Why is soccer played eleven against eleven? : everything you need to know about soccer

Cover......Page 1
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Introduction......Page 11
1. Where Did Soccer Begin?......Page 13
2. Who Wrote the First Rules of Soccer?......Page 19
3. Did the Goal Ever Have a Different Value?......Page 22
4. What Was the First “Official” Soccer Regulation?......Page 24
5. What Was the First “Official” Match?......Page 29
6. Why Is Soccer Played Eleven Against Eleven?......Page 32
7. Why Do Soccer Matches Last 90 Minutes?......Page 36
8. When Were Goalkeepers Allowed to Use Their Hands?......Page 37
9. Who Was the First Referee?......Page 41
10. Which Is the Oldest Soccer Club?......Page 45
11. Why Do We Say “Score a Goal,” “Derby,” “League,” and “Hooligan?”......Page 47
12. What Was the First Match Played Outside of Great Britain?......Page 53
13. What Was the First International Match?......Page 55
14. What Was the First Official Soccer Tournament?......Page 57
15. What Was the Strangest Soccer Game Ever?......Page 60
16. How Were the Designs and Colors of the First T-Shirts Determined?......Page 61
17. Did a Team Ever Become Champion of a Tournament Without Playing a Single Game?......Page 64
18. What Was the First Time That a Team Included Two......Page 67
19. What Was the First Official Tournament for National......Page 69
20. What Was the Biggest Thrashing in an Official Premier Division Championship?......Page 71
21. Who Invented the Penalty Kick Shootout?......Page 76
22. Who Was the Oldest Player to Play in an Official Match?......Page 78
23. Which Team Is Considered the First Champion of the......Page 79
24. How Did the Round-Robin League System Come About in Soccer?......Page 81
25. Who Was the First Professional Soccer Player?......Page 83
26. What Is the Most Unusual Recruitment in the History of Soccer?......Page 86
27. Who Scored the First Own Goal in an Official Match?......Page 90
28. Who Was the First Goalkeeper to Score a Goal in an Official Match?......Page 92
29. Who Was the First Coach?......Page 95
30. Who Was the First Black Player to Play in an Official Match?......Page 97
31. Which Was the First Soccer Match Played Using Artificial Light?......Page 99
32. When Did the First Player Substitution in an......Page 101
33. Who Invented the Goal Net?......Page 103
34. Which Team Was the First to Be Relegated? And Which One Was the First to Be Promoted?......Page 105
35. Why Was the Penalty Kick Invented?......Page 107
36. What Was the Biggest Difference in Number of Players Between Two Teams in an Official Match?......Page 110
37. Was There Ever a Goalkeeper With Glasses?......Page 112
38. What Was the Longest Match?......Page 115
39. Who Was the First Professional Soccer Player to Cling to a Curious Superstition?......Page 117
40. Which Country Was the First to Become a “World Power” in Soccer?......Page 119
41. Who Were the Riskiest Players?......Page 121
42. Who Was the Biggest Professional Soccer Player in History?......Page 125
43. What Was the Shortest Official Tournament Ever?......Page 128
44. Can You Follow Your Favorite Team After Death?......Page 130
45. How Did the Copa America Begin?......Page 132
46. When Was the First Olympic Soccer Tournament Played?......Page 134
47. Who Was the First Goalkeeper to Wear Gloves?......Page 135
48. Which First Division Team Holds the Record for Playing With the Most Siblings?......Page 137
49. Who Invented the Red and Yellow Cards?......Page 139
50. Who Scored the First Goal of a South American Team Against a European Team?......Page 140
51. Which Official Competition Allowed Matches of 30-Minute Halves?......Page 142
52. Why Did the World Cup Start in 1930 and Not Before?......Page 144
53. Why Did Uruguay Organize the First World Cup?......Page 146
54. Who Was the Most Eccentric Goalkeeper in Soccer History?......Page 148
55. Who Was the First Team to Win Second and First Division Championships in Consecutive Seasons?......Page 150
56. Can a Referee Score a Goal?......Page 151
57. Who Was the First Player to Suffer Racist Attacks?......Page 153
58. What Was the First Game to Be Suspended Due to Fireworks?......Page 155
59. Has a Team Ever Won the League From a Country......Page 157
60. Can a Team Be a Champion of a Tournament for Which It Has Not Qualified?......Page 158
61. Which Was the First Rigged Match in History?......Page 160
62. Which Champion Waited the Longest to Receive His Trophy?......Page 163
63. What Was the Christmas Truce?......Page 165
64. Can a Referee Red-Card Himself?......Page 168
65. Has a Spectator Ever Been Invited to Play a Soccer Match Between National Teams?......Page 169
66. Did a Player Ever Expel a Referee?......Page 171
67. When Were Numbers on Soccer Jerseys First Used?......Page 172
68. What Is the “White Horse Final?”......Page 174
69. What Is the Most Heated Rivalry in the World?......Page 175
70. Did a Player Who Had Left the Field Ever Return to Play?......Page 177
71. What Was the Most Extraordinary Transfer in Soccer History?......Page 179
72. Can You Score a Goal Without Stepping on the Field?......Page 182
73. Who Invented the First Soccer Shoes?......Page 183
74. Who Developed the First Soccer Tactics?......Page 185
75. Which Match Had the Most Players Red-Carded?......Page 187
76. What Is the Highest Number of Goals Scored By a Team That Still Lost the Game?......Page 189
77. Which Player Scored the Most Goals in a Single Official Match?......Page 190
78. Who Is the Player to Score the Most Goals in an Entire Career?......Page 192
79. Which Professional Soccer Player Suffered the Most Relegations From the First Division?......Page 194
80. Who Was the Most Useless Scorer in an International Tournament?......Page 196
81. Has a Referee Ever Expelled a Line Judge?......Page 197
82. Which Is the Worst National Team in Soccer History?......Page 199
83. Can a Team Lose a Game Despite Having Scored More Goals Than Its Opponent?......Page 200
84. Can a Team Lose a Penalty Kick Shootout Without Missing a Shot?......Page 203
85. Who Invented the Penalty Kick With a Pass?......Page 204
86. Who Created the Substitutes’ Bench?......Page 206
87. Has Team Ever Played More Than One Official Match on the Same Day?......Page 207
88. When Was the Horizontal Post Added to the Goal?......Page 209
89. In Which Match Occurred the Most Suspensions Due to Bad Weather?......Page 211
90. How Did the Champions League Begin? . . . . . . . . . . . 211......Page 212
91. How Did the Copa Libertadores Begin?......Page 215
92. When Was a Whistle First Used to Referee a Match?......Page 217
93. When Did Soccer Players’ Cards First Appear?......Page 218
94. Which Goalkeeper Holds the Most Penalties in One Game?......Page 220
95. Was There Any Infallible Player in the Penalty Shootout?......Page 222
96. What Was the Biggest Comeback in an Official Competition?......Page 224
97. What Was the Most Evenly Matched Official League Tournament?......Page 228
98. What Was the Most Unusual Relegation and Which Team Was Saved in the Most Curious Way?......Page 229
99. Was There a Professional Soccer Player Who Played All Positions?......Page 231
100. Has a Tournament Ever Had More Than One Winner?......Page 233
Bibliography......Page 235