The Red Bulletin June 2014 - IRL

june 2014 € 2.00

beyond the ordinary

SECR E T S OF Des er t C a ve s X- M en M ov i e F 1 P i t L a n e

re u t u f the W h a t n e x t f o r t h e w o r l d ’ s m o s t s u c c e s s f u l s p o r t ?

EUR 2.00

June 2014

of foot ba ll

Shot with Nokia Lumia 1020

Norwegian ice “First time here in north Norway and it has been really incredible.

We found some amazing terrain here and lots of ice, just ice falls everywhere. And the light is incredible. I have never seen light like this. Just like amazing sunset light all day long.

With the amount of gear I already have in my back for ice climbing, it is great to have the Nokia Lumia along, just to have it in a pocket, when you need to go light and get some shots.

So, after the climb the boys came down and I started packing my gear. I had a quick scan for the pictures and I found some amazing shots on there. Zooming in a picture after, I just couldn’t believe the details we saw in this white shot. Some great stuff, I think.”

– Ray Demski, Red Bull photographer

To learn more about Red Bull PHOTOGRAPHY in partnership with Nokia Lumia visit:

www.redbullphotography.com/partners

NOKIA LUMIA

Photo: Heli Putz

NOKIA LUMIA 1020

THE WORLD OF RED BULL

28

F1’s New Generation

Go inside the 2014 cars to understand why this year’s champion will be crowned

Welcome

A football season already full of surprises and excitement is about to be topped by the world’s favourite sporting tournament. Whatever happens in Rio – and everyone’s got an opinion on that – the game itself will continue to evolve and grow. Which is why it’s the perfect time to look to the future of football, which we do in our cover story this month (and there’s another 13 pages of footy-related goodness in our opening Bullevard section). Forward thinking is also on display as the guy who invented parkour takes his beloved sport to new heights, and new depths are conquered by two climbers on a previously uncharted route through a giant underground cave. All this, plus the new X-Men movie, F1 and much, much more. We hope you enjoy the issue.

04

“You have to jump, not fall” David Belle, page 58 the red bulletin

June 2014

at a glance Bullevard 12 world football special There’s that international tournament coming soon in Brazil, right? Here’s all your pub conversation ammo

50

Features 28 Torque talk

Straight out of the pit lane: the transformation of Formula One

40 Vettel uncovered

the future of football

Hanging out on race weekends with the reigning F1 world champion

What next for the world’s favourite sport: can it still be beautiful?

getty images (cover), peter clausen film, Jim Krantz, getty images(5), Klaus Fengler/Stefan Glowacz GmbH, red bull content pool, brook mcdonald/red bull content pool miles donovan (cover)

46 James McAvoy

12

Superhero talk and stunt work with the X-Men: Days Of Future Past star

50 Soccer’s next goals

Technique and tactics are changing, how will this affect the game?

58 The parkour maestro David Belle invented it: now he’s taking it to the next level

72 out of the darkness

When you decide to climb your way out of one of the deepest caves in the world, there’s no place to go but up

70 Sam Smith Most World Cup theme songs are terrible. Can Jennifer Lopez break the curse of global disharmony?

40

What a champion does

the red bulletin

72 Rock in a hard place

The first-ever climb of the world’s second-largest underground cave

Action

82 There’s the bit where he races his car, but what else does Sebastian Vettel do on race weekends? We found out

That guy on that Disclosure track is now the new star of British music

Lo expectations

best mountain bike kit

New Zealand ace Brook Macdonald recommends the gear you can use to take to the trails like a pro

82 83 84 86 87 88 90 92 94 96 98

get the gear Mountain bike wishlist training Get fit for the beach party Clubbing, Shanghai style Music Nas and his favourite sounds my city A musician’s Montevideo sunglasses Pick of the new crop Watches Which is NASA’s choice? gaming Street Fighter is back buyer’s guide Underwater kit save the Date Unmissable events magic moment Plane insane

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CONTRIBUTORS WHO’S ON BOARD THIS ISSUE

The Red BulleTin The Red Bulletin united Kingdom, 2308-5894 Ireland, 2308-5894

ANTHONY ROWLINSON

RAPHAEL HONIGSTEIN The Munich-born, London-based football writer and author is best known for his Bundesliga columns and podcast appearances for The Guardian and for reporting on Premier League matches for Süddeutsche Zeitung. In a press versus Chelsea coaching staff fivea-side game in 2007, Honigstein bore down on Jose Mourinho, who was playing in goal. Sadly, he was caught in two minds and the eventual shot more closely resembled a backpass. Read his future of football story on page 50.

With his VVIP F1 access, the group editor of motorsport at Haymarket Media Group was the ideal man to go behind the scenes of Sebastian Vettel’s race weekends. He says that the 2000 Belgian GP is the best F1 race he’s seen – “a classic contest between great champions, Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen, capped by probably the greatest F1 overtaking manoeuvre ever” – and the 2006 Australian GP is his best-ever race weekend “for reasons that aren’t fit to print”.

His fit-to-print tale is on page 40.

KLAUS FENGLER ALEX LISETZ “Parkour isn’t a sport, it’s the school of life,” freerunning pioneer David Belle told our writer, who was well and truly schooled during two days of full-scale, intense parkour lessons in Belle’s hometown of Lisses, France. “I learned how to jump without fear across gaps 6m wide and from roofs 8m high,” says Lisetz, a frequent contributor to The Red Bulletin. He survived (there were no claims for ice packs and bruise lotion on his expenses form) to write a fine story on Belle’s crew, on page 58.

08

“I was impressed by the gigantic scale of the place,” says the German photographer, of the 160m-deep deep Majlis al Jinn cave in Oman. Fengler was with extreme climbers Stefan Glowacz and Chris Sharma during their expedition into the second-largest cave chamber in the world. His pictures, often of snow or rock, or both, and the intrepid explorers thereof, have appeared in the likes of Alpinist and Men’s Health.

We’ve got him on page 72.

