SOCCER

Soccer

Debraj Das

Xii B

It was considered valuable to discuss the Draft matter with subject experts for technical accuracy of contents. To elicit their critical views & constructive suggestions, I acknowledge them with all my heart for their continuous support.

I’m highly grateful to our Principal Sir, Dr. A.K. Gaur and our Physical Education teacher, Mr. R.P. Singh for postulating us with the project on Soccer.

Finally, I thank my parents for allowing me to work at odd timings and my friends for the criticism which proved very helpful for removing the faults out from my project.

There are various assumptions regarding the origin of

soccer. Some allude that it was played in China during 2 &

3 centuries. Others aver that soccer was famous in Rome.

Some ancient Egyptian rites also have similarities with

football. Both the ancient Greeks & Romans played a game

in which a ball had to be kicked around.

But modern soccer was developed in England. In 1863,

football came to be known as "Association Football”. New

rules & regulations were set & became more professional

with the formation of FIFA in 1904 in Paris.

It became an official competition at the 1908London

Olympics in which “Great Britain won the Gold medal.

FIFA President “JULES RIMET” then decided to stage an

international tournament outside of the Olympics. On May

28, 1928, the FIFA Congress in Amsterdam decided to

stage a world championship.

In 1930, Uruguay hosted the first World Cup in which 13

teams took part. The hosts, “URUGUAY” became the first

nation to win the World Cup, defeating Argentina by 4-2.

The history of the soccer ball dates back to ancient times. From a couple centuries BC to about 200 AD, the Chinese used balls made from animal skins in a game called ‘tsu chu‘.It wasn't until the 20th century that most soccer balls were made out of rubber. Charles Goodyear in 1855 created the first vulcanized rubber soccer ball similar to basketball. Before that, the soccer ball game was at the mercy of the size & shape of the pig's bladder. In 1862, H. J. Lindon developed an inflatable rubber bladder. Now the soccer ball would be easier to kick. And it could endure the regiments of the game without losing its shape. By the 1900's, soccer's growing popularity demanded that balls be strong enough to withstand the roughest play. Up until now most soccer balls were made from rubber bladders, and from leather-covered inner tubes. Covers were constructed of tanned leather carefully hand-stitched together in 18 sections of six panels, with three strips per panel, and with a small slit on one side allowing for an inflated bladder to be inserted into it. In 1951 soccer enjoyed better visibility with the official introduction of the white soccer ball which was made white simply by whitewashing the leather. The "Buckeyball", designed by architect R. Buckminster Fuller, lends its name to the evolution of the synthetic soccer ball. In fact it became the model from which the modern soccer ball is mass-produced to this day. Twenty hexagonal, and 12 pentagonal pieces were fitted and stitched together to form a sphere. Adidas Telstar, the first World Cup Buckminster model soccer ball were used in Mexico's 1970 World Cup. The official FIFA World Cup soccer ball for Germany 2006 matches was the 14-panel Adidas + Teamgeist is a thermally bonded machine-pressed ball, rather than a traditionally stitched one.

Field surface

Matches may be played on natural or artificial surfaces. The colour of the artificial surface must be green & meet the requirements of the International Artificial Turf Standard.

Field markings

The field must be rectangular & marked with lines. The two longer boundary lines are called “Touch Lines” and the two shorter boundary lines are called “Goal Lines”. A centre is marked to indicate the midpoint of half-way line. A circle is marked around it.Marks may be made off the field of play, 9.15m from the corner arc & at right angles to the goal lines and the touch lines, to ensurethat the defending players retreat this distancewhen a corner kick is being taken.

Dimensions

Length of playfield: 100-200 yards

Breadth of playfield: 50-100 yards

Height of the goalposts: 8 feet

Height of the flagposts: 5 feet

Radius of the corner arc: 1 metre

Radius of the center circle: 10 yards

Distance b/w two goalposts: 8 yards

The ball should :

be spherical.

be made of leather or other

suitable material.

be of circumference not more

than 70 cm

(28 in) and not less than 68 cm

(27 in).

weigh between 450gm (14oz) to

410gm (16oz)

before the start of the match.

be of pressure equal to 0.6 to 1.1

atm. at sea

level.

bear the official “FIFA

Approved”, “FIFA

Football has come a long way since its first laws were drawn up In London in 1863. That historic meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern led not only to the foundation of the Football Association but, moreover, to the game's inaugural set of common rules. The first set of laws governing the game was drafted by Ebenezer Cobb Morley. He devised 14 laws which became the basis for the first set of rules of soccer. His aim was to make a distinction between soccer & rugby.1863: The Cambridge Rules are rewritten to provide the game's

first uniform regulations. 1866: The offside law is changed to allow players to be onside

provided there are 3 players between the ball & the goal. 1882: The associations in Great Britain unify their rules & form

the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to control the laws of the game.

