The evocative power of the World Cup is so overwhelming that in this period almost all commercials try to take a piece of that aura. Clearly the most important sports brands dominate the sector, turning out real masterpieces, cult narratives that will remain in the imagination more than some of the finals of the World cup and more than many moments of real football.

But many other brands also have their say, creating strange or funny moments that combine the twisted dynamics of advertising with the world of football. Below I tried to take a walk in the various competitions, starting from Italy '90 and choosing the most beautiful commercials, curious and crazy, trying to convey this collective frenzy that takes us every 4 years.


Italy '90

Before Nike Football managed to eat our brains with "Good VS Evil" in 1996 (the one with Cantona), the football commercials were quieter, less ironic, less fast, less science-fiction-movie-that-I-would-like-to-come-up-in-theaters-faster, and watching them today you realize they looked like sixties' stuff. But be careful, they are still very beautiful. This one was made by Rai for the World Cup at home seems like a metaphysical dance essay written by people with that sense of humor that only they can understand. But looking at it from a different perspective it makes me think that the reference models were less strong and everyone expressed themselves as they wanted. Perhaps this is better than mimicking poorly ESPN.

Adidas instead chooses to assemble actions and reactions of great champions on the song "Funiculì funiculà", clearly without any level of irony. Today, the meme generator situated at the center of the Earth would explode.

To give you an idea of the mood that the commercials had in those years I also chose this one about Franco Baresi for Gatorade. Once again a classic piece is chosen, in this case by Ennio Morricone. Baresi trains on the field and in the gym, but compared to a footballer today he looks like a good old father. The bottle of Gatorade is obviously made of glass.

USA '94

Someone has forgotten it, someone was too young, someone does not want to remember; for safety, I propose this IP commercial with Roberto Baggio in a leather jacket and a child who tells him "are you the one who will play my coupon?

But the commercial you just saw is nothing without its remake with Guzzanti which is definitely the funniest thing of this piece.

France '98

Nike's commercials seriously begin to bend football imagery and shift the attention of fans around the world. This cult short film will pass on over the years the idea of the Brazilian Seleção that enjoys itself, that jokes, that plays soccer as on the beach, also filming in detail the tricks of Denilson and Ronaldo.

The latter had become one of the major attractions for the children of the time who committed themselves to copy them in the square with the Super Santos. In particular, those of Denilson on the conveyor belt had become a wise man to emulate perfectly. The combo is as follows: sombrero raising the ball from the ground, hook, two dribbling left-right outsole, raising the ball again, small footpeg and tunnel to a cart. Please, do it now.

South Korea - Japan 2002

The problem with organizing a World Championship in Korea and Japan is that you then get the crazy advertisements of those countries. I have chosen two spots that directly involve Italy and that I find as ingenious as they are irritating. The first reconstructs the action of Totti's expulsion in Italy-South Korea. After the foul comes Byron Moreno (an actor of course) and instead of pulling the red card out of his pocket, he pulls out an ice cream. In fact, it is an advertisement for an ice cream made after the competition. It makes an impression (and even a bit laughing) to see Italian players played by oriental actors with wigs getting desperate. We can also see Giovanni Trapattoni with his white hair protesting on the bench. Lars Von Trier would not have done any better.

The other commercial features Pierluigi Collina, chosen to advertise takoyaki or Japanese fried meatballs. I think the sense of the video is that Collina's head is as round as these fish balls. Here the director that comes to my mind is not the Danish Von Trier, but David Lynch, look and you will see.

In conclusion, I couldn't exclude this 2002 Pepsi ad with Roberto Carlos, apparently packaged for the Brazilian public. Since there is no need for any comment on the spot, I want to continue with the game of directors made so far, bringing into play in this case the great Mel Brooks.