The Soccer Book: The Teams, the Rules, the Leagues, the Tactics

by DK

Overview

Discover everything about soccer — from the laws and tactics to the science and art of the “beautiful game.”

With profiles of over 65 of the world’s best soccer nations, the biggest names in club soccer and key competitions, this is the ultimate visual guide to the world’s greatest sport. 

Inside the pages of this comprehensive and highly illustrated guide to soccer, you’ll find:

   • A fresh graphic style that illustrates everything from beach soccer to block tackles.
   • Stats and fact boxes that profile players, managers, fans, soccer trivia, national teams and clubs.
   • Special features that highlight great soccer matches, stadiums and soccer culture.
   • “Top 5” boxes that provide an alternative look at the best and worst of the game.

It’s a GOAL with The Soccer Book! From the history of soccer and the story behind the game to the World Cup and the delayed Euro 2020 championships, this record book reveals a fascinating story page after page.

Avid player, lifelong fan or armchair manager? It is the perfect book for die-hard soccer fans — old or new. The book’s eye-catching, step-by-step artwork and jargon-free text profiles everything soccer-related, like players’ roles, equipment, team formations, strategies and individual skills. Even more so, maps, quotes and statistics give you all the key facts on national teams, famous clubs and iconic players, as well as the greatest competitions around the world and of all time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780744020540
Publisher:	DK
Publication date:	02/22/2022
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	676,691
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

We believe in the power of discovery. That's why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in.
 
From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

https://www.dk.com/

Table of Contents

Introduction 010

1 The World's Game

Ancient ball games 014

From folk to association 016

The global game 018

Into the 20th century 020

Futsal (Futebol de salão) 022

Beach soccer 024

Indoor/Street soccer 026

Freestyle soccer 028

Paralympic soccer 030

Grassroots soccer 032

Watching the game 034

Fan culture 036

2 How the Game is Played

The field 040

Defenders 042

Midfielders 046

Forwards 050

Goalkeepers 054

The officials 056

Soccer technologies 060

The rules 062

Using set pieces 064

The offside rule 066

Fouls and infringements 068

Shirts, shorts, and socks 070

Boots and protective gear 072

Soccer shirts 074

The ball 076

The goal 078

Sing when you're winning 080

3 Teamwork

Teamwork: key concepts 084

Formations 086

Defensive strategies 090

A quick fix on the pitch 094

Set pieces 096

Attacking strategies 098

Managers and coaches 102

The anatomy of a club 106

4 Individual Skills

Anatomy of a player 110

Mind of a player 112

Warming up 114

Training 116

Controlling the ball 118

Passing 120

Running with the ball 122

Step overs 124

Spins and turns 126

Fakes 128

Shooting 130

Volleying 132

Heading 134

Throw-ins and corners 136

Free kicks 138

Penalties 140

Goalkeeping 142

Tackling 146

Freestyle skills 148

Injuries 150

5 Planet Soccer

Fifa Confederations 154

Europe: Uefa 156

England 158

Famous venues: Wembley Standium 160

England: the northern clubs 162

England: the southern clubs 164

Scotland 166

Wales 168

Northern Ireland 169

Republic of Ireland 170

Belgium 171

Money madness 172

France 174

French clubs 176

Netherlands 178

Dutch clubs: the big three 180

Danmark 182

Sweden 183

Norway 184

Finland 185

Germany 186

German Clubs 188

Austria 190

Switzerland 191

Spain 192

Spain's big two 194

Famous venues: Braga Stadium 196

Spain: the chasing pack 198

Portugal 200

Portuguese clubs 202

Italy 204

Italy: Juventus and Inter 206

Famous games: AC Milan vs Liverpool 208

Italy: AC Milan and Roma 210

Greece 212

Turkey 213

Bulgaria 214

Romania 215

Croatia 216

Czech Republic 217

Serbia 218

Hungary 219

Famous games: England vs Hungary 220

Poland 222

Ukraine 223

Russia 224

Israel 225

Uefa minnows 226

South America: Conmebol 228

Argentina 230

Argentinian clubs 232

Brazil 234

Brazilian clubs 236

Global migration 238

Paraguary/Uruguay 240

Chile/Bolivia 241

Peru/Ecuador 242

Venezuela/Colombia 243

North and Central America and the Caribbean: Concacaf 244

US 246

Canada 247

Mexico 248

Concacaf: top clubs 250

Africa: Caf 252

Algeria/Egypt 254

Morocco/Tunisia 255

Nigeria 256

Cameroon 257

Ivory Coast 258

Ghana 259

Dr Congo 260

South Africa 261

Africa: top clubs 262

Asia and Oceania: Afc and Ofc 264

Iran/Iraq 266

Saudi Arabia/UAE 267

Famous venues: King Fahd Stadium 268

India 270

China 271

Japan 272

South Korea 273

Malaysia/Vietnam 274

North Korea/Thailand 275

Asia: top clubs 276

Australia 278

Oceania 280

6 The Competitions the world cup 284

Uruguay 1930 286

Italy 1934 288

France 1938 290

Brazil 1950 292

Switzerland 1954 294

Sweden 1958 296

Chile 1962 298

England 1966 300

Mexico 1970 302

Famous games: Brazil vs Italy 304

West Germany 1974 306

Argentina 1978 308

Spain 1982 310

Mexico 1986 312

Famous games: Argentina vs England 314

Italy 1990 316

USA 1994 318

France 1998 320

South Korea & Japan 2002 322

Famous venues: Sapporo Dome 324

Germany 2006 326

South Africa 2010 328

Brazil 2014 330

Russia 2018 332

Women's World Cup 334

Continental Competitions 336

European Championship 338

Trophy Cabinet 342

Uefa Champions League 344

Famous games: Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Real Madrid 348

Uefa Europa League 350

Copa América 352

Copa Libertadores 354

The Gold Cup 356

African Cup of Nations 358

Caf Champions League 360

Afc Asian Cup 362

Afc Champions League 364

Club World Cup 366

Olympic Games 368

7 The Records

The Records 372

Index 390

Further reading 399

Acknowledgments 400