FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 (Promo)

We know that football players work extraordinarily hard to reach the heights of success and the payment they receive for it often makes us feel extraordinarily poor. Not only do we swoon over their lifestyle, some footballers' tastes, as reflected in their homes, have left us speechless more than once. 

So, here are 5 most beautiful houses of footballers that make us wish we could live there:

Didier Drogba

Drogba's $21 million ivory mansion looks like something straight out of a big-budget Hollywood movie. Complete with seven bedrooms, a leisure complex with an indoor pool, and a wooden staircase spiralling through the middle of the house, this insanely beautiful 11,000 square-feet property is complete with a sports museum within itself. The absolute show-stopper of this house has to be the pool that opens up to a beautiful garden through bi-folding doors. 

Wayne Rooney

Yes, this Manchester United striker has been among the highest-paid footballers in the world for many years and clearly has the money to buy a palace anytime he wants. But that is not what landed him on our list. After buying the Cheshire Mansion for $6 million, Rooney invested his time, effort, and a huge sum of money to turn it into his own dream home. Currently standing on a market valuation of approximately $18 million, his home now includes a large indoor pool, a home theatre, beautifully landscaped gardens, and a sports museum. There is also a golf simulator inside the house. You know, just in case Rooney gets tired of winning too many football matches. 

Cristiano Ronaldo

People say that you can tell a lot about a person from their house and it could not be truer for Cristiano Ronaldo. The star Portuguese player's $7.2 million house is a breath-taking beauty, perfectly portraying the extravaganza in the true Ronaldo fashion. Featuring a whole 8000 square feet of elegance and class, Ronaldo's house consists of seven bedrooms, two swimming pools, a beautiful garden, and a trophy room for him to showcase all his awards. The architectural beauty of this mansion's interior is also presented through various reflective surfaces in the bedroom, living room, and dining hall that speak class and elegance like none other. 

Andres Iniesta 

Andres Iniesta is someone who manages to make a gigantic house look quite homely. The beautiful house was custom-built for him nearly ten years ago, with almost every corner of the house containing a personalised touch as per the player's requirements. His name and shirt number are featured on the exterior wall while his badges from Barcelona and Spain adorn other walls. 

The star player has five bedrooms, a large swimming pool, and a small chapel built inside the house, along with a line of A-class facilities at his disposal. 

David Beckham

Any list of luxury is incomplete without mentioning this iconic English footballer. Beckham and his family currently reside in a mansion befitting their royal image, with eight bedrooms, a spa, a gym, nail bars, and an indoor waterfall! 

The $65 million property has been dubbed the "Beckingham Palace II", with their previous estate in the British countryside to be known as Beckingham Palace I. Oh! And let's not forget David and Victoria's latest purchase, a countryside estate with ten bedrooms overlooking a land large enough to have 380 football pitches. A mic-drop moment for the Beckham pair, and a jaw-drop for us!

Football's claim to being the global sport has strong merits. FIFA is an international organisation with more members than the United Nations, and the football World Cup is one of the top two most watched sports events in the world. Even the national leagues in England, Spain, Germany and Italy are enormously popular outside their borders. The chequered football made of sewn black and white pentagons, despite its relatively late adoption in 1970, is recognisable to any child anywhere in the world who has a notion of what sports is. But when you realise that it took 92 years and 22 tries for the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup, it makes you want to examine this "global" sport.

Morocco may as well have been the first non-European and non-South American country in World Cup semi-finals, but that credit goes to a distinct anomaly. USA finished third in 1930, in the first ever football World Cup. In more modern days, it was last done by South Korea in 2002, in their own backyard. Success in the global sport seems to be universal in two continents out of six, leaving others in relative irrelevance. Why is that?

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Well, of course, it has everything to do with who came up with the sport and who ran it. Professional football developed in Europe and exploded in South America. FIFA has only ever had European men as presidents, other than the one Brazilian (also a man) who ran it for 24 years. That is concerning, given FIFA's (admirable, on the face of it) policy of allowing every member to have one vote in elections, regardless of footballing prowess or tradition. The Netflix documentary FIFA Uncovered explains how this international governing body for the sport exploited this situation, morphing into a cartel of sorts where power is held onto as long as possible, where votes are bought and sold with money.

This money is most often disbursed to lower ranked teams from poor countries as "development funds." But money ill-begotten is often ill-spent, and seldom do these funds make their way to the grassroots. This process powers a toxic cycle, where poor nations with lower FIFA rankings tend to stay there, while the people representing these nations line their pockets, and FIFA keeps on being corrupt. The European and South American nations with rich footballing traditions generate their own revenue to keep the sport alive and well in their own countries, and it's nigh impossible for anyone else to emerge.

But this doesn't change the fact that football really is the global sport, because it's loved globally. Every country has football fans, if not a proper football league or a national team, and each and every one of those fans dreams of seeing their nation represented on the global stage. Most live and die without ever seeing that dream realised.

