The Beautiful Game

The ball is round. The game lasts ninety minutes. This much is fact. Everything else is theory. — Sepp Herberger

Did you know that Mario Zagallo (Brazil) and Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) won the World Cup as both a player and manager? Zagallo won the World Cup as a player in 1958 and 1962 and as a manager in 1970. Beckenbauer won the World Cup as a player in 1974 and as a manager in 1990.

Did you know that Stan van den Buys scored a “hat trick” but it was in his own net?! In 1995, playing for Belgian team Germinal Ekeren, he unfortunately put 3 goals past his goalkeeper handing the game over to their opponent Anderlecht with a 3-2 win.

Tell me how you play and I will tell you who you are. — Eduardo Galeano

Did you know that Roberto Trotta holds the record for receiving the most red cards during his career? The former defender for Argentina was sent off the field 17 times! Not sure if that’s a good record or not?!

Some people believe football is a matter of life and death: I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that. — Bill Shankly

Even during the early years of soccer, the problem with players “goal hanging” was evident. Players would stand around the goal waiting for the right opportunity. In order to prevent this, the offside rule was born. Let’s take a look at the history of the offside rule. Continue reading »