Amazing football stadiums

The 10 most amazing football stadiums in the world

Football stadiums keep great values ​​from different points of view: From the historical value, through the architectural one and arriving at an almost “religious”  value for enthusiasts of this sport. Therefore, this post is dedicated to the 10 most impressive and important football stadiums worldwide.

1. Allianz Arena (Munich)

Its official name is Fussball Arena München but it was renamed because Allianz Insurance helped fund the stadium if it had the name of the company during its first 30 years of life. It is the home of FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 Munich. This stadium was chosen by the Germans to organize the 2006 World Cup, an event that gave great importance to the stadium.

 Its exterior consists of more than three thousand panels that change its color (white, red or blue) depending on the event and the team playing. In addition, the Allianz Arena is popularly known by the nickname Schlauchboot (inflatable boat) because of its shape.

2. Estádio da Luz (Lisbon)

The Estádio da Luz (Stadium of the Light), officially known as Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is owned by SL Benfica. It was built to host the 2004 European Championship in Portugal, becoming the biggest stadium in its country. Therefore, due to its magnitude, is dubbed as “The Cathedral”. The stadium It is a UEFA category four stadium. In addition, it will host the final of the UEFA Champions League 2014.
3. Beijing National Stadium “Bird’s Nest” (Beijing)

The Beijing National Stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

The National Stadium is dubbed the “bird’s nest” because of its innovative grid formation. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a bird’s nest. The circular shape of the stadium representsheaven.

It also boasts the largest ski resort in urban Beijing now. Tourists can not only visit the Olympic venue, but also go skiing.

4. Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid)

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is owned by the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It was built in 1924 and, at that time was known as Estadio Chamartín (after the district where it is located). Later, in 1947  the Football Club’s President of the time, Santiago Bernabeu, decided to carry out a remodeling  and also gave his name to the new stadium . In 2003, the Bernabeu Stadium reached the highest consideration and was named five star venue by UEFA. Here, the final match of 1982 World Cup, the ending of 1964 Eurocup, three Champions League finals and 35 of Cups were played. The tour offered to visitors shows the stadium with explanations in several languages​​, great views of Madrid, the locker room, the field.
5. Old Trafford (Manchester)

Old Trafford Stadium, known as the Theatre of Dreams, is the second largest stadium in the UK. It is home of Manchester United Football Club.
It was also one of the football venues for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Opened in 1910, this stadium suffered the consequences of the Second World War, so it was reopened in 1949 with an appearance exactly like the original one. Its nickname, Theatre of Dreams, was given by Manchester United legend, Sir Bobby Charlton. Thus, this nickname stuck until these days.
6. Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)

The Estadio Azteca is the third largest stadium in the world, having a capacity of 105,064 spectators. It was built in 1962 for the 9th edition of the World Cup 1970, which took place in Mexico. Furthermore, it is the only stadium in the world that has hosted two finals of FIFA World Cups FIFA with 1970 Mexico and 1986 Mexico, where Pelé and Maradona also established as historical personalities in football.
In addition to sporting events, the stadium has been the scene for a memorable concerttours such as “Dangerous World Tour” by Michael Jackson in 1992.
7. Wembley Stadium (London)

The original one dates from 1923 and, from that time, it became one of the most popular stadiums worldwide. Before its demolition and renovation, it hosted the 1948 Olympics, Champions League final matches and the 1966 World Cup, among others. A new stadium was rebuilt in the same place where the original one was. The new stadium, completed in 2007, has hosted events such as National Football League games, the 2012 London Olympics and numerous concerts by famous artists. Furthermore, Wembley will again host the final of the Champions League in 2013. About its structure, especially the arch stands on the roof of the stadium: With a span of 317 metres, this steel arch is the longest single-span roof structure in the world.
8. Maracanã (Rio de Janeiro)

Its official name, Estadio Mario Filho Jornalista was given in honor of a journalist who greatly supported the construction of the stadium. However, it is best known asMaracanã.
It is the largest stadium in Brazil and, with capacity for 200,000 people, was the world’s largest one for a long time until FIFA forced it to decrease its capacity to 74,000 spectators. In order to receive the 2014 World Cup, the stadium will undergo further modernization especially emphasizing comfort and visibility of viewers.
With the full entry visitors can see the museum, access to the bleachers, the grass and contemplating a beautiful panoramic view of the stadium.
9.  San Siro (Milán)

