The World Cup championship in Brazil was another matter altogether. This time, the Germans won, with a spectacular display of power in a 7 1 semifinal erasure of the host country, Brazil, and a 1 0 triumph over Argentina in the final.

Indeed, on a weekday afternoon in the middle of summer, nearly 15 million Americans tuned in to the Brazil Germany match in the semifinal. That is more than the usual viewership for ESPN s Monday Night Football, the biggest regular television draw for fans of American football.

In the semifinal, Brazil appeared to be paralyzed without its hero, Neymar, who wore the same number as Pelé but had been badly injured in the previous match. In the final, Argentineans believed that the world s best player, Lionel Messi, would surely carry the national team to victory.

On June 28, 2012, as European political leaders met in Brussels, amid growing uncertainty about the eurozone s survival, to negotiate the design of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Germany was playing Italy in a semifinal match in Warsaw. Two goals by Mario Balotelli cinched the win for Italy and propelled Balotelli to superstar status.