“I learned how to jump without fear from roofs 8m high” ALEX LISETZ

Published by

by GmbH Red BullPublished Media House Red Bull Media House GmbH General Manager Wolfgang Winter General Manager Wolfgang Winter Publisher Franz Renkin Publisher Franz Renkin editors-in-Chief Alexander Macheck, Robert Sperl Editors-in-Chief Alexander Macheck, Robert Sperl editor-at-large Boro Petric Editor-at-Large Boro Petric editor Paul Wilson Editor Paul Wilson Creative director Erik Turek Creative Director Erik Turek Art directors Kasimir Reimann, Miles English Art Directors Kasimir Reimann, Miles English Photo director Fritz Schuster Photo Director Fritz Schuster Production editor Marion Wildmann Production Editor Marion Wildmann Managing editor Daniel Kudernatsch Managing Editor Daniel Kudernatsch Chief Sub-editor Nancy James Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James deputy Chief Sub-editor Joe Curran Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Joe Curran Assistant editors Ulrich Corazza, Werner Jessner, Assistant Editors RuthFlorian Morgan, Ulrich Corazza, Ruth Morgan, Obkircher, Werner Jessner, Florian Obkircher, Arek Pia˛tek, Andreas Rottenschlager Arek Pia˛tek, Andreas Rottenschlager Contributing editor Stefan Wagner Contributing Editor Stefan Wagner Bullevard BullevardRaffael Fritz, Georg Eckelsberger, Eckelsberger, RaffaelHolger Fritz, Potye, Sophie Georg Haslinger, Marianne Minar, Sophie Powell, Haslinger, Marianne Minar, HolgerStachel, Potye, Martina Mara Simperler, Clemens Martina Powell, Mara Simperler, Clemens Manon Steiner, Lukas Wagner Stachel, Manon Steiner, Lukas Wagner design DesignSilvia Druml, Kevin Goll, Martina de Carvalho-Hutter, Martina deCarita Carvalho-Hutter, SilviaStraganz Druml, Kevin Goll, Najewitz, Esther Carita Najewitz, Esther Straganz Photo editors Editors Susie FormanPhoto (Creative Photo Director), Susie Forman (Creative PhotoDirector), Director), Rudi Übelhör (Deputy Photo RudiMarion Übelhör (Deputy Photo Director), Batty, Eva Kerschbaum Marion Batty, Eva Kerschbaum Repro Managers Repro Managers Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Karsten Lehmann, Josef Mühlbacher Karsten Lehmann, Josef Mühlbacher head of Production Michael Bergmeister Head of Production Michael Bergmeister Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager), Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager), Walter O Sádaba, Matthias Zimmermann (app) Walter O Sádaba, Matthias Zimmermann (app) Printed by Printed by Prinovis Ltd. & Co. KG, 90471 Nuremberg Prinovis Ltd. & Co. KG, 90471 Nuremberg Finance Siegmar Hofstetter, Simone Mihalits Finance Siegmar Hofstetter, Simone Mihalits Marketing & Country Management Marketing & CountryElisabeth Management Stefan Ebner (manager), Salcher, Stefan Ebner (manager), Elisabeth Salcher, Lukas Scharmbacher, Sara Varming Lukas Scharmbacher, Sara Varming Marketing design Julia Schweikhardt, Peter Knethl Marketing Design Julia Schweikhardt, Peter Knethl distribution Klaus Pleninger, Peter Schiffer Distribution Klaus Pleninger, Peter Schiffer Advertising enquiries Advertising UK: Georgia Howie +44Enquiries (0) 203 117 2000, Ireland: Deirdre Hughes 00 353 862488504, georgia.howie@uk.redbulletin.com redbulletin@richmondmarketing.com Ireland: Deirdre Hughes 00 353 862488504, UK: Georgia Howie +44 (0) 203 117 2000, redbulletin@richmondmarketing.com georgia.howie@uk.redbulletin.com Advertising Placement Sabrina Schneider Advertising Placement Sabrina Schneider O∞ce Management O∞ce Management Kristina Krizmanic Kristina Krizmanic Distribution distribution The The Red Red Bulletin Bulletin is is published published in in Austria, Austria, Brazil, Brazil, France, Germany, Germany, Ireland, Ireland, Kuwait, Kuwait, Mexico, Mexico, New New Zealand, Zealand, France, South Africa, Africa, Switzerland, Switzerland, UK UK and and USA USA South Website Website www.redbulletin.com www.redbulletin.com Head Office Office head Red Bull Red Bull Media Media House House GmbH, GmbH, Oberst-Lepperdinger-Strasse 11-15, Oberst-Lepperdinger-Strasse 11-15, A-5071 A-5071 Wals Wals bei bei Salzburg, Salzburg, FN 297115i, Landesgericht Salzburg, FN 297115i, Landesgericht Salzburg, ATU63611700 ATU63611700 UK uK Office Office 155-171 155-171 Tooley Tooley Street, Street, London London SE1 SE1 2JP, 2JP, +44 (0) 20 +44 (0) 20 3117 3117 2100 2100 The Red Red Bulletin Bulletin Ireland The ireland Richmond Richmond Marketing, Marketing, 1st 1st Floor Floor Harmony Harmony Court, Court, Harmony Row, Dublin 2, Ireland Harmony Row, Dublin 2, Ireland +35 +35 386 386 8277993 8277993 Write to to us: us: letters@redbulletin.com letters@redbulletin.com Write

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It’s coming: 64 matches, 12 cities, Brazil, June 12-July 13

football special

RD L u i s SU a R E Z

The Phantom of Rio The best forward in the world will be the most feared man this summer

12

Ryan Inzana

The shock from 1950 still reverberates in Brazil. Uru­guay won the World Cup that year, in Rio de Janeiro, beating the hosts in the final at the Maracana Stadium in front of 200,000 weeping fans. Brazil burnt their old white jerseys after the game and didn’t play another match for two years. That wound may heal with a win for the team now in yellow and blue, in this year’s final – at the Maracana. But Uruguay are in excellent form, ranked in the top 10, with an attacking force led by the man who is probably the world’s most dangerous striker right now, Luis Suarez. On the back of his fantastic season for Liverpool in the Premier League, leading his country to victory in a final against Brazil would reduce the Maracana, and an entire nation, to tears once more.

the red bulletin

W C RE W IN D

LAST TIME OUT Quick refresher on what happened in South Africa four years ago

f i n a L This (above) was basically Holland’s tactic against Spain. The Spaniards’ response was to score the winner after 116 minutes and win 1-0.

s e m i - f i n a l Spain’s Carles Puyol said “Pick that one out” after heading home to beat Joachim Low’s Germany 1-0 in Durban 17 minutes from time.

ole, J-lo

getty images(6), imago(3), picturedesk.com, imago

The beautiful game has one less-than-beautiful tradition: official World Cup songs. This year’s is a trend-bucker. The catchy We Are One (Ole Ola),

by Pitbull, Claudia Leitte and Jennifer Lopez, is sure to get into your head this summer.

