications, with articles on the teams, the players, and the game itself.

Wikipedia

Arbroath F.C. holds the world record for the largest winning margin in a senior unfixed football match. They won 36-0, in their Scottish Cup match against a scratch team from Aberdeen Bon Accord.  On a wet day on September 12, 1885 at Gayfield, 13-goal John Petrie led the rampant home team, a feat which is still recognized as the highest by one man in a single game.
Meanwhile, 20 miles away, Dundee Harp ran them close by beating Aberdeen Rovers 35-0 on the same day.

The first live radio commentary of a football match anywhere in the world, took place on January 22, 1927 for the game between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury. For the broadcast by the BBC, The Radio Times printed a numbered map of the pitch so the commentator could describe where the ball was — hence the expression: 'And back to square one.'

The First Division match between Leicester City and Arsenal at Filbert Street on April 21, 1930 finished as a 6–6 draw, the highest scoring draw in the history of first class English football. The record still stands today though was matched in a Second Division fixture between Charlton Athletic and Middlesbrough in October 1960.

The game took place five days before Arsenal's FA Cup final against Huddersfield Town and the club rested a number of players. Arsenal's David Halliday scored four goals as Arsenal came back from a half-time scoreline of 3–1 to draw the game 6–6. The Gunners also had a goal disallowed. The match was attended by a crowd of 27,500 people and was described as "a thrilling encounter" by the newspapers of the day.

On July 16, 1950, 173,850 paid spectators packed into the Maracanã stadium, then the world's biggest, for the final game of the 1950 World Cup. Uruguay beat Brazil 2-1, breaking the locals' hearts. The local media dubbed it the Maracanazo (a term still used when a visiting team triumphs). The game holds the world record for the highest attendance at any soccer match, ever.

The first football match to be played under floodlighting was in 1956. It ended up Portsmouth 0 Newcastle 2.

The world's worst soccer riot occurred in 1964 during a Peru v Argentina match in Lima after an unpopular decision by the referee. It ended with 300 fans killed and more than 500 injured.

Nottingham Forest's remarkable record of not having a player sent off for 32 years came to an end on November 27, 1971, during a First Division match against Leeds United. The unfortunate player was Sammy Chapman, who received a red card for an off-ball infraction against Leeds striker Mick Jones. 

The "Disgrace of Gijón" is the name given to a 1982 FIFA World Cup football match played between West Germany and Austria in Gijón, Spain, on June 25, 1982. A win by one or two goals for West Germany would result in both them and Austria qualifying at the expense of Algeria, who had defeated West Germany in the first game. West Germany took the lead after 10 minutes, after which the remaining 80 minutes were characterized by few serious scoring attempts on either side. The game was so bad, the German TV Commentator refused to comment the game at one point, the Austrian TV commentator asked people to change the channel, and Spain's newspaper printed the match in their Crimes Section.

The Scottish Cup 2nd Round football tie between Inverness Thistle and Falkirk in the 1978/1979 season was postponed 29 times because of bad weather.

Major League Soccer kicked off on April 6, 1996 when an overflow crowd of 31,683 packed Spartan Stadium to witness the historic first game. San Jose Clash forward Eric Wynalda scored the league's first goal in a 1-0 victory over D. C. United.

On October 31, 2002 AS Adema beat SO I'Emyrne 149-0. The match between the two Antananarivo, Madagascar teams holds the world record for the highest scoreline in Association football. SO l'Emyrne intentionally lost the game against their arch-rivals AS Adema in protest over refereeing decisions that had gone against them during a four-team playoff tournament. This led them to scoring a torrent of own goals as a protest.

Newport County goalkeeper Tom King scored a wind-assisted  goal on January 19, 2021 in his team's 1–1 League Two draw at Cheltenham Town. Guinness confirmed it set a World Record for longest football goal, with a distance of 96.01 metres (105 yd), a record previously held, since November 2013, by Asmir Begović. 

The Isles of Scilly Football League is the official football league for the Isles of Scilly. The football league is reportedly the smallest in the world, with only two clubs Garrison Gunners and the Woolpack Wanderers, which play against each other every Sunday.

On average, football (soccer) players run as far as 9.5 miles in a single match.

Football International

The first-ever international football match took place at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow, between Scotland and England on November 30, 1872. The match finished in a 0–0 draw and was watched by 4,000 spectators.

Illustrations of the first international at Hamilton Crescent, by William Ralston Wikipedia Commons

The world governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), was formed in Paris on May 21, 1904. British football remained aloof with England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland {Northern Ireland from 1920} all staying away.

France defeated Mexico 4-1 and the US beat Belgium 3-0 in the first-ever World Cup football matches played on July 13, 1930 in Uruguay.

Uruguay defeated Argentina, 4–2, in front of a home crowd of 93,0000 at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo on July 30, 1930 to win the first Football World Cup.

Uruguay also won the Football World Cup in 1950. It is the smallest country by population to win a soccer World Cup.

The so-called Battle of Santiago took place during the football World Cup on June 2, 1962. The game between hosts Chile and Italy became so violent that police were called onto the field by English referee Ken Aston to escort players who had been sent off.

The biggest crowd for a European Championship fixture was Scotland versus England in 1968 which was attended by 130,711 fans.

In a qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup on April 11, 2001, Australia set a world record for the largest victory in an international football match, defeating American Samoa 31–0. American Samoa had 19 players out because of passport issues and the under-20 team replacements unavailable due to school exams. As a result they only fielded one regular player.

The score was originally reported as 32-0 as the scorekeepers lost count.

Dejan Stankovic is the only player who has represented three different national teams in the Fifa World Cup: Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia.

Eidur Gudjohnson is the only player to come on in an international game as a substitute for his own father, Arnór, in a friendly vs Estonia.

In Mexico's 2002 World Cup squad, numbers 2,3 and 4 were Gabriel, Garcia and Marquez.

Brazil have played Norway four times but they have never beaten them.

The city of Lusail, host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final game, does not exist yet. 

Football Club

The Foot-Ball Club (active 1824–41) of Edinburgh, Scotland, is the first documented club dedicated to football, and the first to describe itself as a football club. Surviving records describe a match involving 39 players and "such kicking of shins."

Sheffield F.C., the world's first football club that still exists, was founded on October 24, 1857. It was formed by a group of educated professional men (doctors, solicitors, manufacturers and merchants) who wanted to meet regularly and play football against each other. Initially, Sheffield FC games were played among club members themselves and took the format of "Married v Singles" or "Professionals v the Rest".

The Sheffield Rules were devised by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest for use by the newly founded Sheffield F.C in 1858. They were the first official set of rules and laws ever drawn up for the game of football and form the basis for the modern game.

The Sheffield Rules  devised by the newly founded Sheffield F.C.

Sheffield F.C.'s finest hour came in 1904 when they won the FA Amateur Cup.

Manchester United Football Club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878.

A group of London school boys led by Bobby Buckle founded Tottenham Hotspur F.C. on September 5, 1882. They were members of the Hotspur Cricket Club, and the football club was formed so they may continue to play sports during the winter months.

Spurs' first and second teams in 1885.

The London-based football club Arsenal, then known as Dial Square, played their first match on December 11, 1886. The game against Eastern Wanderers was played on an open field on the Isle of Dogs, which they won 6–0. The club were renamed Royal Arsenal soon after.

Juventus was founded as an athletics club by a group of students in Turin, Italy, on November 1, 1897. The club has worn a black and white striped home kit since 1903.

FC Barcelona is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded on November 29, 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto "Més que un club" (More than a club). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona.

When members of the Munich Gymnastics Club decided on February 27, 1900, that the footballers of the club would not be allowed to join the German Football Association (DFB), 11 members left the congregation. That same evening they formed FC Bayern Munich. Within a few months, Bayern had achieved several high-scoring victories, including a 15–0 win against FC Nordstern,

The first game of FC Bayern Munich against Nürnberg in 1901

Sport Lisboa e Benfica, commonly known as Benfica is based in Lisbon, Portugal, and is one of the most successful and popular football clubs in the country. Benfica was founded by a group of young men led by brothers Cosme Damião and Augusto Damião. The club was officially established on February 28, 1904, in the back room of the Farmácia Franco on Rua de Belém, Lisbon. Cosme Damião played a crucial role in the formation of the club and became one of its early driving forces. The founders intended to create a sports and cultural club, and thus, Sport Lisboa e Benfica was born.

