As the 23rd edition of the World Cup heads to its championship determining climax, the BBC offers two specials to mark the celebrated event:
Agony and ecstasy - A history of penalty shootouts
What is it about penalty shootouts that create so much drama and entice even non-soccer fans to watch the big games? Former South African international captain, Amanda Dlamini, looks back at the history of the shootout and asks why it has such a psychological impact on players and fans. She also looks at whether there could ever be an alternative to spot-kicks to decide knockout games.
And...
Good Bad Billionaire: Cristiano Ronaldo
We delve into the business of soccer as we look at the sport's first billionaire.
Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in poverty on the remote Portuguese island of Madeira but has leveraged social media fame to build his CR7 brand empire, becoming one of the most recognizable people on the planet. Business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng trace Ronaldo's rise from a homesick kid playing for the academy at Portugal's soccer club Sporting CP, to global superstardom at English team Manchester United and Spanish giants Real Madrid, where relentless training and record-breaking performances turned him into a sporting and commercial machine.
