3) Football Was Invented In China
Images VIA
I know, I know, England likes to claim the noble art of kicking a ball around as their own, but maybe we shouldn’t. FIFA recognises cuju as the earliest form of football for which there is evidence. Cuju was first mentioned as a military exercise from 3rd—2nd century BC. The English version – “mob football” – was first noted in North Wales in the 9th Century.
Although cuju began in the military, its popularity spread to the upper classes and even the Han emperor Wu Di enjoyed the sport. Above is Emperor Taizu of Song playing cuju with Prime Minister Zhao Pu c. 1280. The clothes are pretty different from what modern footballers wear, but the ball ain’t so different is it?
