SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Soccer legend Eusebio is scathing about commercialisation of modern soccer

Record ID: 454788

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - Soccer legend Eusebio is scathing about commercialisation of modern soccer
  • Date: 5th July 2010
  • Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (JULY 1, 2010) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) FORMER GERMAN NATIONAL PLAYER AND GOLDEN BOOT WINNER in 1970 GERD MUELLER AND FORMER PORTUGAL NATIONAL PLAYER AND TOP SCORER IN 1966 WORLD CUP EUSEBIO HOLDING GOLDEN BOOT TROPHY NEWS CONFERENCE/PAINTINGS OF PLAYERS FROM WORLD CUP ON THE WALL PAINTINGS OF EUSEBIO AND GERD MUELLER ON THE WALL (SOUNDBITE) (German) FORMER GERMAN NATIONAL PLAYER GERD MUELLER SAYS: "Unfortunately I need to say he is also from Bayern Munich. His name is also Mueller. He might well become my successor one day. He has got the same number of goals and I am very proud of him." PHOTOGRAPHERS/PAINTINGS ON THE WALL/HIGH GOAL SCORER DAVID VILLA OF SPAIN (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FORMER PORTUGUESE NATIONAL PLAYER EUSEBIO SAYS: "To answer your question, as you have seen on TV and in the stadiums I have no doubt that this little player who happens to be Argentine will prove to be the best player of this tournament - Messi." REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FORMER PORTUGUESE NATIONAL PLAYER EUSEBIO SAYS: "It is difficult for me to make a comparison, given the fact that I played so many years ago. What I can state is that in my generation, the generation of the '60s, soccer was really played and it was played all over the world. Today I should say soccer is nothing else but a commercial enterprise. The quality of the players, well there are some good players but essentially the show is a commercial one." GOLDEN BOOT TROPHY ON SCREEN/GOLDEN, SILVER AND BRONZE BOOT TROPHIES ON DISPLAY PAINTINGS ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FORMER PORTUGUESE NATIONAL PLAYER EUSEBIO SAYS: "I know Kaka vey well. He is a gentleman and a true professional. If you watch a soccer player you must watch him very carefully. In this particular case I saw Kaka being provoked by the other player, I didn't actually see him touch the other player. What I believe also is that maybe the linesman shouldn't fall asleep." PAINTINGS OF EUSEBIO AND GERHARD MUELLER EUSEBIO SIGNING HIS PAINTING/MUELLER SIGNING HIS PORTRAIT EUSEBIO AND MUELLER POSE WITH GOLDEN BOOT AWARD
  • Embargoed: 20th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAF4QK88QYP4GS6ECUWPT32FW8C
  • Story Text: Soccer greats Eusebio and Gerhard "Gerd" Mueller sang the praises of Lionel Messi and Thomas Mueller on Thursday (July 1) as they considered candidates for the Golden Boot award and their favourites as player of the World Cup tournament.
    Portugal's Eusebio also took a swipe at all sponsors of soccer when he condemned modern soccer as nothing but a "commercial enterprise."
    The Golden Boot goes to the player who scores the most goals in the World Cup and so generally favours the best goalscorer in the most long-lived team in the tournament.
    While David Villa and Gonzalo Higuain are among the highest scorers so far, the two former players had other favourites. For Mueller they shared the same name.
    "I need to say he is also from Bayern Munich. His name is also Mueller. He might well become my successor one day," said Gerd Mueller. "He has got the same number of goals and I am very proud of him."
    "To answer your question, as you have seen on TV and in the stadiums I have no doubt that this little player who happens to be Argentinian will prove to be the best player of this tournament - Messi," said Eusebio.
    Eusebio would have won the Golden Boot of his day, scoring nine goals in the 1966 World Cup and taking Portugal to third place during a long national and internatonal career.
    Gerd Mueller scored ten goals in the 1970 World Cup and scored the winning goal over Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup final.
    Eusebio was scathing about the modern game and its commercialisation compared to when he played, even though he was talking at a function to promote the Golden Boot award and the sports company who sponsor it.
    "It is difficult for me to make a comparison, given the fact that I played so many years ago," Eusebio said. "What I can state is that in my generation, the generation of the '60s, soccer was really played and it was played all over the world. Today I should say soccer is nothing else but a commercial enterprise. The quality of the players, well there are some good players but essentially the show is a commercial one."
    When asked about players "diving" in the World Cup to gain advantage, especially in the incident which saw Brazil's Kaka sent off during the Ivory Coast match, Eusebio gave Kaka his backing.
    "I know Kaka very well. He is a gentleman and a true professional. If you watch a soccer player you must watch him very carefully. In this particular case I saw Kaka being provoked by the other player, I didn't actually see him touch the other player. What I believe also is that maybe the linesman shouldn't fall asleep," he said.
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