Four defenders (right-back, right centre-back, left centre-back, left-back) in playing formation.

A way of kicking the ball behind one using the heel or back of the boot. Requires great skill, as it is difficult to pass the ball precisely in this way, without turning the ankle and without being able to see behind one, so that the player has to use intuition to place the ball where he/she wants it to go. Nevertheless, correctly executed, the back heel can throw opponents, making defenders lose sight of the ball.

A pass played back down the field of play to the defence or goalkeeper.

A tactical resource. If a player leaves an area of the pitch due to the demands of the game, another player occupies his place. This is particularly important in the case of defenders who often join in their teams attacks leaving a space behind them, vulnerable to counter-attacks if his slot is not occupied by a teammate.

Unlike other types of balls, the football was never solid. The word would appear to derive from the French balloon, giving the impression of something air-filled. According to historic references and legends, early footballs ranged from a skull to an inflated cows bladder, later padded with leather (players used to kick the ball very hard in those days, and a bladder would not last long), until the invention in 1870 of rubber inner chambers allowed it to gain its present spherical form. The initial skull was kicked along a path (pitch) by the entire population of a village (team) who attempted to place it in a nearby village square (goal) against the inhabitants of the other village (opposing side) who tried to do the same thing in the first village. The Rules now establish that the ball shall be a sphere measuring between 68 and 71 centimetres (27-28 inches) in diameter, inflated to a pressure of between 0.6 and 1.1 atmospheres and weighing between 396 and 453 grams (14-16 oz). The external layer must be made of leather, its colour allowing maximum visibility. White is the most acceptable colour these days, when most games are played under floodlights. The black spots on the ball help players to perceive any swerve or spin on the ball.

Often provided by players from the youth teams of the home club, ball boys or girls return the ball when it goes off the pitch, for the purpose of helping to speed up play and save players energy.

A comparison sometimes made with the game by football-loving intellectuals, applied particularly to certain national or club teams of outstanding quality, especially Brazil. In the strict sense of the word, Shostakovich used football as the theme of his ballet The Golden Age in 1930.

A ball kicked high into the air, which follows a semicircular trajectory, out of the reach of opposing players until it returns to the ground once more. Can be confused with a centre, though often intended as a shot at goal.

The ability to place the ball in a good position for shooting or to keep it out of the reach of opponents.