London, Dec. 11: A new survey of soccer fans around the globe reveals the beautiful game is a regular topic of conversation for more than eight out of ten of them.

Compare that to the number - just a quarter - who would bother discussing love, relationships or family matters and to the one in five who ever talk about the economy, reports The Sun.

More than half of fans also choose football as the perfect ice breaker conversation when talking to a stranger for the first time.

Barclays Premier League carried out the survey that involved interviewing 32,000 fans in 185 countries.

According to a separate BT Vision survey, fans are giving up going to the pub to watch matches because of the global credit crunch, as well as being priced out of the stadiums.

It is a worry because most fans of the Premier League (57 percent), according to the Barclays survey, rate the atmosphere at games and the passion of the supporters as the most appealing aspect of the Premier League.

Three years ago, when the same survey was carried out, it was the quality of the players that was the key attraction.

The Barclays survey also found that 85 percent of the fans would never change the team they support, and they are by no means just glory hunters.

A third of supporters claimed they were attracted to their team by the style of football rather than purely family tradition (14 percent) or a history of success (14 percent).

The favourite current player, getting the vote of 38 percent of fans, is Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres.

David Beckham's goal from the half-way line against Wimbledon in 1996 was the favourite Premier League moment of all time, according to the survey.

The survey found that there is hardly a football fan around the globe who does not follow the English Premier League.

The survey found fans spend on average of 51 pounds per month supporting their team, with some spending up to 112 pounds. (ANI)