Legends

"To say that these men paid their shillings to watch twenty-two hirelings kick a ball is merely to say that a violin is wood and catgut, that Hamlet is so much paper and ink" said J. B. Priestley on soccer.

Love it or hate it, football is a masses' sport in many countries around the world. Football can be glamorous, rude, sad, joyful... It's not as honest as it used to be, when Pel� or Maradona played (50s and 60s/80s). Many argue that football has lost its magic, that is all about marketing and making profits...and it might be. However, football is one of the few sports which is able to get together thousands of people in its stadiums, people who travel to another country to support their team, people whose only religion is watching football...

Now Louis Vuitton has launched a new series within its long term campaign about the company core's values, portraying three of the best football players of all times to celebrate the World Cup 2010. For this campaign, infamous portrait photographer Anne Leibovitz captures the essence of the celebrated football legends.

Football has lately become a sport intrinsically related to fashion. Maybe the Beckhams have a lot to do with that. Maybe its the Hollywood-esque way of life of many football players. I might sound slightly idealist here, but to me, football still has the spark and so does fashion. That's why this photo has made my day.

When the legends talk:

Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be Pele. I have a great responsibility to show them not just how to be like a soccer player, but how to be like a man.
Pele (Brazilian soccer player, considered possibly world's greatest)

The goal was scored a little bit by the hand of God, another bit by the head of Maradona.
Maradona (Argentinian soccer player, on goal against England in 1986 World Cup).

"You can't get bored of winning. You can win 10 games in a row but you keep the same will to snatch the 11th. You always need more." Zinedine Zidane (French football player)

"Decir que estos hombres pagaron sus chelines para ver a veintid�s hombres darle patadas a un bal�n es como decir que un viol�n es madera y cuerdas, que Hamlet es papel y tinta". dijo J. B. Priestley sobre el f�tbol.

El f�tbol es un deporte que mueve masas en muchos pa�ses del mundo. O lo amas o lo odias. El f�tbol puede ser glamuroso, bruto, triste, alegre... No es tan honesto como sol�a ser cuando Pel� o Maradona jugaban, all� por los a�os 50 y 60 uno, y durante los 80 el otro. Muchos dicen que el f�tbol ha perdido su magia, que ahora todo se reduce a publicidad y a hacer beneficios... y podr�a ser. Sin embargo, el f�tbol es uno de los pocos deportes que es capaz de reunir a miles de personas en sus estadios, gente que en ocasiones viaja de un pa�s a otro para apoyar a su equipo, gente cuya una �nica religi�n es el f�tbol...

Ahora Louis Vuitton ha inaugurado una nueva serie perteneciente a su campa�a sobre los valores internos de su compa��a. Esta vez el retrato muestra a tres de los mejores futbolistas de la historia (Pel�, Maradona y Zidane), en actitud relajada, jugando al futbol�n. La c�lebre fot�grafa Annie Leibovitz fue la encargada de capturar la esencia de los tres astros del bal�n para esta campa�a que celebra el Mundial 2010.

�ltimamente el f�tbol est� unido intr�nsecamente a la moda. Quiz�s los Beckham tengan algo que ver con ello. Puede que sea por el estilo de vida, un tanto hollywoodiense, de muchos jugadores. Puede que esto suene un poco idealista, peor yo a�n veo la chispa en el f�tbol y tambi�n en la moda. Por eso esta fotograf�a me ha alegrado el d�a.