Why Soccer Is A Great Sport

Soccer, or football as it is called in most countries, is arguably the most popular sport worldwide. The sport has its origin in England. It is a team sport played both at the national and club level and it usually provides a great spectacle for its fanatic followers.

In general, the game of soccer attracts huge audiences both at home through live broadcasts on television or at the stadium. More often than not, a few goals will be scored during a soccer match. Goals scored during a soccer match provide one of the most jubilant scenes one would ever experience amongst a set of players and fans in any team sport. Ironically, goals are also the source of so much pain and despair amongst the conceding team and their set of fans.

Apart from goal scoring, there are a number of aspects of the sport that would appeal to the fans. There are skillful players on show who help to create goal scoring chances for their teams and make the game more interesting, there are also individual and team awards for the outstanding performers. Nonetheless, supporters still rate their most captivating matches according to whether their team won or lost.

In current times, soccer tournaments such as the World Cup, European Cup, African Nations Cup and the European Champions League, have become some of the most followed sporting events in the world. The FIFA World Cup in particular, is a global showcase that brings together the best national soccer teams around the world. The first FIFA world cup was played in 1930 with only 13 teams participating in the competition – it has since grown in stature as 32 national teams now participate.

The FIFA world cup has a rich history that soccer fans can relate to. The most memorable World Cups are those which had some captivating matches with great teams and players involved. Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Italy, Germany, England and Spain, have all been involved in some of the unforgettable matches, each one of them having at least a FIFA World Cup title to their name.

One of the main advantages of soccer is that it unites countries and continents especially at the World Cup level. For instance, Spain’s victory during the 2010 World Cup brought together a divided nation in celebration of the victory. Similarly, African fans closely followed and cheered the continents’ participants in the tournament in unison, with Ghana being the most impressive having reached the quarter finals.

At the club level, rivalries are what appeal most to the fans. Club teams constantly try to out do each other by recruiting the best players to compete in the domestic leagues and continental championships. In tournaments such as the European Champions League great rivalries exist between the leading teams such as Manchester United and Barcelona. These teams also participate in domestic cups such as the FA Cup (England) or the Kings Cup (Spain). The beauty of such domestic cups is that the smaller teams get to match up with the more established teams in knock-out games. Over the years, upsets have been common in such match-ups.

From the above manifestations, it is therefore very easy to say that soccer is a great sport. Although some people fail to embrace its grandeur, many people around the world swear by it. No one has ever put it better than the great Pele who termed soccer as “the beautiful game.”