Have you ever wondered why soccer, also known as Futbol across the nations, is the number one most watched sport in the world? Soccer originated from China, but was formalized by England in the 19th century, ever since then it has only gotten more popular, slowly spreading throughout the rest of the world.
Joga Bonito directly translates to the phrase, “ The beautiful game.” The reason it was given this nickname is because no matter who you are, young, old, rich or poor all you need is a ball to play. When soccer is played with passion and determination it is an incredible sight to witness. The way a team effortlessly moves around the field passing to each other and creating chances to score goals is what soccer is all about. Even for those who aren’t fortunate enough to afford being on a soccer team or even things like a pair of futbol boots or a soccer ball, they always find a way to play, even if it’s a ball that’s made out of socks or playing barefoot on the streets, it just goes to show much much people love the game.
People also love soccer because of how expressive it is. Every professional soccer match is 90 minutes long with one break consisting of about 10 minutes at the 45 minute mark, but outside of that is something called freestyling. This is completely different, freestyling is footballers expressing themselves through tricks. It has no limits or rules, you can be as creative as you want, you can even create your own tricks if you want too. It’s truly astonishing the actions people can do with only a ball and their feet.
As much as it is entertaining to watch, it’s certainly not easy to be the one playing. It takes a lot of skill, dedication and hard work. There are so many variables that go into playing soccer. For starters, it’s understanding the game, being able to read players’ next move, offensively and defensively. You also have to know your position well to know exactly where to go wherever the ball is located and when to attack or defend. Next you have to be extremely fit to play soccer. You are constantly sprinting and jogging down a 120 yard field, having very little time to slow down and really catch your breath. After fitness is ball control, if you don’t have total control of the ball you will suffer severely, you need to be able to settle and control the ball when you’re dribbling, The last part that makes soccer so difficult is the ability to accurately shoot the ball where you want it with the right amount of power in the small amount of time you have to take the shot.
All these reasons are why so many people are passionate about soccer if it’s playing or just watching it. People will always find a way to be a part of the beautiful game called soccer.
