The Language of Football
5th July 2021
It’s coming home! …is it?
Euros 2021 are in full swing with twenty-four teams playing across 51 matches in 12 cities. England is through to semi finals, first time since 1996. It all ends at Wembley Stadium with the final, which takes place on Sunday July 11.
Football fans don’t just watch football. They talk it, they listen to it, they read it and they want to hear all about it. Their passion for the sport shows through and through.
If you are watching some of the matches on TV, then you are very likely to hear a whole range of football specific terminology. With that in mind, we put together a simple list of football terms for those not so football savvy.
Advantage
When the referee allows play to continue after a foul, to the advantage of the aggrieved team.
All ball
This is said when a player attempts to tackle the ball and connects with the ball rather than the player.
Aggregate score
A combined score of matches between two teams in a match over two legs.
Assist
A pass that leads to a goal being scored.
Away goals rule
Tiebreaking method applied in some competitions where the team plays each other twice, once at each team’s home ground. The team that has scored more goals away from home is deemed the winner. The away goals rule has recently been scrapped in UEFA competitions, including the Champions League.
Attacker
Commonly known as the striker.
Back of the net
A goal scored with such a force that the ball is usually trapped at the back of the net until it is picked back up.
Back header
When a player uses his head to direct the ball backwards.
Balance
Positioning defenders away from the ball to protect the space behind the defence.
Ball boy or ball girl
One of several children stationed around the edge of the pitch, whose role is to help retrieve balls that go out of play.
Behind closed doors
To play a match behind closed doors is to do so without spectators. May be imposed as a form of sanction for clubs whose supporters have behaved inappropriately.
Bench
An area on the edge of the pitch where a team’s substitutes and coaches sit.
Bicycle kick (also known as an overhead kick)
The player throws their body into the air, makes a movement with the legs to get one leg in front of the other, and attempts to play the ball backwards over their own head, all before returning to the ground.
Big game player
A term that describes a player that often goes under the radar in normal matches but turns up for the occasion in important matches, and somewhat exceeds expectations in “big games”.
Booking
The act of noting an illegal play, which results in the issuing of a yellow card.
Bottled It
If a team is accused of ‘bottling it’, it means they have thrown away a game from a position of (usually significant) advantage.
Bosman ruling
A ruling by the European Court of Justice related to player transfers, that allows professional football players in the European Union to move freely to another club at the end of their term of contract with their present team.
Brace
A brace is when a player scores two goals in a single match.
Break
An attacking manoeuvre in which several members of a defending team gain possession of the ball and suddenly counterattack into their opponent’s half of the pitch, overwhelming their opponents’ defence in greater numbers.
Carrying the ball
A foul, called on a goalkeeper when he takes more than 7 seconds while holding or bouncing the ball.
Centre pass
A pass from a player located near the side-line towards the middle of the field; aimed at getting the ball closer to the front of the goal.
Centre spot
A small circular mark inside the centre circle that denotes the centre of the field from which kick-offs are taken to start or restart the game.
Clean sheet
The tribute a team or a goalkeeper earns when a full game is played without allowing a goal.
Clearance
Happens when a player kicks the ball away from the goal they are defending.
Consolation goal
When a losing team scores a goal, which has no impact on the final result.
Corner kick
A kick taken by the attacking team, from within a one-yard radius of the corner flag. A method of restarting play, when a player puts the ball behind their own goal line without a goal being scored.
Clinical finish
A great shot that leads to a goal. The scorer of this goal is called a clinical finisher.
Cracker
A spectacular football match or an outstanding goal, mainly from a long distance.
Dive
A dive is a form of cheating aimed at winning a free kick or a penalty. It occurs when a player deliberately attempts to mislead the referee into calling a foul by throwing themselves to the ground during a tackle. An attempt to deceive the referee is a yellow-card offence.
Double
Double is most commonly used when a club wins both its domestic league and its country’s major cup competition in the same season.
Dummy run
An off-the-ball run made by an offensive player to create space for his teammate with the ball. A dummy run is often used to trick opponents by pretending to move towards the ball.
Drop ball
A method used to restart a game, sometimes when a player has been injured accidentally and the game is stopped while the ball is still in play.
Early doors
Early doors simply mean early in a game.
End-to-end stuff
An exciting action-packed match.
Equaliser
A goal that evens the score.
Extra time
An additional period of time added after full time, normally two halves of 15 minutes.
Feints
A deceptive body movement and technique to confuse the opponent by making him think he can predict what the player’s next move will be.