1886: The first official meeting of the IFAB takes place. 1891: Introduction of the penalty-kick. 1913: FIFA becomes a member of the IFAB. 1925: Amendment of the offside rule from three to two players. 1938: The present Laws of the Game are framed in a new

system of codification, based on the Laws previously in force.

1958: Substitutes are permitted for the first time, albeit only for an injured goalkeeper and one other injured player.

1970: The system of red and yellow cards is introduced for the 1970 World Cup finals.

1990: The offside law is changed in favour of the attacker, who isnow onside if level with the penultimate defender.

1992: Goalkeepers are forbidden from handing back-passes. 1994: The technical area is introduced into the Laws of the Game,

with the Fourth Official following the next year. 1996: Linesmen are renamed Assistant Referees.

Soccer or Football is a ball

game played by

two teams, each of not more

than 11

players including the

goalkeeper

(excluding substitutes). The

object of the

game is to put the ball into the

opponent’s

goal & winning team is the

one that scores

the maximum number of goals

in the given

time. A player can use any

Officials(a) Referee: Each match is controlled by a

referee who has

the full authority to enforce the laws of

the game in

connection with the match to which he

has been

appointed . He enforces the laws of the

game and acts as

time keeper & keeps the record of the

match. He takes

the actions against any player if he/she

commits any

offence or breaks any rules of the game.

He may take the

help of the assistant referees if required &

can change

his decision before the restart of the

match.

(b) Linesmen: They are the 2 assistant

referees, one on each

touchline. They indicate when the ball is

out of the field &

which team has the right to throw in or

take the corner

kick. He may also draw attention to any

infringement of

Duration

The game is played in 2 halves of 45 mins. each with an

interval of 5 mins. In case of draw, extra time of 30mins.

in two halves of 15 mins. is given with an interval of 5 mins

If in interval also, both the remains draw or are unsuccessful

in taking lead over the other, then 5 penalty kicks are given

to each team. Only the kicker and opposing goalkeeper may

stand in the penalty box, creating a one-on-one situation. The

other players must remain in the center circle.

Start of the game

The two captains toss a coin & the winner decides whether to

opt for starting of the game or selecting the side of the

playfield. Game is always started with the Kick

centre of the field into the opponent field of play, on the

whistle of the referee. At the time of the Kick-off all players

should remain in their own half.

Substitutions

Before the match each team is permitted to name upto 7

substitutes of which only 3 players can be substituted during

a match. A player is substituted only during a stoppage of

game & the replaced player takes no further part in the match.

Throw in

A throw in is taken along the touch line at the point where the

ball went out of play. It’s awarded against the team that last

touched the ball before it went out of the play. The ball must

be thrown into the play with both hands, from behind and over

the head. with a part of each foot either on the touch line or on

the ground outside the touch line. The thrower may not touch

the ball again until it has touched another player. The ball is in

play immediately when it enters the field of play.

Off side

An attacking player is off-side if, when the ball is being played

by one of his own teammate, he is nearer to the opponent’s

goal line and he does not have at least two opponents in front

or nearer to the goal line, including the opponent team’s

goalkeeper. Moreover if if a player receives the ball directly

from the throw-in, corner-kick or goal-kick he/she cannot be

given offside. A player in an offside position is penalized only

at that moment when anyone of his/her team touches or plays

the ball. The rule was made to prevent teams from gaining an

unfair advantage by keeping a player in an offensive position.

Fouls

A foul is an unfair act by a player which is

deemed by the

referee to contravene the Laws of the Game.

There are 2

kinds of soccer fouls, ‘Direct Kick Fouls’ and

‘Indirect Kick

Fouls.

I)Direct Kick Fouls: Direct Kick Soccer Fouls

are soccer fouls

for which team fouled receives a "direct free

kick" (means

goal can be scored by kicking the ball

straight into the goal) or

a "penalty kick“ if the foul occurs within the

Penalty Box. There

are 10 direct kick fouls. Some are:

Kicking, tripping or attempting to kick or trip

an opponent.

