How to Advertise for the World Cup

As an avid fan and follower, I have loved seeing the growth of American soccer in the last 10 years. This might be attributed to the influx of multicultural sports fans or maybe simply because it is the world’s game.

Every year, more Americans become supporters of the beautiful game and the growth is evident. In the last 5 years, Major League Soccer (MLS) has seen 5 new expansion teams and 2 more are in the works for 2020. During the 2014 World Cup, over 26.5 million Americans tuned in for the final, an increase of 10% when compared to the previous tournament.

““Heineken was not born here. Soccer was not born here. But the US consumer is embracing both.” ”

— Nuno Teles, CMO Heinken USA

However with this new interest, comes a challenge for advertisers. Unlike its American counterparts, soccer does not lend itself easily to commercials. With more Americans becoming enthralled with the sport, advertisers are dealing with the challenges of the game. With no breaks during the 45 minute halves and less than 15 minutes during halftime, the scope of influence for traditional television ads are being reduced to nothing. So how have American advertisers gotten over these challenges?

TOURNAMENT SPONSORSHIP

The big daddy of them all, this level of advertising is reserved for a small group of brands that can afford the price tag to go along with it. Coca Cola, Visa, and McDonald’s are some to name a few. These partners of the upcoming World Cup enjoy full marketing rights, allowing them to capture the attention of international audiences.

STADIUM SIGN BOARDS

Think of them as mini billboards surrounding the pitch. These digital boards rotate brand collateral throughout the game, showing off their goods to the fans in the stadium, as well as all those watching on the live broadcast. At the club level, these tend to be more localized. On the international level (like the World Cup), brands like Adidas and Budweiser take over.

JERSEYS

Now think of these as moving billboards. Teams across the world sell ad placement on their jerseys as an additional point of revenue. The more popular the team, the more money you will have to dish out. In 2016, European teams generated $930 million from shirt sponsors alone. And with this form of advertising, it expands outside of the 11 men on the field. Fans around the world can buy replica jerseys that also have corporate names displayed on the front, substantially multiplying a brand’s reach. Taking inspiration from their European counterparts, the Portland Timbers struck up a cozy relationship with their sponsor Alaskan Airlines. Check out their unique partnership below:

IN GAME ADS

Due to soccer’s natural lack of stoppage, networks are getting more creative with their advertising by introducing in-stream ads. This form has become a point of contention between networks and viewers. Simple versions of this format include sponsored score boxes which remain static. Whereas, some networks have tested in stream ads that work as a ticker across the bottom of the screen. Networks such as FOX, will need to recoup their $400 million for the rights to broadcast the 2018 and 2020 World Cups and this is how they plan to do it.

SOCIAL MEDIA

All of these methods are great for big national brands, but the smaller business will not be able to afford such expensive means of advertising. This is when social media comes into play. With a strategic social media campaign you can hit fans with local ads for marginally less.

Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz

Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz was born in the Bronx and raised by a Puerto Rican mother and father. Naming herself a ‘Nuyorican’, she has struggled with her identity as a first-generation American born into a country founded on immigrants. She is a walking contradiction in her struggle to discover herself in a society with predetermined categories. Unsure what group to include herself in, she uses art as means to challenge these labels.

Despite traditional training in painting and drawing, Raimundi-Ortiz is best known for her performance and interactive art. As an award-winning interdisciplinary artist, she has created works through means of video, installation, spoken word, and performance art. She discovered that she needed to express her thoughts and beliefs through means that outstretched a simple canvas. Craving a larger outlet for her creative overflow, she turned to this technique as a better conduit for her artistic energy.

PorcelaReina (Queen Series), performance portrait by Melissa Bush

Can you describe your artistic process?