Fifty-fifty
A challenge in which two players have an equal chance of winning control of a loose ball.
Final whistle
Same as full-time.
First eleven
The eleven players chosen by the team manager to start a game.
Free kick
The result of a foul outside the penalty area, given against the offending team.
Fox in the box
A strike whose movement within the 18-yard box is clever enough to escape markers so that he can score a goal.
Game of two halves
A close match where one team dominates each half.
Gaffer
The ‘gaffer’ is a name for the head coach or manager of a football team.
Get stuck in
To ‘get stuck in’ is to play football in a determined, tough fashion, particularly when it comes to tackling.
Ghost goal
A ghost goal is a goal that has been awarded despite the whole of the ball not crossing the line.
Giant-killing
Giant-killing occurs when a lower division team defeats another team from a much higher division in that country’s league.
GOAT
The GOAT means ‘Greatest Of All Time’.
Galactico
A Galactico – Spanish translation of ‘galactic’ – is an exceptionally talented player of worldwide renown who usually transfers for a considerable transfer-fee.
Golden goal
A golden goal is a method of determining the winner of a game that has gone into extra-time, where the team which scores first wins.
Group of Death
A Group of Death is used to describe a group in a tournament (such as the World Cup) that is made up of very strong teams.
Hairdryer treatment
The manager screaming at players without mercy in the dressing-room, intended to motivate them.
Hoof
Kicking the ball towards the opposite goal with power.
Howler
An embarrassing and often funny mistake by a player that generally proves costly.
Hug the line
The instruction given to wing players to stay closer to side-lines, especially when dribbling forward.
Hat-trick
When one player scores three goals in a single match.
Heavy metal football
Implemented by German football coach Jurgen Klopp, heavy metal football describes a high intensity and fast style of play which involves rapid counter-attacking moves.
Header
Using the head to play or control the ball.
Holding role
The holding role describes a central midfielder, whose main objective is to protect the defence by breaking up play with tackles before initiating counterattacks.
Hold up the ball
When, usually, a forward player receives a long ball from a teammate, controls and shields it from the opposition with the intent of slowing the play down to allow teammates to join the attack.
Hollywood pass
An impressive long-range pass, but one which rarely achieves much.
Hospital ball or hospital pass
Hospital pass is a pass that puts the receiving player at risk of suffering an injury.
Indirect free kick
A restart situation which will not be considered a goal unless touched or played by one other player before going into the goal.
In his pocket
When a player is dominated by an opposition player.
Injury time (added time)
Injury time is time added at the end of the match for stoppages through injuries and so forth.
Lost the dressing room
If the manager ‘lost the dressing room’ it means they have lost control over and respect of the players.
Man of the match
The ‘man of the match’ is the player who has played the best or had the most influence on a game.
Marking
Marking is a defensive strategy, aimed at preventing an attacker from receiving the ball from a teammate.
Match fixing
Match fixing is a situation when the match comes to a pre-determined result, motivated by financial incentives paid to players, team officials or referees in violation of the rules of the game.
Mickey Mouse cup
Mickey Mouse cup describes a league, or other competition considered of a lower standard, importance, or significance.
Midfielder
One of the four main positions in football, positioned between the defenders and strikers.
Normal time
The pre-arranged and accepted period of 90 minutes for a match.
Nutmeg
Is a football skill which involves kicking or putting the ball through an opponent’s legs.
Obstruction
This is an illegal defensive technique, in which a defensive player who does not have control of the ball uses their body to prevent an offensive player from playing it.
Off the line
The act of saving the ball from crossing the line, clearing the ball.
Off the woodwork
When the ball is said to have ‘hit the woodwork’ or ‘come off the woodwork’ it means it has hit the post or crossbar.
Off-side position
A player is in an “offside position” if they are in the opposing team’s half of the field and nearer to the opponent’s goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
Olympic goal
A goal scored directly from a corner kick.
One touch
A style of play in which the ball is passed around quickly using just one touch.
Open goal
Where no player is defending the goal.
Outside penalty area
16% of all goals are from outside the penalty area.
Own goal
An own goal happens when a player scores a goal against their own team.
Overlap
A tactic used to move defenders and midfielders into attacking positions.
Panenka
The Panenka is the name for a penalty kick when the player taking the penalty delicately chips the ball into the back of the net.
Parking the bus
When a team ‘parks the bus’ it means all the players on a team play defensively with little or no attacking. This usually happens when the team is wanting to draw the game or are defending a narrow margin.
