European soccer, or soccer, as Americans call it, is known simply as football. It is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a ball shaped like a sphere. It is played by 250 million players in more than 200 countries, making it the most popular sport in the world. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by using any part of the body other than the arms and hands to bring the ball into the opposite goal. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands while it is in play and only within their penalty area. “Outfield players primarily use their feet to kick or pass the ball, but may use their head or chest to kick the ball as an alternative. The team that scores the most goals at the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the match, either a draw is declared or the match goes to overtime or a penalty shootout depending on the format of the competition. The laws of football were first classified in England by the Football Association in 1863.''2. GAMEPLAYAssociation football is played according to a set of rules known as the “Laws of the Game”. The game is played using a sphere-shaped ball 71 cm in circumference called a "football" or "soccer ball". Two teams of eleven players each participate to bring the ball into the other team's goal, thus scoring a goal. The team that has scored the most goals at the end of the match wins. If both teams score an equal number of goals, then the match is drawn. Each team is controlled by a captain. In the game, players strive to create goal-scoring opportunities through individual ball control, such as dribbling, passing the ball...... middle of paper ...... according the original from December 30, 2006 Retrieved January 6, 2008. 9. IFAB. Procedures for determining the winner of a match or two-legged tie. (PDF). Laws of the game 2010/2011. FIFA. 10. 2012 NFL Rules, p. 8 to 56. 11. 2012 NFHS Rules, p. 11-66. 12. No Christian ending! The beginnings of football in America. Association of Professional Football Researchers, 2012. 13. Beginner's Guide to Football. National Football League. Retrieved September 30, 2012. 14. Famous Romanians: Gheorghe Hagi. Insider from Romania. August 11, 2010. 15. World Soccer's 100 Players of the Century. England Football Online. 16. Romania and the commander and king of Gala. FIFA.com. Retrieved November 18, 2013. 17. The Golden Players take center stage. UEFA.com. November 29, 2003. 18. Wall of Fame: Gheorghe Hagi. Infoway Sports. Retrieved October 13 2009.