25 Football Facts that You Probably Didn't Know

Want to impress your friends with your football knowledge? Memorise these 25 football facts that you probably didn't know before now and you're sure to keep your friends amused during half time!

There is no denying that this year has been a fantastic year for football fans! What with the England team going all the way into the finals during the Euro 2020 tournaments, the excitement over the Bundesliga results for German fans, as well as the rise in support for women's teams, perhaps it's time to brush up on your football knowledge and to learn a little more about this beloved sport!

 

1. The first league in the United States was held between 1919 and 1921 and players received 35 USD cents per goal.
2. Only 8 nations have won the World Cup: Uruguay, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Argentina, England, France and Spain.
3. A medical study has found that professional footballers receive an average of 1.5 injuries per year.
4. Ronaldinho became famous in Brazil when he was only 13 years old, when his team won 23-0. Ronaldinho scored all 23 goals.
5. The brother of the famous physicist Nils Bohr, Harald Bohr, was a mathematician and a popular football player. When defending his doctoral thesis, there were more football fans in the audience, fans of Harald’s football abilities, rather than mathematicians.
6. Uruguay won the first official and first unofficial World Cup (1924 Olympic Games)
7. One in twenty player’s injuries occurs during a goal celebration.
8. One of the cities that will be hosting matches during the 2022 World Cup, Lusail, is not actually finished yet.
9. There is currently a player named Beckham playing in the American Football League. His name is Odell Beckham Jr. He is no relation to world famous English footballer – David Beckham.
10. According to historians, up until the 1800s, English football was quite a rough game. There were no rules, referees or any control. A football tackle could possibly result in broken bones.
11. According to the Chinese, China is the birthplace of football.
12. Greenland cannot join FIFA because there is not enough grass on the island for football pitches.
13. Football was banned in Mississippi up until the year 1991.
14. Irish football player, Richard Dunn, who played football for England has the highest record for scoring the most own goals for any English team – he scored 10 own goals during his career.
15. One of the first transfers (perhaps the first) was worth £400. This amount was paid for Jack Southert to transfer from Blackburn to Everton.
16. The largest producer of footballs in the world is Pakistan.
17. The fastest goal in the history of the World Cup was scored by Hakan Shukur. It was celebrated in 2002 and occurred just 11 seconds into the game.
18. The Football Manager 2005 football simulation is banned in China due to the existence of Tibet and Taiwan as independent states.
19. The highest number of red cards given in a single match was in a game between Paraguay's Sportivo and Henera in 1993. At that time, the chief referee expelled a total of 20 players.
20. Football is losing popularity in America after the Great Depression, which caused the closure of the football league.
21. The first missed penalty during the World Cup was the work of Waldemar de Brito in 1934.
22. In Canada, football is also called soccer.
23. The first records of football, as we know it today, being played in England was back in 1863. This is when the game started to develop rules on tackling, fouls and referees were called upon to monitor matches.
24. Euro 2020 is the first postponed championship in the history of the tournament. From 1960, when it first started, until 2016, The European Championship has always been held every 4 years.
25. Asimir Begovic is one of the few goalkeepers to score a goal with a door-to-door shot. This happened in 2014; he led the Stoke City team.