Sports / Soccer
Five soccer stadiums you simply have to experience
26 Mar 2019 at 16:45hrs | Views
Soccer is the world's most popular sport and it encapsulates towns, cities and cultures like no other.
As tribal as it gets in the world of sport, it's a global phenomenon and attracts fans in their thousands and players in their millions.
And while the rules are the same no matter where you go, the experience can be totally different. From meat pies to flares smoking out stadiums. From the famous Poznan celebration to the prawn sandwiches of Old Trafford, every culture is different, every stadium its own unique vibe.
Some, however, are really like nothing else on the planet. Steeped in history and alive like no other. For any real soccer fan, they are a must. But where are the stadiums you really should be ticking off your list?
Anfield, Liverpool
Anfield is one of the most famous grounds on the planet and home to Liverpool FC. From the moment the players walk onto the pitch and the anthemic You'll Never Walk Alone echos around the ground, you know you're in for something special. Particularly on a Champions League night.
The club is enjoying a purple patch at the moment, having reached the Champions League Quarter Final and in with a great chance of winning the Premier League. There really is no better time to visit.
The famous gates, electric atmosphere and terraced streets surrounding is a real throwback to the old days and an experience you should take before it's too late.
Many online bookmakers are predicting them to go all the way in Europe and as the Final gets ever closer, the atmosphere is only ramping up.
Klopp's men are currently priced at 9/2 to be crowned Champions League winners with Ladbrokes, behind favourites Man City and Barcelona who are priced at 12/5 and 15/4 respectively.
High street bookmaker William Hill is also offering odds of 6/4 on Liverpool winning one trophy, whilst punters can get 12/1 for them to win two.
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
Dortmund's Yellow Wall is one of the most phenomenal sights in soccer and creates one of the loudest noises in the game.
No country quite gets behind soccer like the Germans and Dortmund certainly lead by example. Many African players have graced the turf down the years and the club continues to be one of the most inclusive and friendly on the planet.
Every weekend over 80,000 people descends on the stadium, singing their hearts out for the club and battle hard to topple Bayern from the top of the Bundesliga.
So far so good this season, with the club neck and neck with their rivals heading into the final weeks. It's certainly going to be an exciting one.
Wembley, London
Wembley is the spiritual home of soccer and every child across the world dreams of one day playing on the hallowed turf.
It's the home of the England national team and the venue for the FA Cup Final, as well as many other major fixtures and events.
With a capacity of 90,000, you get a real sense of something special and even though the former ground was demolished and redeveloped you still get a sense of its history, particularly as Bobby Moore bears down on you on the walk up Wembley Way.
A real icon of soccer and one any football fan should make the pilgrimage to.
Maracana, Rio de Janeiro
If there's one stadium that comes close to Wembley for prestige, it's the Maracana.
A recent host of the 2014 World Cup Final, it's almost treated like a church to Brazilians, as their very own Gods of football play with a freedom and creativity like no other country can.
With a capacity of over 100,000, it's hosted some legends down the years including many magical moments from the likes of Ronaldo, Zico and the great Pele.
Camp Nou, Barcelona
What Pele did at the Maracana, Lionel Messi is currently doing at the Camp Nou, home of Barcelona.
The ground is the biggest in Europe and having not really been redeveloped or upgraded in a number of years you still get a sense of the greats that have trodden the corridors before it.
The likes of Sir Bobby Robson, Romario and Johan Cruyff, the modern greats in Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. It's where the best come to play, and almost 100,000 people get to witness it every week.
A must for any modern soccer fan. The stadium really is as mesmerising as Lionel Messi's left foot, honestly.
As tribal as it gets in the world of sport, it's a global phenomenon and attracts fans in their thousands and players in their millions.
And while the rules are the same no matter where you go, the experience can be totally different. From meat pies to flares smoking out stadiums. From the famous Poznan celebration to the prawn sandwiches of Old Trafford, every culture is different, every stadium its own unique vibe.
Some, however, are really like nothing else on the planet. Steeped in history and alive like no other. For any real soccer fan, they are a must. But where are the stadiums you really should be ticking off your list?
Anfield, Liverpool
Anfield is one of the most famous grounds on the planet and home to Liverpool FC. From the moment the players walk onto the pitch and the anthemic You'll Never Walk Alone echos around the ground, you know you're in for something special. Particularly on a Champions League night.
The club is enjoying a purple patch at the moment, having reached the Champions League Quarter Final and in with a great chance of winning the Premier League. There really is no better time to visit.
The famous gates, electric atmosphere and terraced streets surrounding is a real throwback to the old days and an experience you should take before it's too late.
Many online bookmakers are predicting them to go all the way in Europe and as the Final gets ever closer, the atmosphere is only ramping up.
Klopp's men are currently priced at 9/2 to be crowned Champions League winners with Ladbrokes, behind favourites Man City and Barcelona who are priced at 12/5 and 15/4 respectively.
High street bookmaker William Hill is also offering odds of 6/4 on Liverpool winning one trophy, whilst punters can get 12/1 for them to win two.
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund
Dortmund's Yellow Wall is one of the most phenomenal sights in soccer and creates one of the loudest noises in the game.
Every weekend over 80,000 people descends on the stadium, singing their hearts out for the club and battle hard to topple Bayern from the top of the Bundesliga.
So far so good this season, with the club neck and neck with their rivals heading into the final weeks. It's certainly going to be an exciting one.
Wembley, London
Wembley is the spiritual home of soccer and every child across the world dreams of one day playing on the hallowed turf.
It's the home of the England national team and the venue for the FA Cup Final, as well as many other major fixtures and events.
With a capacity of 90,000, you get a real sense of something special and even though the former ground was demolished and redeveloped you still get a sense of its history, particularly as Bobby Moore bears down on you on the walk up Wembley Way.
A real icon of soccer and one any football fan should make the pilgrimage to.
Maracana, Rio de Janeiro
If there's one stadium that comes close to Wembley for prestige, it's the Maracana.
A recent host of the 2014 World Cup Final, it's almost treated like a church to Brazilians, as their very own Gods of football play with a freedom and creativity like no other country can.
With a capacity of over 100,000, it's hosted some legends down the years including many magical moments from the likes of Ronaldo, Zico and the great Pele.
Camp Nou, Barcelona
What Pele did at the Maracana, Lionel Messi is currently doing at the Camp Nou, home of Barcelona.
The ground is the biggest in Europe and having not really been redeveloped or upgraded in a number of years you still get a sense of the greats that have trodden the corridors before it.
The likes of Sir Bobby Robson, Romario and Johan Cruyff, the modern greats in Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. It's where the best come to play, and almost 100,000 people get to witness it every week.
A must for any modern soccer fan. The stadium really is as mesmerising as Lionel Messi's left foot, honestly.
Source - Byo24Sports