Charging into an opponent

Striking or pushing an opponent, including

the goalkeeper

Jumping at an opponent in a careless or

reckless manner or

using excessive force

II)Indirect Kick Fouls for all Players: Indirect Kick Soccer Fouls

are soccer fouls for which the fouled team receives "indirect

free kick" (means a goal only counts if another player touches

the ball before it enters the goal). There are four of them.

"Dangerous Play“ or playing in a dangerous manner is any

action by a player that in the judgment of the Referee is

dangerous to himself or to another player and that isn't a

"direct kick foul“

A player cannot use his/her body to impede another players

movements, even if it is not deliberate. This can be called if a

player is not within "playing distance" of the ball (i.e., 3 feet)

and block's an opponent's movement or screens an opponent

from the ball.

Preventing the opponent team’s goalkeeper from releasing

the ball from his hands.

For "unsporting behavior", "dissent", “persistently breaking

the rules”, “offensive or threatening language” etc.

III)Indirect Kick Fouls for Goalkeeper: They are only applied to

the goalkeeper and only if committed inside the Penalty Box

Handling the ball for more than 6 sec before releasing the ball

Handling a pass by his/her teammate

Receiving the ball with hands directly on a throw

teammate

Intentionally handling the ball after releasing it from his/her

possession, before touching another player

Free Kick

A free kick is awarded to a team for an offence by an opponent

player. Depending upon the offence committed, the referee

may award following kicks:

I) Indirect Free Kick: In an indirect free kick, the ball must first

touch another player other than the player taking the kick

before it enters the goal. An indirect free kick is awarded to

the opposing team if a player:

Plays in a dangerous manner

Impedes the progress of an opponent

Prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands

An indirect free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a

goalkeeper, inside his own penalty area:

Handles the ball for more than 6 sec before releasing the ball

Handles a pass by his/her teammate

Receives the ball with hands directly on a throw

teammate

Intentionally handles the ball after releasing it from his/her

possession, before touching another player

II) Direct Free Kick: The direct free kick gives the player taking

the kick the opportunity to score a goal "directly" off the free

kick being awarded. A direct free kick is awarded to the

opposing team if a player:

Kicks or attempts to kick an opponent

Trips or attempts to trip an opponent

Jumps at an opponent

Charges an opponent

Strikes or attempts to strike an opponent

Pushes an opponent

Makes contact with a opponent before toching

Holds an opponent

Spits at an opponent

Handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within

his own penalty area)

Goal KickA goal kick is awarded to the defending team when the ball

crosses its Goal line (except b/w the goalposts) after last

touch by an opponent. The kick may be taken by any player of

the defending team including goalkeeper. The ball is played

with the half of the Goal area nearer to the point where it

crossed the Goal line. The ball comes into the play only when

the is kicked beyond the Penalty area. A goal can’t be scored

directly from a Goal kick.

Corner KickA corner kick is awarded to the attacking team if the ball

crosses the Goal line (except b/w the goalposts) after last

touch by the defending team. Corner kicks are taken from

the ‘Corner Circle’ without moving the corner flagposts.

Opponents must remain 10 yards away until the kick has

been taken. A goal can be scored direct from a corner kick

but the kicker must not play the ball a second time until it

has been touched by another player.

Penalty KickA Penalty Kick is awarded to to the opposing team when a

defending player commits foul in his own Penalty Area. A

Penalty kick is taken from the Penalty Spot which is 12 yards

in front of the centre of the Goal line. Except the opponent

kicker and the defending team’s goalkeeper, all will stand

outside the Penalty Area. The kicker must stand at least 10

yards from the Penalty Spot. Once the ball moves forward, it’s

considered in play and cannot be touched by the kicker again

until touched by another player, except the goalkeeper. The

goalkeeper can move on the Goal line at the time of Penalty

Kick which was not allowed earlier.

Penalization by referee:If a player from the defending team commits a foul

the goal area, the offensive team gets a penalty

shot, from 10 yards outside the goal, with no one

but the goalie. Other minor offenses (like tripping

player or accidentally touching the ball with hands)

penalized by allowing a free kick to the other team

player commits a more serious offense such as

referee issues a yellow card. If the player receives

yellow card within the same game, he/she automatically

a red card and is ejected from the game; the team

short-handed for the rest of the match. An extreme

may result in an immediate red card, even if no

had been issued.

