Sports

“Soccer: A Pyrotechnic Sport!”     

by Nemroud Gidey

Have you ever heard about your friend’s soccer game after school or about upcoming soccer games, like the FIFA World Cup, and wondered why is soccer so popular?  Soccer, a universal sport that brings people from every corner of the world together, is brilliantly explosive—pyrotechnic—like a fireworks display!  In this article, you will read about the following:  What is the FIFA World Cup, what makes it so well-liked, and what makes soccer so unique?

The largest soccer sporting event in the world is the FIFA World Cup. The FIFA World Cup is a tournament hosted every 4 years by a country picked with a test of qualification. Thirty-two teams are picked to play in the FIFA World Cup out of all the countries, and the teams which enter the qualification stages play in the World Cup. Twenty World Cups have been hosted since 1930, which is when the World Cup’s tradition started. Soccer is a popular sport known and played worldwide. In 2026 there will be another World Cup. That means that the World Cup tradition will be 100 years old in 2030!  

Many different cultures and people play soccer. Some people call soccer football, fútbol, sakkā, and Futtobōru.  No matter what you call it, soccer is well-liked and popular because it’s a very entertaining sport and many people think it worthwhile to watch it.  People love the anticipation when waiting for a goal or just laughing over something funny that's happening on the field. Soccer brings all kinds of people together, like when families all throughout the U.S. get together to watch a Fourth of July fireworks show.  Soccer really attracts people with many differences, which is why soccer is such a good sport.  

The reason why the FIFA World Cup is so unique is because of the different countries and variety of soccer players.  There are people with different backgrounds and experiences around the world with their own stories, and they come together to play and watch this explosively expanding sport.  Soccer is truly a pyrotechnic sport that all can love and all can play!

"Messi and Ronaldo’s Rivalry"

 by Thatcher Cook

Messi and Ronaldo are famous because they are considered the greatest soccer players in the world besides Pele. So the reason they are so famous and good is because Messi won the World Cup which is the biggest tournament in the world.  And Ronaldo is a really good dribbler and shooter.  But Ronaldo and Messi have a BIG rivalry with each other and soccer.  

 Ronaldo has played for 4 teams! And Messi has played for 3!  But one time they were playing against each other and Messi won 2 to 1. But that was when they were playing with their teams. So I think they are equal and have a good relationship.

But I was watching an interview about when Messi and Ronaldo were going to retire and Ronaldo said he would retire at age 40, which is in two years, because he thinks it is a good age to retire. It is one thing that will make him retire immediately!  And he said if he was in the World Cup and he scored 2 and Messi scored 2 and he scored the third and won the World Cup he would retire. Because he just wants his country to be happy.  And Messi said he will retire in the 2026 World Cup, which is in 2 years when Messi is 38. But no one knows who is truly better. But we might just know who will be the winners in this Messi and Ronaldo's rivalry at the 2026 World Cup.