Nike Football: The Last Game (2014) 5:11 (USA)

Yet another World Cup Branded Entertainment Spot, this time from Nike. But hold up, it's animated. Kind of video game like. So it's a game within a game. It features animated Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Neymar Júnior, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Andrés Iniesta, David Luiz, Franck Ribéry, Tim Howard and Ronaldo Fenomeno.

Here's the storyline: some evil genius wants to have clones play football instead of humans to decrease human error. Because you know. Football is really important. And nothing is more important than winning. Hell there's even an in-joke featuring an extension:
Perfect Inc Basketball, with LeBron in it. Because it must be in his contract that he has to star in every last Nike spot from now on.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Clones playing football. The real players called the Originals (Is that a jab at adidas Originals? or did they just forget adidas has a whole line under that namer? Or do they just not care as usual?) who have ben pushed into the shadows, decide to get back together to save football. All led by Ronaldo, who has Had Enough.

Jeez, if you really wanted to save football, wouldn't it be easier to do so by penalizing FIFA for taking bribes and general corruption?

Wow, there I went again. Sorry. I guess it's because this cartoon feels like an hour long, but I'll do my best to wrap it up. The thrilling conclusion is this: the clones play against the non-clones set to an Eagles Of Death Metal song from ten years ago. Wouldn't you know, the Originals win.

SO no alarms, no surprises. At least there weren't any stereotypical little barefoot kids running through Rio playing the beautiful game. HA HA HA HA HA Just kidding. Of course there were. They were animated!

Client; Nike
Agency: Wieden and Kennedy, Portland
Global Creative Director: Alberto Ponte
Global Creative Director: Ryan O Rourke
Digital Director: Dan Viens
Copywriter: Alberto Ponte
Art Director: Ryan O Rourke
Global Executive Producer: Matt Hunnicutt
Senior Producer: Erika Madison
Production Assistant: Julie Gursha
Head of Production: Ben Grylewicz
Business Affairs: Karen Crossley
Project Manager: Jordan Schroeder
ECD: Joe Staples
Executive Client Director: Susan Hoffman
Production: Passion
Director and Writer: Jon Saunders
Writers: James Russell, Kevin Cecil, Steven Hall, Lucy Guy
Story Development Team: Andrew Ruhemann, Pete Candeland