But Morocco did it; they found a way, and the way they did it may just be an inspiration, if not a template, for other teams outside of Europe and South America. Morocco's 26-man squad has 14 players born in foreign countries, including some of their best players. Hakim Ziyech and Sofyan Amrabat were born in the Netherlands, Achraf Hakimi in Spain. Defender Roman Saïss and even the coach, Walid Regragui, were born in France. They all have ancestors who were from Morocco, and they chose to play for the North African country. Clearly, they chose well. The Dutch crashed out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, Morocco knocked out Spain themselves, and now they line up to face France in a semi-final, for a chance to play Argentina in the biggest game of all.

The brand of football Morocco played to get here has had European flavours as well. They have been tactical, nullifying opposition threats, and taking their own chances to score, as opposed to previous African teams who would play exciting football to go out in a blaze of glory. Contrary to Spanish midfielder Rodri's claim that "Morocco offered absolutely nothing," Morocco have actually offered a lot. The tactical know-how of beating technically superior teams is an invention of the Italians of the distant past, or the Portuguese Jose Mourinho in modern times. Morocco applied their own spin on it, based on the players they had and the challenges in front of them, and look at them now!

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With overwhelming support, Morocco ‘dare to dream bigger’

If you look at FIFA and football administrators at the top, I think their interpretation of why football is the global sport would be that it makes money globally. But if you asked players and fans, I think they would say that it's global because it's played globally, because the truth of football being accessible to anyone with a round thing to kick and a stretch of grass to run on applies to all nations across the world. If that is the case, why should the story of non-European and non-South American success in the World Cup be so limited?

It's clear that Morocco have found their method, their way forward, and football's universality and global appeal – as a sport and not a business – ensures that other nations will too.

Azmin Azran is editor-in-charge of SHOUT, The Daily Star's weekly youth supplement.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is almost over. We've been treated to a tournament full of fantastic goals, heartbreaking upsets and plenty of underdog triumphs that add drama to the greatest sporting event in the world. Now that it's drawing to a close - what do the stars of each nation drive, and what car would they be if they were vehicles on the streets of Dhaka?

Lionel Messi might drive a Lamborghini Huracan, but if the Argentine superstar had been a vehicle on the clogged up streets of Dhaka, he'd probably be a Pathao rider with 2 helmets and defensive armour. He'd be super fast, and his superior tactics would ensure that he gets past all obstacles. 

England made strides this tournament with captain Harry Kane. The Tottenham star drives a Bentley Continental GT, although here, he would be a Dhaka-Sylhet bus. A calm and collected vehicle that's secretly hiding the firepower to get you to the London of Bangladesh on time.

Cristiano Ronaldo, another contender for greatest of all time, earns massive paychecks at Real Madrid that can afford him a Bugatti Chiron. He's fast and capable of split-second direction changes, much like the Legunas we see around the city. He would go to great lengths to get the job done. 

Atlético Madrid and France striker Antoinne Griezmann is a big fan of McLaren, and sports the top dog P1 as his chariot. His immense work-rate on the field as he comes back on defence go in-line with Dhaka's favourite car, the Toyota Corolla X, which is absolutely everywhere.

Neymar still drives the Audi R8 V10 from his Audi sponsored Barcelona days. Now at PSG, the Brazil forward has made headlines this World Cup for all the wrong reasons. Thus, he would definitely be a mishuk or CNG - prone to falling over.

Arsenal's German winger Mesut Ozil pays tribute to his nationality with his Mercedes SLS AMG, but his sure-footed sprints across large swathes of field are similar to the Volkswagen Beetle's old-school yet surprising performance. Doesn't have the most power, but faster than it appears.

The World Cup final between France and Croatia on Sunday was briefly interrupted when three intruders affiliated to anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot ran onto the pitch before being hauled off by stewards.

The pitch invaders, who were dressed in police-style outfits, were later detained by police, one of them told Reuters by telephone from a police station near Moscow's Luzhniki stadium, venue for the match.

In a post on its Facebook page, the group said its action was intended to draw attention to what it said were human rights abuses in Russia.

Three of Pussy Riot's original members were jailed in 2012 for staging a protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin in a church and the group have since become a symbol of anti-Kremlin direct action.

In the second half of Sunday's match, the three people wearing white shirts with police-style epaulettes, black trousers and police hats ran out onto the pitch from the area behind the French goal. A fourth person tried to run onto the pitch but was tackled on the sidelines.

The three ran about 50 metres, dispersing in different directions, before stewards wearing high-visibility jackets tackled them to the ground and dragged them off the pitch.

One photograph on social media showed one of the pitch invaders, a woman with blonde hair tucked under a police cap, performing a high-five with France player Kylian Mbappe before being caught.

