Football or futbol1 (from the British English football), also known as association

football, football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven
players each and four referees who ensure that the rules are followed correctly.

It is widely considered the most popular sport in the world, with some 270 million
people participating in it.2
The playing field is rectangular made of natural or artificial grass, with a goal or
goal on each side of the field. The objective of the game is to move a ball across
the field with any part of the body other than the arms or hands, and mostly with
the feet (hence its name), to try to get it into the opponent's goal, an action that is
called scoring a goal. The team that scores the most goals at the end of the match,
which lasts 90 minutes, is the winner of the match.

The modern game was created in England after the formation of the Football
Association, whose 1863 rules are the basis of the sport today. The governing
body of football is the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, better
known by its acronym FIFA.

The most prestigious international soccer competition is the Soccer World Cup,
organized every four years by said organization. This event is the most famous and
with the largest number of spectators in the world, doubling the audience of the
Olympic Games.

Football is played following a series of rules, officially called the rules of the game.
This sport is played with a spherical ball (made of leather or other material with a
circumference of no more than 70 cm and no less than 68 cm, and a weight of no
more than 450 g and no less than 410 g at the start of the match), where two
Teams of eleven players each (ten "field" players and one goalkeeper) compete to
fit the same goal into the rival goal, thus scoring a goal. The team that has scored
the most goals at the end of the match is the winner; If both teams do not score, or
score the same number of goals, then a tie is declared. There may be exceptions
to this rule; see Duration and result below.

The main rule is that players, except goalkeepers, cannot intentionally touch the
ball with their arms or hands during play, although they must use their hands for
throw-ins.

In a typical game, players try to get the ball to the opponent's goal, called a goal,
through individual control of the ball, known as dribbling, or passing to teammates
or shooting at the goal, which is protected. by a goalkeeper. Opposing players try
to regain control of the ball by intercepting passes or taking the ball from the player
carrying it; however, physical contact is limited. Play in soccer flows freely,
stopping only when the ball leaves the field of play or when the referee decides it
should stop. After each pause, the game restarts with a specific play. At the end of
the match, the referee compensates the total time in minutes that the game was
suspended at different times.
At the professional level, in most matches only a few goals are scored. For
example, during the 2006/07 season of the Spanish Primera División, the Spanish
soccer league, an average of 2.48 goals were scored per game.4

The rules do not specify any other player positions other than goalkeeper,
goalkeeper or goalkeeper, but over time a number of positions have developed on
the rest of the field. Broadly speaking, three main categories are identified:
forwards, whose main task is to score goals; the defenders or defenders, located
near their goal, who try to stop the rival forwards; and the midfielders, midfielders
or midfielders, who handle the ball between the previous positions. These players
are known as field players, to differentiate them from the goalkeeper. In turn, these
positions are subdivided into the sides of the field where the players play most of
the time. Thus, for example, there may be right midfielders, central defenders, and
left midfielders. The ten outfield players can be distributed in any combination: for
example, there can be four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards; or three
defenders, four midfielders and three forwards, and the number of players in each
position determines the team's playing style: more forwards and fewer defenders
will create a more aggressive and offensive game, while the opposite will generate
a slower and more defensive game . Although players usually remain in one
position for the majority of the time, there are few restrictions on their movement on
the field.
The scheme of the players on the field of play is called the team formation, and
this, along with tactics, is the coach's job.

Tactical position of the players

GOALKEEPER, GOALKEEPER OR GOALKEEPER

Main article: Goalkeeper (football)

The goalkeeper, also known as goalkeeper, goalkeeper or goalkeeper, is the

player whose main objective is to prevent the ball from entering his goal during the
game, an act known as scoring. The goalkeeper is the only player who can touch
the ball with his hands during active play, although only within his own area. Each
team must present a single goalkeeper in its lineup. In the event that the player
must leave the field of play for any reason, he must be replaced by another player,
either one who is playing or a substitute. These types of players must wear
different clothing than their teammates, their rivals (including the goalkeeper) and
the refereeing team. They usually have the number 1 printed on their shirt.

DEFENDING

Main article: Defense (football)

The defender, also known as a defender, is the player located one line in front of
the goalkeeper and one behind the midfielders, whose main objective is to stop the
rival team's attacks. Generally this line of players is in an arched shape, with some
defenders located closer to the goalkeeper than the others. If only one player is
located further back, he is called the libero; If there are two or more, they are called
dezagueros. The defenders located on the sides of the field are called full-backs or
stoppers (in the case of a libero), and due to their location (closer to the
midfielders) they can advance further into the field if they wish. To name them, the
zone is added to the word defense: for example, a defender who plays on the right
(facing the rival goal) would be a right back. The goalkeeper must also protect and
give instructions to the defenders.

MIDFIELD PLAYER

Main article: Midfielder

The midfielder, midfielder or midfielder is the person who plays in the midfield on a
soccer field. It is one of the most famous positions in this sport. Among its functions
are: recovering balls, promoting the creation of plays and exploiting the offensive
game. According to these functions we can distinguish the wing midfielders (those
who play closer to the touchline), the containment midfielders (who play almost at
the same height as the lateral defenders to contribute to the defense, there may be
one or two players). The nickname Cinco (5) is due to the fact that generally the
players who play in this area use this shirt number and the creation or hookers,
who are situated between the line of the wingers and forwards (they are the brain
of the attack and are characterized by their skill).

FORWARD

Main article: Forward

A striker or attacker is a player on a soccer team who stands out in the attacking
position, the one closest to the rival team's goal, and is therefore the main person
responsible for scoring goals. It is very important to be moving and always look for
a pass, that is, to unmark yourself so that it is easier for the ball carrier to pass the
ball. Speed is essential, a fast forward is unstoppable even if the defender is
stronger.