20 Amazing Football Facts That Will Shock You
Could it be the
fact that it is one of the most ancient games in the world or the fact that so
many competitive bodies have sprung up that everything about football seems to
be a competition?
I really don't see the words "football" and "trivia" fitting together in the same sentence. But guess what! Even football can be a super fun topic.
Here are some of the most amazing football facts I bet you didn't know existed.
Football Has A Chinese Origin
History's Highest Number of Goals Scored In An Official Match
READ ALSO: Top 10 Facts About Lionel Messi
Fastest Goal Ever Scored In History
On the 26th of
December, 1998, an Argentine, Ricardo Olivero made history by scoring a goal
just 2.8 seconds after kick off. This is still the fastest goal ever scored in
the history of football till date.
The Football Club Which Almost Spans Through the Entire Alphabet
NAC Breda is a Dutch football club whose full name has a total of 83 letters. The full name of the Netherlands-based football club is Nooit Opgeven Altijd Doorzetten Aangenaam Door Vermaak En Nuttig Door Ontspanning Combinatie Breda. This might just be the longest football club name ever.
The Brazilian Legend Who Scored 23 Goals
We all know the football legend, Ronaldinho. But are you aware that even he made history when he was just 13 years of age? Ronaldinho was one of football's finest and this was first manifested in a football game where his local team won with a whopping 23 goals to nothing against the other team.
Pakistan Is the Main Manufacturer of World Class Footballs
Who would have thought that most world class footballs actually have a "humble background?" Sialkot is a small city in Pakistan with a population of about 2 million people. The truth is, as small as this city is, it is the home of almost 40% of footballs used in the world.
Football Is The Most Played Sport In the World
Apart from being one of the oldest sports in the world, football is generally the most widely accepted sport. A total of 210 countries are not only duly registered under FIFA but also play the sport competitively. The only game that comes close to achieving this feat is basketball with 195 countries playing it but still limited to a total of 100 registered countries.
Less Than 5% of Countries Have Won The World Cup
Since the inception of football in 1930, only 8 out of the 210 registered countries have ever won the world cup. The game is played every four years with Brazil topping the charts of countries that have won the world cup. The other countries are Italy and Germany with 4 world cups each, Uruguay, France and Argentina with 2 world cups each. England and Spain each have 1 world cup each. Brazil has won the world cup 5 times.
Football In A Game of Basketball
On the 21st of
December, 1891, history has it that the very first basketball game was held. We
are not sure of why it happened but what we know is that football made its way
into the game and the first basketball game in history was played using a
football.
Asteroids Named After Football Legends
Ever heard of the 33179 Arsènewenger? Or the 14282 Cruyff? You probably know that they are asteroid names. What you didn't know is that the names of football players served as sources of inspiration for these names. Yes, not just these 2 but a total of 5 asteroids have been named after football players.
Back In the Day When The Hustle Was Real
It is no longer
news that one of the richest professions is being a world-renowned footballer.
Majority of professional footballers today are worth millions of dollars and
they don't even get to play back-to-back. They still get the opportunity to
rest in between matches. What if you were told it wasn't always like that? Back
in the day when football wasn't such a get-rich-quick scheme, players had to
give it their all to keep the game running. One of such players, Mark Hughes
was a Manchester United player who had to feature in two matches in a single
day. He had just been signed into the club but was also due to play for his national
team in another qualifying match that same day.
How The Cards Got Into the Game
Have you ever wondered where the idea of communicating to players on a football pitch with the aid of cards originated from? It seems very similar to traffic lights where the yellow light means "get ready" and the red light means "stop." Could there be any connection? Well, there is. The idea of using colored cards on a football pitch was introduced by a British man, Ken Aston who got the idea while he was stuck in traffic. In soccer language, the yellow card serves as a warning to players while the red card means stop playing the game.
The Tragic End of An Entire Football Team
The painful incident occurred in Congo during a match between two locals, Bena Tshadi and Besangana. It was reported that the entire Bena Tshadi team was wiped out when lightning struck the ground. The incident which occurred in October 1998, was blamed on witchcraft as it seemed more of spiritual than physical.
Meet The Oldest Player In The History of Football
It is very rare to see a professional football player maintain this position for more than 34 years. Surprisingly, a 53-year-old Japanese player has managed to achieve this feat. Old footballer, Kazuyoshi Miura has been playing as a professional footballer for the past 35 years. Describing him as an old footballer might be a bit of an overstatement considering his achievement.
The Only Country Yet To Witness Brazil's Superiority
Despite winning the
world cup 5 times and practically defeating every opponent that comes their
way, Brazil still hasn't been able to hold one country in its clutches and
that's Norway. Norway is the only country which hasn't fallen prey to Brazil's
"destructive" force yet.
The Ever-Unbeatable Football Club
Winning a league in
soccer is definitely a great achievement. Not losing any game is just as
amazing. But combining these two achievements is almost impossible. A Romanian
football club, Steaua Bucharest, played in a total of 106 matches from 1986 to
1989 without losing to the rival club even once. Not just that but they also
crowned it all with a 5-time league title win.
The Red Card Day In Football
This is probably the most hilarious fact about football. This happened in the year 2011 between two rival Argentinian teams, Claypole and Victoriano Arenas. In a match against each other, the first half saw the dismissal of 2 players. Little did we know that things were just beginning to get interesting. When the second half began, not only did the referee Damian Rubino serve all 36 players red cards, but also didn't leave the substitutes and coaches as he served them 14 additional red cards too.
The Penalty Shootout Which Lasted Almost A Match Time
In 2005 and during the Namibian Cup, the football match between KK Palace and Civics ended in a penalty shootout. What people didn't know however, was that the shootout would last as long as the football match itself. KK Palace eventually emerged victorious after what seemed like forever. Little wonder this fact found its way into the Guinness Book of Records.
The Brazilian Superstar
At 11 years, Pele was scouted as a young talent and he started playing professional football at the tender age of 16. He won the first World Cup for Brazil in 1958 with a total of 6 goals at the age of 17.
No More Same Color Jersey
Did you know that every member of a football team including the goal keepers used to wear the same color jersey? This was later changed when confusion started setting in and it became increasingly difficult to distinguish the goalkeepers from the players.
Bottom Line
Who would have thought football also had its own share of fun, weird and ugly. Well, there you have it! 20 of the most amazing facts about football I bet you didn't know even existed.
