Imagine young Prince Alexander playing football

Sports occupy an important place in men’s lives from an early age onward. This statement is not new, for we are all very familiar with the Olympic Games held in Olympia as early as the 8th century BC. This four-yearly event included javelin throwing, running, long jumps, boxing, and chariot racing, but the list did not mention football. 

[Picture from The Greek Reporter]

The football first appears on a relief kept at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The picture shows a man balancing a ball on his thigh in front of a boy. The scene on the stone vase dates from the third quarter of the 4th century BC. 

We might assume that the man is showing his son how to control the ball looking with our modern eyes. It may be far-fetched, but the fact remains that since 1958 this very picture appears on the trophy cup for the winner of the UEFA European Championship. It was the work of a silversmith from Paris called Chobillon. 

The UEFA competition is held every four years, just like the ancient Olympic Games. The football tournament makes an obvious link with today’s Olympic Games as they took place in the same year. 

Given the date of the Greek vase, 400-375 BC, we may safely assume that young Alexander and his friends knew the game and probably also played it. 

In ancient Greece, the football game was called Episkyros and played between two teams of 12-14 players on each side. The material used to make the ball is unknown, but I’d be surprised it would bounce like its modern counterpart. One team was supposed to throw the ball over the other team's heads using hands and feet. A white line, the Skyros, was drawn to separate the teams and another line behind each group of players. The purpose of the team was to force their opponents over the backline. How that would show in scoring points is lost over the centuries.