REAL SOCCER FACTS

Official Twitter Page of The Virtual TURF where facts that our beautiful GAME of football have produced are relived.

[StadiumDB.com @StadiumDB]

Stadiums that no longer exist | Maine Road 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

🏁 When it was completed in 1923 after exactly 300 days of construction, it became the second-largest stadium in England after Wembley — hence the nickname “The Wembley of the North.” It was meant to rival it, as architect Charles Swain had envisioned a venue with a capacity of 120,000 instead of 80,000. Of course, the stadium at that time looked nothing like the one that was eventually closed in the 21st century. It was built on earth embankments, and only 10,000 seats on the main stand were covered.

⏳It entered the history of British football on several occasions, and one of its greatest records remains the attendance at the 1934 match between Manchester City and Stoke City, when 84,569 spectators were present. To this day, no club has managed to attract such a crowd to a league match. The only team to come close was Manchester United — but also at this very stadium. After Old Trafford was bombed by the Germans during the Second World War, the “Red Devils” played their home matches at Maine Road. The league match against Arsenal on 17 January 1948 was watched by 83,260 spectators.

🔗 https://t.co/HBvklaqVNZ

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

Nigerian born Noah ATUBOLU of Freiburg made history last weekend by becoming the first goalkeeper in German Bundesliga's history to save 5 consecutive penalties

• 2x vs Union Berlin 05/2024
• 1x vs Leverkusen 12/2024
• 1x vs Bremen 02/2025
• 1× vs Bremen 09/2025

🇳🇬 🦅

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

@AJSilverCFC Yes, Kadiri IKHANA is the first NPFL coach to win the CAF Champions League with Enyimba in 2003 against Ismaily of Egypt, but Okey EMORDI also repeated this feat for the same People's Elephant in 2004 against Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia.

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

Layvin KURZAWA is the first defender to score a hat-trick in the #UCL when he netted three times for #PSG against Anderlecht of Belgium in October 2017 at the Parc des Princes.

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

The @NGSuperEagles of Nigeria have won a total of 16 #AFCON medals since the inception of the #football competition in 1957

3 Gold medals🥇(1980 1994 & 2013)
5 Silver medals 🥈(1984 1988 1990 2000 & 2013)
8 Bronze medal🥉(1976 1978 1992 2002 2004 2006 2010 & 2019)

🇳🇬⚽🇳🇬

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

The last 5 #FIFAWorldCup Golden Ball winners all wore the number 10 jersey.

🇫🇷 2006 — Zinedine ZIDANE
🇺🇾 2010 — Diego FORLAN
🇦🇷 2014 — Lionel MESSI
🇭🇷 2018 — Luka MODRIC
🇦🇷 2022 — Lionel MESSI

⚽⚽⚽

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

The Socceroos of Australia have qualified for the 2026 #FIFAWorldCup!

They have qualified for 6 World Cup tournaments in a row: Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, Qatar 2022, USA Mexico & Canada 2026.

🇦🇺🌏🏆⚽

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

AC Milan were unbeaten in the Italian Serie A in 1991/1992 season.

They went 58 league games unbeaten from 19th May 1991 to 21st March 1993.

🤯⚽🇮🇹

[Barça Buzz @Barca_Buzz]

❗️ Barça made €13.8m from the Clásico at Montjuïc. The club says this is the highest matchday revenue ever.

Via: @FCBRAC1

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

Everton's Goodison Park is the only football club ground in the United Kingdom to ever host a #FIFAWorldCup semi-final.

It was the match between West Germany vs USSR on July 25 1966 which the Germans won 2-1.

England should have played here but it was changed back to Wembley.

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

Interestingly, both Romário FARIA and Ronaldo DE LIMA started their European club careers in the Dutch Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven in 1988 and 1994 respectively.

[90s Football @90sfootball]

Romario and Ronaldo were a deadly duo 🔥

[OneFootball @OneFootball]

Naomi Girma will become the first ever €1 million+ transfer in women's football history after her transfer to Chelsea 💫🇺🇸

[All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 @AlbicelesteTalk]

How hard your life must be to being Anti-Messi, to keep crying and complaining on everything, while he keeps winning, from 17 years old to 37.

Most goal contributions in football history, most trophies won in football history, most individual awards in football history, 4 international trophies, most Ballon d'Or's, most Golden Boot's. He's won it ALL.

Not only the greatest player in football history, that debate was done long time ago, but the greatest SPORTSMAN of all time.

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

Kobbie MAINOO became the first English teenager to score in a #FACup final since Steve MACKENZIE did it for Man City against Tottenham in 1981 and the youngest since John SISSONS for West Ham against Preston North End in 1964.

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

Manchester United conceded 15 goals in the UEFA Champions League this 2023/2024 season — the most ever by a Premier League side in a group stage which were all conceded by Andre ONANA under the managerial guidance of Erik TEN HAG.

⚽️

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

The first time in history for the same country to win the CAF male and female categories of the Footballer of the Year awards!

Asisat OSHOALA & Victor OSIMHEN sweeps it home for Nigeria. 😎🐐

Naija love makng records that other African countries will have to break.

🤞🔥🇳🇬⚽️

[KEEPUP @keepupau]

In 2000, a 34-year-old Ange Postecoglou coached South Melbourne against @ManUtd at the Club World Cup - his first managerial job.

23 years later, he’s just defeated the English giants as @SpursOfficial boss, becoming the 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞. 🇦🇺🔥

What a journey.

📸: @smfc on Facebook

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

Seven hat-tricks have been scored for England under Gareth SOUTHGATE since he took over in 2016.

Harry KANE (Panama)
Raheem STERLING (Czech Republic)
Harry KANE (Bulgaria)
Harry KANE (Montenegro)
Harry KANE (Albania)
Harry KANE (San Marino)
Bukayo SAKA (North Macedonia)

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

English referee Arthur ELLIS officiated the very first European Cup final between Real Madrid & Stade Reims in Paris on June 13 1956.

English & Scottish champions Chelsea & Aberdeen had declined to take part so Hibernian we're invited and went on to reach the semi-finals.

[REAL SOCCER FACTS @RealSoccerFacts]

With 6 matches apiece, Ethiopia and Egypt are the two national teams to have featured most in AFCON opening games since the competition's inception in 1957.