Soccer, or Football as our European and South American cousins call it, is hands down one of the biggest sports in the world. Played by millions of people around the globe and watched by hundreds of millions more, the "world game" is not only a fantastic and engaging sport to watch but just as enjoyable to play, especially from the comfort of your own home. There's nothing better than grabbing some mates, ordering pizza, knocking back a few drinks, and having a late night FIFA session.

While FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer are the best two soccer games on the market and have battled for the throne for a number of years, it hasn't always been the case. When consoles and PC gaming was first introduced in the 80s there were dozens of different soccer titles, with many endorsed by current and former players. While today's younger generation are spoiled with FIFA, the most successful soccer franchise, those of us older enough to remember soccer games from the 90s and early 2000s didn't have the luxury.

While there was certainly more variety in games on offer, the majority of them were absolute trash. Games such as Sega Soccer Slam on the Super NES and the woeful Three Lions on the original PlayStation are just two examples of awful soccer games, with this article delving into 25 of the worst soccer adaptions of all time. From the Commodore 64 aberration, Emlyn Hughes International Soccer, through to more recent releases such as FIFA Street 2 on the Nintendo DS and Kids Sports: International Soccer 2008 on the Wii, this list will help you stay away from the worst soccer games available.

25 Glen Hoddle Soccer (Amstrad CPC)

via: sabatogetimes.com

It's never a good sign when a game is endorsed by a player and his name is spelled wrong, so expectations were already low when Glen Hoddle Soccer hit the shelves. Named after the former Tottenham, Monaco, Swindon Town, and Chelsea player, Glenn Hoddle, who went on to manage England, Glen Hoddle Soccer was a side-scrolling soccer game that was pretty standard in terms of gameplay and graphics for that time.

The biggest problem with the game was the method of choosing your player. 

Instead of automatically picking the player closest to the ball you were required to hit a button to change player. This sounds all well and good but more often than not the player furthermost away from the ball would be selected, allowing the computer controlled opponents to grab the ball and score.

24 UEFA Champions League 2001/2002 (PlayStation 2)

via: YouTube (10min Gameplay)

It's generally agreed by many soccer fans the UEFA Champions League 2001/2002 video game was one of the worst in the series. The game was stripped back to the basics and featured only teams playing in the Champions League that season.

It was very much FIFA but without all the teams and added options.

The gameplay was abysmal and it was one of those games where shooting wasn't an important skill, with players able to take shots from ridiculous angles and score without any drama. The good news was the game improved over time and became one of the better soccer simulations, although the focus on the Champions League teams always meant it was still better to spend your money on FIFA as it featured almost every team and country squad in the world.

23 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)

Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer has been FIFA's biggest challenger to the best soccer game crown. It has always been seen as a more realistic take on the sport than FIFA but without all the officially licensed teams and players, although that has improved over the years. Much like FIFA 13, PES 2008 was the first of the franchise to be released on the next generation of consoles. Instead of being an enthralling game demonstrating why the series was so good, it ended up being a terrible conversion people avoided in droves.

It's commonly referred to as the worst PES game of all time.

The graphics were laboring, the game engine struggled, and the A.I. was appalling. The soundtrack was almost unlistenable and the ability to change the text of teams and players was a feature taken away from the game. The PS3 version was especially buggy, with glitches and slow frame rate a major problem upon release.

22 FIFA Street 3 (Xbox 360)

via: gamingcypher.com

The first FIFA Street was an exciting experience, taking the round ball game to the streets and giving fans a chance to play in an urban environment. The sequel improved on the original, with better graphics and gameplay but things went downhill with the third release. FIFA Street 3 took all the good things that made the previous games great and threw them out with the kitchen sink. First off, the players were redesigned as Slenderman lookalikes and just appeared plain weird. The gameplay was also altered, with more attention being paid to offense than defense, meaning it was much easier to score than defend. The exotic locations used throughout the game were great to look at but not even they could help improve this one. It's almost as if the actual soccer takes a backseat to the tricks and unique skills your player possesses, with style over substance being a key factor in the game's failure.

