Il calcio, more commonly known as football, is really popular among people in Italy. No wonder, that the Italian representation is being considered as one of the best in the whole world (though, some Italians might try to convince you, that “universe” is more accurate). Serie A is one of the most popular leagues around the world and at the same time, it is often chosen by match bettors.
Why are they so good?
One might say, that Italian representation is that good, because they are trying to meet the expectations of their people. While it definitely holds some truth inside, the real reason for this is perhaps more prosaic than you imagine. While the Italians seem to be careless and more like free spirits than meticulous planners – it is well known, that Serie A is one of the most tactical national leagues.
That, and the fact that most of the best Italian players stay in their national teams – makes the Azzuri second best in the whole world. If you are a great fan of the Serie A or you happen to live in Italy, you should definitely catch some of the commonly used phrases, even if you don’t speak the language itself.
Known for centuries
Football or some forms of this sport are well known in Italy for centuries. Back in the ancient times, they were playing a game called “Harpastum”, in which players were using a smaller kind of ball. Starting from the XVI century, Italians started playing so called Calcio Fiorentino, which adapted the word “calcio” (“to kick”) into the modern language. Even now, this word is used in reference to the football.
A couple of centuries ago, even popes were playing the football. The game we know now came to Italy in XIX and was brought by a merchant, who visited Great Britain. He saw football in that country and adapted it in Italy, bringing to live the very first Italian football club: Torino Football and Cricket Club.
Which words should you know?
As we mentioned before, there are some phrases and words, which should be known by every fan of Italian football. Among them, there is a big family of “calcio” words, which can be used to describe the sport itself, but also some of the actions on football pitch.
There is also “porta”, which means “the goal”. You can put a goal into it and score for your team by making “la rovesciata” (bicycle kick) or a “gol di rapina”, which is scored by using the distraction or error of the opposite team’s defense.
Then, we can name the “pallone” which stands for the ball – the most important object in the game. It can be put in “della porta”: corner of the goal or placed in it by “cucchiaio”, which stands for the famous panenka penalty. Whenever the pallone is being placed in della porta of the prefered team, Italians get really expressive and show their joy in various, rather loud ways.
Last, but not least, comes the “scommesse sportive“, which stands for well known betting. Italians, as football lovers, tend to bet for their favourite teams. Mostly, it’s just a small amount of money for fun.
The mentioned words aren’t all that can be used in relation to Italian football, but they are the most popular ones. Knowing them, you will be able to communicate with people in this beautiful, sunny country about their prefered sport.
