This is the 3278th most frequent German word.
fußball
Football (soccer).
In this sentence, 'Fußball' is used to refer to the sport of football (soccer).
Ich spiele Fußball mit meinen Freunden.
I play football with my friends.
Here, 'Fußball' denotes the ball used in the game of football.
Der Fußball liegt auf der Wiese.
The football is lying on the grass.
In this case, 'Fußball' represents the concept of football as a sport and cultural activity.