21 Emlyn Hughes International Soccer (Commodore 64)

via: YouTube (GEKKO)

The majority of people purchased this game because it came with an official endorsement from Question of Sport’s Emlyn Hughes. The former world-class footballer was best known for his stint at Liverpool where he captained the team to a host of domestic and European trophies. Unfortunately, unlike the silky skills he displayed on the pitch, Emlyn Hughes International Soccer was a dog's breakfast.

The view of the pitch from the sideline meant you often couldn't see what was ahead of you on the field, with almost every tackle resulting in a foul, something familiar with many soccer games released in the early 90s. Scoring a goal was unbelievably difficult with games often ending 0-0 or 1-0. One of the game's redeeming features was the use of crowd noise, with EHIS being one of the first soccer games to try this out.

20 FIFA 08 (Wii)

via: YouTube (Retro Footballer)

FIFA is widely regarded as the best soccer simulation on the market, unless you're a Pro Evolution fan. Released annually by EA Sports, it's one of the few fully-licensed Soccer game's depicting real leagues, teams, and players, from all across the world.

FIFA 08 was the first game to be released on the new generation of consoles with a new game engine.

The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii, all got versions of the Soccer game, with all three generally being praised by game critics and players. The graphics were much better and the gameplay improved, but FIFA 08 also included a bunch of new features and systems that didn't all work well. EA Sports used the game as a training ground for future releases, with the following year's FIFA 09 taking all the best things about FIFA 08 and turning it into one of the franchises best releases ever.

19 Actua Soccer 3 (PlayStation)

via: YouTube (GamesOf Thenineties)

Actua Soccer was the first sports game released by Gremlin Interactive in 1995. The original was such a success that England striker Alan Shearer endorsed the game and allowed his image to be used on subsequent releases. Unfortunately, by the time Actua Soccer 3 hit shelves in 1998, other soccer simulations were taking over the market. Despite improved graphics and a wider range of club teams available, Actua Soccer 3 was a fairly dull incarnation. Martin O'Neil's addition to the commentary team wasn't as exciting as many imagined and the fact the fully licensed FIFA franchise was finally taking off meant Actua Soccer 3 was left in the dust. It's a recurring theme that FIFA acted as a dagger to take most of these franchises out.

18 Gazza's Super Soccer (Atari)

via: YouTube (pestsjim 1)

Few soccer players have had as interesting of careers as the one and only Paul Gascoigne. The man was super talented on the pitch and bled white and red for his country, but off the field, his life was plagued by controversial incidents. This didn't stop Gazza from scoring his own video game in 1989. Gazza's Super Soccer was quite a different type of soccer simulation, much like Gazza himself.

The game wasn't side scrolling, instead split into three different screens.

The midfield was still a side view of the pitch but when the ball was played towards the goals a new screen would appear with the goal at the top of the screen instead of the side, like the accompanying picture above. This made things bloody hard to keep track of where the ball was going.

17 Three Lions (PlayStation)

via: YouTube (MfaRec)

There was much hype around England's chances of winning the World Cup in 1998. David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Paul Scholes, and Paul Ince, were just some of the players involved in what proved to be another disappointing campaign. Looking to cash in on the event, the Football Association - the governing body of association football in England - released their own game in the lead up to the tournament. The result was Three Lions, or Alexi Lalas International Soccer, as it was known across the globe.

Fully endorsed by the FA, it included all the players suiting up for England but suffered from a poor game engine. While playing it was quick to see not much time or effort had been put into developing the game. The graphics weren't great and it was sometimes hard to identify the real-life faces of the players in the game.

16 Kidz Sports: International Soccer 2008 (Wii)

via: YouTube (SilverSleet)

The Wii was Nintendo's way of creating a console aimed squarely at children. The games developed for the system were meant to be fun and exciting, with the Kidz Sports franchise a light-hearted series of sports games for the kids. Kidz Sports: International Soccer 2008 was the third game released in the series and quite possibly the worst.

It's hard to articulate just how horrible this game was.

