Who Invented Soccer

The history of soccer, one of the most watched sport in the world, is as interesting as watching a soccer match itself. Ancient historians kept written records about wars, politics and activities relating to e-commerce and religion, but not many sensed the importance of documenting activities such as sports. Therefore, there are just a few ancient texts which can help us to answer one of the most intriguing questing in the world of sports entertainment - Who invented soccer?

Ancient Sports Resembling Soccer
Many countries claim that the roots of this popular game can be traced to their culture, and it is true to a large extent because various sports resembling modern-day soccer were played in many countries in the period spanning back to 50 BC. An ancient text, belonging to 50 BC, present in the Munich Ethnological Museum in Germany, refers to a sport resembling soccer being played in China and Japan. Documented ancient texts also mention about a similar sport, known as the Cuju, being played in the period between 476 BC - 221 BC in China. The hair filled ball used in this sport was made from leather. At about the same period of time, the Romans played their own version of modern-day soccer. In fact, this Roman sport also featured in the early Olympics that were held in Rome, wherein two teams, each consisting of 27 individuals, competed with each other. As the sport had no authenticated basic soccer rules or soccer strategies and tactics, it turned out to be a no-holds barred game, with several players ending up being hospitalized due to the injury they suffered in the game, which was played only for about an hour.

Spread of Sports Resembling Soccer Outside England
One of the most interesting facts about soccer is about the prohibition of soccer in England. In the 14th century, King Edward of England passed a law threatening to imprison any person who would be caught playing the sport, which was strikingly similar to soccer. The king's proclamation stated the following:

"For as much as there is a great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls, from which many evils may arise, which God forbid, we command and forbid on behalf of the King, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city future."

The sport received similar treatment from the successors of King Edward. This prohibition of playing the sport in Europe, paved the way for its spread to other continents, including Asia and the Americas.

Who Invented Soccer?
Modern-day soccer was invented in England in 1860s. Soccer, known as the football by the Europeans, became a popular sport in schools and colleges, with various institutes playing each other for a prestige. Initially, it was regarded as the sport of the classes, which was only played by the elite class in various clubs of England. Owing to its inexpensiveness, it didn't take much time for soccer to eradicate the class barrier and become the sport of the masses. The problem cropped up when each team came up with their own set of rules. Football Association (FA) was formed, in 1863, in order to tackle this problem. The Association came up with a set of rules of soccer, which were framed by mutual agreement among all the clubs. This development in the world of soccer, brought the sport out of schools and colleges. Now, even the working class started to take keen interest in soccer. The year 1871 marked the introduction of the Football Association Cup (FA Cup). The competition gained vast popularity in England, which led to more clubs joining the Association, and adoption of new rules which formed the basis of soccer, or football, as it is being played today.

Soccer has gained tremendous popularity across the globe. In fact, it is the most watched sport in many parts of the world, including America. Although it's difficult to pinpoint the person who invented soccer or where did soccer originate, it's possible to trace the development of this game from crude version to a fine tuned one - which we refer to as modern-day soccer or association football.