As you all know, the game of Football is worldwide famous. This is the only game in the world that brings people of all colors, races, cultures, religions together. It is played and celebrated worldwide. Do you know the shocking facts about it? Do you know there are many shocking facts of Football that may blow your mind after you get to know it? Come, let’s dig in and learn some of the shocking facts of Football.
- Thomas Langu Sweswe, a Zimbabwe player, played for 90 minutes and didn’t touch the ball
Thomas Langu Sweswe, born on 9 August 1981, is an association Zimbabwe player. Sweswe, a defender who primarily plays center-back, has represented nine clubs in addition to the Zimbabwe national football team. He once played the entire 90 minutes of a game for his team Kaizer Chiefs FC (one of the wealthiest football clubs in Africa), without ever touching the ball.
- Celtic beat Barcelona with 11% ball possession
It was a historic night in the UEFA Champions League history. Celtic will never forget when they left Lionel Messi and his teammates in complete shock and disbelief.
Barcelona lost to Celtic despite having 89% ball possession and getting 8 shots on goal. Victor Wanyama’s stunning header from a corner kick resulted in Celtic’s first goal in the 21st minute.
Tony Watt scored Celtic’s second goal in the 83rd minute, while Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s consolation goal in the 91st.
- It took Ronaldo 30 games before he scored his first Champions League goal
Although Cristiano Ronaldo now holds the record for most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League, you probably aren’t aware of what it took for him to get there.
The famous CR7 took 30 game appearances to score his first goal in the UEFA Champions League. He scored twice against Roma in a 7-1 win in the quarter-final match in 2006/2007.
- Philipp Lahm once went 13 months without committing a foul
Philipp Lahm is the master of discipline.
The Bayern Munich and Germany great was a master at reading the game and went 13 months without committing a foul between September 2015 and October 2015 in the Bundesliga.
- Neymar won the La Liga player of the month award before Lionel Messi did
Interestingly the Brazilian beat his teammate to the gong after it was introduced in 2013. Neymar won it in 2013, and Messi winning it in January 2016 and going on to collect it a further six times.
- Benjamin Aguero is the son of Sergio Aguero, Grandchild of Diego Maradona and Messi is his God-father
Few people have a footballing family tree as healthy and flowering as Benjamin Aguero, the son of former Manchester City striker Sergio, and grandson of Argentina legend Diego Maradona.
- Spain Won the 2010 World Cup with only 8 eight goals throughout the competition
There was a period where La Roja dominated international football and won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa under Vicente del Bosque. However, you might be shocked to learn that they only were able to score eight goals on their way to winning, though.
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played for six clubs that have won the Champions League, but he has never actually won the trophy himself
Ibrahimovic, a Swede, has played for teams that have won the European Cup, including AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester United, Ajax, and Malmo but he has failed to win the trophy for himself.
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored in every minute
Only these two football legends have ever scored a goal in each of the first one hundred and eighty minutes of a game.
So, these are some of the shocking facts in the history of Football you might have not known. There are also many more shocking facts in Football which will really blow out your mind after you know them. So, buckle up until I get back to you with all those facts.
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Writer
Abdullah Al Noman Khan
Content Writing Intern
YSSE