Difficulty Level: 1→(2)→(3)

Background: Drogba and Henry are in Africa filming a television advert for Pepsi Cola. As part of their sponsorship commitments they have to make a short video.

Think about this question when you watch the video for the first time:

What does Drogba like about playing for the Ivory coast?

[afterwards read the text to check your understanding. Watching before reading to answer the question above will help you to develop your listening skills]

I know, obviously, you have two passports. The French one and the one from [the] Ivory Coast. So, what made you chose the Ivory Coast instead of the French team?

First of all I was born in [the] Ivory Coast. And I had the chance to move to France when I was 6 years old. So, I had both cultures, and… but… when I had to decide to play for the national team [to decide which national team to play for], my heart was more with the Ivory Coast. You know, when you hear the national anthem… it’s something crazy, you know. So, it was just natural. Even though it would have been a great pleasure to play with you in [the] French national team! But, you know, I think the experiences I am having with the Ivory Coast national team are really fantastic, and unforgettable.

It must be amazing because… how is it to wear that jersey, because for me, I grew up in France, I played in France, and it’s not like a big deal to leave Spain to go back to France. But, for you guys, I know, going back to Africa and wearing that jersey, and coming there… the guys as always, like, crazy to see you.

Yeah, they are crazy to see us, because, you know, we don’t go there often, you know, maybe once every two or three months. And because they see all the games, the Champions League and everything, so when we come back they’re really excited, and they want to show us their love, their support, so, you know, it’s really exciting.

Must be amazing.

It is.

Difficulty Level: 1→(2)→(3)
Common football vocabulary is defined at the bottom of the page.

Background:The Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech gives some goalkeeping advice.

Think about this question when you watch the video for the first time:
Goalkeeping isn’t only about stopping goals as Petr Čech says at the beginning of this video. What else does a goalkeeper need to be good at?
[afterwards read the text to check your understanding. Watching before reading to answer the question above will help you to develop your listening skills]

Hello, I’m Petr Čech, and welcome to the UEFA training ground.
Goalkeeping is all about stopping goals. Some say it’s the most important position on the pitch… you decide.
How do you get this good? Plenty of practice. But it can be fun. Here are some drills for you to become a great shot-stopper… having great reflexes can help you achieve this. Start by facing your goal with your back to the coach. On command, turn you around [turn around] and make your save. This is a good one to improve your reactions, and awareness and really speed up your feet.
Here’s a few tips… when the ball is kicked stay alert, keep your head steady and focus your eyes on the ball.
Next up, it’s all about ball distribution. Getting the ball out to your teammates quickly and accurately will help your team score a goal. This can be done by throwing or kicking. Start by rolling the ball out at another ball. Get some zip into the ball, [so] that your [team]mate can collect the pass easily. Also try the overarm throw for the longer distances.

A drill: an exercise, repeated many times, to practice a particular skill.
A shot-stopper: a goalkeeper who is good at saving shots (but maybe not so good at catching crosses or kicking/throwing the ball)
Awareness: the ability to know the location of other players and the directions in which they are moving, even though you cannot always see these players. Here, also the ability of the goalkeeper to know where he is in relation to his goal.
Ball distribution: how the goalkeeper kicks/throws the ball to his teammates.
Zip: speed [not very common]

Difficulty Level: 1→(2)→(3)

Background: Arsene Wenger is talking to a group of school children who are taking part in a project to encourage them to learn a foreign language. He tells them a story about his English learning experiences.

Think about this question when you watch the video for the first time:
What aspects of this story show that Wenger was very motivated to improve his English when he was 29 years old?
[afterwards read the text to check your understanding. Watching before reading to answer the question above will help you to develop your listening skills]

So where did you learn English. Was it at school? And can you tell us some of your memories of learning language at school…

