One of the most exhilarating games in the world which also happens to be the most watched sport is Football. With gut-wrenching and heart in one’s mouth goals, the sport builds a sense of camaraderie even when watched with strangers! Football is played in all weather conditions and across all countries even in the smallest country in Tuvalu, where they use the runway as their field! Read on to learn more Facts about Football.
Facts about Football
Furthermore, here are some interesting facts about football!
- The modern football game traces its origins back to the ancient game of “cuju” played in China in 476 BC.
- George Weah who was a footballer is also the ex-President of Liberia!
- Sheffield FC, founded in 1857, is the oldest football club in the world.
- The first international football match was played between Scotland and England in 1872.
- The first FIFA World Cup was held in 1930 and won by Uruguay.
- In 2002, Stade Olympique de L’emyrne lost 149-0 to AS Adema in Madagascar. This was the heaviest defeat to ever happen!
- Lionel Messi scored 91 goals in 2012 which is the most by any player in a calendar year.
- The fastest goal is by Ricardo Olivera who scored a goal in 1.8 seconds after kick-off in 1998! Talk about fast as lightning, he truly is!
- The first red card in football was shown to Dave Wagstaffe in 1976.
- Professional footballers run an average of 11 km per game!
- Goalkeepers wear unique coloured jerseys to distinguish themselves from other players.
- Cristiano Ronaldo was the first footballer to reach 100 million followers on Instagram.
- The shortest professional footballer was Jamshid Nassiri, standing at 3 feet 7 inches tall.
- Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona to PSG in 2017 cost €222 million!
- Gary Lineker played over 400 matches without receiving a single yellow or red card!
- Kazuyoshi Miura who is still playing at 53, is the oldest active professional footballer! Age is definitely just a number!
- Giuseppe Bergomi played in four World Cups without participating in the qualifiers!
- Ronaldo did not score a single goal in his first 26 Champions League matches.
- No English manager has won the Premier League since its inception in 1992.
FAQs
One unbelievable football fact is that the fastest goal was done in less than 2 seconds!
One fact about the history of football is that you can trace its roots back to ancient China.
One fun fact about football game is that a football is not a perfect sphere, but has a slightly elongated shape. Moreover, this unique design helps the ball to curve when kicked.
Relevant Blogs
I hope you had fun reading these 19 Kicking Facts about Football. If you want to know more about topics like this, then visit our Interesting Facts and General Knowledge page!