Let's Party Like Brazilian Soccer Players

Have you seen the new Nike commercial airing during the Euro 2008 matches on ESPN2? (Note: There is a European soccer tournament taking place in Austria and Switzerland for those of you whose sports attention span stops at the border). It's a great little ad that tracks a fictional Dutch kid's rise from playing for a local team to signing with Arsenal in England and eventually getting called up to the Dutch national team - all from the point-of-view of the player (let's call him Rutger - that's a good Dutch name). Take a look for yourself:

It is a great piece of advertising. What made me smile the most was at the 51 second mark when Rutger gets out of the limo with his girlfriend. He is greeted by adoring (mostly female fans), and is only too eager to cheer up one who apparently has a lot on her chest that day. Girlfriend looks over disapprovingly...

I got a real charge out of that moment because four years ago I was fortunate to get into the Brazilian national team's post-match VIP party in Dublin following their exhibition match against Ireland. All I can say is that the Nike commercial is obviously tame given what goes on during a soccer player's extra-curricular time. It's a great story that gets better after a few drinks, but here's what happened:

I spent my junior year abroad living in Dublin and was fortunate to get tickets for Ireland's exhibition match against the mighty Brazilians at Lansdowne Road on February 18, 2004. There was excitement in the air and a definite festival vibe in and around the stadium. Just having the Samba Kings in town was enough to get everyone in the partying mood. The game ended in a nil-nil draw, but we all felt the Irish outplayed the Brazilians on that night and deserved a win.

Following the match, my buddies and I went back to have a few drinks at a bar near my apartment. We were a couple beers deep when my friend received a text from his girlfriend ("she's not my girlfriend") which read: "Come over to Lillies Bordello now." Lillies Bordello is one of the most famous nightlife spots in Dublin - a place where Britney Spears, movie stars, and other assorted rich and beautiful people like to hang out with each other when they are in town. We weren't interested. A few minutes later his phone goes off again with this message: "I'm with the Brazilian team in the VIP section - I can get you guys in."

Needless to say, we didn't even finish our beers and were out the door running across town to Lillies. We met the girlfriend outside who whispered something in the bouncer's ear and we were in. Dark lighting. Comfy sofas. Private conversations in corners. Men in expensive suits. Women in short dresses. And us, a bunch of American college kids in t-shirts, starry-eyed. It was around 1:00 AM and most of the team had cleared out, but there were still plenty of players, trainers, and agents walking around.

Ronaldinho, considered by some the best player in the world at the time, was hanging out with a hoodie pulled over his head. I walked up to him and introduced myself, asking if I could get a photo. "Later, my man," he said, which apparently is Portuguese for "no way." But a least he was nice about it.

Anyhow, I was so thrilled to be in that room that it didn't hit me that I had entered the soccer equivalent of being backstage at a Van Halen concert circa 1984. Women were everywhere and they were practically throwing themselves on the Brazilians. Flirting. Giggling. Whispering. (Apparently there aren't any blonds or redheads in Brazil). I went upstairs to use the bathroom which apparently doubled as a hotel room on that particular evening. (You can use your imagination). I half-expected Wilt Chamberlain to show up. It was one of those nights when you take a step back and say, "How the hell did I get here?"

The night went on and there were rumors that the members of U2 were going to show up. (They didn't). After 3 in the morning we stumbled out into the cool Dublin air, already trying to make sense of the evening. I had class the next morning at 8:45 and managed to drag myself to the lecture hall. The topic was US-Canadian relations. My mind was elsewhere.

Rutger has much to look forward to...