The match, watched from the stands by Putin and the French and Croatian presidents, was halted, but resumed about 25 seconds later. A witness at the stadium said he had seen police escorting the pitch invaders out of the stadium grounds.

The pitch invasion was the first significant security lapse in the five-week tournament that has won hosts Russia widespread praise for their good organisation and efficiency.

Pussy Riot member Olga Kurachyova told Reuters she was one of the pitch invaders and was being held at Luzhniki police station. She said she could not speak further because police were trying to take her mobile phone away from her.

Moscow police said in a statement that three young women and a young man had been detained after running onto the pitch.

LIST OF DEMANDS

In its Facebook post, Pussy Riot complained of rights abuses in Russia. They alluded to Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker jailed for 20 years in 2015 for setting fire to two offices in Crimea, including one belonging to Russia's ruling party, after Moscow annexed the region from Ukraine.

Pussy Riot said their demands included freeing political prisoners in Russia, freedom of speech on the internet, freedom to protest, and allowing political competition.

The group shared a video on social media recorded before the incident featuring three female activists, at least two of whom were among those detained. They wore police uniforms and one of them wore a pink balaclava.

"The World Cup has shown wonderfully what the police can be like in Russia, but what will happen afterwards?" one of the activists asked in the video, an apparent allusion to lenient policing noted by Russians during the tournament.

A separate video posted on social media appeared to show the moments after the pitch invaders had been detained.

Two of them, a man and a woman, could be seen standing in a room, dressed in dishevelled police uniforms, while a voice off camera demanded handcuffs be brought.

"Do you know that Russia will pay for this to FIFA through sanctions?" the off-camera voice said, in an angry tone. "You wanted to shit on Russia, didn’t you?"

"We are for Russia," the male detainee replied.

"Sometimes I regret that it's not 1937," the person off- camera in the video said. That year was the height of political repressions carried out by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Photographs of the pitch invasion suggested the pitch invaders did not include the three Pussy Riot members who were jailed in 2012 for performing in the church.

Russian news website MediaZona, co-founded by one of the original three Pussy Riot members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, reported that one of the pitch invaders was Pyotr Verzilov, Tolokonnikova's husband.

France, Belgium face off.

The two best teams of this World Cup lock horns tonight. A dream match that has every potential to live up to its billing as a Battle Royale.

A fierce fight is on the cards at many levels between the two attacking sides of world football. France are in possession of the richest talent and Belgium in the company of their Golden Generation. Both teams have already proved they can score, hold on to it and come back into the match after conceding goals.          

There will be lots of small fights within the fight.

A fight of class between No. 10s is one of those.

Although not always the case, the best player of the team usually puts on the number 10 jersey in football. The No. 10 jersey carries with it a sense of greatness, a sign of respect and a symbol of hope. The history of the World Cup is filled with magical players who, with this jersey on, put in amazing performances for their countries. The No. 10 jersey was popularised with Pele's phenomenal performance in 1958, and then almost all the greats including Maradona arrived thereafter wearing the shirt and made it more famous. In this World Cup, Lionel Messi and Neymar too wore the No. 10 but could not do much.

It would be interesting to see how the No. 10s of France and Belgium fare. Eden Hazard is not only the best in the Belgium camp but also one of a few top playmakers in the world eligible to wear the number. He is the heart of Belgium that never stops. Either he is scoring or making intelligent assists. He is active all the time. On the other hand, a French wonderkid is wearing the No. 10 in his debut World Cup. And Kylian Mbappe has already more than justified the decision. Interestingly though, Mbappe has invoked memories of Pele by becoming the first teenager since the Brazilian legend to score two goals in a World Cup knockout match.

There will be a battle of wits between two coaches -- France's Didier Deschamps and Belgium's Roberto Martinez. The game plan is all too crucial. At this stage of the tournament, they have adequate knowledge about each other's weaknesses and strength. So, the homework is done and the plot ready.        

There will be a battle of efficiency between two captains in implementing game plans. France's Hugo Lloris can count on his captaincy experience to prevail over Eden Hazard, Belgium's captain for this World Cup. Lloris will keep under the bar while Hazard will lead the attack from midfield. The captain's armband is a test of character. Some rise to the opportunity and become magnificent. Hazard is becoming magnificent.

It will also be a battle between midfield marshals to dictate the game. It would be a treat to watch how France's masterful duo of Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante operate against Belgium's highly energetic trio of Axel Witsel, Nacer Chadli and Marouane Fellaini.

And, of course, goals are all that matter in the end. So, the focus will be on two rival strikers -- France's Kylian Mbappe and Belgium's Romelu Lukaku. Both are of African origin: formidable, speedy and hungry for goals.  

But which team are going to celebrate in the end? It's a close call. But it is safe to say that the team that prevails in the majority of battles within battles would win the match!

The writer is former Sports Editor of The Daily Star