This is the 2612th most frequent Chinese word.
足球
Football (soccer).
In this sentence, "足球" refers to the sport of soccer.
我喜欢踢足球。
I like playing soccer.
Here, "足球" indicates the physical soccer ball.
他买了一只新的足球。
He bought a new soccer ball.
"足球" in this context refers to soccer as a globally recognized sport.