Paddy Power urges public to adopt Henry, Torres and Ronaldo

LONDON - Bookmaker Paddy Power is to launch a tongue-in-cheek campaign around the theme of adopting one of the stars of Euro 2008, as part of a stunt to drum up interest in the tournament following England's failure to qualify.

The bookmaker has created a dedicated website called where visitors can adopt one of four footballers including French forward Thierry Henry, Spanish striker Fernando Torres and Portuguese winger Cristano Ronaldo.

Henry is described on the website as "a normal happy boy" who "left his loved ones and now finds himself alone on a bench in Barcelona" in light of his transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona last season.

Torres is referred to as "a shy Spanish boy who likes scoring goals but is repeatedly let down by those around him in Liverpool and Spain."

The campaign includes press ads in the Daily Star and thelondonpaper, with radio spots on TalkSport and Century Radio.

A mock TV ad will also be seeded online as a viral ad in addition to email newsletters, that will be sent to Paddy Power's customer database.

Adam Perrin, the chairman of Adoptafootballer, said: "With no home nations to support at Euro 2008 this summer the world's greatest football fans have a lot of love to give. Please -- don't turn your back. Together, we can make a difference."

The campaign breaks this weekend to coincide with the start of Euro 2008 on Saturday.

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