The advertisement, created by Wieden & Kennedy Amsterdam, features a three-a-side football tournament between 24 of world soccer's greatest players. The three-month campaign, entitled "secret tournament", breaks tomorrow on TV, poster, cinema, print, radio and CD-rom ahead of World Cup 2002, which kicks off in June.
The ad features a mini-tournament between some of today's most talented soccer stars including Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera and Rio Ferdinand. Cantona appears as the tournament's ringmaster, reuniting him with the brand he last promoted in 1997.
The film was shot by Terry Gilliam, director of 'Time Bandits', 'The Adventures of Baron Munchausen' and 'Brazil', against a remixed version of Elvis Presley's 'A Little Less Conversation'.
W&K creative director Glenn Cole said: "We looked for a broad idea that could keep unfolding in interesting ways and that would let the athletes just get out there and do their thing without much interference from us."
The ad was filmed as a three-minute short, with a 60 second cut-down, a 30-second cut-down and a further two 30-second spots which focus on two of the games.
The ads have been preceded by a series of 10-second teasers featuring mysterious shots of scorpions in a metallic environment. This week, team posters have been put up as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to help create interest.
The campaign aims to direct viewers to a new website called nikefootball.com, which includes information about the teams in the ads and will allow users to download clips of individual games taking place.
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