Well, I learnt when I was, er 15 and 16 [for] 2 years, because it was not my first language. And I could just say ‘I am’, ‘you are’. And when I was 29 I was a football player, and all my friends went on holiday to Turkey and Greece. And I felt really deeply that I don’t speak well enough English [I didn’t speak English well enough]. I took a plane. Came to London. I asked, ‘how can I get to Cambridge?’ Because I thought that’s where you learn English. And I went to Cambridge in June during my football holidays, and I went from house to house, to see if I can have a bed and breakfast [if I could find bed and breakfast accommodation] and stay there. And finally somebody told me, ‘yes, I have a free room, you can stay here’.  And I asked her, ‘but where can I go to learn English?’. She said, ‘easy, you take a bike, rent a bike there, and you go to this building over there. And you ask for lessons. I went the next morning. Who did I meet there?  The girl who gave me bed and breakfast, she was teaching there! And I made the tests in the morning, and I was with… I was 28-29, and I was with children 12, 13, 14 for 3 weeks. But I never worked so hard, because [I was] so motivated to spend my holidays to learn English [learning English], that in 3 weeks I worked very, very hard. When I went back home, I read only novels in English [I only read novels in English]. And every word I didn’t know, I looked [up] in a dictionary. And that’s the way I learnt English.

Difficulty Level: 1→(2)→(3)
Think about this question when you watch the video for the first time:
How have Pele’s feelings about his name changed during his life?
[afterwards read the text to check your understanding]

Background: This is from an interview with Pele in 2011

Do you mind being known as Pele rather than your real name?

My name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. And, er, when I was young… nine years, ten years old, I used to fight, I didn’t like people call me Pele [I didn’t like people calling me Pele]. I didn’t know exactly what [it] means [meant]. My name is Edson, because after Thomas Edson [Edison]. You know, the engineer [inventor] of the light. I was very proud about [of] that. So my father was a soccer player from [who played for] ?Minergerise?, he went to Bauru Interland[?] of Sau Paulo, I was nine-to-ten years old [nine or ten years old]. Then I start[ed] to play with the kids there. I don’t know if he have some players [if there were some players] in ?Minergerise?, so, er, some name I did wrong [said/pronounced wrong]*. And then the kids start[ed] to call me ‘Pele, Pele!’. I said, ‘No! My name is Edson!’. Then I went to school. I fight [got into fights] in the classroom. Then I got two days suspended [got suspended for two days] because I fight [got into a fight] with a boy because he called me Pele. Then the whole school start[ed] to call me Pele. Then I could not change [this]. But [it] was a gift of God [gift from God], because now I love ???. It’s easy to remember, it’s easy to write. It is a name who is staying [which is known] all over the world.

*Pele isn’t really sure how he got his nickname, but one story is that he mispronounced the name of one of his favourite football players ‘Bele’.

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Difficulty Level: 1→(2)→(3)
Important football (soccer) vocabulary is highlighted at the bottom of the page.
Watch the video first without reading the text so you practice your listening skills.

Think about these questions when you watch the video for the first time:
Why is the result not as bad as the 6-1 scoreline suggests?
Does he think that City are now favourites to win the Premier League?
[afterwards read the text to check your understanding]

Background: It’s October 2011 and Manchester United have just lost 6-1 to their local rivals Manchester City. This is seen as a sign that City will replace United as England’s top club. Guardiola gives his opinion.

I didn’t see the game. I spoke with some persons [people] who saw the game. It’s one ???, it’s a tough result [difficult result to take for United]. We can forget that [it’s easy to forget that] Manchester United played all the second half [the whole of the second half] 10 against 11 [with 10 men]. And the last 3 goals, it was in the last 2 or 3 minutes, so, you have to… but, United is [are], for his [its] history, absolutely one of the best clubs of the world [in the world]. Never change, nothing change that [nothing has changed that], even the defeat from yesterday [of yesterday]. And, er, City is [are] getting better year by year. Cos [=because] the same coach [is] working with them, the investment of the owners, each year, it’s better and better, so… And Silva is one of the top players, absolutely, [he has] huge qualities [great qualities]. It’s important for England [playing in English football] [that] he can adapt [to] these kind of players. Because he can move, he can play, he can make player[s] play to the rest of his teammates. So it’s congratulations for [to] David. And, er, I think it will be a very fascinating Premier League this, this, year, because, er, Manchester United, er, City, er, Chelsea also, Liverpool sooner or later will be there, so…

result: the score at the end of the match
a defeat: a loss (of a football match)

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