Napoli Signs Defender Benoit Badiashile
Listen to the story
The Italian football club Napoli has signed a new defender, Benoit Badiashile. A defender is a player who tries to stop the other team from scoring goals.
Napoli's president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has officially confirmed the transfer. A transfer is when a player moves from one club to another club. The move is now final and public.
Fans who play fantasy football are already interested in Badiashile. In this popular online game, people build a team using real players. Each player gets a valuation, which shows how much he is worth in the game, based on his statistics, the numbers that describe his performance on the field.
Badiashile has also appeared in a very different context. An artist named Di Virgilio, who is known for making small figurines, has created a new one based on the defender. These figurines are traditionally used in a Nativity scene, a small model that shows the birth of Jesus and is popular in Italy at Christmas time.
The tradition of adding famous people, including footballers, to Nativity scenes is common in Naples. This shows that Badiashile has quickly become a well-known name among Napoli supporters, even before playing his first official match for the club.
Vocabulary10 words
- defender
- a player who stops the other team from scoring
- transfer
- when a player moves to a new club
- fantasy football
- an online game where people build teams of real players
- valuation
- how much something is worth
- statistics
- numbers that describe how a player performs
- figurines
- small statues shaped like people
- Nativity scene
- a small model showing the birth of Jesus
- tradition
- something people have done for a long time
- officially
- in a confirmed, formal way
- supporters
- fans of a team
Quiz
Answer key
1. Defender 2. The transfer of Badiashile to Napoli 3. A figurine of Badiashile for a Nativity scene
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Italian football club Napoli has signed a new _____, Benoit Badiashile.
Napoli's president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has officially confirmed the _____.
Fans who play _____ football are already interested in Badiashile.
Each player gets a _____, which shows how much he is worth in the game, based on his _____.
An artist named Di Virgilio, who is known for making small _____, has created a new one based on the defender.
These figurines are traditionally used in a _____, a small model that shows the birth of Jesus.
The _____ of adding famous people, including footballers, to Nativity scenes is common in Naples.