Put your flags up in the sky

(one, love, life)

And wave them side to side

Ole ole ole ola

(side to side)

Ole ole ole ola

Show the world where you’re from

Ole ole ole ola

(show ’em where you’re from)

Ole ole ole ola

1934

The nearly men History tells us you can excel individually at a World Cup, but all for nothing

Guillermo StAbile Eight goals for Argentina, lost the final.

1930 the red bulletin

Show the world we are one

(put ’em in the sky)

matthias sindelar Austria’s finest could only lead his team to the semis.

q u a r t e r - f i n a l A man wearing an ill-fitting suit passed himself off as the Argentina manager and presided over a 4-0 defeat to Germany.

1950

leOnidas Top scorer with seven; Brazil lost in the semi-final.

1938

ademir Eight goals, but not in the final, where Brazil lost 2-1.

1958

sAndor Kocsis Scored 11; Hungary lost in the final.

1954

Just Fontaine Best-ever topscorer with 13. France came third.

Josef Masopust Oldest living final netter, 83.

Czechs lost 3-1.

1962 13

A European team has never won the World Cup in South America. But Brazil have never won it in Brazil.

Pelé himself thinks his home country will win the World Cup. That’s the same Pelé who thinks the German team are better.

SEVEN REASONS BRAZIL WILL WIN And seven reasons why they won’t.

Everything points to a home win, but look at it another way, everything points against it, too

1966 14

gerd muller Came up short in a thrilling semi-final.

1 9 78

Johan Cruyff Total football wasn’t enough for the Dutch.

1 9 74

rob rensenbrink Hit the post as Holland miss out again.

Brazil-born Diego Costa has scored more goals in 2014 than Ronaldo did when he was at his best. He chose to represent Spain this year.

Julio Cesar is Brazil’s No 1 goalie. Right now his club side is Toronto FC in Canada, which is about the 666th best team in the world.

Neymar scores at least one goal in every other match he plays for Brazil. Which means Neymar is off target one match in two.

1 9 70

Eusébio Nine goals were not enough to win it for Portugal.

In 2013, Brazil won the Confederations Cup. No winner of that tournament has gone on to win the World Cup the following year.

Lionel Messi has never scored a goal in Brazil. Yet he scored three the last time he played against Brazil.

1986

ALain Giresse Part of all-star France side at a loss in semis.

1982

Zico Best Brazilian of his time missed a pen in quarters.

1994

Claudio Caniggia The Argentina star shone until a final defeat.

1990

roberto baggio Skied a pen so that Italy lost the final.

Ronaldo Brazil took a risk on his fitness in the final – and lost.

1998 the red bulletin

picturedesk.com, GETTY IMAGES(7), imago(2)

home (dis)advantage

F o o t b a l l e r q u i z

S U B S B E N C H

Thinking Man’s Game

GAME OFF, SWITCH ON

Think you know your tatts as well as your stats? Solve these star player puzzles if you can…

A. Wayne Rooney B. Cristiano Ronaldo C. Hulk 2. Who devised football’s most awful yet ingenious haircut: a walrus ’tache, so his son could more easily identify him on TV? A. Ronaldo B. Roberto Carlos C. Rivaldo

3. Which non-smoking Frenchman owns a shisha bar in the Channel port of Boulogne-sur-Mer?

5. Which shy dressingroom dancer isn’t currently romantically linked to a singer?

A. Karim Benzema B. Franck Ribery C. Mathieu Valbuena

A. Mesut Ozil B. Gerard Pique C. Neymar

4. Which notorious hard tackler had this sign tattooed on his calf to warn players from other teams?

6. Which fashion victim wears diamond earrings, though only off pitch due to regulations?

A. Daniele de Rossi B. Sergio Busquets C. Pepe

Where to turn when there’s no footy on t he t w ee t spot

OPTA SPORTS twitter.com/OptaJoe will give you statistics till the cows come home.

A. Alessandro Diamanti B. Joshua Brillante C. Mario Balotelli

r e a d t he b o o k

2

6 4

ANSWERS: 1 B, 2 A, 3 B, 4 A, 5 C, 6 C

1. Which footballer owned a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano (yes, the one pictured below) for about a year before he totalled it?

THE NUMBERS GAME: WHY EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT FOOTBALL IS WRONG Football works in ways beyond our comprehension.

Comprehend them thanks to this splendid unstuffy analysis.

L i s t en t o t he a p p

Who is it?

Body parts and a trip to the body shop

CORBIS, GETTY IMAGES(5), PICTUREDESK.COM DIETMAR KAINRATH

1 2 0 02

oliver kahn German keeper made only boob in the final.

talkSPORT During June and July, the radio station will be a prime source of news, interviews and live broadcasts.

2 0 10

Zinedine zidane Ifs and butts meant France came second.

Diego Forlan Five goals took Uruguay only to the semis.

“Which team do you support?

Bull-garia?”

w a t ch t he f i l m

SHAOLIN SOCCER The most underrated football film ever made.

It deserves a replay.

2006 the red bulletin

15

Wat c h i n g o n T V l i k e u s

the away team Some of the world’s best players represent countries that didn’t qualify for Brazil.

This XI could give all the teams a game 10

5 9

1 3 2 6 4

11 6

7

C 8

1

2

3

sa m i r H a nda nov i c

A l e ksandar Ko l arov

Dani el Agger

Position: Goalkeeper National team: Slovenia Club: Inter Milan Current value: €24m

Position: Right-back National team: Serbia Club: Manchester City Current value: €12m

Position: Centre-back National team: Denmark Club: Liverpool Current value: €14m

4

5

6

7

8

9

br a ni s l av iva novi C

dav i d a l aba

nemanja mati C

A aron Ramse y

M are k Ham SIk

G are t h Bale

Position: Centre-back National team: Serbia Club: Chelsea Current value: €16m

Position: Left-back National team: Austria Club: Bayern Munich Current value: €32m

Position: Midfielder National team: Serbia Club: Chelsea Current value: €25m

Position: Midfielder National team: Wales Club: Arsenal Current value: €20m

Position: Midfielder National team: Slovakia Club: Napoli Current value: €40m

Position: Forward National team: Wales Club: Real Madrid Current value: €80m

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the red bulletin

imago, getty images(11)

10

o f f i c i a l G a d g e t r y

Don’t cry, Zlatan!

