Free Football

Yup, you guessed it right, Football, the sport that includes names like Zinedine Zidane, Maradona, Pele, Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Buffon and Neymar; the sport that is within itself a religion; the most famous sport on this planet is what we choose to discuss here on this blog. 

GAME 

Football (UK) is a sport where 2 sides with 11 players each play to net the ball. The team with the most net ins (goals) wins. 

Formations : The Eleven players constitute the goalkeeper and ten players who can be set up in various formations arranged in the defence, midfield and attack. The most used formations are 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and the 4-5-1. Formations are also coated with a play control strategy that implies if the team approaches to put more emphasis on attack or hold. For example, the 4-5-1 attack would pick three attacking midfielders that would push hard on attack and fall back but upto the midline if possession is lost, and two central midfielders that would push behind the attacking midfielders and go to the final third in case of set pieces ( penalties, free kicks). The 4-5-1 defense strategy sees three central midfielders and two defensive midfielders that coordinate with the striker (attacking one). A balanced 4-5-1 formation would see a central attacking midfielder make balance between the attack and the midfield as attack or restrain occurs from either the left or right flank(side). Under such a formation, the left and right attacking midfielders have to have extremely brilliant connection between themselves and also the central attacking midfielder. Also the significance of full backs ( extreme left and right defenders ) is noticed in this line-up.

Cards : Cards are shown to players if they play foul on other players or even the fans or referees, or if they try to breach fairplay. A yellow card is shown in case of a minor foul which acts as a warning. A second yellow in a match accounts for a red card and sees the player leave the match and the team is not given a substitute, and in addition the player misses the upcoming match in the respective league. Red cards are also directly given in case the referee finds the foul quite offensive. Sometimes players are banned for more than one match. 

Rules :

There are some rules that strictly needs to be followed in a game of football. No player is allowed to touch the ball with his/her hands. Any foul as such if found intentional is upto the decision of the referee over a card. The offside rule is the one whose use is most commonly seen in a game. This tells a free forward pass from a team mate to another illegal if the latter happens to be past a line created by two of the opponent's players (excluding opponent goalkeeper) such that no other opponent's player is past that same line (again excluding opponent goalkeeper). This is to ensure fair play. Another important fact is time wasting. A player can be booked if found wasting time on field with the ball if his/her team happens to lead. Many cases of this has been noticed in modern day football.

Set-Pieces and Play-Ins:

Set pieces and Play-Ins are of five kinds that depends on type and position of foul or ball movement. Any foul action on player inside 10 yards radius's vicinity of opponent's goal will result in a penalty take where the taker takes a shot at a lone goalkeeper guarding the goal. If the foul is outside this 10 yards mark (D-Box) the consequence is a free kick. Here a wall of players is allowed to guard the taker and player accumulation around the goalkeeper is allowed. If the ball happens to move out of the left and right sides of the fields, the opponent team to the player who last touched the ball shall throw in the ball back to the ground using both his hands. This action is called a throw in. If the ball happens to go behind the goal-line and the team whose player is the last to have touched the ball owns that post then the call is a corner kick taken by the opponent. If the team doesn't own that post then the call is a goal kick taken from that post by the opponent goalkeeper.

(Major competition worldwide ranks the outcome of a match on the basis of points where a win grants 3 points, draw grants one point and a loss will gain no points.)

Here are some amazing information and stats : 

FOOTBALL WORLD CUP 

Football World Cups are played after every four years with 32 teams from different continents (yes, except Antarctica obvio) that progress through on basis of intracontinental tour points. 32 teams are divided into 8 groups with four countries in each. Each country plays the other three countries in the group stages and the top two teams progress to the next stage, the round of sixteen. Here, the group leaders are paired against teams that came second of alternate groups. This round is a direct promotion and elimination round as the teams that win directly qualifies to the quarter finals. In the quarters, 8 teams play, the winners promoted to the semis and then the finals, as occurs in any other sport. 

Stats :

Brazil leads the trophy cabinet with 5 World Cups followed by Germany and Italy at 4. The French National football team is the current world Champions. The overall highest Goal Scorer in World Cups is Miroslav Klose (Germany) with record 16 goals. The most goals in a season record holder Frenchman Just Fontaine with 13 goals in 6 games in the year 1958. Oleg Salenko (Russia) scored 5 goals against 

Cameroon in 1994 which is a record for most goals in a World Cup match.

Here is the history of Football World Cup Champions

1930 : Uruguay 

1934 : Italy 

1938 : Italy 

(Football tournaments on national level suspended due to World War 2 )

1950 : Uruguay 

1954 : West Germany 

1958 : Brazil 

1962 : Brazil 

1966 : England 

1970 : Brazil

1974 : Germany 

1978 : Argentina

1982 : Italy 

1986 : Argentina

1990 : Germany 

1994 : Brazil 

1998 : France 

2002 : Brazil 

2006 : Italy 

2010 : Spain

2014 : Germany 

2018 : France 

CLUB COMPETITION

Every country has different clubs situated across various major cities that gives a wide area for young talents to implement and enhance their abilities. The teams are categorised into leagues of around 20 and matches of teams are organised inside their respective leagues. Every team in a league plays any other team twice in a season ( once in their home stadium and once when they travel to rival club's stadium). The team with the maximum points at the end of the season is awarded the championship title of the respective league. 

