The Soccer Geek

Here’s a fantastic selection of some of my favourite funny soccer commercials including some from Wickes, Carlsberg and Pepsi. You may have seen these, or they may be knew to you, but one thing is for sure: they are genius. The highest praise should go to the creators of these adverts- normally adverts are just plain average- as they really stand out from the crowd. Which ones do you like best?

Ronaldo Dives for Wickes

Wickes Carrying Off an Injured Player

Great Goalie Glue from Wickes

Wickes Making a Wall

Wickes Changing Room Construction

Scoring Goals with Wickes

Carslberg Legends Pub Team

Wonderful Carlsberg Sports Drink Advert

2 Pepsi Ads: Beckham v Roberto Carlos

Very Funny Ad from the Child Trust Fund in the UK

Well that’s the end of this list of my favourite funny soccer commercials. I have to say I have a particular bias for the Wickes ones, but they all seem very clever and comic. Interestingly, they all (or mostly) seem to derive their humour from taking you one way and then giving an unexpected twist at the end. This element of surprise and novelty, beyond just the crude humour that you often get, is what I think makes them so great. That, and as a result, the ability to encapsulate the spirit of soccer at any given level and then to mock this right at the end.

Which ones did you like best? If you have any thoughts or any other ones to share then please comment below. Alternatively you could take a look at my post on funny quotes, goal celebrations and other fun moments.

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

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Here’s a refence guide for you: a long list of soccer terminology. Look up what you don’t know and always refer back to check up on new terms you come across. If you have any alternative definitions or extra things I’ve missed, then please share them below in the comments section.

Advantage: The allowance given to a team enabling them to continue playing, as an alternative to the referee giving a free kick

Assist: The credit given to the player setting up a goal by playing the last ball before the goal was scored

AYSO: American Youth Soccer Organization

Back pass: When a player kicks the ball back to his own goalkeeper

Bicycle Kick: A special type of volley, also known as an overhead kick, performed backwards-on to the goal

Bundesliga: The top division in German domestic soccer

Caution: An official warning, given to a player by the referee, which is synonymous with a yellow card

Carry: To keep the ball in possession whilst moving (i.e. dribbling)

Centre-kick: The occasion when a team kicks the ball forward from the centre spot. This happens at the beginning of each half and after each goal.

Centre-spot: The white spot at the very centre of the field, inside the centre-circle

Centre-circle: The white-painted circle at the very centre of the pitch

Corner: A kick taken by the attacking team in the very corner of the opponent’s half, after the defending team put the ball out of play behind the goal line

Cross: A ball played/kicked into or around the penalty area

Crossbar: The bar that is horizontal to the ground, joining up the two vertical posts that help make up the goal frame

Cruyff Turn: A special soccer trick named after Johann Cruyff

Dead ball: A ball that is technically not in play until kicked (e.g. a goal kick)

Deflection: The term denoting when a ball ricochets off someone in any direction

Direct free kick: A free kick from which a goal can be directly scored

Dissent: The process of arguing back to the referee or linesmen

Down the line: A ball played down the line is one that travels along the touchline, down the wing/edge of the pitch

Dribbling: The skill of moving with the ball at your feet

Drop ball: When a ball is dropped by the referee between two opponents, as a method of re-starting play

Drop Kick: A kick made by the goalkeeper, dropping it directly from his hands and making contact before (or as) the ball hits the ground

Dummy: A trick to fake a certain action e.g. pretending to receive the ball but then letting it through the legs to roll towards a team mate

Extra Time: The time added onto the end of a competitive match in certain tournaments, in the event of a draw

FA: The English Football Association

Feint: The trick that fakes moving in a certain direction when dribbling

Formation: The layout of the players of a team on the soccer pitch

Forth official: This is the 4^th member of staff to police the match after the referee and his two assistants. He does not have an on-pitch role though.

