Pepsi’s All Star Six-a-Side Team Lose via Didier Drogba Own Goal

March 1st, 2010 | by: Daryl | View Comments

One of the many many marvelous things about a World Cup year is that advertisers really step up their attempts to sell us products by linking them to the beautiful game. That means big names, big budgets and big spectacles.

The above Pepsi commercial is just such an example. It features no less a sextet than Leo Messi, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Kaka and Andrei Arshavin being challenged to a game by some (presumably South African?) locals, with a can of fizzy brown water as the prize.

All kinds of happenings in this commercial. Including a pitch made of people and Leo Messi receiving a blow to the head. So much happens that it’s impossible to pick out one aspect to write about. Instead, here are my notes (yep, I took notes on a Pepsi commercial) in the form of bullet pointed ramblings:

• Those Pepsi shirts the players are wearing make me dizzy. And not with joy.
• Messi, Henry, Drogba, Lampard, Kaka, Arshavin is quite a six-a-side team. But no one wanted to go in goal. And that’s why they lost.
• Frank Lampard is extremely right footed.
• On first viewing I thought Didier Drogba was asking “Where’s the beach?” but it’s actually “Where’s the pitch?”
• On first viewing I also thought Messi was saying “Terry?” at the end, as in “John Terry?” But clearly he’s saying “Thierry?”, as in “Thierry Henry?”
• Not giving comedy Russian Andrei Arshavin any lines was clearly a mistake. They should have let him do some improv.
• Would the rotating pitch move be possible in a real game? If so, is that why Liverpool sold Xabi Alonso?
• If Kaka twists his ankle, Messi gets knocked unconscious and Drogba scores an own goal at World Cup 2010 proper, then I’m reposting this video.

So yes, much craziness here. Let’s hope for more on-screen commercial craziness as we begin the approach to World Cup 2010.