Real Madrid was founded on March 6, 1902 as Madrid Football Club. Three years after its foundation, in 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The word Real is Spanish for Royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem.

Real Madrid team in 1905

Inter Milan was founded on March 9, 1908 as Football Club Internazionale, following a "schism" from the Milan Cricket and Football Club (now A.C. Milan). The name of the club derives from the wish of its founding members to accept foreign players as well as Italians.

Since 1912, Spanish football club Athletic Bilbao has only fielded players with ancestry from the Basque Country.

Hull City is the only English Football League team with no letters in its name having an enclosed space that can be filled in by a doodler.

Sir Walter Scott's novel Heart of Midlothian gave its name to a ballroom used by a Scottish football team in its early days. In 1873 they decided to name themselves Heart of Midlothian or Hearts after the book.

The most league goals scored by a British football team in a season stands at 142, by Raith Rovers in 34 matches in 1937-38 — that’s 4.17 goals a game. The total included 47 strikes by forward Norrie Haywood.

Celtic F.C. from Glasgow, Scotland became the first ever Northern European team to win the European Cup in 1967; previous winners were from Spain, Italy and Portugal.

In 1999 Manchester United won Champions League, FA Cup and Premiership to cap off an unprecedented 'Treble', a feat never before seen.

In December 2015, Chan Yuen-ting was appointed as the manager of Eastern Sports Club in the Hong Kong Premier League. Eastern finished the 2015–16 season top of the Hong Kong Premier League. This meant that Chan became the first woman to coach a men's professional association football team to the championship of a national football association's top league.

Manchester United has won more titles than any other club in English football: 55 domestic trophies, a record 20 league titles, a joint record 11 FA Cups, four League Cups and 20 FA Charity/Community Shields.

Manchester United have never lost a Premier League game at Old Trafford in which they have been ahead at half-time. The last time United lost a home game, after leading at half time, was on May 7, 1984, against Ipswich Town. in the pre-Premier League days.

By André Zahn - André Zahn (User:Nic/de:Benutzer:Nic), CC BY-SA 2.0 Wikipedia Commons

One of the main reasons why so many English football clubs use the word "United" in their name is the word "United" can signify a union of two teams that were in close proximity, making them a stronger team. This is the case for clubs like Manchester United, which was formed in 1902 as a result of the merger of Newton Heath LYR Football Club and Manchester City Football Club.

Another reason why so many English football clubs use the word "United" in their name is to evoke a sense of community and togetherness. The word "United" can suggest that the club is made up of people from different backgrounds who have come together for a common goal. This is the case for clubs like Sheffield United, which was formed in 1889 by members of the Sheffield United Cricket Club.

Wakefield, with a 331,000-strong population, is the biggest UK town or city not to have a football club in the major leagues.

Football

Among the Ancient Greeks, there was a game in which the players tried to carry a small ball, similar to modern football, across a line defended by the other side.

There are records of soccer-like games having been played in China more than 2,000 years ago. A Chinese military manual from the 3rd century BC includes the “Tsu’ Chu”, physical education exercise of kicking a leather ball filled with feathers into a net fixed on bamboo canes.

The Romans played a game known as harpastum that spread throughout Europe and was probably the origin of modern soccer. Its aim was to drop the ball behind the opposition's base line by passing the ball to one another. The ball used was small and hard, probably about the size and solidity of a softball.

Galen, a second-century physician and philosophical writer pointed out how the various functions of the harpastum players increased stamina and contributed to their health.

 It is generally assumed that Roman soldiers brought the game to Britain. Indeed there are (unauthenticated) reports that relate that the people of Derby played football in AD 217 to celebrate a victory against those very Romans.

