Saturated media coverage has removed the element of surprise as today's fan knows what to expect from players heading to South Africa. But playing in the World Cup remains the zenith of a career.
From Seoul to Seattle, Oslo to Auckland, more than 200 million people are expected to watch the opening match of the World Cup when it kicks off on June 11 in Johannesburg.
South Africa, the hosts, take on Mexico in the curtain-raiser and while in tournaments of yesteryear much might not have been known about either side, nowadays, courtesy of modern media, we know Steven Pienaar will wear a vest under his Bafana Bafana jersey that reads "God is Great", we know El Tri striker Javier Hernandez's father was called Chicharo and we know the capacity of the Soccer City stadium in Soweto is 91,141 making it the 19th largest stadium in the world.
There is no denying we are more informed now than ever before, yet, by undergoing an overload of information are we losing our sense of surprise? Is the globalisation of football resulting in the World Cup being less exciting?
When Pele made his debut at the 1958 tournament, few people outside Brazil had heard of the 17-year-old, who went on to score a hat-trick in the semi-finals and two more in the final. When he was kicked off the pitch in 1962, even fewer had heard of his replacement Amarildo, who successfully carried the torch for the Brazilians en route to victory.
South American football was not available to fans living outside the continent and so players' reputations were built or broken on the back of their performances in the game's global showpiece.
This month, the much-lauded Lionel Messi will have the opportunity to join South American icons Pele and Diego Maradona - widely regarded as the two best players ever. Messi has been in sensational form for domestic side Barcelona, netting 43 goals in 49 games. If he can replicate that form in Africa, few could argue he would deserve a place at the game's top table.
But he will arrive with a burden of expectation. Such is the media saturation surrounding the Argentine, everybody knows Messi's talents and anything less than a starring role will be seen as a failure.
The bar has already been set for the 22-year-old, and it is higher than ever before. And it is not only the spectators who will expect Messi to shine; his opponents will pay him special attention and with the likes of Didier Zokora and Emmanuel Eboue, the Ivory Coast duo, facing him yet again this year, their homework will have been done.
Zokora, of Sevilla, faced Barcelona twice in the Primera Liga last season, while it is no mere coincidence that Eboue, the Arsenal defender, came up against the diminutive magician when the London side met Barca in the Champions League quarter-finals, Europe's elite annual competition which is now, some believe, rivalling the quadrennial World Cup for being the greatest football show on Earth.
"I've been fortunate to play in it and it's the best competition in the world," says Peter Crouch. The fact the England and Tottenham forward could be talking about either competition proves there is substance to the belief that the Champions League - of which he was indeed referring - is quickly becoming the world's premier competition.
The world's best players strive to play in the Champions League and for the best teams, but a talented player from a small country cannot switch nationalities; his dream of playing in the World Cup hinges on his compatriots.
As a result, the majority of the world's best players compete in the European competition, while some - think George Best, Ryan Giggs, George Weah - never had the chance to compete on the global stage. John Barnes, the former England and Liverpool midfielder, however, strongly disagrees, labelling such arguments as Eurocentric and ill-informed.
"It may be more important to the European clubs, but the World Cup will always be the biggest; it is the one every player wants to be involved in," says Barnes. "The Champions League isn't anywhere near.
"From a financial aspect, then maybe, but you ask any player which medal they would rather have - Champions League winners' medal or World Cup winners' - and you will see where they stand."
"And I don't agree with the argument that everybody gets to watch the best players every week either - the Argentine fans don't see Messi every week. What we are talking about is European fans; there are fans all over the world, not just in Europe.
"But football is a global village, everybody follows it so you will see and know of the Messis and the [Cristiano] Ronaldos, but the World Cup is undoubtedly the biggest and most prestigious tournament in world football."
And it would appear the television ratings prove likewise: last year's Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona attracted 145.2 million viewers, which, while being 39 million viewers more than the Superbowl, still lags way behind the expected figures for this Friday's World Cup curtain-raiser.
@Email:gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
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LEADERBOARD
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- 600-seat auditorium
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
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- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
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Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
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1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Fixtures
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Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
