Much of the English-speaking world calls it “football.” Some call it futbol, futebol or fußball. Italians call it calcio. Americans call it “soccer.” And nobody should have any problem with any of that.There is no single universal language. People in different parts of the world have different names for the same things. Languages often mutate and adapt to the environments in which they’re spoken, which is how “football” and “soccer” came to be.“Football” came first. The popular explanation is that a game played with feet and a ball naturally became football. The alternate explanation dates back to medieval times, when, according to some etymologies, “football” was a game played on foot rather than on horseback.Either way, in the 1800s, two games played with balls on foot were codified in England: rugby football and association football. Oxford slang dubbed them rugger and (as)soccer. “Soccer,” therefore, became a common British name for the sport that eventually spread to all corners of the world. It wasn’t until the latter half of the 20th century that “soccer” faded in England. By the 21st, in England and elsewhere, rugby football was “rugby”; and association football had become “football.”