My work is really grounded in storytelling. There is a story that needs telling, and I work on finding a way that tells that story in a unique way. Can I move bodies around a room? Can I challenge the viewer with their own expectations/biases? Can I use a popular art method in an unexpected way? Much of my ‘studio time’ is spent watching people, thinking of how they move and behave. I pay attention to my experiences and try to find ways to make a very personal thing relatable to others… the challenge is in keeping the process exciting and fresh for myself. How do I make this a personal challenge? How do I keep my ideas and work creatively relevant for audiences? Where do I draw the line? Where do I cross it? I am also interested in art as activism, a platform to have uncomfortable discussions about otherness. The source of my work is my own experience being a misfit Other (as most of us are) and navigating that landscape of Puerto Rican, American, academic, artist, trouble maker, observer, Bronx chick transplant, code-switcher, culture conduit. Since most misfits are charged with the task of teaching about their otherness (whether we want to or not) I use the work as a multi-purpose tool.

Bargain Basement Sovereign” 2015, photo by Dominic Di Paolo

Did your interest in performance art come after your training as a painter and drawer?  Or did both methods simultaneously grow? What got you into performance art?

I was primarily trained in drawing and illustration. Performance happened when I, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, simply could no longer keep up with drawing as a way to tell my stories. I was introduced to performance art at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2002. It became a much sharper, precise vehicle for me to express my thoughts and concepts. I was drawn to the immediacy of the medium, the direct call and response with the audience, the limitlessness of the practice. Not an actor, but a performative presentation—actions created to spark discourse, piss a few people off? Blur lines between truths? Destabilize viewers and tip their reality a bit? Part social experimenter, part shaman, part trickster… these are the things that keep me engaged in the practice.

As a professor at UCF, how is teaching art to other artists?

I enjoy teaching other artists. I enjoy pushing them beyond their chosen skill set. I invite them to challenge themselves to dig deeper for inspiration, push harder than their own expectations. I look at it less like teaching and more like coaching. If the talent and drive are there, my job is to refine it and pay forward what was given to me.

Gringa Reina (White Girl Queen), performance portrait, 2015, photo by Dominic Di Paolo

Favorite project worked on?

That is hard because I’ve loved my work (almost equally). I am certainly loving the Queens that I have been working on, but I had a great time working on the Ask Chuleta series. That was a real hoot.

Can you elaborate more on the story behind Wepa Woman? Is she still an ongoing story?

I haven’t written or created many Wepa Woman stories these days. Mainly my attention to my identity has shifted greatly since I left New York and I feel that she was a direct line to my life back there. Wepa Woman and Chuleta Bitch were the key players in my comic inspired by my life in the Bronx. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was already investigating otherness within my community as a young artist with ideas and expressions that defied the expectations of my surroundings. Raised to be very proud of my Puerto Rican heritage and somewhat self-righteous conduct, I was a rebellious goody two-shoes in goth makeup and leather, politicized in college about colonized mentalities and angry about “thugged out” lifestyles and expressions that I felt, at the time, set the Latino struggle backward. However, I was also personally struggling with the stereotypes of my culture that I failed to meet. I wasn’t Puerto Rican looking enough and was ostracized, called out, or ignored in my neighborhood. I was too ethnic to feel included by white kids at school. Wepa Woman spoke my thoughts but looked nothing like me. Chuleta looked more like me but spoke as the voice of the life I rebelled against. My life is different here, much more layered and complex, as an academic, working professional artist. I am older, more introspective. Didn’t expect these things to affect my process as much as it has. I have been flirting with revisiting the characters and bringing them up to speed with my own life changes and experiences.

You mentioned that it is loosely autobiographical work—how much of Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz yourself shines through this character?

Honestly, all of my work is loosely autobiographical. Wepa Woman and the other characters in the stories were versions of my personality: multiple voices, ideologies, clashing concepts of self, culture, accountability, community. It is where I worked out (and uncovered) the nuances of the politics of my multiple identities. I was able to pull each persona out and develop them individually. I guess I still do that now, with the queens, in a much more elaborate way. The work is where I try to figure stuff out—power dynamics, external influences, internal dilemmas. Art making is how I try to make sense of the world(s) that I live in.

You currently have a show running at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Displacement: Symbols and Journeys. Could you elaborate more on the show and what works you have included?

I have one work in the Displacement show… a drawing of my mother as the Queen Mother. She is the epitome of displacement and resilience. She arrived in this country in the 50’s with a small baby and another on the way, 20 years old and unable to read or write. Somehow she and my dad managed to raise seven children on one Puerto Rican man’s wages. She got us up and ready for school, pushed us to excel. There are now four women in my family that hold master’s degrees. She pushed herself to learn how to read at the age of 60 or so. The catalog where her portrait is published is a book she can now read on her own.

