At a time in history when people had a lot of free time on their hands, a grown man somewhere in Eurasia thought of gathering more than 10 grown men and having them run over the possession of a small spherical object size of their head (on average) and kicking the small spherical object with their foot with the ultimate aim of putting it into a targetted area or having it hit a specific target. After some time, this game came to be called the game of soccer.

The game of soccer is officially known as "association football". This is a more preferred nomenclature so as to avoid confusing it with "football (American football)". Regardless, today, soccer is also commonly referred to as football. Who on earth even says association football?

The Fundamental Nature of Soccer & My Love for the Game

The game of soccer is undoubtedly a very exciting game, little wonder it is loved and enjoyed by many around the world. It is a game that cuts across social, political, racial and economic barriers and continuously thrives.

Football is simple as it requires just a ball which could be the FIFA ball used in most professional events, an inflatable ball, or even any spherical object, oranges are even usable.

Football is engaging as it requires a significant amount of teamwork between players as well as a significant amount of engagement from spectators.

Football is highly competitive. Come to think of it, 22 grown men or women, trying to gain possession of one spherical object. Everyone practically running after one ball. Going outside the pitch, you will find thousands and millions of nationalists and football fans clamouring for the team they support. No matter how you pretend not to care, you will definitely have some level of concerns (even if it is unpronounced) whenever a team or your country have a match, you can't sit on the fence, you just cannot be apathetic!

Football is entertaining. Football is a work of art, and interestingly, packs even more than art in it. During a typical match, you may be entertained with tragic events, humourous events, exciting plays by players (the leg works), dances, and much more. Let's not even talk about watching with a group of persons like in a viewing centre, or scrolling Twitter field while watching a match, the excitement is immeasurable. You can't help but forget all other problems while watching.

Football is healthy. Football not only brings about mental goodness when we consume it, but being actively involved in this sport also brings about high levels of physical wellbeing. With 30mins football, you will engage in physical activities that will yield higher calory burns than someone who engaged in 30mins road walk. During the game, you practically run, walk, and even jump.

How Soccer is Played - The Basics

In a typical soccer game, the team in possession of the ball dribbles and passes the ball amongst themselves to get to a point where they can strike or head the ball into the net. The other squad is constantly striving to steal the ball. The ball's possession can change frequently throughout the game. The winning team is the one with the most goals at the end of the time limit. While the ball is in play, players (except the goalkeeper) are not permitted to touch it with their hands or arms. Players are also not permitted to tackle, push, hit, or knock down their opponents in a violent manner.

The Game like No Other

The game of soccer is really exciting! It is a highly coordinated sport between two teams of 11 players/team with a coach for each team who coordinates his team from behind the scene and a referee along with other key officials who ensures that players adhere to all rules of the game. The game as we all know has evolved into a highly lucrative career for most persons and most children even have it as a life goal to become a footballer someday.

The exciting part of the game of soccer if felt more when you watch a good soccer game between good teams. The leg work, the long passes, the free kicks, the dribbles, and the unexpected moments all add to its uniqueness and makes it fun and sometimes addictive for some.

Why I Enjoy Soccer

There is a lot to love in the game of soccer from the footwork to the coordination of teams and how goals are scored, there is a lot! However, one of the most impressive things to me is how unpredictable the game of soccer is. No team is ever good enough and no player is ever invincible! Just a little bit back to 2014, when Germany lost in the Worldcup finals to Brazil (1-7), it was an unprecedented defeat, and that's just the definition of soccer.

Mostly, I enjoy playing video soccer games, and they are to me, 70% as interesting as the real match. One of my best soccer games is "Dream League Soccer - DLS" available on Android and iOS.

Final Words

My beloved country will be trying to gain a spot in the Qatar 2022 Worldcup games, and their position will be decided this week, and in the love for the game, if I have the time, I will surely indulge myself in the binge-watching of the game (I will even watch half-time), but if I don't, highlights to the rescue.

So far, it's evident that soccer is an extremely thrilling sport. If you have the time, keep yourself engaged by playing/watching decent soccer games. I propose that you avoid betting on football games so that you can enjoy the game with genuine feelings rather than financial concerns.

^{Thanks for reading through, I am @zestimony (Chukwudi Ofurum)}