“Shrovetide football” with an unlimited number of players, vague rules and a propensity for causing violent injury, reputedly dates from Anglo-Saxon times.

The Normans introduced to England a primitive form of football called Soule. The Normans are said to have developed the game from the rites of the Roman saturnalia, a feast much concerned with fertility.

The first extensive description of English football goes back to the London of 1175. It is an account by William Fitzstephen of how after dinner on Shrove Tuesday of that year, all the youth of the city spent went: “to a local piece of ground and just outside the city for the famous game of ball.”

The earliest mention of the game of football in English literature belongs to the once widely popular ballad The Jew's Daughter (possibly going back to the thirteenth century). It begins with a football game, during which the ball is kicked into the Jew's home.

In 1314, King Edward II issued an edict forbidding football in London in 1314 because too many players were brawling claiming "many evils may arise which God forbid."

James I (1394-1437) banned the playing of football in Scotland in 1424 proclaiming: “The King forbids that any man play at the fute ball under the pain of jail.”  He believed the game to be too rough, declaring it was “meeter for lameing than making able the users thereof.”

The word "football" actually is of comparatively recent coinage. The first document in which it appears dates only from 1486 in England. Until then, the game was referred to as "a ball play" or "playing at ball."

In 1526 Henry VIII ordered the first known purpose made football boots.

Queen Elizabeth I "had football players jailed for a week, with follow-up church penance."

Some sort of football was played on American soil from early colonial days. To kick a ball around a paddock or a village green was a natural type of amusement taken up by the pioneer settlers.

In the first part of the nineteenth century, American schools and colleges were organizing games of football on their campuses.  The freshman and sophomore classes at Harvard competed in a type of football game on the first Monday of each school year--called Bloody Monday because the game was so rough.

Calling football “soccer” originated in Britain 200 years ago. It was originally widely used British slang for "asSOCiation football", and didn't become common in America until they learned it from the British during World War II. It wasn't until the 1980s the name was phased out in the UK because it was thought to be “too American."

Early nineteenth century student football in America was so rough and wild that eventually the authorities (both at Yale and Harvard) felt compelled to ban football altogether. They were able to do so only for a short while and could not prevent its revival.

The first standard rules for soccer were drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848. These "Cambridge Rules" were drawn up by a group of representatives from different schools.

The Football Association, the oldest football association in the world, was formed when 11 football clubs meet at the Freemasons’ Tavern in London on October 26, 1863. Any club of at least a year's standing was invited to join at an annual subscription of one guinea.

The first version of the rules for the modern game was drawn up over a series of six meetings held in The Freemasons' Tavern from October till December 1863.

Original hand written 'Laws of the game' for association Football. By Adrian Roebuck,

Football became a mass movement in Britain, largely through the efforts of Public-school-educated evangelists who sought to raise the moral condition of the working class through  the sport. It spread from its aristocratic roots to the wider population via church groups and organisations such as the Boy’ Brigade. Many clubs were formed especially in the industrial north and the Midlands with around half of them starting off as church teams.

Before the introduction of the whistle in the early 1870s, football referees indicated their decisions by waving a white handkerchief.

By the 1880s crowds of 10,000 were  common. The changing nature of the game was symbolized by the defeat of Old Etonians by Blackburn Olympic in the 1883 Cup Final.

In 1885, the Football Association accepted professionalism after attempts to suppress it, thus avoiding repeating Rugby Union/Rugby League split.

The Football League, the oldest such competition in world football, was formed at a meeting on April 17, 1888 at the Royal Hotel, Manchester. The first season of the Football League began a few months later on September 8, 1888 with 12 member clubs from the Midlands and North of England: Accrington, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Preston North End were the first champions.

The first goal-nets were used in 1890. Liverpool engineer John Alexander Brodie devised them after watching Everton lose because the referee couldn’t see if the ball had gone between the posts.

The penalty kick in football was introduced in 1891. It was originally proposed by William McCrum of County Armagh.  It was first awarded to Wolverhampton Wanderers in a game against Accrington Stanley. Joseph ‘Billy’ Heath took the kick and scored.

Football was on the program for the first modern Olympics in 1896 but it was cancelled when no teams entered.

