My better half asked me on the day Fifa World Cup 2014 began, “Are you going to watch any matches?” Without blinking I said “I’ll watch all the matches that involve Brazil and the final, given the matches are in the night, count 6 or 7 matches.”

In the hindsight I was wrong by a long, long margin. As it happened in last five editions of world cup , I started the world cup in a state of indifference and by the end of it I am hooked to it like a hawk. Following every move in the field with every line reported. I’m amazed at this Sleep deprived, football crazed side of me.

My better half is surprised, football is on all round the year, the English Premier League, La Liga , Budesliga and more, where all the stars of this world cup play. So to say I’m a football fan would be wrong.

So to put it correctly, it’s a four year itch, I’m a not a football fan, I’m a Football World Cup fan, but why?

Every match at the football world cup starts with national anthems and I get goose bumps when a national anthem plays. I like countries competing. For me, there is no bigger stage and honor than to represent your country in a World Cup. This means I’m still a remnant of a bipolar world. In a Bipolar world countries took sides and competed. And it might sound old fashioned but I believe:

“You can take a life for your country — you will give your life for your country, but you might take a life for money and but you will never give your life for money”

The players play best, when they play for the country. I can see the flaw in the logic, you can never compare patriotism with money, but that is the reality. The comparative performance at club vs country level is a proof enough.

Then suddenly then things start to clear up, when I think of IPL (Indian premier League, world’s biggest Cricket league). I enjoy IPL , but I see IPL for Individual players. My loyalty is never for a Team in the League, if my favorite player moves to another team so does my loyalty. What is happening below the surface is very fundamental.

I am becoming person centric than team centric.

As a marketer I know the implications are huge, the moment Individual becomes bigger than a Team, he can be used for brand building. Now I can remember a set of Players across sports who are bigger than the teams and sometimes even bigger than the sport itself. The common thread is that they carry lots of brands with them and monies thereof. So as a marketer I would want the Leagues to grow more than competition between countries.

I therefore believe that this is the World Cup where Brand Centric World takes over the Team Centric (country) world.

This is the best world cup final we would ever see. Germany, the team, all powerful symbol of the Team Centric World vs Messi the brand, all powerful symbol of Brands in action.

The prospects are mouth-watering. I can’t wait for the match to start.