Foul: A act which breaks the laws of the game and thus which the referee deems to be an illegal offence

Free kick: An unopposed kick awarded to one team over another after a foul is committed

Goal line: The line that marks the width of the pitch at each end of the field

Golden Goal: A special type of extra time whereby the team to grab the first goal wins the match

Halftime: A break of 15 minutes which separates the two playing periods of 45 minutes each

Indirect free kick: A free kick from which a goal may not be directly scored

Injury time: Time added onto the end of a half to compensate for time wasted during the period as a result of stoppages and injuries

Juggling: Another term given for kick-ups, which is a skill where a player keeps the ball in the air by kicking it up and down (using feet, thighs, head and chest etc)

Kick off: Another name for the centre-kick, which is when a team kicks the ball forwards from the centre-spot at the beginning of a half or after a goal

Kick ups: Another term given for juggling, which is a skill where a player keeps the ball in the air by kicking it up and down (using feet, thighs, and chest etc)

La Liga: The top division in Spanish soccer

Linesman: Please see ‘referee’s assistants’

Man on: A term used between players of the team in possession to warn of an approaching opponent

Marking: The process of ‘sticking’ by a player to prevent them receiving the ball

MLS: Major League Soccer- the top division in US soccer

Narrowing the angle: The way in which a goalkeeper can limit the amount of room a striker has to aim at when shooting for goal

Near post: The goal post closest to the ball and point of play

Nil: One term used for zero or naught (i.e. the score is three-nil)

Obstruction: An offence whereby one player judged not to be in possession prevents another player from obtaining the ball by unfairly blocking them off

Officials: The group of staff policing the game, including the referee and the referee’s assistants

Offside: When an attacking player is beyond the last line of defenders in the opposition half- he becomes active when the ball is played towards him

Onside: When a player is judged not to have crossed the last line of defenders

Overlap: When one player runs round to one side of his team mate, giving him an extra passing option to the side. This is often performed on the wing between the full back and the wide midfielder

Penalty area: The area surrounding the goal, measuring 18 yards from the goal line and containing the six yard area- as well as the penalty spot

Penalty kick: When a penalty (free kick against the goalie from 12 yards) is taken

Penalty spot: The spot 12 yards from the goal, from which penalty kicks are taken

Penalty shoot-out: A series of penalty kicks taken by both teams in competition at the end of extra time after a drawn match

Pitch: The field of play

Possession: The term used to denote a team or player being in control of the ball

Premier League: The top division in English soccer (football)

Professional foul: An illegal offence that warrants a red card, often performed as the last man back and thus denying a goal scoring opportunity

Receiver: The player receiving the ball (e.g. from a team mate’s pass)

Red card: The card shown to a player being sent off the pitch by the referee

Referee: The main official who polices the game

Referee’s Assistants: They patrol the edge of the pitch to check for fouls, throw-in decisions and offside rulings that the referee may have overlooked

Sending off: When a player is removed from the pitch by the referee, after a highly illegal offence or two yellow card offences

Serie A: The top division in Italian soccer

Service: The quality of balls played to, or extent of opportunity provided to, the strikers by the rest of their team

Set play/piece: A pre-prepared movement orchestrated from a dead-ball situation e.g. a special series of runs and passes from a corner or free kick

Shielding: The act of protecting possession by blocking the opposition when in control of the ball (different from obstruction which is illegal as you have no intention of controlling or getting the ball for yourself)

Shimmy: A special type of trick or dummy

Shoulder barge: When you barge into a player with your shoulder whilst challenging for the ball

Silver Goal: A special type of extra time, whereby the next team to score wins unless the other team equalise before the half is out

Slide tackle: An attempt to take the ball from the opposition by sliding into the path of the opponent with the ball

Stadium: The arena in which a game of soccer is played

Step over: A trick whereby you loop your foot over the ball to confuse the opponents, often performed by players like Ronaldo

Stoppage Time: Another term for injury time, which is the extra period added onto the end of a half to compensate for time wastages during the match

Square pass/ball: A ball played across the pitch by the attacking team, usually into the opposing penalty area

