If you’re going to the 2014 World Cup, it will come in handy to know various soccer terms in Brazilian Portuguese not only to understand what the announcer or fans may be saying, but also to be able to join in the fun yourself! Check out these useful “futebol” terms from this website written by Colin Reese.
GENERAL TERMS
- Soccer / Football – Futebol
- Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) – Confederação Brasileira de Futebol
- The Brazilian National Team – Seleção
- “The Green and Yellow” (a nickname for the Brazilian national team) – A Verde e Amarela / O Verde e Amarelo
- To describe beautiful, attacking soccer – Futebol Arte or Jogo Bonito
- Ball – Bola
- Game – Jogo
- A big or importanat game – Jogão (you may also come across “jogaço,” although it’s not a grammatically correct word)
- To play soccer – Jogar futebol / jogar bola
- Pick up soccer game – Pelada (literally, the word “pelada” means nude or naked)
- Field – Campo
- Foot/feet – Pé(s)
- Hand(s) – mão(s)
- Slow – Devagar
- Fast – Rápido
- Long balls – Chutões
- A really good soccer player – Craque
- A diver ,a flopper, someone who fakes injuries (the same as a “clavadista” in Spanish) – Um cai-cai
- Let’s go! Come on! – Bora! (with enthusiasm!)
- Goal – gol
- Shot / kick – Chute
- Beating the opposing team by many goals (ex. 3-0, 4-0, etc.) – Goleada
- A “beat down” or “severe beating” – Porrada (it technically means a physical beating, but it also means to beat a team really badly)
- To pass the ball – Passar a bola
- To run – Correr (pronounced coh-hair with the last r being a French “r”)
- To lose – Perder
- To win – Vencer
- To miss – Errar
- Yellow card – Cartão amarelo
- Red card – Cartão vermelho
- Header – Cabeçada
- To knock down, take down, push over, topple, etc. – Derrubar
- To mark/guard – Marcar
- A mixture of shrewdness, street-smarts, and wariness, or killer instinct – Malícia
- Class, quality, skill – Categoria
- Throw in – Bater a lateral / Cobrar a lateral
- Kick, shoot, or hit towards the goal – Bater pro gol
- Penalty box – Área
- Foul – Falta
- Penalty kick – Pênalti
- Referee – Arbitro or Juiz
- Extra time – Prorrogação
- Half time – Intervalo / Meio-tempo
- Side line – Linha lateral
- Goal line or end line – Linha de meta
- Tackle – Entrada
PLAYER POSITIONS
- Goalkeeper – Goleiro
- Defender – Defensor
- Center back or central defender – Zagueiro
- Outside back – Lateral (plural: laterais)
- Right back – Lateral-direito
- Left back – Lateral-esquerdo
- Midfielder – Meia (Note: “meia” is really more of an attacking midfielder than a defensive midfielder)
- Defensive midfielder – Volante (typically plays in front of the defenders and links the defense midfielders with the attacking midfielders. Literally, “volante” means steering wheel.)
- Attacking midfielder – Meia-atacante
- Central attacking midfielder – Meia-armador
- Forward – Atacante
- Lone striker – Ponta-de-lança
- Center forward – Centroavante
- Top goal scorer – Artilheiro
- The number 10 jersey – Camisa dez; for Brazil, this is the central attacking midfielder, who is the primary playmaker. Pelé wore number 10 even though he was not exactly a traditional number 10. Many other Brazilian greats such as Ronaldinho, Zico, Raí and Kaka also wore the number 10 jersey.
TRICKS
- Juggling – Embaixadinha
- Dribbling tricks – Dribles
- Bicycle kick – Bicicleta
- Lambreta = rainbow kick
- Outside of the foot striking technique that causes the ball to swerve or bend and then dive – Folha seca
- Chipping the goalkeeper – Cobertura
- “Flip-flap” – Elástico; “Elástico” literally means rubber band in Portuguese. The trick gets this name because the ball is hit with the outside of the foot to the side of the defender, and then immediately hit with the inside of the foot back to the inside of the defender giving the impression that the ball is attached to the player’s foot with a rubber band and snapping outside and in quickly. Click here to see a video of the elástico in action.
- “Popping” – Chapéu/Lençol; this trick involves a player popping the ball over the defenders head and immediately collecting the ball again after popping it. “Chapéu” literally means cap (the word comes from the French word “chapeau”)
- “Olympic goal” – Gol olímpico; the term “Olimpico” is frequently used in English as well, to describe a goal straight off a corner kick, during which the player taking the corner kick kicks the ball straight into the goal, without the ball being touched or headed by one of his teammates. Ronaldinho is famous for these. Click here to see one of his Olímpico goals.
- “Cow dribble” – Dribble da vaca / meia-lua; this trick involves a player kicking the ball past the defender on one side of the defender’s body, and running around the defender around the opposite side of his body to recollect the ball downfield. Could also mean “half-moon”
- Sliding header goal – Gol de Peixinho; a goal where the player dives and slides on his or her stomach to head a ball into the goal instead of just kicking in an easy tap in. “Peixinho” literally means fishy or little fish, so the name gets its origin from the appearance of sliding on the grass like a fish swimming. This is truly a hilarious and insulting way to score on someone—here is one by Dutchman Robin van Persie.
TERMS SPECIFIC TO BRAZIL
This incredible inforgraphic by John-Erik Jordan illustrates soccer terms unique to Brazil. Ever wonder where to find a sleeping owl on the pitch, or why some defenders would buy bread in the middle of a match? Check below to see!
Sources: Reese, Colin. “Futebol Vocabulary.” http://www.worldsoccersource.com/futebol-vocabulary.
Jordan, John-Erik. “The Pigeon Without Wings.” http://www.babbel.com/magazine/brazilian-football-video.
How to cite this page: “Before You Arrive: Things to Know: “Futebol” Phrases,” Written by Becca Fisher and Elena Kim (2013), World Cup 2014, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/world-cup-2014/world-cup-2014-fan-guide/anglophone-version/before-you-arrive-things-to-know/futebol-phrases (accessed on (date)).
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