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Top 10 Football World Cup Mascots

November 2, 2014 by Khabir Uddin Mughal

Football World Cup Mascots

Mascots always play a key role during the announcements and advertisements of any FIFA World Cup starting from 1966. Mascots also created a string of attachment of the young and child football fans with the game of football, as the merchandising sector tries to concentrate on the segment of children. Children love mascots, and history has seen that various mascots all over the world have started their journey by visiting different schools, mainly to attract the target spectators, i.e. the youth. Even for their fascination towards the toys and characters, young sports fans are also the target buyers of the mascot merchandises. World Cup Willie was the first mascot ever to be used in a FIFA World Cup in the year 1966, and from that time onwards, mascots became a significant part of this big event. So here is the list of Top 10 Football World Cup Mascots.

Top 10 Football World Cup Mascots

1. Fuleco

The official mascot of the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil was Fuleco the Armadillo. Fuleco represents a species of armadillo called Brazilian three-banded armadillo which is categorized as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List and also native to Brazil. As a part of Brazilian TV Globo’s weekly Fantástico entertainment show, Fuleco was officially launched on 25 November 2012. Fuelco’s name is a blend in linguistics of the words “Futebol” and “Ecologia”. 47 final mascot proposals created by six different Brazilian agencies were analyzed by FIFA and the Local Organizing Committee and then voting was conducted to select the name where Fuleco won with 48% of the vote and the support of 1.7 million football fans.

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2. World Cup Willie

The official mascot of the 1966 FIFA World Cup hosted by England was World Cup Willie. World Cup Willie is also the first ever mascot officially declared to represent a FIFA World Cup. The mascot was actually a cartoon lion wearing a Union Jack football shirt in red, white and blue, and a 60s mop-top mane. World Cup Willie was designed by legendary cartoonist Reg Hoye, who illustrated several of Enid Blyton’s children’s books. According to Hoye, Willie was actually based on his son Leo Francis Hoye. After his amazing success with World Cup Willie, Reg Hoye also being asked to design a red devil for Manchester United and a polar bear character to represents the London Zoo.

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3. Zakumi

The official mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Africa was Zakumi. The mascot is actually an anthropomorphized leopard with green hair and a cheerful and sporty nature. Zakumi’s name was derived from the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code for South Africa “ZA” and Kumi, which stands for number 10 in several African native languages to represent the year 2010. Zakumi was officially launched on 22 September 2008, and his birthday is also the Youth Day in South Africa. Andries Odendaal designed the mascot for 2010 FIFA World Cup. The mascot also bears the official motto “Zakumi’s game is Fair Play” which was displayed in the digital advertisement boards during 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

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4. Goleo and Pille

The official mascot of the 2006 FIFA World Cup hosted by Germany was Goleo and his sidekick Pille. The design of Goleo is actually derived from lion, and the Pille is a talking football. The uniform of Goleo was white football shirt with black collar and sleeve rims, which was also the official uniform of the German national team between the 1950s and 1970s. Goleo also wears the number 6 on his jersey which stands for 2006, the year in which Germany hosted the FIFA World Cup. The costume of Goleo was designed and manufactured by The Jim Henson Company with a cost of approximately €250,000. The mascot was officially unveiled at a German television program, “Wetten, dass..?” on November 13, 2004. Goleo was also featured in the Bob Sinclar’s song “Love Generation”.

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5. Pique

The official mascot of the 1986 FIFA World Cup hosted by Mexico was Pique. Pique is actually a jalapeño pepper with a moustache and wearing sombrero which represents the characteristic of Mexican cuisine. The mascot also wears the mariachi hat and has a soccer ball on his right foot. The name of the mascot Pique was derived from picante which stands for spicy peppers and sauces in Spanish. The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the second time Mexico organized a world cup, and for that, they created something unique for the mascot which symbolized their effort for hosting this big event. Similar to the mascot of several mascots for FIFA World Cup, Pique also wears the national colors of Mexico on his uniform.

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6. Footix

The official mascot of the 1998 FIFA World Cup hosted by France was Footix. Footix is actually a rooster which is also marked as the symbol of France. The body of the Footix is blue in color with “France 98” written on it to represents the hosting nation and year of the event, and the face of the mascot is yellow in color. The suffix, “-ix” in the name Footix represents the stereotype of the Gauls, in accordance with the famous comic series, Asterix, where the names of all characters always end in “-ix”. The final design of the 1998 FIFA World Cup was created by famous musician and graphic designer Fabrice Pialot. The term “Footix” created a symbolic meaning in French popular culture after the France team defeated Brazil at the World Cup 1998 final.