Her existence and resilience is why I do what I do. I cannot imagine having language as the ultimate barrier, that her story never be told or recorded, that a life as amazing as hers be erased if not documented. In my drawing, she is wearing a crown made just for her. Without her, there would be no me, no art, no queens, no court. She IS the Queen Mother. My success as a professional is evidence of her presence on this earth.

Do you have anything in the works at the moment?

I have several irons in the coals right now. I am currently showing several drawings of key women in my life at the Cornell Fine Art Museum at Rollins College and at the American University’s Katzen Art Center in Washington DC. This body of queen drawings are of women that have been important to my growth as a woman, as a ‘queen’. They are the Royal Court—where I, as a woman and creator, have been groomed and cultivated, where I draw my courage, where I go for wisdom, comfort, support, rejuvenation. These drawings are where I have spent the bulk of my summer and will spend the next year or so. Along with another very intimate performance and a memorial created for the victims of the Pulse tragedy here in Orlando. I am also preparing for a solo show at Longwood Art Gallery in New York.

Triste Reina (Sorrow Queen) Graphite on Arches Paper

What is your dream project?

I just saw the catalog of my life before my eyes. My dream project would be to have all the narratives that have woven throughout my career be laid out in a Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz show/book format. Almost like a huge exhibition with a corresponding catalog.

But that isn’t really a project; those are life goals. I have wanted to connect with women that are survivors of various kinds of abuse and help them create royal archetypes for themselves. [I want to] help [them] reenvision themselves as true queens, survivors, warrior women, empresses… I would like to empower them with art the way art has given me voice and strength to unpack my issues, look at them, understand them, work through them, and emerge victoriously as a result. Yeah, that is my dream project. I would like that very much, indeed.

En El Rio, wall drawing

El Camino, wall drawing

As a creative activist, Raimundi-Ortiz uses her artistic expression as a means to generate a message. Whether it be personal or universal, she likes to create a discussion that causes her audience to really think about themselves and the world around them. Questioning preordained commonalities within our society, along with searching for new truths in oneself, Raimundi-Ortiz uses everything as inspiration. Much can be discovered about oneself through others. She hopes that when people listen to her narrative, they will learn new things about themselves. And in turn, she will gain new insight into those around her.

She understands that not everyone fits into neat little boxes, but rather they far outstretch any means of categorization. Growing up as a Hispanic woman in the Bronx, she struggled with finding herself and where she fit into the larger community. She explains that she was “not light enough to be included in the mainstream of ‘gringolandia’ or the Anglo world, and not dark enough to belong in the black community.” Since learning to embrace uniqueness, Raimundi-Ortiz now uses her ‘otherness’ as a tool throughout her art, much like a painter would a brush.

You can see more at her website. 

Matthew Cornell

On a sunny afternoon, I had the pleasure of meeting a brilliant artist by the name of Matthew Cornell. Well known for his hyperrealistic landscape paintings, Cornell uses his art as a medium for self-exploration. Seeking to connect his origin story to a place, Cornell has explored the idea of home through his show, Pilgrimage. His current works were “born out of the idea of home.” Cornell was born into a military family, so he was raised as a nomad who grew up on the road. Throughout his childhood he was uprooted many times, and to this day, he still questions his sense of place. Having no real “sense of home”, his oil paintings of suburban scenes and landscapes lead him closer to his answer.Pilgrimage was recently displayed at the Arcadia Contemporary in New York City last spring. The show was accumulation of many years of hard work, and his wrestling with the ideas of “home” and “hometown”. Cornell explained his show by simply stating, “How can I find home? Maybe I can find it right back where I started.”