The Swede has been to two finals: these greats never made it at all

spray it, ref!

When association football began in 1863, refs relied only on whistle and flags. In the century-and-a-half since, various inventions have made their lives a little bit easier

Headsets

Bert Trautmann Alfredo di Stefano Never played for West Real Madrid star who Germany, and missed missed two finals for out on the 1954 win, Argentina (didn’t enter in 1950 or 1954) and two because manager Sepp for Spain (1958, didn’t Herberger wouldn’t pick foreign-based players. qualify; 1962, injured).

Since 2006, the referee on the pitch and the fourth official on the sidelines have been able to discuss refereeing decisions.

Or make jokes about the players.

DISPLAY BOARD

Eric Cantona Playing in the French second division in 1986, France didn’t qualify in 1990 and 1994 and he’d retired by the time they won on home soil in 1998.

Looks like a 1980s iPad but is actually a digital soother: there has been less friction since it was first deployed, at the 1998 World Cup, to show how much stoppage time is to be played.

George Weah Never made it, despite 20 years in and out of the Liberia national team. They had to pull out of 1994 qualifying due to UN sanctions.

LINE MARKER SPRAY PAINT

“ O ne thing i s for sure , a World C up without m e i s nothing t o watch”

imago(2), Getty images, corbis

tom mackinger

10

Z l ata n I b ra hi mov i C Position: Striker National team: Sweden Club: Paris Saint Germain Current value: €15m

After it was tested to mark free kicks at last year’s Confederations Cup, the mousse will be used on the pitch in Brazil. Or is it just a free advertising ruse by Gillette?

Z I brahimovic

DIVE DETECTORS 11

C

R o b ert L e wa nd ows k i

MORTEN OLS EN

Position: Striker National team: Poland Club: Borussia Dortmund Current value: €42m

Position: In charge of Denmark since July 2000, he is the longest-serving international coach

the red bulletin

And here’s our suggestion. Sensors in footballers’ socks and boots determine whether a player is fouled or faking it. For a real infringement, the ref gets an ‘Ow!’ signal in his ear.

“We don’ t need s atellites , G PS and a chip in the ball” Michel Pl atini , UEFA president

17

D E C I S I O N M A K I N G O N T H E S P O T

TAKING THE PERFECT PENALTY Seven minutes into the 2006 World Cup final. Zinedine Zidane chips a penalty just right of centre.

The ball hits the underside of the crossbar. Italy’s keeper Gianluigi Buffon, having dived away to his right, looks on helplessly as the ball bounces behind the goal-line and it’s 1-0 to France

The spin made Zidane’s ball bounce back up onto the bar and out of the goal.

Never see that happen again.

Aiming a penalty kick into the top corner is a certain goal. But it takes nerves of steel to go for it.

18

1 Only one in 15 World Cup goals has come via a penalty. To date, there have been 150 World Cup penalties in regular time.

2 The first shoot-out in a World Cup was in the 1982 semi-final between West Germany and France. The former won, obviously.

3 In 2013-14, about 83

per cent of pens were scored in the Premier League; 70 per cent of spot kicks are scored in World Cup shoot-outs.

? Why doesn’t the

goalie just stay in the middle when facing a penalty? Because only one in 12 penalties is aimed there.

the red bulletin

getty images(2)

pena l ties 3 f acts : 1 q u estion

1:25,000 ADVENTURE SERIES For lovers of the Great Outdoors who want more from their maps

l

The 1:25,000 Adventure Series is based on the very popular Discovery Series, which has been in existence since 1992

l

The focus is on those areas where a wide variety of outdoor activity or adventure tourism takes place

l

T levels of cartographic detail to better describe the Irish landscape and terrain

l

The larger scale is envisaged to make outings to the hills safer and easier to navigate

l

Examples of additional detail include buildings, fences, trails, terrain descriptions (bog, scree, marsh, woodland etc.), summit information, mountain names etc.

l

l

The Adventure Series covers certain parts of the country that are of particular interest to lovers of the great outdoors

In the design and compilation of the Adventure Series, OSi worked in conjunction with Mountain Rescue Ireland, Mountaineering Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Mountain Views, GSI and the National Parks and Wildlife Service

Case Study

Mountain Rescue Ireland Mountain Rescue Ireland represents the twelve voluntary mountain rescue teams on the island of Ireland. Mountain Rescue is a 24 hour 999/112 emergency service provided by completely unpaid and voluntary teams funded by government funds and public donations. MRI works to promote safety in the hills, encouraging preparation (footwear, clothing, equipment etc.), routing using marked walks/trails and map reading skills. Navigation in the hills is a vital skill that cannot be reliably replaced with GPS devices.

Sound map and compass skills are a necessity. OSi has worked with MRI on the Adventure Series to verify trails, identify wind shelters and safe ‘landing places’ where rescue helicopters can land or can hoist casualties in a safe manner.

I N AW E O F T H E S C O R E

Goooaaal!

The one that started it, the one to end them all and the purest: three goals that have rightly gone down in history I LL U S T R A T I O N : M a r t i n U d o v i c i c

T H E F I R S T G O A L

Montevideo, Uruguay, 1930 There were barely 500 fans present when French insideright Lucien Laurent scored the first goal in the first World Cup, volleying in a cross from the edge of the penalty area against Mexico. An historic goal, of which there are no photographs or film footage, though newspaper reports said it was a gem of a strike.

France went on to win 4-1.

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T H E G R E AT E S T T E A M G O A L

Mexico City, Mexico , 1970 Scored after a string of nine passes four minutes from time. It builds from defence, then Clodoaldo dances past four players in midfield; Rivelino to Jairzinho, to Pelé, who flicks a final pass into the path of Carlos Alberto.

The full-back races to smash it first time into the far corner, to make it 4-1 and seal Brazil’s third World Cup final victory.