Sudden death: A special type of extra time whereby the next team to score wins

Sweeper: A defender responsible for ‘sweeping’ up all loose balls around the edge of his own penalty area

Switch: To move possession from one side of the pitch to the other- a change of tack by the offensive team

Tackle: An attempt to take possession from the opposing team by physically (but legally) challenging the player in possession

Technical Area: A designated area at the edge of the pitch in which the manager and coaching staff of a team may stand

Through-ball: A pass played through the defence to an on-running striker

Throw In: A way of re-starting play from the touchline, taken by the opposite team to that which put the ball out of play

Volley: Making contact with the ball with your legs or feet before it touches the ground (a half volley catches the ball on or just after the bounce)

Wall: The line of defending players trying to block the opposition’s free kick- often positioned around the edge of the penalty area, but always 10 yards from the place of the free kick

Yellow Card: The card, representing an official caution, which is shown to a player for an appropriate offence. Two of these equals a red card/sending off

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Well… now you’ve really ‘geeked-up’ on some soccer terminology. If you’d like to add any extra terms or share your thoughts then please do so in the comments section below.

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

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If you’re a soccer fan whose needing some motivation then you’re in the right place, because here we’ve got a list of inspirational soccer quotes. These quotations encourage a winning mentality and help to push you forward to developing a succesful mindset for soccer. The following words are from some truly great players and managers, and their advice is very valuable. If you’ve got any extras you’d like to add, or wish to share your thoughts, then feel free to leave a comment at the end. Here we go:

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“There is no disgrace in wanting to win, but it has to be done- the right way- within the spirit of football (soccer)” (Arsene Wenger)

“Good players never want to sit on the bench as substitutes” (Marc Overmars)

“Playing every week helps any player improve their game” (John Hartson)

“Everyone feels pressure. It’s a question of who can handle it, sticking together and fighting it out. You’ve got to win the battles in the game and let the skill come out” (Sol Campbell)

“You’ve got to respect every team you play, because many countries can play out of their skins if your underestimate them” (Sol Campbell)

“The desire to carry on winning keeps you sharp. Winning trophies becomes a habit and one you don’t want to break” (Roy Keane)

“No-one remembers the losers- you’ve got to get your hands on that trophy” (Roy Keane)

“I love winning and any team I’m on, I expect to win” (Landon Donovan)

“If you’re not up, if you’re not ready to perform, you’re not going to win” (Kasey Keller)

“If I give you a good wine, you will see how it tastes and after you ask where it comes from” (Arsene Wenger)

“When you sign a contract to play football professionally, part of that agreement should be an undertaking to be a positive role model” (Brad Friedel)

“Most of us are here for more than just playing soccer. We’re in it for the bigger goal, to move it along for the next generation” (Landon Donovan)

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That’s the end of this list of inspirational soccer quotes, I hope you enjoyed it!

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

PS: Why not share your thoughts or any additional quotations below?

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Today we’ve got a great list of funny soccer quotes: footballers do come out with some ridiculous and hillarious things! Here goes:

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“If you don’t believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of bed at the end of the day” (Neville Southall)

“We lost because we didn’t win” (Ronaldo)

“You’ve got to believe you’re going to win, and I believe we’ll win the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we’re knocked out” (Peter Shilton)

“I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel” (Stuart Pearce)

“I couldn’t settle in Italy- it was like living in a foreign country” (Ian Rush)

“Germany are a very difficult team to play…they had 11 internationals out there today” (Steve Lomas)

“Sometimes in football (soccer) you have to score goals” (Thierry Henry)

“There’s no in-between – you’re either good or bad. We were in-between” (Garry Lineker)

“I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my right” (Lee Hendrie)

“Winning doesn’t really matter as long as you win” (Vinnie Jones)

“The ref was vertically 15 yards away” (Kevin Keegan)

“I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league” (Mark Viduka)

