Now of course the picture is different. The first round matches are well underway. Germany and Holland have proved that goals can be scored at will. Portugal’s Pepe has confirmed beyond doubt that few would be as fool as him.
But before all that started, before the Argentine fans intertwined through gridlocked traffic off Copacabana beach to watch Messi perform magic against Bosnia, Google had provided ringside views of Brazil’s soccer madness what with people having painted streets and buildings heralding the greatest sporting event.
In so doing Google has exposed the soft underbelly of Brazil’s impoverishment where glitzy towers live cheek by jowl with shanties, much like what we see in Kolkata, Mumbai, and other Indian cities.
And yet – fancy this – the love for the beautiful game is omnipresent. As the 32 teams slug it out for the honors, let’s not forget that football is about hopes, aspirations, and entertainment of millions of people across the globe. They sleep, eat, and die for this wonderful game. And they vouch that perhaps no other event had or will ever be as uniting as the FIFA World Cup, cutting across all the nations in every corner of the globe.
With that…over to Google’s 360 degree show of Brazil’s street paintings.
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