Pass
A pass is when a player kicks the ball to one of their teammates.
Passive offside
This is an exception to the offside rule, wherein play may continue if a player is in an offside position and makes no attempt to involve himself in the game at the moment an offside call would usually be made and allows an onside player to win control of the ball instead.
Penalty area
The penalty area is a rectangular area measuring 44 yards (40.2 metres) by 18 yards (16.5 metres) in front of each goal.
Penalty kick
A static kick taken from a specifically marked spot, 12 yards (11 metres) from goal, awarded when a defender commits a foul inside their own penalty area.
Play on
A term used by referees to indicate that no foul or stoppage is to be called.
Poacher
A poacher is an opportunistic striker who likes to take their chances. Similar to the ‘fox in the box’, a goal poacher scores a lot of goals in the box but is generally not very active in other areas of the pitch.
The Poznań
The Poznań is a celebratory dance which involves fans turning their backs to the pitch, joining arms and jumping up and down in unison. It takes its name from Polish club Lech Poznań, whose fans are thought to be the first to celebrate in this way.
Put it on a plate
To ‘put it on a plate’ for a team-mate is to create an easy chance for them to score.
Professional foul
A professional foul is committed by a player who deliberately commits the foul by obstructing an opponent in order to prevent them from scoring a goal or initiating a counter attack; in the belief that a yellow card or even a red card will be more beneficial to their team than if the player allowed their opponent to continue unimpeded.
Rabona
A method of kicking the ball with one’s legs crossed, by wrapping the kicking leg behind the standing leg.
Red card
Awarded to a player for either a single serious offence or following the issue of two yellow cards prior to the offence.
Referee
The official that makes all final decisions and acts as time keeper, calls all fouls and starts and stops play.
Run it off
An instruction for a player that’s suffered from a minor injury to carry on playing.
Rounding the ‘keeper
The player is ‘rounding the keeper’ in an attempt to dribble the ball around the goalkeeper, hoping to leave an open goal.
Row Z
The row in the stands that’s the farthest from the pitch. Usually said when a player’s hit the ball so hard and off target that it goes high into the stands.
Screamer
A spectacular, long-range goal which involves the ball moving rapidly through the air.
Sitter
An instance when a player has a clear goal-scoring opportunity but misses the shot.
Stepover
The stepover is a skill move performed by attacking play where the dribbling technique is used. It involves stepping over the ball with one or both legs in order to confuse an opponent.
Sweeper
Sweeper is the name given to a defender whose role it is to protect the space between the goalkeeper and the rest of the defence.
Tackle
The method of a player winning the ball back from an opponent. A tackle is achieved either by using a leg to gain possession from the opponent, or making a slide tackle to knock the ball away.
Take-over
A term sometimes used to describe a cross-over movement, where the player without the ball takes the ball from the dribbling player.
Through ball
A ‘through ball’ is a pass which is threaded through the opposition’s lines of defence to a team-mate who has made a well-timed run.
Throw-in
The ‘throw in’ is a method of restarting play which involves a player throwing the ball from behind a touchline after it has been kicked out of play by an opponent.
Tifo
Tifo is used for any spectacular choreography displayed by supporters on the terraces of a stadium in connection with an association football match. Tifo is the Italian word for the typhus fever.
Tiki-taka
Tiki-taka is a tactical style of play characterised by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels and maintaining possession.
Toe punt
Toe punt is a method of kicking the ball with the tip of the foot.
Total Football
Total Football is the name for tactical theory in which any player can take over the role of any other player in a team.
The Treble
When a team wins three trophies in a single season it is described as ‘doing the Treble’.
Under the cosh
Being ‘under the cosh’ means that the team’s defence experiences a period of severe pressure during the match and defends against a number of attacks.
Ultras
Ultras are a type of football fan predominantly found in Europe famous for their loud, colourful displays at football matches.
Unplayable
A player performing so well that they cannot be contained.
Wall or defensive wall
A row of defensive players who line up 10 yards away from a free kick, covering a portion of the goal, with the intent of making it more difficult for an attacking player to have a shot on goal direct from the free kick.
Worldy
A goal that is considered to be of world-class quality.
X-rated challenge
X-rated challenge is a malicious tackle with the intention to injure an opponent.
Yellow card
A yellow card is shown by the referee to a player who commits an offence. A player can receive two yellow cards before getting a red card, resulting in a sending off.
Yo-yo club
Yo-yo club describes a club that is regularly promoted and relegated between higher and lower league levels.
