Diego Maradona left challenges an opposing player during Maradona’s time with Napoli a pro team in Italy MARVELOUS MIDFIELDERS An opposing player receives the ball just outside of the penalty area He winds up for a shot But Diego Maradona slides in to tackle the ball away Maradona streaks off down the field He crosses the middle of the field with speed He passes the ball to a teammate who passes it back in front of the goal Maradona kicks the ball and sends it flying into the top corner of the net 4
FACTS AT A GLANCE ANDREA PIRLO PLAYED FOR THE THREE MOST FAMOUS ITALIAN CLUB TEAMS INTER MILAN AC MILAN AND JUVENTUS MICHELLE AKERS PICTURED BELOW IS ONE OF ONLY FOUR PLAYERS TO SCORE MORE THAN 100 GOALS IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION GERMAN NATIONAL TEAM AT 16 BIRGIT PRINZ PLAYED HER FIRST GAME FOR THE STEVEN GERRARD FIRST JOINED LIVERPOOL’S ACADEMY TEAM WHEN HE WAS ONLY 9 YEARS OLD Soccer is the most popular sport in the world In most places outside of the US the sport is known as football Many countries have club or pro leagues They also have national teams for both men and women National teams play in important events against other national teams With so many great players in the world it’s hard to choose the best But that’s why it’s so much fun for fans to talk about them Fans like to debate which midfielders are the greatest of all time g.o.a.t. 5
Soccer has been around for a long time Some types of the game are nearly 2,000 years old The modern rules started in the 1800s By the 1900s people all over the world liked the sport Midfielders are very important players on a soccer team They play with different styles Some midfielders try to score goals Some are defensive They try to stop the other team from scoring But all midfielders do a bit of everything They have to be able to run up and down the field Midfielders never stop moving because so much action happens in the middle of the field Andrea Pirlo left fights for a loose ball in the 2000 European under 21 Championship 6
Steven Gerrard left rushes after the ball while playing for Liverpool Midfielders are some of the fittest athletes in the world They might run up to 9 miles 14.4 km during a game They have strength speed and skill Some of soccer’s greatest and most famous athletes have played midfielder 7