Now, even a ‘Team Manager' can be issued a red

be sent outside the field/ stadium if he/she misbehaves

the opponent players in the forms of abusive language,

signs, or any other such things that distracts the

team’s players.

Passing(1) Short Passes: They are used to remove pressure

opponents which can be Instep or Outstep gentle

(2) Long Passes: They are generally Lofted kicks,

the ball fast on the field or to open the game.

(3) Through Passes: These are medium range passes

pass through a group of opponents.

Kicking(1) Instep Kick: For executing this kick, ball should be kicked with

a relaxed forward swing of the kicking leg & ball should be

contacted with the inside of the kicking foot.

(2) Outstep Kick: It should be executed with the outside of the

upper part of the toe by slightly twisting.

(3) Chip Kick: It’s a short-range kick in which the ball is touched

at its base with the Instep kick to raise it to a desired height.

(4) Toe Kick: It’s executed with toe of the foot and is used for

clearing the ball over long distances.

(5) Punt/Volley Kick: In this kick the ball is kicked after tossing

in air without allowing it to bounce from the ground.

(6) Drop Kick: This kick is executed when the ball rebounds after

falling on the ground.

(7) Scissors Kick: It’s similar to Punt kick in which player leap in

the air & moves non-striking leg in an opposite direction to

the kicked leg like scissors.

DribblingDribbling is moving the ball on the ground with gentle strokes

of the feet to guide the ball in a particular direction. While

dribbling the ball, a player must use the inside or outside of

his feet to control the ball. This can be done with one foot or

change from one foot to another & shouldn’t use hard strokes

HeadingHeading is hitting a ball with the flat surface of the forehand.

To head a ball accurately, a player should judge the flight of

the ball & wait for proper time t o take jump. When the ball

comes near, the player should take proper jump and by

bending the body backwards from waist, he/she should

strike the ball with a forward swing of his/her head.

TrappingIt’s stopping or bringing the ball under control before

passing, dribbling or kicking the ball in the game. A ball may

be trapped either by foot, thigh, chest, sole, shin, forehead or

belly.

interceptionIt is a skill in which the objective is to take control of the ball

when an opponent passes the ball to one of his/her teammate

by kicking or taking its possession. To intercept, a player

must have good anticipation ability, quick reflexes & explosive

speed.

GoalkeepingGoalkeeping is an important skill in soccer which includes

the prevention of the ball from goal. In this skill it is liable to

touch the ball with hands (within Penalty Area). A goalkeeper

must have good coordinative abilities, very less reactive time,

long diving & high jumping abilities. He is the only player who

can touch the ball with any part of his/her body (within the

Penalty Area) making its role very significant.

FormationIt’s a pre-match ability of the team to form their positions on

the playfield, either offensive or defensive. Generally teams

play with 2-3-5 formation in which three halves join the

defensive or offensive according to the game situation. This

formation is considered good for playing both, offensive as

well as defensive. In 4-3-3 formation defense becomes very

strong as two forwards start playing as halves and the two

halves join the full backs. In 4-4-2 formation The midfielders

support both the defense & the attack: typically one of the

central midfielders go upfield to support the forward pair

while the other will play a holding role, shielding the defense

and yet also protect the fullback wide defenders. The

formation attempts to combine a strong attack with a strong

defense.

1) Looseball: The ball, which is not under the control of any player during the game, is usually called the Looseball.

2) Golden Goal: The goal which made in Extra Time but this rule/term is no longer used.

3) Volley: To kick the ball it bounces4) Sliding Tackle: When defender makes an

opponent to loose the control of the ball by sliding on the ground

5) Loft: To kick the ball into the air6) Lob: To kick the ball high, usually into Goal

mouth7) Sudden Death: When, evenafter Extra Time

and 5 Penalty Kick, tie isn't broken then each team is given 1-1 penalty kick alternately till the tie is broken. But this rule is no longer is used.