Night Swimming, oil on panel

As someone who was born and raised in Orlando, I have had the pleasure of calling this city home for many years. When I sat with Cornell, it was hard for me to imagine not calling one place home. I then came to the conclusion that he and I could not be more different. I grew up in the same area for 18 years, and will always call O-Town my hometown. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to travel a lot as a kid but it was only ever for a couple of weeks at a time, so I never really got to live and engage in a new community. Even when I went to university in North Germany, I still felt like I wasn’t a part of that community. My school was an English-speaking institution that was situated in the heart of a suburban area, and due to the language barrier, it was very rare for students to interact with the surrounding neighborhood. So, although I can say I lived in a foreign country for three years, I did not engage with local community.

Drawing on my own personal encounters, I then questioned how much Cornell participated in his new surroundings when he moved from place to place. He revealed that his older sister attended 12 schools in the span of 12 years. Assuming you were uprooted as much as Cornell was, would you bother to understand and partake in your new environs? Although this particular subject was not brought up in the interview, I think I can say that Cornell took in his new settings quite well and has used them for creative inspiration later.

To prepare for his show Pilgrimage, Cornell traveled throughout the country, visiting his past lives. Every house he has ever lived in was painted for the show. Along the way, he discovered himself and the lives that have touched him most. He even painted the childhood homes of his parents and wife. Having lived in Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio, and several cities in California, Cornell covered a lot ground.

Niagra, oil on canvas

When I asked him how many states he had visited, he simply said, “all of them.” Not a small feat by any means, Cornell described his passion for the road, declaring, “I feel mostly at home on the road.” In love with its openness and ability to bring you anywhere, he likes “being somewhere where you are nowhere.”  While taking this self-discovery tour, Cornell told me that his wife and he never really had plans, and loved discovering new oddities. Small museums and novelty shops were exciting stops along the road, because they always found something interesting that held a story and a connection to a place. But what were Cornell’s stories that held connections to places for him?

I began my interview with asking the simple question, “What got you into painting?” figuring this would be a good start to Cornell’s story. He went on to explain that, like many other children, he was exposed to the wonders of art at a young age, though he admits he “had an interest in it beyond the average kid.” However, it wasn’t until he was 19 that he rekindled this passion. By accident, he had found some paints in his friend’s garage, and a spark was lit. From here, he moved away from a pursuing a degree in journalism to work towards a B.F.A. Taking art history and studio courses, he began his journey as a trained artist.

Soon, after earning his B.F.A from California State University Long Beach, he was dumped into the big city of Los Angeles. Having no real sense of his degree and its application to real life, he moved to Kentucky. Planting himself within a very conservative, suburban area, he began to paint portraits of children and families to make a living. However, after five years of doing so, he “didn’t want to be limited to just painting five year olds,” so he became involved in outdoor art festivals.

Cornell later admits that these events forced him to become a better painter. Teaching him to work with deadlines and pushing him to find clarity in his works, he found his focus. He soon found an interest in large landscape paintings.

Living in Kentucky and Kansas, he became fascinated by the tornadoes that ravaged the midwest. Originally working with large-scale storm paintings, he enjoyed the “quiet reaction” to these big pieces. However, if you have taken a look at his more recent pieces, the oversized canvases would surprise you.

Pilgramage, oil on panel

In Pilgrimage, most of his works’ sizes average around less than one square foot. He found that by painting small, detailed pieces, it forced the observer to look closer to the smaller picture. “I wanted to do something that was small and intimate,” says Cornell, “I wanted others to see something huge in a smaller piece.” He has noticed that this latest trend tends to gain more reaction than his large-scale pieces. However, Cornell likes the idea of exploring different ways of working and approaching things.

As he is predominately a studio painter, Cornell is more inclined to photograph his journey and take those special moments with him. However, he enjoys sketching on site, as it allows him to capture the color just right. For his finished products, he mainly works with oil paints, as he believes that these give him flexibility and create a “kind of depth in the paint that you don’t get with acrylic.”

Halcyon Days, oil on panel

At first glance, most of his paintings look like photographs, but as you gaze closer, you can see the layers of paint used to create the texture of shingles on a house. You can clearly see that each home is treated with the utmost care. Cornell mentioned that he preferred working with smaller canvases because he was better able to see the details within his paintings.

