Did you know that soccer is the most popular sport in the world?
Here are ten fun facts about soccer:
1. Soccer dates back centuries – with some reports claiming it was first played as early as 2500 BC!
2. The ancient Greeks and Romans used to play a similar game called “harpastum”.
3. England is credited with inventing modern soccer, after codifying the rules of the game in 1848.
4. The first official international soccer match took place in 1872 between Scotland and England.
5. The World Cup is the most prestigious tournament in soccer – and it takes place every four years. Brazil has won the title a record five times.
6. Pele is widely regarded as the greatest ever soccer player – he scored an incredible 1281 goals during his career! He also became the only player to win three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970). Another Brazilian star, Ronaldo, holds the record for most goals scored in a World Cup finals tournament (15).
7. The biggest ever victory margin in an international match came in 2001, when Australia beat American Samoa 31-0!
8. In 1994, Qatar made history by becoming the first Asian nation to qualify for a FIFA World Cup finals tournament.
9. Europe’s top club competition is known as the UEFA Champions League – it began life back in 1955 as simply “The European Champion Clubs’ Cup”.
10. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo are widely considered two of the best players currently active; they have both won FIFA’s Ballon d’Or award (given to world player of year) a record five times each!
