Soccer Legends 2021: the big-head football game with a supershot on every footballer
Soccer Legends 2021 is the game most people know as Football Legends, the side-on football game by MadPuffers, the studio behind Basketball Legends and Basketball Stars. Everything happens on a single small pitch with a goal at each end: two, four or six footballers with enormous caricature heads, a ball that bounces off heads and crossbars, and a clock that keeps the match short. There is no formation to manage and no team to build. You run, you jump, you shoot, and every so often the meter at the bottom of the screen fills and the supershot key turns into the moment the match swings on. The clubs and players are parodies — The Herons, the Meringues, a familiar bearded Argentinian in pink — so nobody had to sign anything and everybody still knows who they are playing as.
The build on soccerlegends.me is the HTML5 version served from this domain. It loads with the page, needs no download or account, and runs at full speed on a school Chromebook because the whole game is a nine-megabyte Phaser project rather than a Unity download. Quick Match drops you into a game against the computer at once; 1 Player opens a Tournament for a run of matches, or a Friendly where you pick both clubs and the 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3 mode; 2 Players puts a friend on W A S D beside you. Each footballer carries a special ability — Fireball, Teleport and the rest — and learning when to spend it is most of what separates a 1–0 grind from a comfortable win.
Controls & mechanics
| Action | Control | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Move and jump (P1) | Left / Right, Up | Jumping into the ball is how you head it; a jump at the right moment blocks a shot too |
| Shoot (P1) | X | A normal kick; aim comes from where you are relative to the ball, so shoot on the move |
| Supershot (P1) | Z | Fires your footballer's ability once the ball meter at the bottom is full |
| Slide (P1) | Down | A sliding tackle that takes the ball, or the opponent, off their feet |
| Player 2 | W A S D, L shoot, K supershot, S slide | Same moves on the left side of the keyboard so two people fit at one laptop |
| Pause and music | Buttons at the top right | The pause button stops the clock; the note toggles the stadium sound |
Winning matches in Soccer Legends 2021
- Shoot from the header, not the ground: The keeper is only strong along the ground. Jump into the ball as it drops and press shoot in the air and it goes over him far more often than a low kick, especially from just inside the halfway line.
- Save the supershot for a clear path: The meter takes most of a match to fill, so a supershot wasted into a defender's back is a match without one. Wait until the ball is at your feet with only the keeper ahead, then press Z; a Fireball at that range is close to a guaranteed goal.
- Slide when the computer is running at you: The computer opponent dribbles in straight lines. A slide timed as it arrives takes the ball cleanly and leaves it on the floor, which is the easiest counter-attack in the game. Slide from behind and it gets the ball back.
Key features
- Three ways in: Quick Match for an instant game, 1 Player for a Tournament or a Friendly with your own choice of clubs and mode, and 2 Players at one keyboard.
- 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3: Friendly and two-player matches let you pick the number of footballers a side, and the extra players change how crowded the goalmouth gets.
- Abilities and supershots: Every footballer has an ability such as Fireball or Teleport, fired with the supershot key once the meter at the bottom of the screen fills.
Game info
- Title: Soccer Legends 2021
- Developer: MadPuffers
- Category: Head-to-Head Football
- Platform: Web browser (HTML5)
- Players: 1 vs computer, or 2 at one keyboard
Pro tip: In a Friendly, the two footballers you pick are not interchangeable: the ability shown under each portrait is what your supershot does. A Fireball is the simplest to score with because it goes straight through the keeper, so if you are new, pick a Fireball footballer for the 1v1 and learn the Teleport later, when you can read where the ball reappears.
Frequently asked questions
What is Soccer Legends 2021?
A side-on, big-head football game by MadPuffers, also released as Football Legends. Two to six caricature footballers on a small pitch, one key to shoot, one to jump, a sliding tackle, and a charged supershot that fires each footballer's special ability.
Is it the same game as Football Legends?
Yes. The title screen still says Football Legends; Soccer Legends 2021 is the name it was published under on the game portals. This site serves the HTML5 build from its own domain.
Can two people play?
Yes, at one keyboard. Choose 2 Players on the menu: Player 1 has the arrow keys with X to shoot and Z for the supershot, Player 2 has W A S D with L to shoot and K for the supershot.
Is it free?
Yes. Soccer Legends 2021 plays free in your browser on soccerlegends.me with no download, no account and no time limit.
Does it work on a phone?
The build is made for a keyboard. It will open on a phone, but the two-player mode and the supershot timing are far easier on a laptop or a Chromebook with the arrow keys.