From there, it didn’t take long for Cornell to explain his fascination with dawn and dusk. Describing his love affair with these times, he explains that they are moments “between things” that have the ability to “shroud things in a half light” and can make anything mysterious. He even joked that he could make a trashcan look ominous and “interesting” at this time of day. Ultimately, he loves dusk’s ability to take over the imagination. Most of his scenes are depicted at dusk, capturing an eerie essence of movement and life. Human activity is not directly seen, but rather implied.

Inheritance, oil on panel

While touring his past houses and meeting the current residents, he recognized that they were creating stories on top of his own. When visiting a home in which he resided for only a few short months, he discovered that his marks made as a small child still remained. Wandering around the house, he found that he had carved his name upon the stairs. He was surprised it had not been painted over; he enjoyed seeing his childlike handwriting so many years later, bringing memories to the surface.

Middle America, oil on panel

Cornell still continues to explore his own past through his paintings, but is now searching for new inspiration. He currently resides in Orlando, and admits that landing in Florida has lasted a lot longer than he ever expected. Captivated by the South and its stories, Cornell wants to begin exploring the rural history of the region. He is interested in the idea of painting the huge mansions and plantations of a time past, and understanding the transitional periods, from the wealthy to the desolate. Cornell wants to capture the heart of small towns and their times gone by, and the survival of a culture that still remains today,  questioning why people are sticking around in areas that have “clearly died.” “The South has a lot of interesting stories to it . . . [especially] how it has evolved in the last 150 years,” remarks Cornell.

As the interview wound down, I asked Cornell my final question, “Who is your favorite classical artist?” at which point he responded with, “Vermeer.” Prior to the interview, I had gone into full research mood and explored all of Cornell’s works and history, but the minute I saw his suburban landscapes, I equated him to a modern-day Vermeer. With his light-infused paintings and his ability to capture every last drop of sunshine upon a canvas, I fell in love with his works. As a photographer, Vermeer is a personal inspiration beyond comparison, and Cornell’s hyperrealistic pieces are right up there, too. He has the talent to take a moment in time and a capture a piece of his heart, which is truly remarkable.

Sacred, oil on panel

In his piece Sacred, he paints the childhood home of his wife, in which her father still resides. His capacity to capture the light within the home and the soft overcast of the driveway is amazing. He describes this piece as a representation of “what is good about this country and how well we can adapt and prosper and nourish friendship for, in this case, a very long time.” The home on the right belongs to a woman who has been a friend and neighbor of Cornell’s father-in-law for over 54 years. Both raised families in these homes, and have kindled a friendship that has spanned many decades. One is Jewish and the other is 7th Day Adventist. They have “differences and commonalities and can still see and understand the beauty and honor of their experience even as the arc of their lives reaches near its end.” What Cornell truly appreciates is the sense of home that has been created and describes it as a “hallowed ground . . .it is sacred.”

With each piece created, another piece of the puzzle is put into place in the jigsaw that is Cornell’s life. He understands that in order to comprehend oneself, one must also appreciate the surrounding lives of others. That’s why he continues to explore his past and those around him. Art is a means to understand the world around you, and Cornell uses it to understand himself. He still has a long road in front of him, but will continue to create in order to identify his own place. I, myself, use writing as a medium to explore the deeper crevices in my mind, but ultimately use it to understand others around me. By connecting yourself to one place, person, or thing, you can grasp the idea of “self” a little more easily.

See more at matthewcornell.com

Lord Protectors Playing It Safe

Photo Credit: Lars Baron/FIFA/Getty Images

The goalkeeping at the 2014 World Cup has been of the highest order. Thankfully there have been plenty of goals in Brazil, however we would have had many more but for the agility and professionalism of the men between the sticks.

Some great goalkeepers, such as Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) and Manuel Neuer (Germany), were already world-renowned coming in the event, and have added to their reputation. However others have used this world stage to make their name. And perhaps to get themselves summer transfers to bigger and better-paying clubs than they now play for.

Here we pick our ‘Magnificent Seven’ of the goalkeepers at this World Cup.

