The TV Presentation of Luciano Wernicke's Book "Why Is Soccer Played Eleven Against Eleven?" Took Place (Video)
07/15/2026
As the FIFA World Cup captures the attention of football fans around the globe, Newmag Publishing House presented the Armenian edition of Luciano Wernicke's book "Why Is Soccer Played Eleven Against Eleven?" on Armenia TV's Good Morning program.
Luciano Wernicke's book brings together 100 fascinating facts from the history of football, revealing surprising stories, forgotten episodes, and unusual questions whose answers can surprise even the most devoted football fans.
The guests of the program were Ani Hakobyan, Head of Literary Programs at Newmag and the book's Armenian translator, and Zorik Samvelyan, a member of the Newmag Signature Club and a passionate football fan.
Speaking about her own football preferences, Ani Hakobyan admitted:
"Unfortunately, my favorite national team is not participating in this tournament. I've always supported Italy, but they didn't qualify. My favorite players were Kaká, Buffon, and Del Piero. I'm following the World Cup closely and hoping England will win."
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The discussion also explored the origins of football. As the guests noted, many modern sports evolved from games originally intended to develop physical endurance and military skills. Football, however, gradually transformed into one of the world's most intellectual and strategic sports.
One of the questions explored in Wernicke's book is the very one in its title: Why do teams play with eleven players?
Ani Hakobyan explained that the rule dates back to English boarding schools, where students lived in dormitories of eleven boys, and each dormitory formed its own football team to compete against the others.
Football enthusiast Zorik Samvelyan shared that his favorite player is Lionel Messi, while the national team he supports is Spain. He recalled that his love for football began after watching Robin van Persie's unforgettable diving header at the 2014 World Cup.
"That was the first year I started playing football myself. I even tried to recreate Van Persie's famous goal. This year's World Cup has also been exciting. Many believed that expanding the tournament would reduce its quality, but even the smaller teams have produced outstanding matches."
The program also reflected on football's remarkable evolution. What began centuries ago as a simple game has grown into the world's most popular sport, producing global superstars and constantly evolving rules. Even this year's World Cup introduced new innovations, including body-mounted cameras worn by referees, demonstrating that football continues to develop while preserving the traditions that made it a global phenomenon.
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Description
Why do they play football exactly 11 against 11? Who invented the penalty kick? When did the team play three games in one day? How did they make transfers with cement, meat or a few drams? Luciano Wernicke collected 100 surprising, unexpected and remarkable facts about football in one book. Here are legendary victories and incredible failures, forgotten rules, impossible records, strange faces and scandalous episodes. The book is not just a collection of facts, but a fun and absorbing journey through the history of the world's favorite game. Do you think you know everything about football? this book will pleasantly surprise you. If you are new to the game, this book is the best place to start.
