ENGLAND’S best and worst penalty taker, the youngest-ever Fifa World Cup star and the goal-machine known as “Little Bee”.
These are just a few of the bizarre but brilliant facts detailed in Guinness World Records’ first-ever Football Records Edition, which is out now.
To mark the release, Josh Saunders has treated Sun readers to a special quiz to find out if your knowledge is back of the net or back on the subs bench.
Grab a pen and paper and jot down your answers.
Take your time, but not 90 minutes, because you’ll be kicking yourself if you pass on some of these questions.
1. A total of 80 countries have played at a Fifa World Cup finals event, but how many of them have lifted the trophy?
a) 5
b) 8
c) 10
2. Why does Lamine Yamal make the number “304” with his fingers during his goal celebration?
a) It’s first three digits of his mobile number
b) Number of goals he scored as a youth player
c) The postcode of the area he grew up in
3. What is the record for the longest men’s international football career?
a) 21 years
b) 23 years
c) 26 years
4. Which of these three leagues has seen the fastest goal scored?
a) Serie A
b) EPL
c) Bundesliga
5. Which nation has suffered most at the hands of Cristiano Ronaldo, conceding 11 goals to the Portuguese ace?
a) Luxembourg
b) Hungary
c) Spain
6. The largest football stadium is the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. What feature of the natural world were its huge arches designed to look like?
a) A bird’s nest
b) A magnolia blossom
c) A giant spider
7. The Kopa Trophy is given to the best player in the world aged under 21. Who won the first-ever award in 2018?
a) Kylian Mbappé
b) Jude Bellingham
c) Pedri
8. How many FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments have Marta and Christine Sinclair scored at?
a) Five
b) Six
c) Seven
9. In 2018, Ada Hegerberg was the first woman to win the Ballon d’Or. The first man to receive the award was England’s Stanley Matthews – in what year?
a) 1956
b) 1976
c) 1996
10. Which English striker has scored and missed the most EPL penalties?
a) Harry Kane
b) Wayne Rooney
c) Alan Shearer
11. What was extra-special about Carli Lloyd’s hat-trick goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final on 5 July 2015?
a) It was a bicycle kick
b) It was from the halfway line
c) It was direct from a corner
12. What’s the nickname of Boca Juniors’ stadium?
a) The Doughnut
b) The Chocolate Box
c) The Cheesecake
13. Who is the youngest FIFA World Cup final goal scorer?
a) Kylian Mbappé
b) Pelé
c) Lamine Yamal
14. Who is the oldest FIFA World Cup final goal scorer?
a) Nils Liedholm
b) Lionel Messi
c) Roger Milla
15. Former England captain David Beckham made a cameo in a 2017 Hollywood film celebrating which historical figure?
a) Robin Hood
b) King Arthur
c) Shakespeare
16. Who else was in the line-up with 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan on his MLS debut?
a) His brother
b) His uncle
c) His father
17. Who has scored the most goals in men’s international football?
a) Lionel Messi
b) Ali Daei
c) Cristiano Ronaldo
18. Which player has played for the most men’s clubs (31 total)?
a) Nicolas Anelka
b) Zlatan Ibrahimović
c) Sebastián Abreu
19. Which goalkeeper has scored the most international goals?
a). Rogério Ceni
b) José Luis Chilavert
c) Manuel Neuer
20. Who is the youngest player to appear in the Premier League?
a) Harvey Elliott
b) Ethan Nwaneri
c) Wayne Rooney
21. Which female player has scored in the most FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments?
a) Abby Wambach
b) Marta
c) Christine Sinclair
22. Andorra’s Ildefonso Lima Solà carved out the longest men’s international career, lasting 26 years 82 days. What is unusual about his collection of opponents’ shirts?
a) They are all signed
b) Their owners had all scored against Andorra
c) They are all unwashed
23. Match the player to their animal nickname (one point for each correct answer):
Atomic Flea
Bulldog
Little Bee
Ant
Lion
Players: Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Formiga, Cristiano Ronaldo, José Luis Chilavert
You can buy Guinness World Records Football Edition 2026 here.
CHECK THE ANSWERS
- 1. b) 8;
- 2. c) The postcode of the area he grew up in;
- 3. c) 26 years (Ildefonso Lima Solà);
- 4. b) EPL, Southampton’s Shane Long in just 7.69 seconds against Watford in 2019;
- 5. a) Luxembourg;
- 6. b) A magnolia blossom;
- 7. a) Kylian Mbappé;
- 8. b) Six – Marta plays for Brazil and Christine Sinclair for Canada;
- 9. a) 1956;
- 10. c) Alan Shearer with 56 scored and 11 missed; 11. b) It was from the halfway line;
- 12. b) The Chocolate Box;
- 13. b) Pelé (17 years, 249 days);
- 14. a) Nils Liedholm (35 years, 264 days);
- 15. b) King Arthur;
- 16. a) With older brother Quinn;
- 17. c) Cristiano Ronaldo with 141 goals;
- 18. c) Sebastián Abreu;
- 19. b) José Luis Chilavert;
- 20. b) Ethan Nwaneri (15 years, 181 days);
- 21. b) Marta with 17 goals;
- 22. c) They are all unwashed;
- 23. Atomic Flea – Lionel Messi, Bulldog – José Luis Chilavert, Little Bee – Cristiano Ronaldo, Ant – Formiga, Lion – Zlatan Ibrahimovi
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