“I’d like to play for an Italian club like Barcelona” (Mark Draper)

“I never comment on referees and I’m not going to break the habit of a lifetime for that prat” (Ron Atkinson)

“We must have had 99 percent of the game. It was the other three percent that cost us the match” (Ruud Gullit)

“Julian Dicks is everywhere. It’s like they’ve got eleven Dicks on the field” (Metro Radio commentator)

“We actually got the winner three minutes from the end but then they equalized” (Ian McNail)

“The beauty of Cup football is that Jack always has a chance of beating Goliath” (Terry Butcher)

“I spent 90 percent of my money on women and drink. The rest I wasted!”(George Best)

“I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my right sock” (Barry Venison)

“If you’re 0-0 down, there’s no one better to get you back on terms than Ian Wright” (Robbie Earl)

“I’m as happy as I can be- but I have been happier” (Ugo Ehiogu)

“I was surprised but I always say nothing surprises me in football (soccer)” (Les Ferdinand)

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That’s the list of funny soccer quotes finished. I hope you liked it!

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

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If you are an avid soccer fan, then you’ll be well aware of all the tense, nail-biting feelings that mysteriously occur when your team has a match. You’re in the dying minutes, your strikers have missed chance after chance, and the opposition is now threatening with a counter attack. As they pile on the pressure your club is hanging on by the skin of its teeth, you experience all the nerves of the world stacked onto your shoulders, and you are quite literally on the edge of your seat.

Well maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but you know the phenomenon I’m talking about: anxiety over results has weighed down on many a soccer fan for generations.

And apparently this experience has a name: final score syndrome. It’s a common affliction which has recently been researched in relation to the impact of listening to soccer whilst driving. The study was conducted by the insurance company MORE TH>N.

They found that 7 million UK soccer fans suffer increased heart rate, decreased concentration levels, sweaty hands, and mild nausea when listening to matches on the radio. Yes, this is when soccer literally drives you round the bend!

As The Bolton News reports, Bolton Wanderers are one of the clubs chiefly responsible for this phenomenon in the UK. Indeed, 54% of the club’s fans suffer the kind of symptoms described above, being beaten only by Chelsea, Wigan Athletic and Birmingham City. Perhaps this reflects on the attachment of these fans to their clubs, or perhaps the teams too often leave it till the last minute to score and thus leave the listeners in limbo.

The condition is particularly dangerous when you are driving because a slip in concentration can have such serious consequences. As Yahoo reported, it is often the gut-wrenching late goals that are most to blame. According to Peter Markey of More Than, 500,000 people have had or nearly had a minor accident. Meanwhile a recent test on a Liverpool soccer fan showed a series of potentially hazardous mistakes whilst driving.

And it’s not just in the UK that this is a problem – soccer has truly become a global passion. It’s made especially relevant today with the UK Premier League coming to a close tomorrow for 2010. It is toss up between Chelsea and Manchester United, with the former in the stronger position. It’s a tense time, so try not to let the score drive you mad if it doesn’t go according to plan (easier said than done I admit). For the rest of us, there is always the FIFA 2010 World Cup to start getting anxious about!

With this research MORE TH>N have clearly unmasked and defined a long-standing issue that you had probably taken for granted. So thanks go to them and to the people at the Rabbit Agency for getting the word out.

But all this begs the question: if we stop listening to soccer do we get a big discount on our car insurance?

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

P.S: Do you have any suggested steps to reduce the stress associated with final score syndrome?

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Today the Sunday Times newspaper brought out their sports rich list, so to celebrate I’ve decided to write a post listing all the wealthiest soccer players and stars in the UK. This post therefore tracks their accumulated wealth.

If you are interested in the wealth of celebrity soccer figures you may wish to also check out my other post called richest soccer players which ranks the world’s players according to their last year’s earnings from everything including wages and sponsorship deals.