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7. Striker, The World Cup Pup

The official mascot of the 1994 FIFA World Cup hosted by United States was Striker, The World Cup Pup. Striker is actually a dog which also refers to the most common pet animal at the United States. The design of the mascot was created by Warner Bros Studios. Warner Bros created a hybrid of Scooby Doo and Huckleberry Hound while making the mascot for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Striker wears a red, white and blue football uniform with the words “USA 94″ written on his shirt which symbolize the hosting nation and year of the event. The name of the mascot Striker comes from his role as the football striker in United States National team. The mascot was officially unveiled for public on July 17, 1994.

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8. Gauchito

The official mascot of the 1978 FIFA World Cup hosted by Argentina was Gauchito. Gauchito was a actually child footballer. The mascot wears a white and blue jersey which is also the team color combination of Argentina. Gauchito also wears a hat with “Argentina 78” written on it which symbolize the hosting nation and year of the event. The mascot also has a scarf around his neck and drag, and holds a talero in his hand. The design of the Gauchito was created by Manuel García Ferré who is also famous for creating some of the very popular cartoon characters such as Anteojito, Hijitus and Trapito. He is also featured in a series of short films called “The World 78 Gauchito” by Nestor Cordova.

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9. Ato, Kaz and Nik

The official mascot of the 2002 FIFA World Cup hosted by South Korea, and Japan was Ato, Kaz and Nik. The mascots for 2002 FIFA World Cup were actually a group of three characters collectively known as The Spheriks. Ato, Kaz and Nik were the first futuristic computer-generated characters used as the mascot in any big event. Ato is orange in color, Kaz is purple, and Nik was created with the color blue. The Spheriks is also a team that plays a fictional football-like sport called “Atmoball” and lives high in the sky in a place called Atmozone. Kaz and Nik are the players of the team while Ato plays his part as the coach of The Spheriks. The names of these three mascots were chosen by the votes on the Internet and at McDonald’s outlets throughout Korea and Japan.

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10. Juanito

The official mascot of the 1970 FIFA World Cup hosted by Mexico was Juanito. Juanito is actually a child with a football on his right foot. The mascot wears a green and white colored uniform which is also the team color of Mexico. The mascot also wears a sombrero with the words “MEXICO 70” written on it which symbolize the hosting nation and year of the event. The name of the mascot Juanito was derived from the diminutive of “Juan” which is a very common name in Spanish. 1970 was the first year that Mexico organized the FIFA World Cup and for which they created a mascot for the event which will signify the cultures and traditions of the nation.

Several other mascots for FIFA World Cups also have their special places in the heart of the football fans and also for the merchandise lovers. Many other creative designs of the mascots also deserve their distinct places on the list, such as Naranjito who was the official mascot of Spain 1982 FIFA World Cup and is actually an Orange.

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Top 10 One Hit Wonders of Sports

October 23, 2014 by Khabir Uddin Mughal

One Hit Wonders of Sports

Every once in a while, we get to watch a historical match in a sport, where the day is saved by a player who descends like an angel and, with one hit, one, goal, or one shot, changes the whole game. Such a player might be an underdog, but, on his special day, he breaks all stereotypes associated with his name, and shows excellent form. It often happens that even after such a sudden display of great skill and technique, the player may never be found to play such a great match again. Such players, the one hit wonders, are there in almost every sport. Let us look at the Top 10 One Hit Wonders of Sports.

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Top 10 One Hit Wonders of Sports

Daniel Gibson

Daniel Hiram Gibson, fondly known as Booby or Boobie, is a basketball player who is seen playingin the NBA playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. His professional career began in 2006. He is quite well-known for the contribution he made to his team during the playoff run in 2007. In the same year, the Cavaliers succeeded in breaking past the Detroit Pistons, and made it to the finals of the NBA. In Game 6 of the finals of Eastern Conference against Detroit, Gibson managed to score 19 coming in the fourth quarter. However, so far, this seems to have been the only highlight of his career since then. In fact, in the recent history of basketball, Gibson has proven himself to be quite a one-hit wonder, though he still has some chance to shine.

Iva Majoli

In the 1997 French Open, former tennis player from Croatia, Iva Majoli Marić, appeared for times straight in the quarterfinals, and she gained a surprise French Open title in that run. In an upset match against the then world no. 1, Martina Hingis, Majoli snatched up her singles title. She also defeated fifh seed Lindsay Davenport in the fourth round. These apart, she has no other record of beating any other top ranked player. After the French Open win, she was seen in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, and also reached the quarters of the French Open in the following year, but, didn’t display any memorable match. This being her last appearance in the advanced levels of the Grand Slam, Majoli retired in June, 2004.

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Oleg Salenko

Oleg Anatolyevich Salenko is a former soccer player from Russia who played as a striker in the national team. His career began in 1986. He went into the FIFA World Cup in the year 1994, despite having never scored a single international goal. Prior to that year, he had a solitary cap for Russia for his name. In the most striking tournament of his life, he began his journey of goals with his first one against Sweden. Then, he scored five goals past Cameroon whom Russia defeated by 6-1, a record in the group stage of the tournament. Russia couldnt progress past the groups. However, Salenko’s astonishing performance won him the Golden Boot. Shockingly, Russia never picked him again in his career, which lasted till 2000.

