Football

The birthplace of football has brought us the beautiful game itself, but also a whole host of words and expressions – a football dictionary of sorts – that you need to master in order to enjoy the game.

Here’s our comprehensive list of all the English football terms you need to know:

All ball

This is said when a player attempts to tackle the ball, and connects with the ball rather than the player’.

Back of the net

A commentator favorite to describe the ball crossing the line and hugging the net, in other words, a goal.

Ball-to-hand

The claim that the contact between the hand and the ball is inadvertent, therefore it shouldn’t warrant a free kick.

Bicycle kick

The movement by a player where they jump up, throw both feet in the air and hit the ball in a pedaling motion to send the ball in the opposite direction they’re facing. Also known as the overhead kick.

Boot it

An instruction given by the teammates of a player for them to kick the ball with full power to get it away.

Box-to-box player

A player that can successfully play both sides (defensive and offensive) of the game. See: Radja Nainggolan, Yaya Touré, Patrick Vieira.

Brace

A word to describe the achievement of a player that scores two goals in one game. “Scoring a brace” is the way to go when using it in a sentence.

Chip shot

A shot that is kicked from underneath the ball to provide some arc for it to go over the opponent. See: Lionel Messi.

Class act

A player/manager that deserves praise especially with their attitude and manners off the field.

Clean sheet

The accolade a team/goalkeeper earns when a full game is played without conceding a goal.

Cleats

The plastic or metallic bumps on the sole of football shoes. Also used for the shoes themselves.

Clinical finish

A top notch shot that leads to a goal. The scorer of this goal is called the clinical finisher. See: Ruud van Nistelrooy, Harry Kane, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima.

Cracker

A breathtaking football match or an outstanding goal, mainly from a long distance.

Dive

The exaggerated falling move of a player to deceive the referee in order to win their team a foul call.

Dummy run

An off-the-ball run made by an offensive player to create space for his teammate with the ball. Used to trick opponents by pretending to move towards the ball.

Feint / Flip Flap

The dribbling of the ball in one direction after faking the dribble in the other direction with a bogus body movement. Also known as the snakebite for being resembling a snake’s agile attack on its prey.