Looking at the highest earnings from last year, you may find the statistics for the accumulated wealth quite low in comparison. For the players that make it onto both of my lists, you would think that the difference between overall wealth and yearly earnings would be much higher than it is. There are 2 major factors explaining this:

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• There are differences in the findings of different publications. France Football will report back differently from Futebol Financa, and differently again from The Sunday Times because they will each have their own sets of research and it is difficult to get 100% accuracy
• Soccer players must blow a lot of cash!

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So here goes with the rich list for 2010:

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£190 million: Dave Whelan (Former player and Wigan Athletic owner)

£125 million: David Beckham (LA Galaxy and England)

£40 million: Michael Owen (Manchester United)

£34 million: Fabio Capello (England manager)

£33 million: Sol Campbell (Arsenal), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Wayne Roooney (Manchester United), Alan Shearer (TV pundit and former England captain)

£32 million: Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)

£31 million: Robbie Fowler (Perth Glory and ex England)

£30 million: Roy Keane (Ipswich Town manager)

£28 million: Michael Ballack (Chelsea)

£24 million: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

£23 million: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

£21 million: Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea manager)

£20 million: Gary Lineker (TV Pundit and ex England)

£20 million: John Terry (Chelsea)

£19 million: Patrick Vieira (Manchester City)

£18 million: Giovanni Trapattoni (Ireland manager)

£17 million: Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal manager)

£16 million: Damien Duff (Fulham), Sven-Goran Eriksson (Ivory coast and ex England manager), Paul Scholes (Manchester United)

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Well that concludes all the footballers from the top 50 of the Times top 100. I’d like to note again that these figures for the wealthiest soccer players are taken from the Sunday Times sports rich list of 2010. In their guide they give a list of all sportsmen, not just soccer stars, and have special featurs like a young rich list. If you want more information then you can visit their website here.

That’s all for today. Are there any surprises here for you? Who do you think will make their way to the top of the rankings by 2011?

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

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I decided to write a post for you today with a list of famous women soccer players as there are more than 26 million female footballers in the world today. The growth of the women’s game over recent years, particularly in the USA, is certainly what prompted the FIFA Chief Executive Sepp Blatter to argue that “the future of football is feminine”. So I’ve selected just a handful of the very best players today- some of them you may know already- so that you can look out for them on TV or at live matches. I hope you enjoy the list!

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Mia Hamm

Country: USA

Position: Striker

Accolades: She won the 1991 and 1999 world cups with the USA, becoming her country’s top scorer. She was named in Pele’s list of the top 125 greatest living soccer players in 2004. She was named FIFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. She is perhaps the most celebrated of all the players on this list.

Marta

Country: Brazil

Position: Midfielder

Accolades: After Brazil beat the USA in the 2007 Pan American Games, she had her boots imprinted in cement outside Rio’s Maracana Stadium. She was named FIFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2006.

Birgit Prinz

Country: Germany

Position: Forward

Accolades: She won FIFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2005. She won the world cup twice with Germany in 2003 and 2007. In 2005 she helped Germany to their fourth consecutive UEFA Champtionship trophy. Italian club Perugia had tried to sign her for their men’s team in 2003.

Ma Xiaoxu

Country: China

Position: Forward

Accolades: In 2006 she was voted Asia’s Young Footballer of the Year ahead of any male player. Goals against Australia in the 2006 AFC Women’s Asian Cup final brought China to victory. She is nicknamed ‘Sun Wen Junior’.

Sun Wen

Country: China

Position: Striker

Accolades: Came runner up in the 1999 world cup before she was named Woman Player of the Century by FIFA in 2002 (shared with Michelle Akers).  Another talented player called Ma Xiaoxu- as has been discovered- was nicknamed after her!

Milene Domingues

Country: Brazil

Position: Midfielder

Accolades: She is the ex-wife of Ronaldo who signed for Atletico Madrid in 2002 for a record transfer fee of £200,000. In 1997 she set a women’s world kick-up record by juggling the ball for more than 9 hourse with 55,187 touches!