David Tyree

David Mikel Tyree is a former American footballer who played as a wide receiver in the NFL for seven seasons. He is known for miraculous helmet catch in the final drive of Super Bowl XLII of the New York Giants. He made a memorable moment in the history of Super Bowl as, in the waning moments of the game, when the Giants required to convert a first down to have a shot at beating the opponents, Eli Manning dropped back and broke a few tackles, and then tossed the ball to Tyree who caught it, and kept the drive alive, as his team won 17-14. Despite his shining moment, Tyree never managed to shine through again. He is primarily remembered for the Helmet Catch. He retired in 2010 with 650 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

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Tom Cheney

Thomas Edgar Cheney was a baseball player who played in the MLB from 1957 and continued till 1966. Though not a very popular player, Cheney, a right-handed pitcher, has his name in the history of baseball for his record in the major league for an amazing 21 strikeouts in a single game. The most sensational part of the story is that he did it all within a matter of just 16 innings. In the 1962 match against Baltimore Orioles, when he played for Washington Senators, Cheney pitched all 16 seasons, throwing an unbelievable 228 pitches. Washington Senators won 2-1. However, Cheney’s arm didn’t help him give any more such performance. He managed to throw only 136.1 innings in the following season, and dropped further to 48.2 in 1964.

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Richard Dumas

Richard Wayne Dumas is a retired basketball player who was associated with the NBA, and had a professional career from 1990 to 2003. He was considered one of the most promising players playing for the Phoenix Suns, back in the early 90s. His most memorable season was in 1993, when he helped his team make it to the finals of the NBA. He had an average of 15.8 ppg and 4.6 rpg. His career best play was when he reached the score of 25 points in the 5^th game of the 1993 NBA Finals, and he showed all the qualities in that season to become a great player. Unfortunately, that was his only success in the NBA, since in the following years, he was in the clasps of substance abuse, until by 1997, he was out of a roster spot.

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Thomas Johansson

Karl Thomas Conny Johansson, former tennis player from Sweden, appeared in 46 Grand Slams, out of which he managed to advance past the fourth round only four times. His 2002 Australian Open championship was quite a surprise: he had never before gone past the third round in Melbourne out of his 13 appearances. Only in the US Open 1998 and 2000 had he managed to advance that far in the Grand Slam. In the 2002 Australian Open, the top six seeds had already been knocked out in the first few rounds, and Johansson faced only three of the ranked players, the most notable being Marat Safin. He was the silver medallist in the doubles. His run to the 2005 Wimbledon semi-final was his only other notable match in such an advanced level in his career. He declared his retirement in June, 2009.

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Totò Schillaci

Salvadore Schillaci was more commonly and fondly known as Toto. This former Italian soccer player began his moderate football career in 1982. But, he is remembered as the surprise star of the World Cup Ilatia 1990. Though he started off in the tournament as a substitute player in the first match, he brought on quite a surprise with his 6 goals throughout World Cup, thus paving his way to the Golden Boot, as well as the Golden Ball beating LotharMatthäus and Diego Maradona. He had an Australian thoroughbred racehorse named after him. But, this was his ‘one hit’, and managed just seven goals for his country in his entire career. In four seasons of league football, he scored five-six goals in each whole campaign. He retired in 1997.

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Timmy Smith

Timothy LaRay Smith is a former American football player who played as the running back in NFL. He had a short career of three years in the NFL, which started in the year 1987. He is best remembered for his memorable rushing record in the Super Bowl XXII in 1988, as he gained 204 yards, and scored two touchdowns. He played for the Washington Redskins from 1987 to 1988, and in his first season as a rookie, his performance allowed his team to beat the Denver Broncos 42-10. Naturally, there were some great expectations placed upon him in the next season, as well. However, he let down his fans and team as his ‘one hit’ went straight to his head, and he began to lead a life of drug abuse. The injuries didn’t help much, either, and he retired in 1990.

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John Paciorek

John Francis Paciorek is a former baseball player whose remarkable display of skill started and ended in 1963. To be more precise, he played just one match in his major-league career. After the expansion of the rosters in September, he started as the right fielder in the final game of the season for the Houston Colts .45s. He managed to go to the plates five times, and hit three singles and drew two walks, thus scoring four runs. He drove in all three runs of his team. He has a perfect career batting average, with an on-base percentage of 1.000. He also appeared in the pre-season exhibition game in 1964, but, his back injuries made him miss the season, after which he only played minor leagues. He is undoubtedly the exemplary one-hit wonder.

