Football in Spanish: Vocabulary and Phrases

If you are heading to Peru (or South America in general) and like the idea of having a kick-around with some future Nolberto Solano, it will help if you know some Spanish football terminology (soccer vocabulary for those of a North American disposition). Here are some of the key terms and expressions that you will need for playing (or watching) football in Spanish-speaking South America.

Quick Tip: If traveling to or from Lima Airport, it is strongly recommended to use the luxury Airport Express Lima bus to get to or from your hotel. Safer and cheaper than a taxi with no baggage limit as well as Free WiFi and USB chargers onboard, it is ideal for travelers.

Basic Spanish Football Terms

Nolberto Solano, Peruvian football legend (photo by Jcswayne, Wikimedia Commons)

These basic Spanish football terms will get you started on the road to footballing fluency:

ball – pelota or balón

dugout – banquillo

fan(s) – hincha(s)

football – fútbol

footballers – futbolistas

friendly (match) – (partido) amistoso

game/match – juego/partido

goal – gol (to score a goal – marcar un gol)

goalpost – palo

pass (the ball) – pase, toque

pitch – cancha (also campo, field)

players – jugadores

spectators – espectadores

stadium – estadio

studs (cleats) – tacos (football boots are generally known as tacos)

team – equipo

Football in Spanish: Technical Terms

Victor Benitez Morales, Peruvian footballer and 1963 European Cup winner with AC Milan

Getting slightly more technical, we have the Spanish soccer terminology for rules and regulations:

foul – falta

yellow card – tarjeta amarilla

red card – tarjeta roja

a sending-off – una expulsión

free kick – tiro libre (directo or indirecto)

penalty – penalti (also spelled penalty) or tiro penal (penalty shot)

throw-in – saque de banda

corner kick – saque de esquina (the English word “corner” is also used in Spanish)

goal kick – saque de puerta/meta

offside – posición adelantada or fuera de juego (the English “offside” is also used)

own goal – autogol

substitution – cambio (lit. change)

first half – primer tiempo

second half – segundo tiempo

half time – medio tiempo (also descanso, rest)

counterattack – contraataque or contragolpe

Football Positions in Spanish

If you want to join a game, you’ll need to choose your position:

goalkeeper – arquero, portero or guardameta (arquero seems to be the most common in Peru)

defense – defensa (as a whole, the defense is called la defensa. The back three or four is also termed la zaga)

central defender – central

fullback (left/right )– lateral (lateral izquierdo or lateral derecho)

midfielder – mediocampista (general; can be defensivo or ofensivo), centrocampista (central midfielder) or volante (various: mixto, ofensivo, de creación)

winger (left/right)– extremo (izquierdo/derecho)

forward – delantero or atacante (attacker). A goal scorer or striker is also known as a goleador

centre forward – delantero centro. The attack in general is known as el ataque or delantera (attacking line).

captain – capitán

manager/coach – técnico , entrenador or profe

substitute – suplente

referee – árbitro (referi is also used)

linesman – línea, juez de línea (line judge) or árbitro asistente (referee’s assistant)

Additional Football Terms in Spanish

The word pichanga is a common Peruvian slang word used to refer to an informal kick-around between friends (it’s used in other South American countries too, but I’m not sure if it’s used in Spain).

The best way to pick up more Spanish football terms is to watch a few matches on Spanish-language TV. ESPN Latin America (or ESPN Deportes in the U.S.) is a good option. The commentators have an amusing obsession for using player and manager nicknames; highlights include La Pulga (Lionel Messi, “The Flea”), Pinocho (Edwin van der Sar, “Pinocchio”) and Cara Roja (Alex Ferguson, “red face”).

If you have any other Spanish football terms to add, slang or otherwise, feel free to post them in the comments box below. Thanks!