Hanna Ljungberg

Country: Sweden

Position: Forward

Accolades: She is a hard working and skilful player who finished runner up in the 2003 World Cup and at two European Championships with Sweden. Italian club Perugia tried to sign her for their men’s team.

Rachel Yankey

Country: England

Position: Striker

Accolades: She helped the New Jersey Wildcats to win the American W-League in 2005, before helping Arsenal Ladies to the UEFA Women’s Cup in 2007. She is also a popular and very well recognized England international.

Kelly Smith

Country: England

Position: Striker

Accolades: She won the quadruple with Arsenal Ladies in 2006/7. She was player of the tournament in the international competition the China Cup in 2007. She was ranked 4th in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year.

Faye White

Country: England

Position: Defender

Accolades: With Arsenal Ladies she has won several titles including multiple victories in the Premier League and the FA Women’s Cup. She has also captained England at Euro Championships and a World Cup.

Bente Nordby

Country: Norway

Position: Goalkeeper

Accolades: She has appeared in all 5 Women’s World Cups and is the 2nd most capped international women’s goalie ever. In 2007 she was ranked goalkeeper of the year her the Swedish league, before moving to Lyon. She is also the first goalie to appear on this list of famous women soccer players!

Kerstin Stegemann

Country: Germany

Position: Defender

Accolades: She won bronze medals in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. She also played in the 2003 Women’s World Cup and is amongst the highest capped German female internationals ever.

Carla Werden Overbeck

Country: USA

Position: Defender

Accolades: She is included in the National Soccer Hall of Fame and captained the USA to the 1999 Women’s World Cup, having already been victorious in 1991. She won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996. From 1993 to 1996 she played 63 consecutive games for the USA!

Kristine Lilly

Country: USA

Position: Midfielder

Accolades: She came 2nd in the 2006 Women’s World Player of the Year. She won medals at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. She has competed in 5 world cups. She is the most capped women’s player ever.

Michelle Akers

Country: USA

Position: Striker

Accolades: Member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 1999 she was named FIFA Women’s Player of the Century. She scored 105 goals in 153 appearences for the US national women’s team from 1985 to 2000.

Julie Foudy

Country: USA

Position: Midfielder

Accolades: She captained the USA women’s team. In her international career as a whole she won two world cups and two Olympic gold medals. In 2005 she became an analyst for ESPN and is now a reporter and spokesperson for the organization.

Well that’s it for this selection of famous women soccer players. Of course there are very many other talented female players to choose from such as Sandra Minnert, Hege Riise and Steffi Jones. Hopefully this will have given you a nice selection though of some of the world’s best female players, a summary of their main achievements and a point of reference for your future observations of these past and present stars.

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

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As you know the globe’s most anticipated soccer event is fast approaching so if you need flights to the South Africa World Cup 2010, then you’re in the right place. Today I’ve compiled a list for you of some of the most popular travel options so that you can choose the right airline for you. Prices will of course vary according to the dates you want to fly, but here you can discover some of the best details, benefits and features of special selected companies. The list includes an official FIFA travel provider as well as other great options including direct airlines and price/travel comparison services you could use.

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Virgin Atlantic

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One of Sir Richard Branson’s world-famous Virgin brands, Virgin Atlantic offers long haul flights around the world, including to the all important destination of South Africa for summer. If you fly economy you’ll get good leg room, in-flight entertainment and a free goodie bag amongst other benefits. Of course by upgrading to Premium Economy you will get more space and a bit more luxury. Meanwhile, if you were to fly upper class, you’ll also get a long flat bed, a bar on-board and a snooze pack. Before you even board you could have a chauffer driven car and a visit to the exclusive club house. That would certainly all sound very tempting!

