无论你是铁杆球迷，还是只对世界杯这样的大赛感兴趣，接下来要说的这项赛事绝对会让你既激动又紧张。6月10日，2016年欧洲杯在法国拉开帷幕。在30天的时间里，球迷们将不再说“你吃了吗？”这样的日常词汇，取而代之的是滔滔不绝的足球段子。对于第一次尝试接触并且实时跟进所有球队及其对手信息的人来说，这会让人头晕脑胀。所以，我们为大家准备了点你不太敢问的问题——问那些知识渊博的球迷，你会被嘘的。
Q: Why didn’t soccer superstar Lionel Messi take part in Euro 2016?
问：为什么超级巨星梅西没参加2016欧洲杯。
A: The UEFA European Championship is a quadrennial men’s soccer competition held by the Union of European Football Associations. As such, only European players representing their national teams can compete. Messi, as an Argentine footballer, has never and will never play a game in the European Championship. But that doesn’t mean Messi gets to take a vacation from the sport. As the captain of Argentina’s national team, he is playing in the Copa America Centenario, a tournament against national teams in North and South America. On June 10, Messi scored a hat trick in just 19 minutes against Panama.
答：欧洲杯是由欧足联成员举办的、每四年一次的赛事。所以，只有欧洲球员代表其国家队参加。梅西是阿根廷球员，以前没有、以后也不会参加欧洲杯。但是，这并不意味着梅西在这段时间会远离足球。作为阿根廷国家队队长，他正在参加百年美洲杯，这项赛事包括了不少南美洲和北美洲的国家队。6月10日，梅西在对阵巴拿马的比赛中上场，仅用了19分钟就完成帽子戏法。
What
拥有双重国籍的球员怎么办？如果是欧洲公民，可以参加2016欧洲杯，但前提是他们必须放弃为其他国家队出战。拿梅西的队友伊瓜因举例，他可以代表阿根廷和法国出战，但是他选择了前者。
Q: Why is Cristiano Ronaldo, the star of the Spanish club Real Madrid, playing for Portugal instead of Spain?
问：克里斯蒂亚诺•罗纳尔多（C罗），西班牙俱乐部皇家马德里的球星，为什么代表葡萄牙而非西班牙参赛？
A: First of all, league games and games between countries are completely different. It all comes down to citizenship: The Euro 2016 teams have to choose from players who are citizens of the countries they represent. Cristiano Ronaldo is Portuguese and therefore has to play for Portugal. The same goes for the World Cup and the Olympics. By contrast, Ronaldo can play in any country he likes for league tournaments. In fact, he first gained fame as a Manchester United forward in England. In 2009, he transferred to Real Madrid to pursue greater challenges and a higher pay. However, players from Spain, England, Italy and Germany are less likely to choose league teams outside their home countries since these countries have the top leagues worldwide.
答：首先，联赛与国家队之间的赛事完全不同。这跟公民身份有关：2016欧洲杯的球队选择的球员，必须是代表自己国家的公民。C罗是葡萄牙人，所以他为葡萄牙出战。这个道理同样适用于世界杯及奥运会。相反，在联赛方面，只要C罗愿意，他可以去世界上任何国家踢球。事实上，C罗是在英格兰的曼联队声名鹊起。2009年，他转会到皇家马德里，寻求更大的挑战，以及更高的薪水。然而，来自西班牙、英格兰、意大利以及德国的球员，很少选择其他国家的联赛，因为他们祖国的联赛已经是世界最高水平。
Q: I just saw the ball pass the goal line. Why was the goal ruled out?
问：我看到球过了球门线，为什么不算进球？
A: The most common situation is that it was an offside goal. Being “offside” can be confusing for soccer newbies: Basically, it means that a player from the offensive team has positioned himself too close to the goal line. Unless the ball has approached the goal line, there needs to be at least two players between the offensive player and the goal. Otherwise, it’s against the rules for the offensive player to receive the ball and score with it.
答：最常见的情况，是越位进球。对于新球迷来说，“越位”太让人挠头了。基本上，越位的意思是一名进攻球员太靠近球门线。除非球在球门线上，不然就必须要有至少两名防守队员站在进攻队员以及球门线之间。否则，进攻队员接球、得分都算犯规。
Speaking fluent ‘soccer’
畅聊足球
If you get a chance to watch a game with die-hard fans, here are some surefire conversation starters.
如果有机会和铁杆球迷一起看球，说这些话绝对不会错。
1. Before the game: Ask your fellow soccer fans which team they think will finally “lift the silverware” –the silver Euro 2016 trophy. The odds seem to favor teams like France, Germany, Spain, England and Italy. Don’t forget to add some insightful commentary to your conversation. You might try, for example: “Although France is a strong team, I think the advantage of being the host is exaggerated.”
1. 比赛前：问你的球迷朋友，哪支队伍会最终“捧起奖杯”——即2016欧洲杯冠军。他们可能会喜欢法国、德国、西班牙、英格兰和意大利。别忘了在对话中加一些“深刻见解”。比如，“尽管法国是个强队，但是我认为东道主的优势被夸大了”。
2. During the game: When you see players straying from their positions, shout “Push up!” or “Get back!” You may need to do some research in advance, to figure out who the defenders and strikers are and where their positions should be.
2. 比赛中：当看到球员离开了自己的位置，你应该喊：“压上！”或者“回防！”你需要提前做些功课，弄明白谁是后卫谁是前锋，以及他们应该在什么位置。
3. After the game: It’s time to critique the teams and their performances. You might try this line: “So-and-so missed a goal so easy that I could have scored it.” Share pictures of some vintage players in your WeChat Moments – Andriy Shevchenko, the assistant coach of the Ukraine team, is a good choice – and write a pithy caption, like: “He’s getting old, and I’m no longer young.”
3. 比赛后：到了评价球队及球员表现的时候了。你可以试着这么说：某某错失良机，换我都踢进去了。在朋友圈里分享一些老球星的图片——比如舍甫琴科，乌克兰队助理教练就是个不错的选择——然后写下简明扼要的描述：他老了，我的青春也不在了。