The graphics and gameplay are unbelievably bad for a game made in 2008, the frames often skip making it hard to play, and the control system is challenging and unresponsive. The goalkeepers are so poor at saving goals you could shoot with your eyes closed and still score. The game is so bad IGN gave it the lowly score of 1/10, saying, "Kidz Sports International Soccer is, like its Z-branded shovelware companions, a digital turd." Enough said.

15 RedCard 20-03 (PlayStation 2)

via: YouTube (10min Gameplay)

As we entered the 21st-century video game developers were looking for new ways to improve soccer simulations and entice audiences to purchase their products. One such game that got a fair bit of attention was Point Of View's RedCard 20-03. The main difference between RedCard and other soccer games was the lack of rules. Fouls and aggressive tackles were allowed, and diving for free kicks and penalties encouraged. The game also had a boost meter you could use to unleash special moves and the graphics and gameplay were generally solid, despite the odd flicker. Strangely the game also included a world conquest mode where you would take your team across the world (including Antartica) to compete in matches against a wide range of teams, including a S.W.A.T. team and dolphins in soccer uniforms.  It's an experience playing this game but after a couple of hours there's not much replay value and you'll soon find yourself drifting back to FIFA.

14 Freestyle Street Soccer (GameCube)

via: YouTube (CGRundertow)

The unusual continues with 2004's Freestyle Street Soccer. The action is no longer confined to grass pitches with games taking place on the streets in alleyways and concrete surfaces. The main Turf War mode allowed you to pick a team (the likes of the Skater Boys, Hardcore Honeys, Shakedown, and Tagging Crew) and battle on the streets to become the number one soccer gang. This might sound impressive but Freestyle Street Soccer was another bad attempt at refreshing soccer simulations.

The game just wasn't fun.

Freestyle Street Soccer featured a similar game engine to older soccer simulations and had no new features apart from the street setting. The dialogue between characters is laughable and the computer's A.I. terrible, making it easy to score goals but hard to defend them. The one shining light was the game's soundtrack, with the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, Method Man, and Feeder all featuring.

13 Pure Futbol (PS3)

via amazon.com

Pure Futbol sounds like it's going to be a realistic soccer game focused on gameplay and technique. Oh, how wrong that summation was. Pure Futbol was Ubisoft's attempt at an arcade style soccer video game. Selecting teams from around the world, players are involved in a 5-a-side competition with an emphasis on over the top maneuvers, outrageous shooting, and other ridiculous gimmicks. The gameplay was absolutely shocking, with the shooting system a failure and the computer A.I. terrible, with goalkeepers often diving left or right when a shot is aimed directly at them in the center of goal. The graphics were also disappointing, with the characters in the game modeled on real-life players but coming across as cartoon versions of humans. Did I mention there are also no referees but you are often penalized for standard tackles? If you want an authentic soccer game give this one a miss and grab a copy of Pro Evolution Soccer.

12 FIFA 13 (Wii)

via: gameinformer.com

It didn't matter what console you played FIFA 13 on, as the general consensus amongst fans was that it was horrible across the board. But the adaptation of the game for the Wii was exceptionally bad.

The major sticking point was FIFA 13 on the Wii was pretty much a repackaged FIFA 12.

The kits and rosters had been updated but almost everything else, including the opening intro, menu screens, and in-game dialogue, were exactly the same. Instead of building on the game engine of FIFA 12 and adding extras to help make it a better game, EA just slapped a 13 onto the packaging and hoped nobody would notice. That aside, the game was a typical FIFA release and enjoyable to play, it's just gutting when you hoped for improvements and get a similar game that was released a year ago.

11 David Beckham Soccer (Game Boy Advance)

via: YouTube (Classic Vgm Soundtracks)

Handheld consoles don't have a good record when it comes to soccer games. The small screen doesn't work well and David Beckham Soccer is just one of many games that failed to set the handheld gaming world on fire. Unlike Beckham, who at the time of the game's release was one of the most entertaining and skillful players in the world, the game is a boring and repetitious soccer simulation with hardly any redeeming features. The graphics, as expected on the small screen, are horrendous, while the gameplay devoid of fun and the sound terribly annoying. IGN summed it up best by saying; "The Artificial intelligence provides no challenge, the controls provide no depth, and the gameplay provides no fun." In other words, David Beckham Soccer is much like Beck's personality, dull.

