The FIFA World Cup™ begins tomorrow and in the tradition of all good sporting pundits I am about to make a bold prediction on who will be celebrating come July 11th.
My congratulations go to.......Nike! That’s right, this World Cup is a battle of sponsors and kit manufacturers.
Looking at the usual main contenders, anyone offering outrageous deals if England win the World Cup should be safe. So that’s bad news for anyone who has taken up Nationwide or Currys on their World Cup promotions. Sadly the genius of Rooney and the discipline of “Mr Capello™” won’t make up for our traditional shortcomings in technique and failure from the penalty spot.
So who else might triumph in South Africa? Well let’s start with the defending Champions, Italy. An ageing squad and defeat in a warm up match against Mexico suggests the Azzurri could be heading home sooner than their 2006 odyssey, all of which is bad news for fans of skin tight kits!
With Italy out of the way, how about Germany, the other traditional European powerhouse? A constant threat at major international tournaments, this one seems a step too far, deprived of their talismanic captain Michael Ballack, Germany look ill equipped to progress past the quarter finals, meaning adidas will have to look to its other teams for success.
Up first, Argentina. Guided on the pitch by the finest player of his generation Lionel Messi and managed by possibly the greatest player of all time, Diego Maradona, surely the Argentineans must be one of the favourites? Sadly, anyone who saw them in qualifying will know that even Messi’s genius cannot counteract Diego’s tactical frailties; if they do triumph in South Africa, Messi’s reputation will be surely verging on that of his manager, especially if he helps them past our final two candidates...
A final between five time champions Brazil and reigning European Champions Spain, is undoubtedly football purists’ dream ending. If the Nike laden Brazil team have trimmed down on flair for this tournament, they still possess stars such as Robinho and Kaka to maintain Brazil’s tradition as entertainers. Spain’s technical superiority over the past three years has set the world alight, their combination of quick passing and lethal finishing has set opposition pulses racing at a similar rate to that of another famous team wearing the adidas three stripes, the Total Football playing Dutch of the 1970’s.
Meanwhile, Nike has one ace up its sleeve that no-one else can lay claim to. It is the sponsorship of club side Barcelona. Even if Spain or Argentina does triumph at the World Cup, the stars of their respective teams will be donning the famous Barcelona kit with the Nike logo emblazoned on it next season. The thought of Xavi, Iniesta and David Villa (to name but three) combining for their national side and returning to play for the same club team is a kit manufacturers dream! And for the football fans it’s not a bad prospect either.
David Godfrey
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