Its real name is Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. Its official teams are AC Milan and Inter Milan, but in early 2012, the Inter Milan FC announced it would build its own stadium, leaving the San Siro for AC Milan only. San Siro, its first name, was give after the district where it was built in 1925. The stadium was later renamed to its present name in honor of Meazza, a double world champion with Italy and former player of Inter Milan and AC Milan.
This renowned Italian stadium has hosted the World Cup in 1934 and 1990 and the European Championship and three Champions League final.
10. Soccer City (Johannesburg, South Africa)

The Soccer City, officially FNB Stadium, was rebuilt in 2010 for being the venue for the 2010 World Cup. The opening and ending matches were held in this stadium. Due to the reconstruction, the stadium became the largest one in Africa.
The outside of the stadium was designed to have the look of a calabash, or African pottery bowl. The orange seats represent gold. There are also ten gray stripes that run vertically by the stadium seats. Nine of these stripes represent the nine venues of the 2010 World Cup. At Soccer City the final, match of the 1996 African Nations Cup was played. In addition, it has hosted the first mass speech by Nelson Mandela after his freeing in 1990.

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4. The world’s largest Tree Hotel
5. Oktoberfest, the beer festival around the world

Tags: beijing, football, johannesburg, lisbon, london, madrid, manchester, mexico,munich, rio de janeiro, sport, stadium

FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association footballcompetition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champions are Spain, who won the 2010 tournament.

The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month; this phase is often called theWorld Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).

The 19 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazilhave won five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. The other World Cup winners are Italy, with four titles; Germany, with three titles; Argentinaand inaugural winners Uruguay, with two titles each; and England, France, and Spain, with one title each.

The World Cup is the world's most widely viewed sporting event; an estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany.^[1]

The next three World Cups will be hosted by Brazil in 2014, Russia in 2018, and Qatar in2022.

Lionel Messi

Born on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina, soccer player Lionel Messi moved to Spain at the age of 13, after the FC Barcelona club agreed to pay for hormone-deficiency treatments. Messi became a star in his new country, scoring at will while leading his club to championships. In 2012, he set a record for most goals in a calendar year, and afterward was named FIFA's "Player of the Year" a record fourth time.

Early Years

Lionel Messi was born Luis Lionel Andres Messi on June 24, 1987, in Rosario, Argentina. As a young boy, he tagged along when his two older brothers played soccer with their friends, unintimidated by the bigger boys. At the age of 8, he was recruited to join the youth system of Newell's Old Boys, a Rosario-based club. Recognizably smaller than most of the kids in his age group, Messi was eventually diagnosed by doctors as suffering from a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth.

Messi's parents, Jorge and Ceclia, decided on a regimen of nightly growth-hormone injections for their son, though it soon proved impossible to pay several hundred dollars per month for the medication. So, at the age of 13, when Messi was offered the chance to train at soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, and have his medical bills covered by the team, Messi's family picked up and moved across the Atlantic to make a new home in Spain.

King of Spain: Soccer Career

Although he was often homesick in his new country, Messi moved quickly through the junior system ranks, and by the age of 16, he had made his first appearance for Barcelona. Messi put himself in the record books on May 1, 2005, as the youngest player to ever score a goal for the franchise. That same year, he led Argentina to the title in the under-20 World Cup, scoring on a pair of penalty kicks to propel the team over Nigeria.

Messi eventually grew to 5 feet and 7 inches, and with his short stature, speed and relentless attacking style, he drew comparisons to another famous Argentinean footballer: Diego Maradona. Messi steered Barcelona to a wealth of success, most notably in 2009, when the left-footer's team captured the Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup titles. That same year, after two consecutive runner-up finishes, he took home his first FIFA "World Player of the Year" honor/Ballon d'Or award.

Even the great Maradona gushed about his fellow countryman. "I see him as very similar to me," the retired player told the BBC. "He's a leader and is offering lessons in beautiful football. He has something different to any other player in the world."

Amazingly, the diminutive soccer wizard continued to improve, discovering new ways to elude defenders while leading Barcelona to La Liga and Spanish Super Cup championships in 2010 and 2011, as well as the '11 Champions League title.

Messi embarked on an all-out assault on the record books in 2012. He became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match in early March, and a few weeks later he surpassed Cesar Rodriguez's club-record 232 goals to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer. By the end of 2012, Messi had accumulated an astounding 91 goals in club and international play, eclipsing the 85 netted in a single calendar year by Gerd Muller in 1972. Fittingly, he broke one more record when he was named the FIFA Ballon d'Or winner for the fourth time in January 2013.