10 Kris Kamara's Street Soccer (PlayStation)

via: the-totality.com

As far as football personalities go these days, few are as unintentionally hilarious as Kris Kamara. Having had a successful playing career with a number of teams, he turned his attention to the media where he is now a Sky Sports pundit, often the behind of jokes from his co-hosts due to his knack for mangling the English language and missing important moments of games he has been sent to cover.

For some unknown reason, he was given his own video game in 2000.

Kris Kamara's Street Soccer is another depressing 5-a-side street soccer game. This list is full of terrible street ball soccer adaptations and Kamara's is no different. Poor graphics, idiotic A.I., and boring gameplay all make this one avoidable. The game also lists the Prague team as coming from Norway rather than the Czech Republic, which at least is in line with Kamara's geographical knowledge.

9 Codemasters Club Football (Xbox)

Codemasters were well known for their successful soccer management series LMA Manager. The game was one of the leading soccer management series and kept the company afloat. Unlike many managerial games, LMA Manager was suited to consoles because it had an easy interface and featured simulated games that got better with each release. This led the company to believe they could come up with a standalone soccer game to rival FIFA and Pro Evo. Oh, how wrong they were.

In an attempt to capture the soccer-loving public, Codemasters made multiple versions of the same game focusing on a different club in the some of the top European leagues. Each game played the same except contained the players and logos of one particular team for you to control. The likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, Ajax, AC Milan, and Celtic, were paid millions of dollars to have their own game. 22 club affiliated versions were released but as they catered to such a niche market, the game bombed.

8 Sega Soccer Slam (PlayStation)

via: YouTube (KIDS Global)

If the cover isn't enough to warn you about how bad this game is then I think you might need glasses. Sega Soccer Slam tried its best to give a new take on the soccer genre but ended up making a game best left on the shelves. Sega Soccer Slam lets you attack other players with normal soccer rules such as free-kicks and corners eliminated. There were six teams of four players for you to choose from, such as the Mexican-wrestler-led Team El Fuego and African centric Team Spirit. Players used dirty tactics and super powers to take out the other team while scoring goals. It's certainly a colorful and original idea trying to capture the imagination of those who want a soccer game with a difference. The main problem was there were other similar games such as Sensible Soccer and the first FIFA Street that did the job much better.

7 Lego Soccer Mania (PC)

via: YouTube (10min Gameplay)

Lego is just as big now as it was when I was a kid so it's no surprise the building blocks have infiltrated the video game world. While the likes of Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, and Lego Indiana Jones, became terrific games embodying the fun of playing with Lego, the same can't be said for Lego Soccer Mania.

Released in 2002, the game incorporated soccer into a Lego setting with disastrous results.

The simplified version of soccer pitted six-a-side teams against each other in stadiums based on Lego products, such as playing games on a spaceship, pirate ship, and in the Wild West. There are no offsides, throw-ins, or fouls, and players used power-ups within the game to get an advantage. It might sound great but this game was released at a time when the graphics weren't that good.

6 Pele II: World Tournament Soccer (Sega Megadrive)

via: YouTube (AlexZhano)

Released 13 years after the original Atari game Pele's Soccer, the Sega Megadrive version was more of a reboot than a sequel. The use of Pele's name was no doubt a marketing tool as Pele II: World Tournament Soccer came out in 1994 to coincide with the soccer World Cup. The game itself is playable but like so many soccer games released during the 90s, it suffered from a lack of official licensing. While it did feature all 24 countries competing in that year's World Cup, the game didn't feature real-life players' names. It was US Gold's rival title World Cup USA '94 that secured the license to use the players' names, making it a much more authentic gaming experience. Each country represented in Pele II had a team of 13 fictional characters with the likes of Brian O'Brien playing for Ireland and the world-class Goggles Pisano fronting Italy's attack.