Soccer, football, futbol - The most popular sport in the world?

American Football may have traversed the atlantic recently to create history, however, unlike country specific sports, soccer has traversed the entire globe. Since the time when all people had to kick around were pigs bladders it has always been about fun and skill. Every four years 32 countries compete in the World Cup but more than one hundred countries compete to get to those finals during the interim years.

Kids play in the street; they idolise their favourite players in their chosen team. Adults still take the odd opportunity to have "jumpers for goalposts" if they happen to end up in open grassy space with a ball at their feet.

Thousands of teams form multiple leagues in many countries. It's a school sport, a college sport, a team event, a social thing, a fanatical thing, it's exercise and it's fun.
 
While it has also built itself into a huge  commercialised  industry it will always remain  a sport that can be played  wherever  there is  any small area of open space. Whether in the favellas of Brazil which produced players like Ronaldinho or  the large Nou Camp stadium where he now plays soccer is always played.