City of God director talks about working on adidas ad, with ‘actors’ including Leo Messi and Luis Suarez.

Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles, best known for City of God, does his country proud ahead of the World Cup with this new adidas advert, Leo Messi’s World Cup Dream.

The ad, co-directed by Cassiano Prado, features a new song by Kanye West.

Meirelles’ ‘actors’ included Leo Messi, Dani Alves, Luis Suárez, Robin van Persie, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Xavi. He said, “These guys have been treated almost like gods, but it was really refreshing to see that many are still able to keep their feet on the ground and not lose their humanity.”

The director said of the shoot: “It was like being on a roller coaster - quite an experience. Coming from the world of movies, it was exciting to step into this whole new world of football. We had to be prepared to do anything at any time which meant stepping out of my comfort zone, but it was certainly a great experience testing myself with an exciting new challenge.”

And it sounds like he should keep his day job: “As a Brazilian, football has always played a huge role in my life,” he said, before adding: “I always played in goal, but I was usually the last one to be chosen for the team.”

Watch the ad below

Source: adidas via YouTube