In 1905, Chelsea FC put two small boys behind their goalkeeper, William "Fatty" Foulke, in order to accentuate Foulke's size (1.93m, 152kg) and put off opposing forwards. The boys would sometimes run and return the ball when it went out of play. By accident, ballboys came into being.

Goalkeepers didn't have to wear different colored shirts from their teammates until 1913.

Soccer was illegal in the state of Mississippi until 1991.

Football is also known as soccer, but only Americans and Canadians call it soccer.

In a 90-minute football match, the average player is in possession of the ball for 53.4 seconds

Around half a million people are treated in hospital each year in the UK for football injuries

Sources Europress Family Encyclopedia 1999. Published by Webster Publishing, 1998, Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc.

FA Cup

On July 20, 1871, in the offices of The Sportsman newspaper, C. W. Alcock proposed to The Football Association committee that "it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete". The proposition was carried and the inaugural FA Cup tournament, the oldest association football competition in the world, kicked off in November 1871.

The second FA Cup trophy, used between 1896 and 1910.

In the first-ever final of the FA Cup, Wanderers F.C. defeated Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington, London on March 16, 1872. 2,000 spectators attended the game.

Wanderers F.C, were a team of former public schoolboys based in London, who went on to win the competition five times in its first seven seasons.

The early winners of the competition were all teams of wealthy amateurs from the south of England, but in the 1883 final, Blackburn Olympic became the first team from the north to win the cup, defeating Old Etonians.

Sheffield United were leading the 1902 FA Cup Final against Southampton when, with two minutes to play, the ball reached Southampton's captain Harry Wood who was in an offside position tying up his bootlaces. He scored, no extra time was played and the result was a 1–1 draw. Referee Tom Kirkham was forced to take refuge in a broom cupboard to evade angry Sheffield United goalkeeper William "Fatty" Foulke.  Sheffield United won the replay 2–1. 

The 1923 FA Cup final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United took place on April 28, 1923 at the original Wembley Stadium in London. It was the first football match to be played at Wembley Stadium, and King George V was in attendance to present the trophy to the winning team. The match wrote itself into football folklore, not just for the action on the pitch, but for the mayhem beforehand.  Crowds, estimated to be double the stadium's official capacity, stormed the pitch, forcing a 45-minute delay. Mounted police, immortalized in a now-famous photograph (one featuring a grey horse), finally cleared the field.  West Ham started strong, but Bolton dominated, ultimately winning 2-0 thanks to goals from David Jack and Jack Smith (with the latter's goal sparking some debate). King George V, perhaps relieved the game actually happened, presented the trophy to the victorious Bolton.

On April 23, 1927, Cardiff City defeated Arsenal 1-0 in the FA Cup Final at the Wembley Stadium. This was a significant victory as Cardiff City became the first and only non-English team to win the competition. Hughie Ferguson scored the only goal of the match, securing the win for Cardiff City. The victory was celebrated in Wales, and the team's achievement has become a significant part of Welsh football history.

The 1933 FA Cup Final played between Everton and Manchester City on April 29, 1933 was the first time that players wore numbered shirts in a competitive football match. Everton wore numbers 1-11, while Manchester City wore numbers 12-22. The match was won by Everton 3-0, with goals from Dixie Dean, Cliff Britton, and Ted Buckle.

The decision to introduce numbered shirts was made by the Football Association (FA) in an effort to make it easier for referees to identify players on the field and to improve the flow of the game. In the years prior to the introduction of numbered shirts, referees would often struggle to identify players who had committed fouls or who were offside, leading to disputes and delays in the game. The use of numbered shirts helped to reduce confusion and make the job of the referee much easier.

The BBC used commentators for the first time at the 1936 FA Cup Final.

The first televised FA Cup Final took place on April 30, 1938 between Huddersfield Town and Preston North End. Preston won 1-0 thanks to a penalty dispatched by George Mutch in the last minute of extra time. More people - 93,000 - saw the game at Wembley than on TV, as there were fewer than 10,000 sets in Britain.

Arsenal have won the FA Cup the most times with 13.