With about 3 months (ahem, 87 days to be precise) till the 2010 World Cup games, and with soccer/football tournaments going on such as the Copa Libertadores, the UEFA Champions League, and the CAF Women’s Championship all taking place and all with Portuguese speaking teams, it wouldn’t hurt to learn some soccer vocabulary, would it?

soccer/football = futebol

artilheiro = player who scores the most goals in a game or tournament

gol = goal

atacante = forward/attack

goleiro = goalkeeper

volante = central mid-fielder

zagueiro = central defenseperson

placar = scoreboard

campo de futebol = soccer field

estádio de futebol = soccer stadium

escanteio (br) / pontapé de canto (pt) = corner kick

Even more fun to learn are common expressions in Portuguese that come from soccer.  In Brazil, some of these expressions are:

bater o escanteio e cabecear a bola = to take a corner kick = to be selfish about smth.

pendurar as chuteiras = hang one’s cleats = to give up

vestir a camisa = to wear a jersey = to represent someone/thing/organization

tirar o time de campo = to forfeit = to give up when all hope’s lost

botar para escanteio = to kick the ball out of bounds and take it to corner kick = to ignore or stop talking to someone

In Portugual, a few expressions are:

apanhar um cartão amarelo = to get a yellow card in a game = to be condemned by someone

meia bola e força! = ball in midfield & strength = to wing something and hope all goes well

balizar qualquer coisa = the baliza is the physical goal/post = to set limits on something

Can you all think of any other soccer vocabulary words you’d like to learn or know?  Do you know of any other popular expressions or idioms that come from popular sports?