For players a jersey with sleeves

shorts

stockings shinguards

footwears with plastic studs

a pair of goalkeeping gloves for the goalkeeper

for referee a watch for time keeping

a red & yellow card

2 whistles

1 pencil

1 black/white flipping coin

30 match day cards

25 competition cards

a jersey

shorts

stockings

footwears

historyFootball was first introduced in India in 1840 by the

British. The first football matches were held between

army teams. In India the first football game was

organised between the “Calcutta Club of Civilians” &

the “Gentlemen of Barrackpore”, in 1854. The first

football club of India, named “Calcutta FC”, was

founded in 1872. The “Indian Football Association”

was formed in 1893. In 1898, the oldest football

tournament in India & the 3rd oldest in the world, the

Durand Cup, was played in Shimla.

The years 1951 to 1962 was the golden era of Indian

football & Indian footballers won the gold medals at

1951 & 1962 Asian Games. India also participated in

the 1948 & 1956 Olympics. In 1956, India became

the first Asian nation which entered the semi-final of

football in the Olympics. This achievement of India

was considered an apex position.

presentIn 2006 Bob Houghton was appointed coach & his

appointment saw a general progress in India’s

performances crowned by victory in 2007 Nehru Cup.

Houghton then led India to the 2008 AFC Challenge

Cup as they beat Tajikistan by 4–1& was qualified for

the 2011 Asian Cup. Indian team also won the 2nd

consecutive Nehru Cup in 2009. In 2012, India won

the 15th edition of Nehru cup by beating Cameroon

5-4 in penalties as the full time score was tied at 2-2,

making it the third successive Nehru cup win for

India. In the latest FIFA rankings, India has gone

down to as low as 169.

Edson Arrantes de Nascimento a.k.a. Pele was born in

Tres Coracoes in Brazil, in a family where his father,

Dondinho was a football player for Fluminese . In this

sporty atmosphere, young Pele learned to enjoy the

game, despite the poverty he grew up in. He used a

stuffed sock as the ball. After forming up a “shoeless

team" with his street kids, they participated in a youth

tournament, with Pele ending up as top goal scorer. He

was immediately noticed by a former Brazilian

international Waldemar de Brito who called him to the

youth squad of Baquinho, & for the first time, offered

Pele money to play soccer. During his year at club's

youth team, Pele managed to win the championship

after a dazzling performance : 148 goals in just 33

matches. At 15 he was bought by Brazil giant, Santos.

Just 1 year after he became the youngest player to in

the Brazilian first division at age 16 & more incredibly

became league top scorer at the end of the season. He

remained at Santos for almost 20 years, time in which

he scored 1087 goals in 1120 matches. One of the

milestones in the history of Pele was definitely his

1000th goal scored. On November 19th, 1969 Pele

already had scored 999 goals in his career. Playing on

the Maracana Stadium, Brazil against arch-rivals Vasco

Da Gama, Pele managed to score from a penalty kick

and broke all records standing in front of him.

Throughout his 15 years spent at the Brazil national

team, Pele managed to break hundreds of records of

Which some are:

He became the most prolific striker in Brazil's history,

with 77 goals in 92 matches.

Pele, scored 12 goals in different World Cup matches

being beaten only by Ronaldo.

He is considered by FIFA the most prolific scorer in

soccer history, with 1281 goals in 1363 matches in

all competitions.

He is the only player to have won three World Cups

He is one of the few players to achieve the

performance of scoring in two different World Cup

finals, sharing this record with Paul Breitner, Vava

and Zinedine Zidane.

Maradona was born in Lanus but raised in Villa Fiorito

a shanty town on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. At 10,

Maradona was spotted by a talent scout while he was

playing in his neighborhood club Estrella Roja. He

became a staple of Los Cebollitas (The Little Onions),

the junior team of Buenos Aires's Argentinos Juniors.

As a 12-year-old ball boy, he amused spectators by

showing his wizardry with the ball during the halftime

intermissions of first division games. On 20 Oct 1976,

Maradona made his professional debut with

Argentinos Juniors, 10 days before his 16th birthday &

played there from 1976 to 1981, scoring 115 goals in

167 appearances before his £1m transfer to Boca

Juniors. He is the only footballer to set world record

contract fees twice, firstly when transferring to

Barcelona for a then world record £5m & secondly,

when transferred to Napoli for reord fee £6.9m. During

his professional club career Maradona played for

Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli,

Sevilla and Newell’s Old Boys. At club level, he is most

famous for his career in Napoli where he won several

accolades. In his international career, playing for

Argentina, he earned 91 caps & scored 34 goals. He

played in 4 FIFA World Cup tournaments, including

1986 tournament, where he captained Argentina & led

them to their victory over West Germany in the final,

winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament's

best player. In that same tournament's quarterfinal

round, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over

England that entered football history, for two different

reasons. The first goal was via an unpenalized handball

known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal

followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England

players, voted "The Goal of the Century" by FIFA.com

voters in 2002. Maradona is considered one of the

sport's most controversial and newsworthy figures. He

was suspended from football for 15 months in 1991

after failing a drug test, for cocaine, in Italy, & was sent

home from the 1994 World Cup in USA after testing

positive for ephedrine. In 2005, he lost weight &

overcame his cocaine addiction. His outspoken

manners have sometimes put him at odds with

journalists and sport executives but his honesty is

admirable. Although he had little managerial

experience, he became head coach of the Argentina

National team in November 2008, and held the job for

18 months, until his contract expired after the 2010

World Cup.

Born on 23 June 1972 in Marseille, France to Smail &

Malika. Growing up in La Castellane, Marseille Zidane

fell in love with the sport at an early age of 5 while

playing soccer with the neighborhood kids in the main

square of the housing complex. His youth playing days

start with the local club US Saint-Henri from La

Castellane with the junior squad. At the age of 14 he

was invited for a 6-week trial at Cannes but the Cannes

director Jean-Claude Elineau helped young Zidane a

lot by inviting him to leave the players dorms and come

live with him & his family. He later said that it was

living with Elineaus where he found Equilibrium. His

first professional match with Cannes was on May 18

1989 at the age of 17 in a league match against Nantes

& he also scored his first goal against Nantes in Feb 8th,

1991 for Cannes in a 2-1 win. With his first goal came a

gifted car from Cannes chairman Alain Pedretti, who

had promised Zidane a car when he scores his first goal

for the club. During Zidane's first full season with the

club, he managed to help Cannes secure its first ever

European competition by qualifying for the UEFA Cup

After finishing 4th in the league. After spending 4

Successful years at Cannes, he was tranferred to

Girondins de Bordeaux in the 1992-93 season. During

the 4 years at the club Zidane had won the 1995

Intertoto Cup & helped Bordeaux finish as a runner up

In 1995-96 UEFA Cup. During his time at Bordeaux

Zidane played a midfield combination role alongside

Bixente Lizarazu & Christophe Dugarry, which would

become the trademark of both Bordeaux & French

National team. After winning the Champions League in

1996, Juventus bought young Zinedine paying £3.2

Million for over the next 5 years. Right after his arrival,

he helped Juventus win the 1996 Seria A Title and the

1996 Intercontinental cup & also helped Juventus reach

the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final but lost the

match 3-1 against Borussia Dortmund. Zidane was part

of Juventus squad that reached 3rd consecutive UEFA

Champions League Final, but again lost the final match

1-0 to Real Madrid. He finished his career at Juventus

scoring 24 goals in 151 matches and finishing his last

2 seasons with Juventus 2nd in 1999-2000 & 2000-01

Seria A. Zidane was the leading figure of a generation

of French players that won the 1998 World Cup &

2000 European Championship. He played in the 2004

European Championship where France finished top of

their group, but were eliminated in the quarter finals.

He briefly retired from international football but

returned to the national team in 2005 and captained

France to the 2006 World Cup Final where he won the

Golden Ball as the tournament's most outstanding

player. It was in this World Cup’s final match where

he headbutted the Italian player Marco Materazzi in

the chest. This marked the decline of his sporting

Career.

At club level Zidane won La Liga and the UEFA

Champions League withReal Madrid, two Serie A

league championships with Juventus and an

Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup each

with both aforementioned sides. Zidane was voted as

FIFA World Player of the Year on 3 occasions (1998,

2000 and 2003) & also won the Ballon d’Or in 1998.

Zidane retired from professional football after the

2006 World Cup. He currently holds the post of Real

Madrid Director of Football. On 31 July 2012, Real

Madrid announced that as soon as he completes

Management qualification, he will begin training to

be a coach while at the same time coaching Real

Madrid’s youth academy.

David Robert Joseph Beckham was born on May 2,

1975 in Leytonstone, a small and beautiful town near

London. David Beckham is an English football player

that currently plays for A.C Milan on loan from Major

League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham is

also one of the most important members of the

England national team. David Beckham was the first

English football player to play 100 Champions League

matches. He was Google's most searched of all sports

topics during 2003 and 2004. With such international

recognition he has become a powerful advertising

image and a top fashion icon. David Beckham

was captain of England between November 15, 2000

& the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. Since then he has

continued to represent his country and earned his

much-publicized 100th cap for England against France

on 26 March 2008. He is currently England's most

capped outfield player with 115 appearances. His

career started when he signed a professional contract

with Manchester United, making his first-team debut

in 1992 when he was just 17 years old. During his time

there, United won the Premier League title 6 times,

the FA Cup 2 times & the UEFA Champions League

in 1999. In 2003, he left Manchester United to sign for

Real Madrid, maybe the most popular football club in

the world, where he remained for 4 seasons, clinching

the La Liga championship in his final season with the

club. In 2007, David Beckham left Real Madrid &

signed a 5 years contract with Major League Soccer

club Los Angeles Galaxy. According to this contract,

David Beckham is going to receive $6.5 million per

year. David Beckham is married with Victoria

Beckham. The couple has 3 sons (Brooklyn Joseph

Beckham, Romeo James Beckham and Cruz David

Beckham) & currently resides in Beverly Hills,

California.

Born as Ronaldo de Assis Moreira on March 21, 1980

in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Ronaldinho's father, Joo

Moreira, was a former professional soccer player who

also worked as a welder in a shipyard and his mother,

Miguelina de Assis, was a cosmetics saleswoman who

later became a nurse. Ronaldinho's older brother,

Roberto Assis, was also a professional soccer player.

Ronaldinho began playing organized youth soccer at

the age of 7 & it was as a youth soccer player that he

first received nickname "Ronaldinho" the diminutive

form of his birth name Ronaldo. In his childhood days

he used to play futsal — an offshoot of soccer played

indoors on a hard court surface & with only five players

on each side. Ronaldinho's early experiences with futsal

helped shape his unique playing style, marked by his

remarkable touch & close control on the ball.

Ronaldinho quickly developed into one of Brazil's most

talented youth soccer players. When he was 13 years

old, he once scored a ridiculous 23 goals in a single

game. Then, in 1997, a teenaged Ronaldinho won a

call-up to Brazil's Under-17 national team. The squad

won the FIFA Under-17 World Championship in

Egypt and Ronaldinho was selected as the tournament's

best player. That same year, Ronaldinho signed his first

professional contract to play for Grmio, one of the

most celebrated teams in the Brazilian league. Two

years later, in 1999, Ronaldinho was invited to join the

senior Brazilian national team to compete in the

Confederations Cup in Mexico. Brazil placed second in

the tournament and Ronaldinho won the Golden Ball

Award as the tournament's best player as well as the

Golden Boot Award as its leading goal scorer. In 2001

Ronaldinho left Brazil for Europe, signing a contract to

play for Paris Saint-Germain in France. A year later, he

participated in his first World Cup on a loaded Brazilian

squad that also featured Ronaldo and Rivaldo.

Ronaldinho scored two goals in five matches as Brazil

defeated Germany in the finals to win its fifth World

Cup title. The next year, in 2003, Ronaldinho fulfilled a

lifelong dream by joining FC Barcelona of the Spanish

league, one of the world's most storied clubs and

winning the legendary No. 10 jersey typically worn by

the squad's greatest creative player. In 2004 and 2005,

Ronaldinho won back-to-back FIFA World Player of the

Year awards, the sport's highest individual honor. In

2008, Ronaldinho left Barcelona to join another of the

world's most prestigious clubs, A.C. Milan in Italy's

Serie A.

In 2005, Ronaldinho and Brazilian dancer Janaína

Mendes had a son, named Joo after Ronaldinho's late

father.

TOURNAMENTS

FIFA World Cup

International Nehru Gold Cup

Asia Cup

Copa America

UEFA Champions League

La Liga

African Nations Cup

Santosh Trophy

Durand Cup

I.F.A. Shield

VENUES

Wembley Stadium (England)

Munich Olympic Stadium (Germany)

The Racecourse Ground (Wales)

Ellis Park Stadium(South Africa)

Ambedkar Football Stadium(New Delhi)

Salt Lake Stadium (Kolkata)

www.fifa .com www.nbcolympics.com/soccer www.soccerrules.org en.wikipedia.org http://www.iloveindia.com/Football www.soccer-fans-info.com articles.famouswhy.com www.sportskeeda.com www.google.co.in Tell Me Why P.E. Textbook P.E. Lab Manual