T H E G R E AT E S T S O L O G O A L

Mexico City, Mexico, 1986 Diego Maradona had barely featured in the first half of Argentina’s quarter-final clash with England. After 51 minutes, he scored the ‘Hand of God’ goal that put Argentina 1-0 ahead. Four minutes later, he dribbled past five defenders and went around goalie Peter Shilton for one of football’s greatest scores. Argentina went on to win the match 2-1 and the tournament.

f o o t b a l l b y t h e n u m b e r s

Nil is better than one And why you should always celebrate a goal with both arms in the air Source: The Numbers Game, Chris Anderson and David Sally, Penguin Books

10 Games you’d have to watch to see one goal in the Premier League scored straight off a long corner kick. It’s no better at World Cups, so take a short corner.

44

Percentage of lucky goals, found in a study of 2,500 pro goals, where ‘lucky’ is defined as something happening that the goal-scorer hadn’t intended.

31

Australia beat American Samoa 31-0 in 2001, the biggest-ever win in World Cup qualifying.

5

The best comeback ever.

In their 1954 World Cup quarter-final match against Switzerland, Austria went from 3-0 down after 25 minutes to 5-3 up after 34 minutes, and they won 7-5.

60 Average minutes of play in a football match. Play is interrupted, or the ball is out of play for half an hour. So how come there’s only ever about five minutes’ stoppage time?

28

Years of World Cup football before there was a 0-0. Brazil and England eked out the ‘groundbreaking’ bore draw on June 11, 1958.

0

From 2001-02 to 2010-11, a clean sheet earned more points than scoring a goal in the Premier League.

2

If a player celebrates after scoring in a penalty shootout by raising both arms in the air, he unsettles the other team’s penalty-takers demonstrably more than if he just pumps a fist.

dietmar kainrath

FOOTBALLERS IN KOMA*

* KOMA: Kainrath’s Œuvres of modern art

22

the red bulletin

L O F O T E N , N O R WAY

HELLY HANSEN CATWALK

Scandinavian Design is the cornerstone in all Helly Hansen gear. The optimal combination of purposeful design, protection and style. This is why professional athletes, patrollers and discerning enthusiasts choose Helly Hansen.

CONFIDENT WHEN IT MATTERS

S u r p r i s e pa c k a g e s

‘We will take you down’ No World Cup has ever had as many dark horses as this year’s: five unfancied football nations could do great things in Brazil

The dark horses What have they got going for them?

Nickname by fans: Football insiders say:

B E LG IU M

USA

C O LO M B IA

B O S N IA

They’re young, hungry

Close-tohome advantage.

They’re better than Croatia,

talented.

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

The Red Devils

The Yanks

“In the last couple of years, clubs have spent

“Head coach Klinsmann is

and scariy

€250 million on Belgian internationals.”

Possible best player ?

Trump card?

Eden Hazard: outmaradonas Maradona

Goalkeeper

Thibaut Courtois is probably the best man between the sticks in the world right now.

Achilles heel?

Increasing pressure to succeed.

a great motivator, but not much of a tactician.”

Jozy Altidore: a poacher like

Gary Lineker Big tournament experience Five first XI regulars have more than 80 caps each.

Too many easy games in qualifying give a false sense of ability.

Colombian fans have never had to travel so near to attend the finals.

but about as unknown as Iran.

Los Cafeteros

The Dragons

“Have you seen my original 1994

“Technically, the players are

(the coffee growers)

E N G LA N D

It’s the first time since 1966 that no one’s expected anything of them. Perfect opportunity to play without any pressure, at long last.

The Three Lions “If more

Carlos Valderrama Panini sticker?”

Jackson Martínez: the thin Ronaldo

The defence

on a par with the Brazilians.”

Miralem Pjani´c:

the new Zidane

The attack

English players played abroad,

the national team would be better.”

Steven Gerrard: the inspirational captain’s got it all

Youth

No other South American backline let in so few goals during World Cup qualifying.

Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic scored 18 goals between them in 10 qualifying games.

Ross Barkley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling bring fresh ideas.

Radamel Falcao’s left knee.

Ibrahimovic! The best footballer eligible to play for Bosnia plays for Sweden.

Only won one of seven penalty shoot-outs in international tournaments.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Smallest nation to reach the World Cup. In 2006, T&T earned a 0-0 draw against Sweden, but lost 2-0 to Paraguay and England.

24

WALES Surprise package in 1958, only going out to eventual winners Brazil in the quarterfinals by a score of 1-0.

Beat that, Gareth Bale.

HAITI In 1974, the Caribbean side led 1-0 against Italy, but lost 3-1, then lost 7-0 to Poland and 4-1 to Argentina. Third worst finals record. the red bulletin

getty images(3)

One-hit wonders: THEY MADE IT TO FINALS BUT HAVE YET TO GO BACK

RED BLOODED PERFORMANCE INFINITI Q50 EAU ROUGE CONCEPT www.infiniti.eu

INSPIRED PERFORMANCE

Model displayed: Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept. This is a concept car and is not available for purchase.

Concept cars are automotive studies and may look different when released. For more information on this and the Infiniti Q50, visit www.infiniti.eu

f o o t b a l l t r u t h s

just the facts World Cup-winning teams are scoring fewer goals on the road to victory. But more and more people get to see them. Plus: where will the rain affect your team this summer?

Goals by Winning teams

continental divide

game of extremes

5 4

Brasilia 8mm 1,200m

ITA

4.17 3.75

bra

av e r a g e g o a l s p e r g a m e

3.17 3

2.57

19

Ger 2

10

1.14

europe

1

URU GER Bra BRA SPA 1930 1954 1970 2002 2010 15 goals 25 goals 19 goals 18 goals 8 goals 4 games 6 games 6 games 7 games 7 games

9

s. America

spa

Cuiaba

Porto Alegre 19°C

arg fra

Recife

manaus 31°C

eng

0

Manaus

Recife 390mm 10m

São Paulo r a infa l l in june

cuiabA 570,000

uru

Brasilia

Porto Alegre

e l e va t i 0 n

m a x i m u m d a i ly t e m p e r a t u r e i n JUNE

SÃo Paulo 11,000,000

popu l at ion

Ronaldo’s record “When you swap shirts after the match , you expect it to smell bad because of the sweat, but Beckham’s smelled really nice” rona l d o, 2002

