For many people in Beanotown, football is a way of life. We may not be as good at Paris St. Germain or Liverpool, but our favourite team always try their best. After joining the team in an emergency, Phil E.S. Dogg was so excited by his Beanotown United debut that he's been researching some amazing trivia about footie! Which football facts do you know?

1. Football was invented in China more than 2000 years ago!

The first version of football originated in the Han dynasty more than 2000 years ago and was called cuju. Chinese President Xi Jinping is a Manchester United fan! We're sure he'd be a fan of Beanotown United if he visited a match one day.

2. The USA and Canada call football 'soccer'

Our friends in North America refer to the beautiful game as soccer. The word comes from the term Association Football, which was founded in London on October 26, 1863. In Beanotown, we just call it footie.

3. One team scored 149 goals in a single game!

While many people were preparing for Halloween in 2002, a team in Madagascar were about to face something equally scary. During a match against AS Adema, they conceded 149 goals during the match. That's not to say their goalie was rubbish – they deliberately lost in a protest against decisions a referee made during a different match.

4. Football is extremely popular!

The world is hosting thousands of football matches every day, like a spherical ground. It's believed that there are 240 million registered players across the globe, and that's not even counting people who play the game just for fun.

5. Gareth Bale holds the record for the best-worst game of football!

Los Angeles FC and Wales star Gareth Bale is an excellent player. But he's in the record books for having quite a match in 2012, when he was a Tottenham Hotspur player. During a match against Liverpool, he managed to score for his side, accidentally score an own goal, got an assist and received a yellow card in 90 minutes. Sounds like he should have signed for Beanotown United, judging by that performance.

6. One player broke his neck in an FA Cup Final and continued to play!

Manchester City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann received an injury during their FA Cup Final tie with Birmingham City in 1956. He was knocked unconscious, but was revived and insisted on playing on. His team won 3-1 and it was later discovered that he'd broken his neck! Think about that next time you see a modern football player rolling around on the floor because some wind touched their leg.

7. The fastest hat-trick was scored in less than three minutes!

Sado Mane holds the record for the quickest hat-trick in the Premier League. When he played for Southampton in a match against Aston Villa in 2015, he began his record-breaking afternoon in the 13th minute of the game, then scored two more by the 16th minute. They went on to win 6-1! Beanotown United have let in three goals in a much quicker time on several occasions, but we don't talk about that.

8. Brazil have won the World Cup the most times!

There's a reason the Brazil shirt has five stars over their badge. Every star represents each time the country have won the World Cup. They first won in Sweden in 1958, then again four years later in Chile. They were champions in Mexico in 1970, then again in the USA in 1994. The most recent victory was at the 2002 World Cup, which took place in South Korea and Japan. Very impressive stuff! It has never been said that the Beanotown United team have the flair and skill of the Brazilian team, but Mahira looks set to change that opinion.

9. Arsenal have won the FA Cup the most times!

The North London club have won the prestigious England competition 13 times since the competition began in 1871. The last time they won it was in 2020, when they beat Chelsea 2-1. The game was played behind closed doors, due to the COVID pandemic, but loads of people were cheering them while watching it on TV at home. Beanotown United have never competed in the FA Cup, but there's always a first time...

10. A football almost went to the moon!

American astronaut Neil Armstrong wanted to take a football to the moon in 1969. NASA – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – refused the idea, but no official reason has been given. There are, however, plenty of footballs on the roof of Beanotown United's ground.