Football history, rules & significant players

Football is the most popular sport around the globe. There are more than 4 billion fans who come together to cheer on the game. It is also known as soccer or association football. The sport involves two teams made up of eleven players who maneuver a ball to try and score a goal. The players can use any part of their bodies except for their hands and arms. Currently, the governing body of football games around the world is the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 

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History of football. 

For as long as time immemorial people have always loved kicking the ball. There are different origins of football from as far back as 500 BC. The Chinese Military at this period used to play a sport known as Tsu’ Chu. It involved kicking a leather ball into a small opening and the net. Players were not allowed not to use their hands, but they would withhold their opponents by jumping on top of them. The Romans had their version of the sport known as Harpastum, while the Greeks referred to it as Episkyros.

Modern Football is more than a century old, and its origins can be traced back to England in 1863. The Football Association in Britain was formed after rugby and football branched different ways. In the 19th Century due to industrialization and urbanization, football was taken as a winter game. Independent schools such as Eton, Winchester, and Charterhouse used to play the sport, but they all had different rules.  

The rules of football. 

In the 19th century, the rules of football differed from one school to another in Britain. The University of Cambridge tried to standardize the regulations which were later adapted by graduates who formed football clubs. In  1863 there were a series of meetings which were carried throughout London to print the rules of the sport. By the year 1870 handling the ball was only allowed by the goalkeeper. 

Some of the current rules of football include;

1. A football match is to be played in a time frame of 90 minutes. It is split into two halves of 45 minutes each. 
2. The football match is to made up of two teams each with 11 players. One goalkeeper and ten players. 
3. For a goal to be considered legitimate, it has to be over the opponent’s line. 
4. For a team to win a football match, they have to score more goals than their opponent.  

Significant players in football. 

Football has given rise to some of the best players in its entire history. Some of the greatest players of all time in soccer include; Pele, Diego Maradona, Christiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten, Zinedine Zidane, and Michel Platini.

Football history, rules & significant players