Football’s European Origins Make It One of It’s Most Popular Sports

by Edwin Torres, age 13

Football, also referred to as soccer, is the world’s most popular sport. Just a ball, field, and goal markers are enough to play this fun game.

Evidence of ball games played with feet can be linked back to the third century BC in Rome and ancient Greece. Since its establishment, the sport has spread across different parts of the world. The sport’s family consists of American football, rugby, and Gaelic football.

Modern soccer comes from the United Kingdom, where villages competed in violent matches over vast areas. At that time, rules were not established, therefore, one could play however they wanted. In 1863, the first soccer rules were established.

The first professional soccer league, the Football League, began in 1888. FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is the international governing body for soccer, futsal, and beach soccer. The first FIFA World Cup started in Uruguay in 1930. The Uruguay national soccer team was the host and also the winner. After that, there was another World Cup in 1934, yet no World Cup matches were played for 16 years until 1950 because of World War Ⅱ.

The UEFA (Union of Europeans Football Associations) Champions League is a football tournament for Europe’s top clubs. The tournament first started in 1955. Spain’s most successful football club, Real Madrid, is the recent UEFA Champions League winner after beating Germany’s Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in June 2024. As of now, they hold 15 UCL titles, more than any other team.

Today, women’s soccer is being more acknowledged. FIFA introduced the first women’s World Cup in 1991. Spain is the current champion, beating England 1-0 in 2023.

To this day, soccer players are some of the world’s most celebrities. Sometimes, players become more infamous than famous, because of issues like drug use and other bad influences. Some examples are Eric Cantona’s “Kung-Fu Kick” and Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God.”

Former Hungarian soccer player, Ferenc Puskás, scored 84 goals in 85 matches for Hungary. Due to this, FIFA has created an award in his honor, called the Puskás Award. The award is handed out to the person who has scored the most beautiful goal of the year.

In 1999, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics declared Dutch soccer player Johan Cruyff “European Player of the Century.” It also named Brazilian soccer player Pele “World Player of the Century.”

This simple game with ancient origins has overcome the passage of time and remains the most popular sport in the world.

[Source: FIFA, Europeana]