I'm a simple emigrant, and talented things make me happy

I happened to stumble upon an old Adidas advertisement featuring “José +10” from the German brand Adidas and I got hooked. I watched it probably twenty times, with a smile on my face. I simply adore it! The idea, the inspiration, the humor together with the charming smiles, the acting of everyone in the frame, and even the technology – this video has it all. Assembling a team, the last Jose selects Beckenbauer, and his friend, on Zidane's advice, calls Platini. The others are surprised, because they are all modern football stars of that time, while Beckenbauer and Platini played in the seventies. Nowadays, of course, no one would be surprised by this. But back then it was a great team effort and the pinnacle of visual effects. The creators first found doubles who looked like the football legends in their youth. They shot on a set in natural light, and then The Mill studio specialists captured every micro-movement of the actor's head and body. Then the masters took archival footage of 1970s matches—can you imagine their quality—and cut out Beckenbauer's and Platini's faces from it and overlaid them onto the doubles' faces. The hardest part was to make everything look the same and natural: many details were hand-drawn by the artists. And this is advertising, not an Oscar-winning action film! These players themselves are legends and revolutionaries of football. Franz Beckenbauer invented the role of the "libero" (free defender). He played for the German national team, and here he is probably known to almost everyone, regardless of their love for football. He could win the ball near his own goal, go across the entire field and score a goal or deliver the perfect pass 40 meters away. He became one of three people in history who won the World Cup both as a player (1974) and as a coach (1990). He also won the Ballon d'Or twice (1972, 1976), which for a defender is almost an incredible result. And Michel Platini took the best free kicks of his time. They say goalkeepers didn't even try to catch them. He is officially regarded as the best footballer in France of the 20th century. His record at the 1984 European Championship of nine goals in five matches still stands. And he became the first player in history to win three Ballon d'Or in a row (1983, 1984, 1985). The video itself was shot for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. This advertising campaign won a ton of awards, including the Golden Lion, and was named "Advertising Campaign of the Year" by many sports and marketing publications. If there's anything I could watch forever, it's professionals who do their jobs with talent and joy! And does anything grab you in the same way? #madeinGermany #history