15 goals 11 with his right foot, three with his left, one header. He is the all-time world cup top scorer

wc 1998

wc 2002

wc 2006

how we’ve followed the matches

from 1954

from 1930 Live radio commentary (Europe)

Newspaper reports and pics

LIVE

LIVE from 1966

Live black-andwhite broadcasts in some countries

Worldwide broadcasts of live games

from 1994 from 2010 Online match reports

from 1970

from 1934

LIVE TV reports – up to a week after the match

Matches broadcast live in full – and in colour from 1978

13.07.2014 Action replays and slow motion introduced

About 900m people predicted to watch final on TV and online Corbis

Cinema newsreels

Live games in both 3D and HD

26

the red bulletin

T V wor k o u t

N O T T H E N o 1 S P O R T E V E R Y W H E R E

sit and be fit

SOCCER ON THE SIDELINES

Studies show that getting caught up in the action from your sofa is almost as good as exercise. Almost

In Brazil, 32 countries will battle for the prize. In 29 of those countries, football is the biggest sport. Three countries take a different view

T H E M I R R O R E f f e C T Doctors at the University of Western Sydney have discovered that if we watch someone else playing sport or exercising, our bodies behave in a way similar to that person’s…

T he so f a e f f ect

…and this also applies when we watch people doing sport on TV. Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and muscular nerve activity all increase. This is good – as long as you’re not screaming red-faced for 90 minutes.

No

4

I A M A M A N !

Australia loves its cricket, rugby and Australian rules football. ARF games have an average attendance of 33,500.

A-League soccer matches attract about 12,000.

A University of Utah study shows that testosterone levels in male football fans increase when watching their team win. They did not measure the levels of schadenfreude when watching other teams lose.

getty images(3)

H e a rty s u pport

Let’s not overdo it: boffins at the University Hospital of Munich found three times as many men had heart attacks while Germany were playing during the 2006 World Cup as at other times.

the red bulletin

No

2

According to a 2013 consumer survey, American football is the favourite sport of 46 per cent of Americans. Soccer, top with only two per cent, is way down in sixth place.

No

6

Football has increased in popularity in Japan recently, but when it comes to spectator numbers and player salaries, one sport is still way out in front: baseball.

27

Still trying to get your head around the new rules of F1?

Our insider access to the Infiniti Red Bull Racing garage means you can know everything about the 2014 cars and what they can do photography: Peter Clausen Film

NEWPOWER 28

GENERAT

ION

Making F1 transparent: the inner workings of the RB10 raced in 2014

by Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo

1

Aerodynamics Some people turn their noses up at the new noses on the 2014 cars, but 2013’s stepped noses didn’t look that good either. Engineers moan that wings can’t now generate as much downforce and the car’s aerodynamics have been reined in too far. But that’s good, because it means driving the cars as if they’re on rails is over. Sliding is back.

RB10

RB9

30

2 32

driving Position The new aerodynamic regulations with the flatter nose also have an effect on the driver’s position. As Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo explains: “My feet are positioned in a lot further in the RB10 than in previous F1 cars.” There’s also a minimum weight requirement of 690kg, but that’s car plus driver, so lightweights have a slight advantage.

3

Turbo engine Instead of 2.4-litre V8 engines that screeched around grand prix circuits from 2006-13, we now have 1.6-litre V6s with a maximum 15,000rpm. A turbocharger uses the exhaust flow to blow fresh air into the engine, hence the whistling noises. Why smaller engines? To challenge teams to be more efficient with less engine capacity.

4

controls Every driver input ‘interferes’ with the perfect output of an engine. It’s a team’s job to minimise that interference, and the new regulations haven’t made this any more difficult.

Thanks to the increase in torque, which comes from the turbo and the ERS system (see point 6), one driver’s weapon has become more deadly: his foot on the accelerator.

efficiency An F1 car now has eight gears (plus reverse), rather than seven, but instead of being able to change gear ratios to suit each track, ratios are selected at the start of the season and can be changed only once. Only 100kg of fuel is now available per race and the rate of flow is limited to 100kg an hour. This is another test of the teams’ ability to do more with less.

6

5

ers Replacing KERS, the Energy Recovery System is in two parts: MGU-K, which captures kinetic energy generated during braking (essentially what KERS was), and MGU-H, which collects the engine’s heat energy.

Both systems charge batteries. This boosts power by 163bhp for a maximum of 33 seconds per lap.

35

7 36

exhaust The days when you could use exhaust fumes to seal a diffuser on the vehicle floor, and thus increase downforce, are over. Whatever flows from the exhaust now has to end up in a central pipe above the engine cover. The extra spoiler above the exhaust, known as a monkey seat, helps with downforce, but not like a diffuser would.

tyres Since the engines now have more torque, meaning the tyres can wear more easily, Pirelli has come up with stiffer, harder, more complex structures that ought to be at least as durable as their predecessors were. They also have a greater contact surface and work in a broader range of temperatures.

There are six types of tyre, four dry and two wet.

9 38

8

reliability A driver has five power units per season. Each has six elements: engine, MGU-K, MGU-H, energy store, control electronics and turbo. If an extra element is needed, a driver will incur a 10-place grid penalty at his next race. If the entire power unit needs replacing, he’ll start from the pit lane. The gearbox has to last for six consecutive events, otherwise there’s a five-place penalty.

the red bulletin

RB10

10

lap times The aerodynamics are worse and the cars are heavier, but they are more powerful, which in practice means that they are slower through the corners, but quicker in a straight line. The 2014 cars will soon be doing lap times as quick as their predecessors.

RB9

the red bulletin

39

For four straight seasons Sebastian Vettel has made Formula One his own.

Armed with the best car in the business, he has ruled grand prix race tracks to become world champion from 2010 through 2013.

We shadowed a master behind the scenes as he started his 2014 campaign

weekend of a champion 40

the red bulletin

Vladimir Rys, getty images(2)

Words: Athony Rowlinson

FRIDAY AM, FIRST PRACTICE A quick glance and you might think Vettel is tuned to his favourite ‘in-the-zone’ playlist. But look closer and you’ll see his headset is wired to the team comms channel. Vettel is chatting to race engineer Guillaume Rocquelin, going through last-minute preparations, before taking his Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB10 for its first lap of 2014 at Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia.

THURSDAY AM, signing Formula One drivers are always in demand, and when you’re the champion – not to mention the four-time champion – well, there’s a scarcely a second you can call your own. From the moment Vettel steps from his Infiniti road car to walk up to the Albert Park paddock gates, he’s mobbed by fans and media.

Still at heart a private, quiet kid from Heppenheim, Germany, the adulation of the masses is something he admits he has always found a particular challenge. the red bulletin

41

Vettel, at a super-trim 58kg, is an engineer’s dream this season

FRIDAY AM, weigh-in F1 in 2014 is all about efficiency: new engines run on less fuel and with hybrid power, meaning that every kilo of weight in car and driver has to be minimised. There’s a minimum weight limit of 690kg for car plus driver this season, so the lighter the driver, the more leeway the engineers have to cram

components inside the RB10’s elegant bodywork. Vettel, at a super-trim and compact 58kg, is an engineer’s dream: less driver to carry; less body frame to package. The smaller and lighter the human component, the easier it is to find space for batteries, fuel tanks, turbos, electric motors and electronics.

FRIDAY AM, FIRST PRACTICE He raises a right boot over the left-hand side of the cockpit: this is Vettel stepping into his office, and it’s one that only he can occupy. Seat, pedals, steering wheel, safety harness, padding, control buttons – every single component is positioned precisely to Vettel’s requirements. There’s not another human on the planet who’d be so comfortable in here: it’s 100 per cent bespoke.

42

the red bulletin

SUNDAY PM, THE GRID Just a few minutes to go now before the start of the race. Those eyes, that expression, tell you all you need to know about Vettel’s mindset: he’s in the zone. Below: Pit stop practice to help grasp vital 10ths of a second on race day.

Vladimir Rys

THURSDAY pm, TRACK WALK No matter how many times you’ve raced, and won, at a circuit, a track walk with your race crew will help to spot the tiny detail changes from previous races that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Despite being a double winner of the Bahrain GP and twice starting from pole, Vettel’s still keen to walk the 6.3km lap on Thursday afternoon, to discuss his own handwritten circuit notes with race engineer Guillaume Rocquelin, aka Rocky (third from right), a pair of Renault engineers and two more of his race crew.

44

Vladimir Rys(2), getty images(2)

SUNDAY PM, RACE DEBRIEF Serious faces in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing debrief, late on Sunday evening. It’s been a tough day, as Vettel retired on lap five with engine failure, although teammate Daniel Ricciardo brought consolation to the team, with a competitive drive at the front of the field. There’s a long job list for the world champions, with race two, in Malaysia, just 10 days away.

the red bulletin

A tough day for Vettel. He retires after just five laps of the race

SUNDAY PM, COOL HEAD There’s barely 20 minutes to go before the race start, so cool heads are needed all round. With a chilled towel wrapped around his head, the focus on Vettel’s face is clear as he visualises his start, carving through the handful of cars ahead, positioning his RB10 for the tricky Turn 1-Turn 2 sequence, avoiding contact, pushing for the podium…

SUNDAY PM, ROBBy NAISH “You teach me how to drive and I’ll tell you all about windsurfing.” Great champions love to shoot the breeze with one another, and here Vettel is talking to windsurf legend Robby Naish. Looks like they’re checking out the weather report for St Kilda beach, Melbourne’s best, just a mile from Albert Park.

GEt ON Track now Sebastian Vettel started his racing career in karts, and when you play Red Bull Racers that’s what you’ll do, too. Win a race in your kart, and unlock the next challenge – there are over 100 races, in Formula, Street and Off-Road series – and earn points to upgrade your vehicle. Maybe you’ll get good enough to drive Vettel’s RB9, or the Arden GP3 in which Daniil Kvyat won the 2013 GP3 Series (the Russian is now in F1 driving for Scuderia Toro Rosso). Also unlockable are last year’s World Rally Championship-winning VW Polo, the KTM X-Bow, the red bulletin

Brazilian stock cars and Australian V8 Supercars touring cars. There are four kinds of competition: Endurance (traditional racing), Elimination (last man standing), Rivals (oneon-one) and the chance to battle with your mates to see who really is champion by playing a Friends Race via Facebook Connect. The game is free to play, with in-app purchases available, and there will be upgrades of content later this year.

Red Bull Racers is out now, for tablets and smartphones, both iOS and Android, from the iTunes Store and on Google Play.

45

“ Th e re is a fair a mount of

fi stic uffs ”

X-Men: Days Of Future Past star James McAvoy on real-life superhero fights and the right way to be run over

I 46

t’s a good time to be James McAvoy. He’s winning awards for his role as the most depraved cop in cinema history, in Filth. He’s just finished filming a version of Frankenstein in which he plays the dissecting doc and Daniel Radcliffe is his assistant, Igor. With immediate past and future bright, it’s the perfect moment for his new film, X-Men: Days Of Future Past. The 35-year-old Scot is back as Professor Charles Xavier, after X-Men: First Class, and doing his best to prevent the world from ending. If he’s half as heroic on screen as he is switched-on and funny in real life, everything should be OK. THE RED BULLETIN: What’s different about the X-Men movies compared with the other superhero films?

JAMES MCAVOY: There’s always been a real thematic

backbone to them. They’re about ghettoised characters, persecuted people who are cast out from society. Or, if they haven’t been cast out, they’ve been closeted. There are allegories and metaphors there for people who don’t feel safe in the world, or who feel judged. X-Men is about superheroes, but they’re the least ‘super’ of all. Even Wolverine – he is a great superhero, but because he’s just so tough. Especially my character, who is the most human of them all.

Professor Xavier has powers of the mind, though?

Yes, but for me, he is a diplomat. Saying that, in the last film, I was a such a cad, and in this one I’m such a… mess. An alcoholic, drug-abusing dropout.

There are about 20 heroes and villains in this film. How do they all fit in? the red bulletin

Matt Holyoak/Camera Press/PictureDesk.com

Interview: Paul Wilson

Hit man: McAvoy is on top of his game, excelling in a range of film roles from superhero to cop

Superfly guy: McAvoy loves stunt work, he’s been run over by a car and now wants to be a jet pilot

48

at five miles an hour, then we go up to eight, then to 10, then to 12, 14, to 16 and ultimately we got up to 18 and 20 miles an hour. Basically, as soon as I could see the car in my peripheral vision, I jumped off the ground just a tiny bit, and then the car swipes me and puts me relatively gently over the top. I love stunt work – I’ve just done loads on Frankenstein.