Tim Howard

Photo Credit: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Mancheser United (2003-07): 77 apps

Everton (2006-): 347 apps

United States (2002-): 103 caps

After four years at Old Trafford, the American keeper left when they signed Edwin van der Sar, thus pushing the stopper out of the starting XI. In the hopes of more playing time, the American moved to Everton, where he set the club record for most clean sheets in a season in 2008-09. Howard is now making headlines for his heroic display at the 2014 World Cup—making his mark with an 82.4 percent save rate, according to FIFA’s stats.

Guillermo Ochoa

Club América (2004-11): 211 apps

Ajaccio (2011-): 112 apps

Mexico (2005-): 63 caps

After a misinterpreted doping suspension prevented ‘Memo’ from signing for Paris Saint-Germain, the Mexican keeper signed with a different French club, Ajaccio, in the hope of playing in Europe. In his second season for the club, he single-handedly save the French side from relegation in Ligue 1 and continues to be a huge asset for the team. After his 2014 World Cup performance, with a 76.9 percent save rate, the now out-of-contract keeper has his pick of clubs to sign for.

Thibaut Courtois

Chelsea (2011-): 0 apps

Atletico Madrid (2011-14) [loan from Chelsea]: 111 apps

Belgium (2011-): 21 caps

Having signed for Chelsea in 2011, the Belgian No. 1 went directly on loan to Atletico Madrid only weeks after joining the London club. However, after winning the Ricardo Zamora Trophy—with the lowest goals-to-games ratio in the league—in back-to-back-seasons, and a La Liga medal this season, Chelsea have sense and Courtois is on his way back to Stamford Bridge this season.

Julio Cesar

Photo Credit: Stu Forster/Getty Images South America

QPR (2012-): 24 apps

Toronto FC (2014-) [loan]: 7 apps

Brazil (2004-): 85 caps

Stealing the plaudits after his display in Brazil’s penalty shootout win over Chile, Cesar is currently on-loan at Toronto FC of the MLS. After signing for QPR in the Premier League, Cesar could not halt their dismal slide towards the Championship. His move to Toronto was designed to keep him in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Brazil plans. It worked.

Sergio Romero

AZ Alkmaar (2007-11): 90 apps

Sampdoria (2011-): 61 apps

Argentina (2009-): 51 caps

An unlikely hero of Argentina’s World Cup journey, Romero has prospered at this tournament in spite of playing just three times for Monaco last season while there on loan. Glories in the nickname of ‘Tiny’ even though he is 6’ 4”. Apparently his basketball-playing older brothers were taller than him as kids, hence the moniker.

Hugo Lloris

Nice (2005-08): 72 apps

Lyon (2008-12): 146 apps

Spurs (2012-): 64 apps

France (2008-): 62 caps

Lloris was a fine goalkeeper for the excellent Lyon team that had a few good runs in the Champions League during his time there. His move to North London didn’t work out initially, with Brad Friedel often chosen ahead of him. But now Lloris is established as the Spurs No. 1 and many consider the Frenchman to be the best keeper in the Premier League.

Manuel Neuer

FC Schalke (2006-11): 156 apps

Bayern Munich (2011-): 95 apps

Germany (2009-): 50 caps

Manchester United tried very hard to get Neuer to move to England when left Schalke in 2011, but they couldn’t persuade him to join them instead of Bayern—the Red Devils instead purchasing Spain’s David de Gea. For a long touted as the best young goalkeeping in the world, the giant German is now moving to the stage where the word ‘young’ can be dropped.

Stopper Who Saved Their Careers . . .

Several goalkeepers have had their hearts broken when they were let go by their sides—only to go on and excel at other clubs. Here are three recent ‘back-from-the-brink’ No. 1s:

Shay Given

Celtic (1991-94): Youth Career

Newcastle United (1997-2009): 354 apps

Ireland (1996-): 125 caps

The Irish keeper played for the Celtic Boys Club, never reaching it to the Scottish Premiership. He joined Blackburn Rovers at the age of 18. Three years later, he flourished under the management of Newcastle United, being named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2002. He is best known for his time on the Irish National Team with 55 clean sheets.