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Ole Ole

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Ole Ole offers official FIFA packages for the World Cup, comprising tickets, flights and accomodation. If you buy one of these packages you’ll have all this taken care of for you- including all transfers from hotel to stadium, in addition to receiving a world cup gift pack. Alternatively you can just buy flights alone- offered through a given airline like South African Airways- and take it from there yourself! If you’re after the official option then this might be the best bet. But keep going, there are still other options to come.
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South African Airways

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If you don’t need to buy tickets or a package, then you might want to go with the airline directly. Indeed, companies like Opodo and Ole Ole will simply enable you to fly with them as their chosen provider. They offer flights from £599 amd tend to have good availability. As you would expect they offer a range of in-flight entertainments including games, audio and movies. There are telephones at every seat on some planes and, in business class, you’ll get a nice flat bed.

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Travel Supermarket

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If you are concerned about price then you may wish to use a price comparison service like Travel Supermarket, rather than buying flights with a particular airline straight away. Their engine will do all the searching for you so that you can find the cheapest and most convenient options for you, that fit in with your dates and other requirements. If you need more than just flights, you can search all in one place for other services like accomodation and insurance. Of course you may decide that an official FIFA travel provider is a better bet, but this will let you compare different options most effectively.

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LastMinute.Com

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It may be that only a few airlines will fly you direct to South Africa- depending on which cities you are coming from and arriving at- so you may want to consider flights which include a stop. These may sometimes be a little cheaper and, if you access them via LastMinute.Com, you can easily compare prices and details to judge which option is most convenient. What’s more, you might just end up with an amzing airline: one of those they refer you to is Fly Emirates: they sponsor Arsenal so they must be great! Plus, as their name suggests, LastMinute.Com is a great place to go if- like a lot of people- you tend to leave things a bit late and are in a desperate rush to book your flights.

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So if you’re feeling official and want a whole package, then perhaps Ole Ole is the best. If you want a feature-rich in-flight experience then Virgin Atlantic should be great. Alternatively, if you’ve left everything all to the last minute then..well, you can figure out the rest!

I hope this list of the providers of flights to South Africa World Cup has been helpful. Follow the links to the suggested websites and there you’ll be able to compare prices, dates, times etc. That’s it from me for now.

Bring on the World Cup!

Soccer Geek

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Today I’ve compiled a list of 5 soccer moves to learn, so that you can take small steps to improving your performance by having greater skill and running rings round defenders! With each skill I’ve included some tips for pulling that move off effectively, and a video so that you can see it in action. Keep your eyes open, as you may see some players you recognize below!

Once you’ve watched and read about these tricks, be sure to go out and put them into practice. Plus, in the comment section at the end of this article, I’d love to hear what your favourites are and how you got on. Good luck!

1. The Step Over

The step over has famously been performed by the Brazilian striker Ronaldo who has played for such clubs as Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Barcelona. It has proven highly effective, as the video below shows, for bewitching defenders and gaining an extra yard in order to get a shot away at goal. Beyond getting space, though, it can also be used to change direction. Start by standing still and looping one foot over the ball. Then move the ball with the outside of your other foot to move fowards. Once you’ve mastered it, you can do the same process whilst dribbling slowly. Finally, try performing the same skill whilst dribbling at pace. The video should help with this:

NB: There are other variations of this type of move performed by players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, which invole you dragging your foot over the ball then letting it roll underneath your other leg.

2. The Cruyff Turn

The Cruyff turn is one of my favourite soccer moves to learn for an outfield player. It allows you to change direction whilst dribbling with the ball. Simply lift your kicking foot over the ball, twist it and wrap it around the ball. Drag the ball back with the inside of your foot, twisting 180 degrees. Turn quickly so you are now facing the other direction, with a helpful yard on the defender so you can get in a cross or pass. Here it is in action:

3. The Drag Back

This is a bit easier to learn and perform than the others. It simply involves you placing your foot on the top of the ball, and rolling your foot backwards. Turn your body 180 degrees so that you are now facing in the opposite direction with the ball under your control. Possible uses of this are to turn away from a defender, or to change direction only. Alternatively, you do not even have to change direction at all, as you can just pull the ball back then move on. This video demonstrates the drag back WITHOUT  a change of direction. And…it’s from PES 2008!

