This is the day…

…that things fall into place.

For today is the day that the Spanish national team – locally known as La Selección, a term that always makes me think of chocolate boxes – play their inaugural game in the 2010 World Cup. The World Cup in which they are (the last time I checked) favourites to win, for the first time EVER.

And since I live in Madrid (the capital of Spain, for the benefit of American readers), I suppose they are really my home team.

Despite what mild-mannered coach Vicente del Bosque says, the pressure is on for the team to come up with the goods, deliver on their promise and trump their 2008 Euro Championship victory (and at least equal those corking goals scored in a recent friendly against Poland).

La Liga luminary and Guardian Spanish footy correspondent Sid Lowe best sums up the atmosphere in his latest CBC column… British readers may like to recall TV coverage of the recent UK General Election and subsequent hung parliament uncertainties where you could almost hear the hacks drumming their fingers waiting for something to happen.

A “roving reporter” from Spain’s Cuatro TV channel on the streets of Johannesburg was accosting the locals on the streets the other day, brandishing a team photo of “La Selección”. Most of the players’ names were new to the majority of passers by. One person even thought that Iniesta was Wayne Rooney. But of all the players, Fernando Torres – El Niño to some, just like that other Spanish golfer bloke and that tornado whirlwind thing and that surfwear brand – was the one most people recognised. Probably because he plays for Liverpool (one girl said she was supporting Spain because of Torres and Reina, now how many people do you know who follow a team because they rate the reserve goalie?), possibly because he’s the only player in the team with blonde hair.

In the photo above you can see he’s become something of a superhero, a far cry from his good-but-could-be-better days at Atletico.

So to celebrate Spain hopefully kicking this relatively soporific (Germany and vuvuzelas notwithstanding) World Cup up the proverbial, I leave you with a selection of videos featuring Señor Torres, starting with his most recent Pepsi ad, where he claims his poor pronunciation of the product name is down to his Fuenlabrada (that’s a suburb of Madrid) accent.

First here’s the “making of” (in English, curiously)

and the finished product..

One for department store El Corte Inglés

This gem is a cinema-style (don’t think big budget, think crap ads for local businesses before the film) promo for a hairdressers..

This one isn’t an advert at all, but an interview (with huge build-up) for Japanese TV! Absolute gold. See Torres interviewed by Japan’s number one black football reporter in Liverpool.

Greatest soundbite (from interviewer) “You used to be a man, now you are father”. WARNING: May contain Beatles.

Finally, a Nike classic with a few more of “the lads” from 2008, just before the European Championships.