I usually write in the third person; however, I find this a wonderful occasion to switch things up and write in the first person.
The day I wrote this article, Nike released its “RIP the Script” campaign for the World Cup. Days earlier on social media, I caught a teaser video for the campaign featuring Zlatan Ibrahimović. Due to its style and Zlatan’s performance, it immediately triggered memories of the American brand’s “Joga Bonito” campaigns with Éric Cantona from over 20 years ago.
While I can’t say for certain, I believe it was because of this campaign that The Athletic, the sports division of The New York Times, published the article “This is the story of Nike’s Secret Tournament advert told by those who made it,” written by Jack Long. The piece dives into the production and behind-the-scenes details of that 2002 World Cup commercial. It featured a 3-on-3 tournament with 24 players of the era, blending established icons with rising stars, including a certain Ronaldinho making his first major advertising appearances. They were split into 8 teams playing inside a cargo ship anchored in international waters.
Cantona served as the master of ceremonies, kicking off the street-rules tournament with just three words: “First Goal Wins.” Set to the track A Little Less Conversation, remixed by Dutch DJ JXL (a remix specially commissioned for this commercial with the authorization of Elvis Presley’s estate, according to The Athletic), it became an instant classic in global football culture.
Cantona served as the master of ceremonies, kicking off the street-rules tournament with just three words: “First Goal Wins.”
The Reality Behind “RIP The Script”
Nike is now reviving that magic with its new commercial, “RIP The Script.” The New York Times notes that the director of the “Secret Tournament” ad, from the marketing agency Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, who partnered with Nike for that campaign and other classics like “Good vs Evil” (1996) and “The Airport” (1998), the famous Brazil national team short film, had his hands full with players and agents. They drove him crazy because some wouldn’t listen, had no time, were exhausted by commercial commitments, and everything was rushed. They even mention that Roberto Carlos hit the ball so hard during filming that he broke part of the set.
All of that reality is woven into the “RIP The Script” commercial. Ronaldinho and Cantona even return, in my opinion, as a tribute, alongside icons like Jorge Campos, Didier Drogba, Zlatan himself, and even a cameo by Ted Lasso, the famous character from the Apple TV+ series. I won’t share any more details to avoid further spoilers.
Another anecdote from Jack Long’s article highlights that because the World Cup was being co-hosted by South Korea and Japan at the time, there were two players from each country: Seol Ki-hyeon and Hidetoshi Nakata, respectively. In South Korea, people were up in arms because Ki-hyeon was placed on a team with Ronaldinho, who was just an emerging player back then, instead of sharing the pitch with an established superstar like Figo or Ronaldo.
The Play for Industry Dominance
I forgot to mention that Nike’s ultimate goal back then was to position itself as a football leader and compete directly with Adidas. At that moment, Nike lagged behind other established brands like Diadora, Lotto, and Umbro. Without a doubt, the strategy worked. Today, we know Nike leads the sports industry, and in football, it is the direct rival to Adidas for the number one spot.
I want to close with my personal take on these commercials. Nostalgia is incredibly powerful. The way we consume sports has evolved rapidly. In the frantic rush to find figures to replace Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both on the pitch and in commercial rivalry, we lose sight of other incredibly valuable players. This might also stem from how young footballers have been trained in recent years; we just don’t see as many uniquely standout, charismatic players as we did in the 2000s.
Nostalgia is incredibly powerful.
Including these icons in ad campaigns and reviving the ones that started the subculture, thereby appealing to nostalgia, carries a heavy emotional punch for those of us who grew up during that era. It is also an excellent commercial strategy. Driven by that exact emotional impulse, we are much more likely to buy merchandise that brings back childhood memories. We are adults now; we work, we have disposable income, and we are vulnerable to those memories.
Driven by that exact emotional impulse, we are much more likely to buy merchandise that brings back childhood memories.
It is a masterful strategy by Nike, a brand that has spent over 20 years creating cult-classic World Cup campaigns without ever being an official sponsor of the biggest sporting event on the planet.
Below, I am sharing the links to The New York Times article and the videos I mentioned, along with this year’s Adidas World Cup ad (Backyard Legends). Although I didn’t dive into it deep, that ad includes nods to the Adidas+10 campaign from the 2006 World Cup, which was one of the first to feature classic, retired players back in their prime: