Many interesting things about football below surprise many people.
1. In May 1964, during the match between Peru and Argentina at the Estadio Nacional, controversial decisions of the referee sparked a large-scale riot. This incident left more than 300 people dead. This is an interesting thing about football that not many people know about.
2. The player who scores the most goals in a professional football match is 16. That achievement was established by player Stephan Stanis in the match of Lens club (France) in December 1942.
3. The record for the earliest goal scored in a professional match is 2.8 seconds. Player Ricardo Olivera (Uruguay) made this achievement in a match in December 1998.
4. The average soccer player runs 9.65 km in each game.
5. The most professional football match in history is 149-0. This score was established in the Madagascar National Championship in November 2002. At that time, the Stade Olympique de L’emyrne team won against AS Adema when the opponent repeatedly kicked an own goal to protest the referee’s decision in the previous match.
6. The world witnessed 27 professional football teams take the name of the Beatles’ songs as nicknames. Among them, the most famous team following this trend is Villarreal with the song “Yellow Submarine”.
7. The world’s largest football tournament has 5,098 participating teams. It was the 7th field tournament held in Bangkok, Thailand in 1999. In that football tournament, about 35,000 players participated in the competition.
8. It was not until 1913 that goalkeepers had to wear a different color shirt than their teammates.
9. The first match to appear on television was a friendly between Arsenal’s first team and second team in 1937.
10. More than 80% of the soccer balls used in the hottest sport on the planet are produced in Pakistan.
11. The youngest professional footballer in the world is Bryce Brites. When he was recruited by Racing Boxberg Club (Belgium), Bryce was just… 20 months old.
12. FIFA has more members (209 members) than the United Nations (193 members).
13. Goalkeepers did not have to wear a different color shirt from their teammates until 1913.
14. Queen Elizabeth II often disguised herself and attended football matches near Buckingham Palace when she was a teenager, in the late 1930s of the last century.
15. The origin of football. World football is focusing mainly on Europe, but the origin of this sport is Asia. Specifically, football originated in China in 476 BC.
16. The size of the ball. Over 120 years, the standard size of a professional soccer ball has not changed. Its circumference is still 28 inches.