Soccer, which is also known as association football or simply as football, is largely considered to the most popular sport in the planet. It is a team-based sport that pits two eleven-player teams and is commonly played on a rectangular expanse that is covered in grass or artificial turf. On each of its short ends is a goal in which one team must score by maneuvering a ball into it. A goalkeeper guards each of the goals. The goalkeepers are the only players in the game who are allowed to use their hands or arms in manipulating the ball; the rest of the players have to use only their feet to propel the ball. Players can use their torso or head to intercept the ball if it sails their way though. The team with the most number of goals at the end of the predetermined amount of time wins. If the scores are tied at the end of the game, one of two things will happen, which depend on the terms of the contest: either a draw will be declared or the game will go into extended time and/or a penalty shootout. Penalty shootouts are kicks from the penalty mark and are used to determine which team advances to the next phase of a tournament. Or, if the terms dictate it as so, who wins it.

There is no known single originating source from where soccer developed as games that involved kicking a ball flourished in various parts of the globe throughout human history. The Chinese played games akin to soccer as far back as 3,000 years ago while the Romans and the Ancient Greeks used football games to hone their fighters for battle. In Central and South America, “Tlatchi,” another game involving kicking a ball around once enjoyed popularity amongst their populace.

It was in England though in 1963, that the modern incarnation of the football game finally took shape. In October of that year, eleven London schools and clubs sent representatives to the Freemason’s Tavern to settle a dispute between those who wanted to forbid shin-kicking, tripping, and carrying the ball and those of the Rugby faction, who allowed these in their version of the ball game. In the end, the Rugby faction lost and the meeting conceived the Football Association, which would facilitate further refinements to the sport.

Some top teams in soccer:

Los Angeles Galaxy

Los Angeles Galaxy is a Los Angeles-based professional soccer team. The team is one of the ten franchises that founded the MLS in 1995. The club got its name from the fact that L.A. is home of the “movie stars” of Hollywood.

The team has won the MLS cup in the years 2002 and 20055 and the U.S. Open Cup in 2001, and 2005.

In 2007, the Los Angeles Galaxy became the most popular club in the MLS when it drafted in English superstar David Beckham, under a 5-year contract that is estimated to be worth $250 million.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, which is also known by the names Los Merengues, Royal Madrid Football Club, Los Blancos, and Real Madrid, is a Madrid-based professional football team. Formed in 1902, the club plays in La Liga, and is one of the most renowned football clubs. It won 17 Copa del Rey, 30 La Liga, and 9 UEFA Champions League titles.

According to analyses conducted by the Harvard University in 2007, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is the most renowned football club in the planet.

Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea Football Club, which is also known previously as The Pensioners and also as The Blues, is a West London-based professional football team. It was formed in 1905 and since then, they have played in the Premier League. The team has prospered career-wise and in fact, its history has shown that the group has stayed in the top ranks of English football. The team has won 4 League Cups, 3 league titles, 4 FA Cups, and 2 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups.