Welcome to our new daily World Cup column: OFFSIDE. During every World Cup, two headline ads from Nike and Adidas dominate, sponsoring 26 of the 48 teams combined. Adidas' ad, titled Backyard Legends, features Timothée Chalamet assembling a team to defeat unbeaten street footballers since 1996. It evokes nostalgic football ads blending street culture with legends, reminiscent of the 1990s and 2000s. The ad stars Chalamet, Lionel Messi as the GOAT Emeritus, and CGI versions of David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, and Alessandro Del Piero. In a humorous moment, Chalamet tells Messi: "You were my backup plan."
Nike's ad, Flip the Script, boasts an ensemble cast from past and present stars like Eric Cantona, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland, along with Ted Lasso and Kim Kardashian. The ad, headlined by Mbappe, shows his antics frustrating a director until Haaland saves the day.
Matchday 6: Dawn of Superstars
Matchday 6 was a showcase of superstar performances, blending both ad themes. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick against Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine Zidane, who hasn't inherited his father's football skill or infamous headbutt. Messi became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo, and equaled Miroslav Klose's record of 16 World Cup goals. Betting against him seems unwise.
Zinedine Zidane's son plays for Algeria due to Zidane's Algerian heritage; Algeria was a French colony for 132 years. While Messi's hat-trick was brilliant, Zidane's goalkeeping was questionable, especially on the second goal. Messi reminded everyone he's no passenger in his 200th game. Piers Morgan argued Messi received special treatment and should have been sent off for a tackle.
France avenged their 2002 loss to Senegal with a dominant performance from Kylian Mbappe, who scored a brace and set the tournament standard. Notably, 10 of Senegal's 22 players were born in France, and this tournament features 98 players born in France, the most of any nation, ahead of the Netherlands (67) and England (49).
Haaland and Iqbal Make History
Erling Haaland scored his first World Cup goals, looking like a destructive machine. Zidane Iqbal made his debut for Iraq, becoming the first player of Pakistani origin in a World Cup.
Upcoming Matches
Messi's day is done; now Cristiano Ronaldo takes the stage as Portugal faces the Democratic Republic of Congo. Portugal boasts stars like Bruno Fernandes, the Premier League Player of the Year.
Later, England, with the world's most annoying fanbase, faces Croatia, led by the ageless Luka Modric. Croatia humbled England eight years ago; England hasn't won the World Cup since 1966 and lost in the last two Euro finals. Manager Thomas Tuchel left out Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Harry Maguire, relying on Harry Kane's scoring form.
Ghana plays Panama, missing Thomas Partey due to rape and assault charges in the UK. Uzbekistan faces Colombia at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Fabio Cannavaro, 2006 World Cup winner, told his team they have "nothing to lose", but they face Luis Diaz and nostalgia merchant James Rodriguez.
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