4. The Maradonna

The Maradonna move, also known as the 360 because you turn in a full circle, is another very useful trick for getting round defenders. As you are dribbling place one foot on top of the ball, spin your body round and drag the ball back with your trailing foot as you move round. This will likely dazzle the defender and give you a free route through his line. The video below is very quick so you may have to watch it quite a few times, and then practice the move a lot to get it right. (Oddly, it is not Mardona below though)

5. Back Heel

The back heel is more a method of kicking the ball than a typical move like the others on this list, but nonetheless it can look just as good when performed well. You can use this skill to pass or to score and it simply involved letting the ball travel past your front leg before flicking it with your back foot. Below is a video of Kanu (ex Arsenal) pulling this off perfectly- it will take a lot of watching and practice to try and replicate though I warn! This is amazing…

The desire to learn soccer moves is evidently a popular one because- as you saw in the above videos- they can make your game seem more stylish and flash. This is certainly useful and can help you beat defenders, but always remember to only perform these moves where it will have some benefit: try not to perform them in matches if purely for the sake of looking good! More important is to get all the other basic soccer skills right, and you can read more about these in my dedicated section on that topic… just click here to learn more.

Nevertheless, having soccer moves to learn is still a great way to accelerate your development- particularly if you are an attacking player. I hope you have enjoyed discovering them, and wish you all the best of luck in putting them into action. Try to model yourself on the pro’s in this video so that your technique can match theirs. This is a sure fire way to improve, and you’ll soon have all your team mates drooling at your sublime skill!

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

P.S: Why not share what you thought of these skills in the comment section at the end of this post?

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Music is something that is completely subjective, so the best soccer pump up songs will clearly vary massively according to each person’s opinion. If you are into rock music, for example, then you would pick different tracks to psyche yourself up with than a fan of techno. I’ve therefore made a list of 8 suggested songs- which you may or may not like. I’m sure these will be well worth checking out at least though.

One thing I think we can  (largely) agree on is that motivational songs for soccer can be useful. 20th century business researcher and author Napoleon Hill reported that music was the 4th greatest stimulant of the human mind. Consequently it is unsurprising that high tempo tunes or lyrics that ‘connect’ with you personally, can serve to psyche you up and improve your performances in matches. Here is my list:

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Techno and Dance

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Scooter: Jumping All Over the World

How can you not like a fast-paced track with the lyrics: ‘every minute, every hour, got the power, take a shower’ ?!

Listen on Spotify

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Eric Prydz: Call On Me

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair- when working out and this video came on the TV- claims that he almost fell off the treadmill!

Listen on Spotify

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Rock

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Bon Jovi: It’s My Life

Tell it to ‘em straight, take charge of your performance and ultra-motivate yourself with this great rock anthem.

Listen on Spotify

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Bon Jovi: Bounce

This is a somewhat less famous and popular option than It’s My Life, but it can also be a great rocking-out tune to get yourself in the mood for sporting action.

Listen on Spotify

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Europe: The Final Countdown

Legendary cheesey tune to get yourself going and into the groove….

Listen on Spotify

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Survivor: Eye of the Tiger

Quite simply, no list of motivational music would be complete without this classic.

Listen on Spotify

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Soccer

Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds: 3 Lions ’98

Well the value of this track depends very much on whether you are English! Still- if you are- then this will really get the fires of patriotism burning within you.

Listen on Spotify

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Arsenal: Hot Stuff

And again this very much depends on the club you support, but as an Arsenal fan myself I am duty-bound to include it! If you are too then why not inspire yourself with our greats of the past?

Listen on YouTube

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So what do you make of this selection of soccer pump up songs? I know that 8 different people could make their own list and most likely come up with all different songs. Still, maybe you’d like to give some of these a try before playing soccer to see if they can help get you into the best frame of mind for optimum performance.

Have fun,

Soccer Geek

P.S: Why not leave your list below?

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