football summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see football.

A professional football (soccer) field. International rules allow for variations in the overall field dimensions, but the touch lines must be longer than the goal lines. Play begins with a kickoff at the center line. When the ball is driven across the touch line, it is put back in play by a throw-in by the opposing side. A ball driven over the goal line but not into the goal by the attacking team is returned to play with a goal kick by the opposing goalkeeper. A player fouled in the penalty area is awarded a penalty kick at the goal, which is defended only by the goalkeeper. Within the goal area the goalkeeper may use his hands to stop and hold the ball.

football, or association football or soccer, Game in which two 11-member teams try to propel a ball into the opposing team’s goal, using any part of the body except the hands and arms. Only the goalkeeper, when positioned within the penalty area in front of the goal, may use hands and arms. The game’s first uniform set of rules was put in place in 1863, when England’s Football Association was created. Professional leagues began appearing in the late 1880s, first in England and then in other countries. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in 1904, and has hosted the World Cup every four years since 1930. Football has been included in the Olympic Games since 1908. Now played on all continents in over 200 countries, with over 250 million players, it is the world’s most popular ball game. See also Australian Rules football; Gaelic football; football, gridiron; and rugby.

Roberto Baggio Summary

Roberto Baggio Italian professional football (soccer) player who is widely considered one of the greatest forwards in his country’s storied football history. He won the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year award in 1993. He is also famous among football

Zinedine Zidane Summary

Zinedine Zidane French football (soccer) player who led his country to victories in the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship. He later found success as a manager. After playing for the junior team US Saint-Henri, Zidane joined Cannes in 1989 and quickly became the focal point of the

Eric Cantona Summary

Eric Cantona French football (soccer) player who was one of the sport’s biggest stars in the 1990s and is best known for his key role in reviving the English powerhouse club Manchester United and for his temperamental play. As a child, Cantona played for a well-regarded youth team based outside

Thierry Henry Summary

Thierry Henry French football (soccer) player and manager who scored more international goals (51) than any other player in France’s history and who is considered one of the most prolific goal scorers of his time. Henry, of French West Indian ancestry, spent his childhood in low-income housing in