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Such one hit wonders may not be known in the history of sports as greatest players; they may not have made it to the best awards, but, their match-saving games are definitely remembered with fondness, and they are thanked by sports fans all over the world for presenting matches with some of the greatest surprises, setting the adrenaline gushing through the body with their unexpected miracles.

Top 10 Home Grounds of Soccer Clubs

September 28, 2014 by Khabir Uddin Mughal

Home Grounds of Soccer Clubs

Association football or Soccer clubs always have the emotional attachments with their home grounds as they also carry the prestige and the heritage of the club itself. Clubs treat their grounds same as an important part of their own culture. Recently, since August 2009, Emirates Stadium has gone under a program of “Arsenalisation” to restore Arsenal’s heritage and history, which will turn the stadium into a “visible stronghold of all things Arsenal through a variety of artistic and creative means,” according to the Arsenal’s CEO Ivan Gazidis. The largest football stadium according to the capacity is the Rungnado May Day Stadium with a seating capacity of 150,000 located in Pyongyang, North Korea, which is the home ground of the Korea DPR national football team. Recently, the second largest football stadium in the world, Salt Lake Stadium, with the seating capacity of 120,000 declared to be the home ground of Indian team Atlético de Kolkata. There are several state-of-the-art and heritage stadiums all over the world which are used as the home grounds of famous soccer team, so here is the list of top 10 home grounds of soccer clubs.

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Top 10 Home Grounds of Soccer Clubs

1. Nou Camp – FC Barcelona

Nou Camp is the home of Spanish La Liga club Nou Camp – FC Barcelona. It is the fifth largest association football stadium in the world in terms of capacity and the largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is situated at Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and was named Estadio del FC Barcelona till it was renamed in 2000. This stadium is FC Barcelona’s home ground since 1957 with a seating capacity of 99,354. Nou Camp hosted several matches of 1982 FIFA World Cup and 1992 Spain Olympics, and also hosted 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup final and UEFA Champions League Final twice till now. Nou Camp was designed by Francesc Mitjans, Josep Soteras, and Lorenzo García-Barbón with an estimated construction cost of 288 million Spanish pesetas in 1954, and was opened for public on 24 September 1957.

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2. Old Trafford – Manchester United F.C.

Old Trafford is the home of English Premier League club Manchester United F.C. It is the ninth-largest stadium in Europe and the second-largest football stadium in the United Kingdom. The stadium is situated at Greater Manchester, England, and had been nicknamed the Theatre of Dreams by the legendary English former footballer Sir Bobby Charlton. This stadium is United’s home ground since 1910 with a seating capacity of 75,635. Old Trafford hosted several matches of 1966 World Cup, 2012 London Olympics, UEFA Euro 1996 and the 2003 Champions League Final. Besides football, the stadium also hosts Rugby league’s annual Super League Grand Final. Old Trafford was designed by Scottish architect Archibald Leitch and was constructed by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester with an estimated construction cost of £90,000 in 1909, and was opened for public on 19 February 1910.

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3. Signal Iduna Park – Borussia Dortmund

Signal Iduna Park is the home of German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. It is the biggest stadium in Germany, the seventh biggest stadium in Europe, and also the third-largest home stadium of Elite European clubs. The stadium is situated at North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and the museum of Borussia Dortmund called The Borusseum is located inside the stadium. With the seating capacity of 80,667, this stadium is Borussia Dortmund’s home ground since the day they moved to their new home on 2 April 1974. Signal Iduna Park hosted several matches of 1974 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup, and also hosted the 2001 UEFA Cup Final. It was designed by Planungsgruppe Drahtler with an estimated construction cost of 32.7 million Deutsche Mark in 1974, and was opened for public on 2 April 1974.

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4. Santiago Bernabéu – Real Madrid C.F.

Santiago Bernabéu is the home of Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid C.F. It is the second-largest stadium in Spain, and also the second-largest home stadium of Elite European clubs. The stadium is situated at Madrid, Spain, and was renamed in honor of the former chairman Santiago Bernabéu Yeste. This stadium is Real Madrid’s home ground since 1947 with a seating capacity of 85.464. Santiago Bernabéu hosted several matches including the finals of 1957, 1969 and 1980 European Cup. It also hosted the 1982 FIFA World Cup Final, 1964 European Nations’ Cup Final and 2010 UEFA Champions League Final. It was designed by Manuel Muñoz Monasterio and Luis Alemany Soler with an estimated construction cost of 288,342,653 Ptas in 1944, and was opened for public on 14 December 1947. It was again re-designed by Antonio Lamela during its renovation.

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5. San Siro – A.C. Milan and Inter Milan

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza aka the San Siro stadium is the home of both the most popular club in Italian Serie A, A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. The stadium received the UEFA five-star stadium status. It is situated at San Siro district in Milan, Italy, and renamed in honour of Giuseppe Meazza on 3 March 1980. With the recent seating capacity of 80,018, this stadium is A.C. Milan’s home ground since 1926 and Inter Milan’s home ground since 1947. San Siro hosted the UEFA Champions League finals in 1965, 1970 and 2001. It was constructed with the initiative of AC Milan’s president Piero Pirelli in 1925 and was again extensively renovated for 1990 FIFA World Cup with an estimated construction cost of $60 million. It was currently owned by Milan Municipality and was opened for public on 19 September 1926.

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6. Allianz Arena – FC Bayern Munich

Allianz Arena is the home of German Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich. It is the first stadium in the world with a full color-changing exterior walls, and it is the third largest stadium in Germany, and was nicknamed Schlauchboot which stands for inflatable boat. The stadium is situated at Munich, Germany, and the naming rights of the stadium were purchased by the financial service provider Allianz for 30 years in 2005. This stadium is Bayern Munich’s home ground since it was opened in 2005 with a seating capacity of 69,901. Allianz Arena hosted several matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and also hosted the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final. It was designed by Herzog & de Meuron and was constructed by Ove Arup & Partners with an estimated construction cost of €340 million, and was finally opened for public on 30 May 2005.

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7. Stadio Olimpico – A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio

Stadio Olimpico is an asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee and currently used as the home ground of two Italian Serie A club A.S. Roma and S.S. Lazio. This UEFA category four stadium is the largest sports facility of Italy. The stadium is situated within the Foro Italico sports complex in Rome, Italy. Besides football, the stadium is also used by the Italian national rugby union team and Italy’s national athletic team. With the recent seating capacity of 70,634, Stadio Olimpico is A.S. Roma’s and S.S. Lazio’s home ground since the first organized Series A in 1929. This stadium hosted several matches including the final of 1990 FIFA World Cup and 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, and also annually hosts the final of Coppa Italia. It was designed by architect Enrico Del Debbio and constructed by Turinese engineer Angelo Frisa in 1927 and was again rebuilt for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

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8. Emirates Stadium – Arsenal F.C.

Emirates Stadium is the home of English Premier League club Arsenal F.C. It is the third-largest football stadium in England, and was stated as the “biggest decision in Arsenal’s history” by team’s manager Arsène Wenger. This stadium is Arsenal’s home ground since 2006 with a seating capacity of 60,272. Emirates Stadium hosted various international friendly matches featuring Brazil national football team and besides football, also used for music concerts of various stars like Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay. It was designed by HOK Sport aka Populous under the guidance of Structural engineer Buro Happold with an estimated construction cost of £470 million. The main sponsor for the stadium’s construction was Emirates Airline. After the approval of Islington Council, the construction work started in February 2004, and it was opened for public on 22 July 2006.

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9. Stamford Bridge – Chelsea F.C.

Stamford Bridge is the home of English Premier League club Chelsea F.C. it is often referred simply as The Bridge, and it is the eighth largest ground in the Premier League. This stadium is Chelsea’s home ground since Gus Mears founded Chelsea Football Club in 1905. It was fully renovated into a modern all-seater stadium in 1990s with a seating capacity of 41,798. Stamford Bridge hosted several FA Cup Finals, FA Cup semi-finals and Charity Shield matches. Besides football, it has also hosted several matches of various sports such as cricket, baseball, rugby union, American football, speedway and greyhound racing. It was designed by Scottish architect Archibald Leitch in 1887 and was used by the London Athletic Club till 1905. It was opened for public on 28 April 1877 and was gone under its first renovation during 1904 to 1905.

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10. Celtic Park – Celtic F.C.

Celtic Park is the home of Scottish Premiership club Celtic F.C. It is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the Seventh-largest stadium in the UK with the seating capacity of 60,355. The stadium is situated at Glasgow, Scotland and nicknamed “Parkhead” and “Paradise” by the Celtic fans. This stadium is Celtic’s home ground since 1892. Besides several football matches, Celtic Park also hosted the 1897 Track Cycling World Championships and most interestingly First World War recruitment drives were also held here. The stadium was opened for public in 1892, and Celtic F.C. purchased the stadium in 1897 for £100,000. The Main Stand was recreated by Duncan and Kerr in 1929 with an estimated cost of £35,000. Celtic Park is extensively renovated and rebuilt in many phases from 1994 to 1998 by the Percy Johnson-Marshall Associates with an estimated cost of £40 million.

Other notable mentions in this list as the best home ground of the soccer clubs are Club América’s home ground Estadio Azteca, Esteghlal FC’s and Persepolis FC’s home ground Azadi Stadium and İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor’s home ground Atatürk Olympic Stadium. Whatever be the rankings of the stadiums on the basis of studies and surveys, the home grounds were, are and will be the best for for their respective fans, as they are not only attached with the club but also have the attachment with the ground itself.

