Gaffer
The ‘gaffer’ is the head coach or manager of a football team. It is an informal British term for a boss, such as a foreman on a building site.
Example: “We always knew the game was going to be tough, but the gaffer prepared us well and we got the job done.”
Galactico
A galactico – Spanish meaning ‘galactic’ – is an exceptionally talented player of worldwide renown who usually transfers for a considerable transfer fee. A galactico is a player who is ‘out of this world’. The term became popularised in the early 2000s thanks to a transfer policy enacted by Real Madrid which saw them sign Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham.
Example: “I’m not a ‘Galactico’, not yet, [but] I hope to be one day,” said Eden Hazard after joining Real Madrid.
Game of two halves
When a football match is described as being ‘a game of two halves’ it usually means that one team dominated the first half and then the other dominated the second half. Football is by definition a game of two 45-minute periods broken up by a 15 minute half-time interval. The pitch itself is also divided into two halves.
Get stuck in
To ‘get stuck in’ is to play football in a determined, tough fashion, particularly when it comes to tackling. It is a command against sitting back and allowing an opponent to play.
Example: “We showed them a little too much respect in the first half, standing off a bit, so the manager told us to get stuck in in the second half.”
Ghost goal
A ghost goal is a goal that has been awarded despite the whole of the ball not crossing the line. Ghost goals are now increasingly unlikely thanks to VAR and goal-line technology, but can still occur.
Giant-killing
In football, a giant-killing is when a top level club is beaten in a cup competition by a club of much smaller stature, usually from a number of tiers below the top. The term evokes the imagery of the biblical story of David and Goliath.
GOAT
The GOAT means ‘Greatest Of All Time’.
Example: The argument over whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the GOAT will go on forever.
If you’re not familiar with sport, the term may come as a bit of a conundrum to you, but rest assured, it does not refer to a farmyard animal.
Those who use social media may have happened across the term ‘GOAT’ being used in association with the best sports starts in the world.
Roger Federer, Usain Bolt, Tom Brady and LeBron James are just some of the names that have been branded the GOAT.
Football’s GOAT is a matter of continuous debate within the community, but the consensus in recent years has narrowed the question down to one of two players: Ronaldo or Messi.
The very nature of the game means that there is no hard and fast method by which to measure who exactly is the greatest of all time, but that reality hasn’t stopped the arguments.
Both Ronaldo and Messi have won the Ballon d’Or – given to the player who is considered the best in the world – on five occasions, which is more than any other player.
Messi edges things when it comes to the European Golden Shoe, which he has scooped five times to Ronaldo’s four, and they each have four Champions League winners’ medals.
Golden goal
A golden goal is a method of deciding a game that has gone into extra-time, where the team which scores first wins.
Group of Death
A Group of Death is used to describe a group in a tournament (such as the World Cup) that is made up entirely of teams who are considered very strong.
Example: “Brazil 2014 served up a number of groups that were considered competitive enough to be described as ‘Groups of Death’. One such example was Group B, which featured the two finalists from the 2010 World Cup – Spain and the Netherlands – as well as Chile and Australia.”
