From Salah matching Premier League legends with 47 goal involvements, to Mbappé’s historic La Liga debut season and Napoli’s title win from 10th place, this week’s ten football facts are packed with surprises.
Here are the top ten quirky facts as we head into another week of awesome football.
There is no better place to get your season-long ticket to the best football the world has to offer than DStv and GOtv.
Did you know?
The famous exterior of the Bayern Munich Arena is made up of 2,874 inflated ETFE plastic panels
that can glow in different colours: red for Bayern Munich, blue for 1860 Munich (who used to share
the stadium), and white for the German national team.
But here’s the strange part: when the stadium first opened in 2005, the glowing white lights were so bright and mesmerising, they reportedly distracted drivers on the nearby Autobahn, leading to accidents. Afterward, the brightness had to be reduced to prevent more road mishaps.
Did you know?
The current UEFA Champions League trophy, famous for its large, looped handles, is affectionately
called “La Orejona” in Spanish or “Big Ears” in English because of those distinctive side handles
that resemble oversized ears. However, it isn’t the original trophy.
The first version was permanently awarded to Real Madrid in 1967 after they won the competition five times. UEFA then commissioned a new trophy – and the silversmith who made it, Jörg Stadelmann, reportedly crafted it in just 340 hours in his shop in Bern, Switzerland.
Did you know?
Paris Saint-Germain was founded in 1970, but not in a boardroom. Instead, the idea came together in a Parisian cafe, where a group of businessmen and football enthusiasts, eager to give the capital a top-tier football club, plotted PSG’s creation.
The public was actually invited to vote on the idea through a newspaper campaign, and over 20,000 people supported it, helping to crowd-fund the club’s formation.
Did you know?
Back in 1908, when Inter Milan was founded, the club was born out of a split from the Milan Cricket and Football Club (now AC Milan). The breaking point? The original club’s ban on foreign players. Inter, in contrast, wanted to embrace international talent.
So, in their early years, Inter Milan fielded only foreign players – a radical move in Italy, where local talent was typically prioritised.
Did you know?
While Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi is known for his tactical mind on the football pitch, not
many know that he’s a serious ping pong enthusiast.
In fact, he’s so good at it that he’s often described as having a quick reflex game at the table that mirrors his football instincts.
He’s even known to challenge his players to a match or two in between training sessions.
Did you know?
After winning the UEFA Europa League with Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou has continued
his impressive record of winning a major trophy in his second full campaign with a club.
The Australian-Greek coach led South Melbourne (1997/98), Brisbane Roar (2011/12), Yokohama F. Marinos (2019) and Celtic (2022/23) to glory in his second season with the respective clubs.
Did you know?
Alexander Sorloth scored more goals as a substitute than any other player in Europe’s top five
leagues during the 2024/25 season, netting 10 times from the bench for Atletico Madrid.
The Norwegian striker also became the first player to hit the back of the net 10 times as a substitute in a single La Liga campaign in the 21st century.
Did you know?
Mohamed Salah netted 29 goals and provided 18 assists in the Premier League for Liverpool in the
2024/25 season.
The Egyptian superstar equalled the all-time record for most goal involvement in a Premier League campaign (47), equaling Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, who achieved this feat in the 1993/94 and 1994/95 seasons, respectively.
Did you know?
When SSC Napoli clinched the 2024/25 Serie A title by defeating Cagliari Calcio on May 23, they
became the first team to win the Italian top-flight trophy having finished in the 10th position in the previous campaign.
Did you know?
Kylian Mbappe scored 31 goals in 34 matches in his first La Liga season. Only Pruden (33) in the
1940/41 campaign and Ronaldo Nazário (34) in the 1996-97 term netted more goals than Mbappe
in their first season in the history of the Spanish top-flight.
You are entitled to the best football. Get and stay connected to GOtv and ensure you don’t miss a single game.
To upgrade or manage your subscription download the MyGOtv app on your mobile app store or
visit here.