The Premier League (English Premier League EPL)

This is the Club competition at the highest level in England which hosts a season from August to next year's May. It is also home to the big six (clubs) which includes Liverpool FC, Manchester City (Manchester), Manchester United ( Manchester ), Chelsea FC ( West London), Tottenham Hotspur (London), Arsenal FC (London). Other notable clubs in this league includes Newcastle United FC, Leicester City FC, West Ham United FC, Watford FC, Crystal Palace FC, Everton FC.

       Manchester United leads the trophy cabinet with 20 premier League titles followed by Liverpool FC with 18 Premier Leagues. Alan Shearer (Southampton FC, Blackburn Rovers,  Newcastle United FC) leading goal scorer with 260 goals.

Top tier clubs in this League : 

      Some of the greatest players to have played in this league includes Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Schmeichel (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC), Frank Lampard ( Chelsea, Manchester City, West Ham United), Robin Van Persie (Arsenal, Manchester United), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Mohammed Salah ( Liverpool, Chelsea), Ryan Giggs ( Manchester United), Paul Scholes ( Manchester United), Virgil Van Dijk( Liverpool FC) and Rio Ferdinand ( Manchester United and West Ham United .).

Current Champions : Manchester City (2018-2019)

La Liga :

This is the club competition at the highest level in Spain. Seasons are held from August to next year's May. 

Real Madrid CF has the most number of titles (33). FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid FC, Valencia CF, Sevilla FC, Athletic Bilbao FC are other big clubs in this league. La Liga is home to football legend Lionel Messi, who has scored the most number of Goals in this league (438) for FC Barcelona. 

Some Iconic moments related with this league includes Lionel Messi's record 91 goals a year in 2012, Barcelona's sextuple (six titles a year) in 2009 and Real Madrid's back to back Champions League titles (5 years continuously from 1956 to 1960, and 3 years continuously 2016 to 2018).

Top Clubs in this league : 

Some of the greatest players to have played in this league includes Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF), Neymar Jr (FC Barcelona), Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona),Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC), Ronaldo Nazario (Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid FC), Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid), Dani Alves (FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC), Pep Guardiola (FC Barcelona), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona), Xavi (FC Barcelona), Iniesta (FC Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid CF), David Beckham (Real Madrid CF), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid CF), David Villa (FC Barcelona), Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona), Thierry Henry (FC Barcelona), Luis Figo (FC Barcelona and Real Madrid), Rivaldo (FC Barcelona), Romario (FC Barcelona), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid CF), Kaka (Real Madrid CF), Diego Maradona (FC Barcelona and Sevilla), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid CF), Pepe (Real Madrid CF).

Current Champions : FC Barcelona (2018-2019)

Above : Iconic Attacking Trio of MSN (Messi, Suarez and Neymar) for FC Barcelona.

Bundesliga :

The Bundesliga is the club competition at the highest level in Germany. Seasons are held from August to next year's May. The biggest clubs in this league includes FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund BVB, Schalke SO4, RB Leipzig, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hamburger SV. FC Bayern Munich leads the trophy cabinet with 28 titles. Gerd Muller has scored the most goals in this league (365). 

Some of the most famous moments in this league includes Robert Lewandowski's 5 goals in 9 minutes against Wolfsburg for FC Bayern Munich, and FC Bayern Munich's 3 consecutive Champions League titles from 1974 to 1976.

Top Clubs in this league : 

Some of the most famous players to have played in this league includes Gerd Muller (FC Bayern Munich), Oliver Kahn (FC Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Schalke SO4 and FC Bayern Munich), Klaus Fischer (Schalke SO4 and FC Koln), Lothar Matthaus (Borussia Monchengladbach and FC Bayern Munich), Pavel Pardo (VFB Stuttgart), Wynton Rufer (FC Kaiserslautern and SV Werder Bremen), Jay Jay Okocha (Eintracht Frankfurt), Robert Lewandowski (FC Bayern Munich), Arjen Robben (FC Bayern Munich), Franck Ribery (FC Bayern Munich), Bastian Schweinstiger (FC Bayern Munich), Phillip Lahm (FC Bayern Munich), Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern Munich), Lucas Podolski (FC Bayern Munich and FC Koln), Marco Reus (BVB Dortmund).

Current Champions: FC Bayern Munich (2018-2019).

(TO BE CONTINUED ...............)

_ written, edited and directed by Dibyendu Maji a.k.a. Kris on 11 April, 2020. Last Updated 

11.02.2021. 

Image Credits : Google, Facebook, All Football, Twitter.