Everyone knows what football is. It is the most popular sport in the world with 5 billion supporters and fans worldwide with the largest fan bases located in India, South America and the Middle East. However the most elite football is played in Europe where the best players aspire to play in and in the end win the UEFA Champions League with their club. Which is regarded as one of the most prestigious trophies in football. 

The first ever UCL was played in 1955 at the Parc de Princess in Paris with Real Madrid v Reims in which Real Madrid turned the game around to win 4-3. With such dramatic endings and a sense of community it isn’t surprising this is the most popular sport in the world.

Despite the prestige in this award, the trophy that only a select few can dream of winning, it is known as the World Cup hosted by FIFA. In the most recent version in Qatar we saw Messi winning the World Cup against France in a pot of emotions. Many other teams also caused upset like Morocco who beat some of the best teams in the world to make it to the semi final which makes them the greatest African team of all time. Also Croatia knocked out favorites Brazil with a stellar performance from Livaković. 

Most Notable People

• Lionel Messi

• Cristiano Ronaldo

• Péle 

• Diego Maradona

• Virgil Van Dijk

• Sergio Ramos

• Carles Puyol

• Pėpe 

• Paulo Dybala

• Johan Cruyff

• Marcelo Viera

• Antoine Griezmann

• Emi Mártinez

• Ronaldo Narzario

• Allison Becker

• Andrew Robertson

• Joao Cancelo

• Pep Guardiola 

• Neymar

• Kylian Mbappe

• Garrincha 

• Alfredo Di Stefano 

• Dani Alves

• Marcus Rashford

• Rodri

• Harry Kane

• Alan Shearer

• Karim Benzema

• Andrea Pirlo 

• Fabio Cannavaro

• Diego Forlán

• David Beckam

• Mohammed Salah

• Sadio Mané

• Casemiro

• Lautaro Matίnez

Pros

Football has many advantages such as the ones listed below:

• Increases stamina due to lots of running involved

• It can be a way of bringing poor families out of poverty

• Enhances the mental and physical health of someone that competes in this sport

• Improves coordination of the body

• Allows pubs to stay in business

• A way of entertaining billions of people

• Generating millions every year and close to billions during the World Cup

• Helps with teamwork

Cons

Football can have many mental disadvantages to it, the ones are listed below:

• Many injuries happen due to running and rigorous tackles

• If you want to go pro it can cost a lot of time and commitment as it is extremely competitive

Final Thoughts

This is by far one of the best sports to compete in, it helps with cardio and can increase popularity and earn you lots of money if you go pro in this sport. However if you aren’t too serious about football don’t try to go pro. But it is totally fine to play for fun with your friends for health and fun reasons.

This sport was introduced on the 2nd of December in 1917 in Berlin. This sport brings the greatness of football and basketball together to make a sport that seems to not get enough credit.  The only continent in which handball is popular is Europe. 

But the first variant of handball came in 2000 BC in Egypt where people had tournaments. They were recorded on walls in hieroglyphics. 

Notable Names

- Nikola Karabatić

- Mikkel Hansen

- Camilla Herrem

- Anita Görbicz

- Thierry Omeyer

- Uwe Gensheimer

Pros

There are many advantages to playing handball, which are listed below: 

- It increases power generated within the whole body, therefore, increasing strength

- Can create many opportunities such as going to regional and national competitions

- Increases stamina and speed

- Relatively easy to learn the rules of the game and can be a great hobby

- A great way of burning calories

- Can help with university applications and display the fact that you have teamwork

- It can build muscle tone

Cons

There are multiple disadvantages to playing handball, which are listed below: 

- Handball can be an extremely aggressive sport, especially in the jump shot

- It can be hard to show how good you are if you're a defender as handball is very goal oriented

- If you have a chronic heart problem and diseases in the musculoskeletal

Final Thoughts

As a competitive player regionally and nationally in the UK I would recommend this to many people as with the means as it is healthy and can build up pain tolerance which is something that many people can use. As well as this it is good for cardio and has helped me lose a bit of weight. Therefore you should definitely try handball as a sport if you play football and basketball.