Top 10 Most Popular Sports in the World

September 20, 2014 by Khabir Uddin Mughal

Most Popular Sports

Starting from the ancient civilization till the era of the technology, sports have always played a major role in the history of mankind. Various forms of gymnastics and acrobatics were probably the pioneer and the most popular sports of the pre-dynastic era, as it was recorded around 2000 BC. In those days, it was more of a skill development technique rather than for entertainment. Eventually, sports started to get used for recreational purposes. By looking at the Greek-Roman period, anyone can assume the wide popularity and the vital importance of the coliseum, and that of the gladiators as the main entertainment of the masses. At that time, ancient games are strangely crucial, violent or even deadly, and had their own ritualistic connections with the society. Today, the world enjoys mostly the non-morbid type of recreational, as well as traditional sports. And here is the list of 10 Most Popular Sports in the world.

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Top 10 Most Popular Sports in the World

1. Soccer

Soccer, also referred to as Association football, is a game between two teams with a spherical ball, consisting of eleven players on each side. The game is played on a rectangular field having goalposts at each end. The objective of the game is to score by placing the ball into the opposite goalpost. The goalkeepers are the only players on the ground that can touch the ball in their penalty area with their hands. Soccer is the world’s most popular sport as it is played in over 200 countries by 250 million players. It is widely considered to be derived from Ancient Greek sport “Episkyros” and the Roman version of the game “Harpastum”. The Laws of the Game were originally developed in England in 1863 by The Football Association and later governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football or FIFA.

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2. Cricket

Cricket is a team game played between two teams with 11 players on each side mainly on round or oval shaped grounds while concentrating to the rectangular 22-yard long pitch for two main events called bowling and batting. The objective of the game is to score runs while batting turns while the other team bowls and fields. Each of that turn is known as an inning. It is widely believed that in 1301, Prince Edward, the son of Edward I, played this game at Newenden, England. The game had developed to be the national sport of England by the end of the 18th century. It was being played abroad by the mid-19th century due to the expansion of the British Empire. A team of England cricketers went on the first overseas tour to North America in 1859. This sport is often referred as the “Gentleman’s game” for the sportsmanship of the cricketers.

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3. American Football

American football, often referred as Gridiron in various countries and football in the United States, is a sport played by two teams consisting eleven players each on a rectangular field with goalposts on each end. The dimension of a typical football ground is 120 yards long and 53.33 yards wide. Most points are scored by placing the ball into the opposing team’s goalpost which is called touchdown. It is the most popular sport in the United States where the most popular forms of the game are professional football and college football. The most famous American football league, NFL, has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world in its final match called the “Super Bowl”. NFL is also one of the richest leagues with around $10 billion of annual revenue. The first American football game was played between Rutgers and Princeton on November 6, 1869.

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4. Basketball

Basketball is a sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players on each side. The objective of the game is to place the ball in the hoop, a hollow bottom net of 18 inches diameter placed 10 feet above the ground at each end of the court. Two points are given to the shooting team if the players shoot the ball in the net ahead of the three-point line. It is illegal to carry the ball without dribbling, or resume the dribble while holding the ball with both hands. The game was invented by Dr. James Naismith, at the International Young Men’s Christian Association Training School, while creating a game to achieve maximum fitness in December 1891. The first balls specifically for basketball which were brown in color were developed by Tony Hinkle in the late 1950s. The first official game was played by two teams of nine players each in the YMCA gymnasium in Albany on January 20, 1892.

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5. Baseball

Baseball is a team game played between two teams of nine players each in turns of batting and fielding. The objective of the game is to hit the ball with a bat thrown by the pitcher. The scoring runs come by running counter-clockwise around a series of four bases after hitting the ball. When a player advances around the bases and returns to the home plate, a run is scored. Each baseball game is played in nine innings where two teams switch between batting and pitching whenever the fielding team makes three outs. This sport is believed to be derived from “la soule” which was described in a French manuscript from 1344. The early modern version of baseball was being played by the mid-18th century in England. Baseball was recognized as the national sport of the United States by the late 19th century.

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6. Tennis

Tennis is a sport that can be played using a racquet, individually against a single opponent called singles, or between two teams of two players on each side. The grounds are rectangular with distinctive markings, and the racquets are knitted with chord or string. The objective of the game is to strike a hollow felt-over rubber ball into the opponent’s court around the net. The modern version of this sport originated in Birmingham, England and by the late 19th century it was widely played as lawn tennis” which was a combination of lawn games mainly between bowls and croquet. According to the 1845 novel Sybil by Disraeli, Lord Eugene De Vere once stated that he would “go down to Hampton Court and play tennis.” Now, four major tournaments or the Grand Slams are hugely popular which are Australian Open, French Open and the US Open.

