KEY TIPS AND TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE YOUR GAME
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. From the Andes to Greenland, people just can’t seem to resist kicking a leather ball around or watching others doing the same. The figures are staggering—approximately 250 million people play the game regularly. In fact, if soccer players made up a nation, it would be the fourth most populous on the planet.
IF ALL THE SOCCER PLAYERS IN THE WORLD WERE TO FORM A NATION, IT WOULD BE THE FOURTH MOST POPULOUS ON THE PLANET.
You could almost say that soccer is a universal language. If you found yourself in a strange country with no knowledge of the local tongue, you would still be able to strike up a conversation by using a few hand gestures accompanied by the names of some prominent players. Place one hand at chest level while saying “Pelé,” then raise it with the word “Maradona” and you’ll quickly start making friends.
An interesting observation often made about soccer is that its language is couched in military terms (such as campaigns, tactics, and captains). Some theories claim that soccer is a surrogate for hunting—on which, of course, our ancestors depended for their survival. According to this view, a goal scored is equivalent to a kill, which would certainly explain the sense of importance surrounding the game. Another possibility is that soccer is a kind of ritualized warfare. It may be no accident that its popularity has coincided with an era in which young men have been less regularly engaged in war than in the past. Both these theories have their merits but perhaps another, simpler explanation needs to be added.