Soccer Culture

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By Simon Kjellgren, Sweden

For Americans, soccer is just something you drive your daughter to. A world cup they always think they’ll win despite just being no.28 on the FIFA world ranking. For the rest of the world, it’s more than a sport, it’s a lifestyle. We live and breath soccer, some fans even kill and die for their club. The club is our god, the fans of that club is our family and the stadium is our home, our church. Soccer is a religion, a religion with thousands of gods. The leader of all those gods? Sadly FIFA. I’ll explain later.

tifo2Borussia Dortmund TIFO

The fans are the most important thing a club can have. It sounds cheesy I know, but there’s a reason fans are called “the 12th player”. They provide atmosphere around the stadium; they provide electric chants that energize the players. Most importantly, they provide TIFOs. A TIFO is a synchronized display before the game starts, with banners, flags and songs that the team march in to.

Real Madrid C.F – Champions League Final 2017

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real madrid final pictureby Katharina Coenen, Germany

Real Madrid C.F is the most famous football club in Spain. Founded on March 6th 1906. The traditionally worn kit colors were white. In June 2017 they reached the final in the UEFA Champions League. They had to play against Juventus Football Club. The Tournament was in Wales, Cardiff, also the hometown of one of the most expensive superstars of Real Madrid, Gareth Bale. The game was special and important for the club, but especially for him. Born and raised in Cardiff, and now he had the chance to win a trophy in his hometown. Also the club had the chance to win it for the second time in a row. What else could be better ? But would he at least get the chance to play against Juventus? The Stadium was sold out, many fans decorated it with big banners. The atmosphere was gigantic and the feeling absolutely stunning. Then the official champions league hymn was heard. The players came through the tunnels and shook hands with each other, but no a sign of Gareth Bale yet.

So the match begun without him. It was really intensive and strategic. Nobody wanted to take a risk. Then after twenty minutes, a goal! Cristiano Ronaldo scored. Buffon the goalkeeper from Juventus was delirious. He shouted at his teammates ,and encouraged them on. Everyone in the stadium was excited. After just seven minutes Juventus settled the result, after a nice head goal from Mandžukić. The whole stadium was on fire, but after the first halftime Juventus did not act very self- confident. They moved back and let Real Madrid play their match. After a while Casemiro, the defender from Real Madrid took a volley after a really bad back pass from a Juventus player. It wrapped unattainable in Buffons Goal. After that Goal Juventus was resigned. Two more goals were dropped. Gareth Bale came for the last 15 minutes. The whole stadium cheered to him, and he did his best.

At the end the result was 4:1. The players cried and screamed happily. They couldn’t believe it. The night seemed magical, but not for Juventus. They were devastated. They lost again a important final. They knew that if you reached a final you have to do your best. And everyone knew in the moment they didn’t . The Italian fans applauded them and the players appreciated that.  On the other side, the Spanish Fans were thrilled and happy. Their team won this trophy, the best and most important trophy you can win in football,  the second time in a row. It was unbelievable. But Juventus was a fair team. They congratulated the players on their 12th title. And so Real Madrid wrote history. Again.

real madrid pictures 2017

Olympic Games History

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Tom Lumiere ,  France

The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, a city of Greece. Competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece. These Games featured mainly athletic, but also combat sports, such as battle and the pankration, horse and chariot racing events. It has been generally written that during the Games, all conflicts with the participating city-states were suspended until the Games were finished. This cessation of hostilities was known as the Olympic peace or accord. This idea is a modern illusion because the Greeks never suspended their wars

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The modern Olympic Games (French: Jeux olympiques) are best international sporting events presenting summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world’s principal sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are adhered every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by developing every four years but two years apart.

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Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games. Baron Pierre de Coubertin (French) founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, principal to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority.

Pierre de Coubertin

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The reason why I choose is that since I was young, I have been

going to every summer Olympic Games: ‘Athens in 2004, Beijing in  2008, London in 2012, Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and I will go to Tokyo in 2020’ .