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7. Boxing

Boxing is a combat game between two players which was often called the sweet science and also the prize fighting in the past. The objective of this game is to throw punches for scoring a point against each other with gloved hands over a series of three-minute intervals called rounds. It is also included in two of the most popular event of the modern earth, the Olympic and the Commonwealth sports. It was recorded back as far as the 3rd millennium BC in a Sumerian relief and by the time of 688 BC, it was introduced in Olympic by the Greeks. The current version of this sport originated in Great Britain around 16th to 18th-century. The first bare-knuckle fight in England was documented in 1681 and in 1719 the first recorded bare-knuckle champion was James Figg in England. Three main styles used in modern boxing are fighter, brawler, and In-fighter.

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8. Golf

Golf is a club sport where competing players called golfers try to hit a ball into a series of holes on a course using the fewest strokes possible, with various bent sticks called the clubs or the golf bats. According to the modern Rules of Golf, the objective of the game is “playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules.” This sport does not require a standardized playing area and played in the courses with either nine or 18 holes arranged in progressive order. It is widely believed to be derived from the Roman game of paganica, where participants used to hit a stuffed leather ball with bent sticks. The current record of this game was first documented when James II banned this game in 1457 because it was a visual distraction while learning archery. The most popular event of this game is the PGA Tour.

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9. Hockey

Hockey is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each in a rectangular hockey ground with a goal post on each end. The objective of this game is to maneuver a hockey ball called the Puck into the opponent’s goal using hockey sticks. The name of this game was first recorded in the book Juvenile Sports and Pastimes by Richard Johnson in 1773. But it was also widely believed that it was first recorded by King Edward III of England in 1363. A stone work belongs of 2000BC Egypt was also scripted with teams playing with sticks and a projectile. In 600 BC, this game was called kerētízein or kerhtízein by the Greeks. There are two main types of hockey, Field Hockey and Ice Hockey. Field hockey is played on natural grass with a hard ball approximately 73 mm in diameter, whereas, the ice hockey is played on a rectangular field of ice with a three-inch-diameter vulcanized rubber disc.

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10. Volleyball

Volleyball is a team game which is played between two teams of six players on a rectangular court separated by a net. The objective of the game is to hit the volleyball with hands over the net and score points by grounding the volleyball on the opponent’s court. The defending team can touch the ball up to 3 times, but individual participants of the same team cannot consecutively touch the ball twice. The typical size of the volleyball ground is 50 feet long and 25 feet wide, and the topmost end of the net should be placed 6 feet 6 inches above the ground. This game was introduced in the Summer Olympic Games in 1964. It was invented by YMCA director, William G. Morgan as an indoor game on February, 1895 and named Mintonette, which can be played by any number of players. This game also has various other types such as Beach volleyball, Buka ball and Footvolley.

Various other sports are also very popular throughout the world such as Table Tennis or Track and Field. An important fact is that, around 13,000 athletes participate in one of the biggest event of the earth, the Olympic, in 400 events of 33 different sports.

10 Bizarre Hairstyles in Football

September 19, 2014 by Khabir Uddin Mughal

10 Bizarre Hairstyles in Football

Sports have given the opportunity to young and talented people to show their talent to the world and entertain people. The players get a platform to earn huge fame and money. Another chance that sports give to the athletes is to be ostentatious. Football being one of the most popular games in the world, the footballers always enjoy a lot of attention from the media, as well as football fanatics. The players try to portray themselves in a particular way, and what better way is there to show off an attitude and persona than with the style? On the field, the only way footballers can go crazy is by sporting innovative hairstyles. In the history of football, the players, especially the popular ones, have always added a surprise element to the game by donning such new styles. Here is a list of 10 bizarre hairstyles in football. Now, whether these were surprising or shocking is up to you to decide.

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10 Bizarre Hairstyles in Football

Bacary Sagna

The French national team footballer is the right back for English club Manchester City, and has received accolades for his skill. But, his wacky hairstyle got him more attention. It is hard to ignore the mini thin braided locks that start from the central parting of his otherwise bald skull. These locks are mostly bleached to a very pale blond. But, the braids are often bicoloured. He won a bet with his father regarding whether or not he would be able to score a goal in an upcoming match. In fact, he scored two goals, and thus, thus born the trademark hairstyle with yellow and black braids. Unfortunately, he has too sweet an attitude to pull it off.

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Taribo West

People of colour can particularly rock braids. But, Taribo went ahead by far too many steps. The former Nigerian defender’s unusual, colourful hairstyle is a part of his identity. His hairstyle and color kept changing in every new season, but, the wackiest hairstyle award goes to his green rope braids. What’s more, these locks were of varied lengths at different parts of the head, so that he could tie the longer ones at the back into a ponytail, and the shorter ones in the front used to be tied up in two little tousled buns. There are various tinges of green in each braid. He has also gone multi-coloured with his braids, quite a number of times.

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Gervinho

The forward for Roma, Gervinho, is a part of the Ivory Coast national team. He has made a total of 57 appearances for his national team, and all this while he has been consistent with his hairstyle. Black braids of varied lengths start from the middle parting on his head and fall all over his head. Gervinho uses a head-band that runs across his forehead horizontally, to hold them in place. A large, triangular chunk of forehead and head peeps out from between the locks and above the thin band. He has been donning this since the start of his career. The only thing that he changes about his hairstyle is the thickness of the headband. Thankfully, the thick ones often cover the forehead.

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Djibril Cissé

Cissé plays as the striker for SC Bastia, and is also part of the national football team of France. He is well-known for three things: his speed, acceleration and hairstyle. His style includes his bleached hair on the head, which is complementary to the blond mustache and beard, which, by the way, are also pretty quirky, as the stache is shaved right above the upper lip, and the beard is shaved at the chin. For the 2010 Football World Cup, he captured the attention of the spectators as he sported a flat and wide Mohawk, just like Mario Balotelli, and went ahead a step by coloring the strip of hair a vivid green with a slight yellowish border. The rest of the head is clean-shaved.

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Kyle Beckerman

An American footballer of the national team, Kyle plays for the Real Salt Lake team as its captain and holding midfielder in Major League Soccer. While is game won his appreciation, his hair made it to the criticism column. In 2014 World Cup, he was seen sporting dreadlocks. His head is a mess made of blondish brown thick strands of uncombed hair, into which he has reportedly put in a lot of effort for an early age. These dreadlocks fly, as Kyle runs in the field. While most footballers are shaving off a part or the entirety of hair, Kyle maintains a different style, as the dreadlock, which look like they need wash, are pretty long. He often secures them with a band, forming a gigantic bun.

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Manuel Cange

Manuel Cange, who is commonly known as Loco, is the right back for Petro Atlético in Girabola. His miraculously madcap hairstyles have been a centre of attention. Earlier, he sported a style with ultra-short hairs all over his head, which he got colored to form patterns on his head. His latest style, however, is different from what anyone has even seen. His entire head is covered with hair that gives a next-to-bald look. But, that is not the quirky part. On the forehead lie loosely little black braids. Now, we are not entirely sure how he got this idea. All we can guess is that he is probably trying to hide a rapidly receding hairline. But, the locks look like worms growing out of his head.

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Abel Xavier

The former Portuguese footballer who played as a full back is now the manager of the Portuguese club named Olhanense. Abel has always sported bleached hair, which he used to get trimmed to show off some crazy styles. His hair is also remembered for the vividly blond shade which match perfectly with the mustache and beard. He has probably toyed with every hairstyle in the book, and his most memorable style is the one with blond – rather, almost white – thick strips of cornrowed hair all over the head, with black, extremely short hairs grazing the skull. That’s not all, since the strand in the middle is taller and messier, thus looking like the headgears that ancient warriors wore.

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Bas Savage

Basir Savage, or Bas, is an English footballer, known for his celebrations on the ground by performing moonwalks. It is obvious that he is a vivacious person, and his uniqueness shows in his outrageous hairstyles. A memorable hairdo of his was the Spider man style, for which he sported design that resembled a spiders’ net. While the net design is visible from the back, his head was covered in very short hair that was dyed red. He was greatly inspired by Spider man, and so he chose the color as it is the primary color on the superhero’s costume. He also dyed his hair red and blue, with the hairline bordered with golden blond cornrow.

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Paul Scharner

The former Austrian defender could play almost all midfield positions with equal dexterity. Besides his footballing skill and flexibility, Paul has also been the center of attention for his ever-changing hairstyles, which went from the gelled look as the strands lay flat on his head, to the faux Mohawks of different colors. Paul made his Mohawks different: his hair is often multi-coloured, in combinations like red-blue blue-black-white, etc. At one point of time, half of his head was black and the side, whitish blond, which he applied on a faux Mohawk. The ebony-ivory hair definitely made him look like the male counterpart of Cruella, the villain from 101 Dalmatians.

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Brek Shea

There is something that goes terribly wrong when a white-skinned blond tries to do braided cornrows, and the same disaster happened with the winger for Birmingham City who also plays in the American national team. Shea has gone from mullet to dying his hair red to match colors with that of FC Dallas club, but, his zaniest look was that of the golden cornrows that covered his entire head and created tiny little strands at the back of his head. What’s more, he has even added beads to the end of these golden strands. When David Beckham couldn’t pull off the braided hairstyle look, Shea should have picked up the clue.

There are many other flamboyant footballers, and even those like Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo often end up creating a disaster on their head. Sometimes, one look may appeal to some people, while the other criticize it. For instance, Chris Waddle’s mullet is considered one of the best hairstyles in football history, while many like to think that it made him look like he was posing for a mug-shot. However, experiments with hairstyles never stop. During one game in 2011, the starting lineup of Bromley had OP codes shaved onto the heads. So, there will always be players with bizarre hairstyles in football. We just have to wait to be surprised or shocked by these.