Ben Foster

Manchester United (2005-2010): 12 apps

West Bromwich Albion (2011-): 91 apps

England (2007-): 8 caps

After Alex Fergerson’s proclamation that Foster would be “England’s goalkeeper for the next 10 years,” the keeper left the club after failing to win the No. 1 sport from the illustrious Edwin van der Sar. He went on to play for West Bromwich Alboin, maintain 10 clean sheets in the 2011-2012 season. He played for England in the World Cup against Costa Rica.

Chris Kirkland

Liverpool (2001-2006): 25 apps

Wigan Athletic (2006-2012): 131 apps

England (2006): 1 cap

During his time at Liverpool, he served as an understudy to first-choice goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, however his time at the club was limited after sustaining multiple injuries that benched him for most seasons. He received a spell of luck when he was loaned to Wigan, and remained a permanent fixture, winning club's Player's Player of the Year award in 2008.

The Mad, Mad, Mad World of Soccer

Photo Credit: Reuters

While many believe that Luis Suarez should have to wear a muzzle when he ends his four-month FIFA ban, he is only the latest in a series of soccer stars that have been shown to have a crazy streak in them.

Step forward Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Mario Balotelli, Paul Gascoigne, Diego Maradona and George Best as further examples of the mad, mad world of the football superstar.

When the red mist descends, when the moon is full or simply when the Guinness is flowing too freely, stand by for fireworks, kung-fu kicks and assault charges.

Photo Credit: Action Images

Eric Cantona remains one of the most famous examples of someone who just lost his mind. The Frenchman, launched himself into a famous kung-fu kick at a man in the crowd who had insulted him. He was later gave a bizarre statement about seagulls following trawlers, that very weird thoughts can inhabit the mind of even the best and most famous of footballers.

Paul Gascoigne was a genius on the pitch but sadly for him his mental problems, as well as his drinking and drug addiction, made him a pathetic figure. He suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, as well as from bulimia. He was also bipolar, an obsessive gambler and admitted to beating his wife. In 2008 he was sectioned following a suspected suicide.

Roy Keane always had a dark side and claimed revenge on Norwegian footballer Alf-Inge Haaland with a crippling tackle. He never forgave Haaland for a clash between them in 1997, when the Leeds player accused him of faking injury during a game. In fact, Keane had ruptured his knee. The memory of that day festered in Keane’s mind for a long time until the day that he came across Haaland, now a Manchester City player in April, 2001—when he decided the moment of retribution had come. As he later wrote: “I’d waited long enough. I f****** hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c***. And don’t ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.”

Mario Balotelli is nothing like as scary as Keano or as ill as Gascoigne, but that’s not to say he is not right in the head. He later needed the help of the fire brigade after setting fireworks in his Manchester pad.

George Best practically invented the role of the soccer star as drunken womanizer. As he famously said: “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars—the rest I just squandered”.

Diego Maradona was found guilty of assault with weapon after injuring four reporters outside his Argentine home in 1994. He was later given a suspended jail sentence of two years and 10 months and later had to pay $15,300 to a wounded journalist.

Other Sports Madmen

Soccer does not exclusively hold the rights to sporting madness.

Mike Tyson, for instance, can even put the cannibal tendencies of Luis Suarez to shame. In what must surely still be the best famous sports bite of them all, he took a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s right ear during the third round of their heavyweight fight in 1997 in Las Vegas. He was also convicted of rape and once said of a rival: “I wanna eat his children”.

Dennis Rodman didn’t just play basketball. He also dressed up as a gypsy woman, wore a wedding dress promote his book Bad as I Wanna Be, had tattoos and piercings and would kick the odd cameraman around. There was also an aborted suicide attempt.

Ice-skater Tonya Harding paid a hit-man $6,500 to take down her top competitor Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. Although it was not a bone-breaking hit, Kerrigan was forced to pull out of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, successfully securing Harding’s place on the Olympic team.

Tiger Woods turned out to be really a swinger of different kind. His madness was in believing he could keep his sex secret under the covers. When his wife found out she attacked him with a seven iron.

O.J. Simpson also had it all. As an NFL great he was one of the most famous in world sport. I also turns out he was also nuts. After a long trial he was found not quilty of the murders of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, but he was then convicted of numerous felonies including armed robbery and kidnapping. He will be residing in jail for most of the next 30 years.