 

 

FC Barcelona

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by Jovan Dukic, Switzerland

Fc Barcelona is a famous football club from Spain. The short form is Barca. The players never would like to say they play for Spain because Catalonia has a conflict with the Spanish government. Catalonia has been looking to be independent for many years. The club was founded 29. November 1899. Today the club counts as one of the best in the world, if not the best. In Spain, Barca has the most trophies of the national cup (Copa del Rey) and they have the second most championship titles behind Real Madrid.

 

barcelona2 stadium

Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff was born 24. April 1947 and he died 24. March 2016. He died in Barcelona and the club gave him the highest honor. Johan was a Dutch professional football player and head coach. He won the Ball d`Or three times as a player. Johan Cruyff was regarded as a true football genius and he was the founder of the considered Tiki- taka. Johan has three children; he has one son and two daughters. His son leads the Johan Cruyff Foundation, who helps children in trouble.

Barcelona3 johan cruyff

 

Tiki- Taka

Tiki – Taka is a style of play in football characterized by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels, and maintaining possession.
The style is primarily associated with La Liga Club Fc Barcelona especially during the era of Pep Guardiola. The typical characteristic of this system is that the team has a lot of ball possession, between 50%-70%. If the left and the right outside linebackers run in the attack and don’t defend for this short moment, they have more players in the attack. If they lose the ball, the two outside linebackers run all the way back to their defensive positions. If the whole team changes from attacking to defending, it creates pressure on the other team to lose possession of the ball again.

 

barcelona1 tiki taka

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi was born at 24. June 1987 in Argentina. As a young guy he started his career in Newells Old Boys. This is a mid-level club in Argentina. In 2003, he left the Newells Old Boys to join Fc Barcelona. He started in the youth team of Fc Barcelona, the famous La Masia. With 16 years, four months and 23 days, old he made his first team debut. It was a friendly game against Jose Mourinhno’s Porto. In his first season he made his first record he scored 36 goals in 30 games. Messi holds the record for the most goals scored in La Liga 50, a football season 82 and a calendar year 91. After the tournament copa america 2016 he is the top scorer of Argentina he past Gabriel Batistuta. He won the Balon D’or five times you can see the picture among the article.

Barcelona leo messi

 

Total Domination From Spain

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Daan Klein Schiphorst, The Netherlands

Where it comes from and how they did it nobody knows or they think they know. But the Spanish football clubs are ruling in Europe. Not only the Spanish clubs are dominating but the national team as well. The Spanish football is doing well for the last 6 years, they become champions of the world with the clubs and the country as well. Who can stop them?

The Clubs
Clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are at the top of Europe since the beginning. With 3 teams in the top 4 of clubs they are the best in Europe. In 2014 the Champions league final was a completely Spanish final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and this year as well. You think that’s the only league in Europe that they are dominating but in the Europa League there is a Spanish team in the Finals as well. From the last 4 winners of the Champions/Europa League there were 3 Spanish victories. This shows you how the clubs are dominating in Europe.

The National Team
At the moment, the national team of Spain is doing well. They became first in their group of the Euro Cup qualification and they will give everything to become the champions again. They won the Euro Cup in 2008 and 2012 and became champions of the world in 2010. It’s not strange that the national team is doing well because the players play in the top of each competition. They became the best of Europe with their club,  transformed champions in their league or they play in a good team.

Important playerAndres+Iniesta+Spain+v+Slovakia+UEFA+EURO+zGE9E7Q8Nwjl
He is a little guy,  got a good technique and he is unstoppable when he gets the ball. I am talking about  Andrés Iniesta. Iniesta become one of the best and important players from Spain. He became world champion with the national team in 2010 and European champion in 2008 and 2012. He won the Primera Division with Barcelona seven times and won the Champions League four times. He is the captain of both teams and, as one of the oldest players, he is an inspiration for the younger generation to achieve the same success.  This was just one example of the players who brought Spain to the level  where they now are.

 

Now you can see what the domination of Spain includes. Will they still be dominating the world? We will see soon..