Is there anything else exciting you’d love to try?

I always wanted to be a Harrier jet pilot. What I do want to do is fly a Spitfire before I die. There’s some weird reason that it’s really hard, I’ve looked into it.

At one point, I was going to play a prominent World War II pilot, and if I was going to do that, I would learn to fly. But it didn’t happen. Then I looked at just getting a ride in a Spitfire, but the insurance is ridiculous. There was one for sale, in good condition, for just over £2 million. I thought they’d be £25 million.

Your hardcore fans are known as McAvoyeurs.

What are they like?

They’ve been so loyal. I’ve kept a couple of drawings and pictures I’ve had sent. One where I’ve been turned into a Japanese manga character. I’d pay for that, like the guy who draws you in the street on holiday.

This year, there’s a third Marvel superhero team movie, Guardians Of The Galaxy. So, after another Avengers film next year and the next X-Men the year after, will we see all of these teams team up?

Actually, I think it should be called X-Men Rules And Is Better Than Guardians Of The Galaxy And Avengers And Everyone Else Can Kiss My… no, what would be brilliant is if you got all of us together in a hotel room and made us fight.

Not the superheroes – the actors. Just made us fight.

That would be genius.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past is out worldwide from May 22: x-menmovies.com the red bulletin

Matt Holyoak/Camera Press/PictureDesk.com

Until X-Men: First Class, Wolverine is the beating heart of every X-Men movie, and his relationship with Jean Grey has been the thing that pumps it.

Then we took over in First Class and there was no Hugh [Jackman], no Wolverine. That film was Magneto’s genesis story and also the backbone of his and Charles’s relationship. But now Wolverine comes in, and so what me and Michael [Fassbender, playing Magneto] had, Hugh is added to.

Do you get to flex your muscles, like the other two?

A bit. Charles isn’t really an action dude. But there is a fair amount of fisticuffs. I beat up Michael a couple of times. But he gets me back. We have argy-bargy on a plane, and the plane dives and we get thrown around.

But in your next film, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, you get run over for real.

Yes, and I loved it.

How does a person get run over?

You start off slow, and rehearse for ages. We used a Toyota Prius, which has a raked front that goes quite low to the ground. So we start with the car

“What I do want to do is fly a Spitfire before I die. There’s some weird reason that it’s really hard, I’ve looked into it”

the futu  of football

Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese forward turns 30 next February, and he has every chance of becoming the first outfielder to win 200 national team caps (Iker Casillas, Spanish goalie, might be the first double centurion)

words: Raphael Honigstein

Getty Images

A never-ending tactical battle.

Creating a perfect player. The struggle to make time and space.

Scoring goals. Football is a game of conflicting opinions under one agreement: the game should be beautiful. But what can we expect looking ahead for the world’s favourite sport?

miles donovan

re

51

G Pep Guardiola

The 43-year-old Spaniard was well respected as a player, but is now one of the great managers, winning about 75 per cent of his games in charge of Barcelona and, now, Bayern Munich

ood football is primarily a question of pace. If you run, pass, shoot and think quickly, you will win. The world’s best teams can speed things up in such a way that time itself seems to pass more quickly over the course of 90 minutes. And so football is becoming a time machine, showing us now what the future holds for the game.

In the English Premier League, Liverpool are currently dictating the style of play. Their manager, Brendan Rodgers, has declared speed to be the most important precept of attacking football. The two forwards, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, often play with no fixed position in the front third of the pitch; it’s the players’ direction of movement that matters, not where they start from. The envy with which the Reds’ rivals watch their incredibly exciting and successful playing style will, by next season, be replaced by a desire to make a similar impact on the pitch. Small, quick forwards will be in demand on the transfer market whereas last year, traditional centre forwards were highly rated.

the world’s best teams can speed things up in such a way that time seems to pass more quickly over the 90 minutes

Imitation and adaptation

Champion teams of recent years – Spain, Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund – all achieved success with revolutionary ideas, setting new standards that became the norm as teams set out to emulate them. “Bayern Munich copied us, just like the Chinese do,” Klopp said, in 2013, when Jupp Heynckes’ team won the league, cup and Champions League treble. Heynckes had instructed Bayern to press forward, and keep the ball deep in their opponents’ half by watching his black-and-yellow rivals.

But successful strategies spawn counter-strategies and reciprocal action. “When it comes to the concept of the game, play doesn’t actually move forward in a straight line, but goes round erratically in circles,” says football historian Jonathan Wilson, author of Inverting The Pyramid: The History Of Football Tactics. He gives the example of Guardiola, who, during his last season with Barca (2011/12), only played two real defenders in a number of games: “But you could also see that formation’s failings. You don’t have space against teams which defend very deep and it also gives your opponents plenty of space to counter-attack.” Wilson says the immediate future belongs to physically strong teams who can move the ball around quickly and not to the passing game, but, “there’ll be a backlash against this, too. Tactics never stand still.”

Getty Images(2)

miles donovan

Poison and antidote

The majestic tiki-taka style of play, as demonstrated by Barcelona and Spain, is passing football with the greatest focus on possession of the ball and can be seen as a reaction to the power football of teams such as Chelsea and Juventus, which was in the ascendancy 10 years ago. Tiki-taka may owe its origins to the aesthetic ideals of iconic Dutch manager and player Johan Cruyff, but Barca and Spain mastered it out of necessity. “We noticed that our players couldn’t keep the red bulletin

Neymar

Aged 22, he is carrying the mantle of the Next Best Player In The World After Messi. After 136 goals in 225 games for Santos, his first season for Barcelona has been full of promise

up with the dynamism of English, French and German players,” says Spanish journalist and author Guillem Balague, who has written biographies of Guardiola and Lionel Messi. “So we had to find another way. The idea was to control the opposition and the game using the ball.” The perfection both teams achieved made it impossible for less gifted opponents to get into the game with rougher tactics. There were other effects, too. Said Miroslav Klose, after Germany lost 1-0 to Spain in the 2010 World Cup semi-final: “When we did get possession of the ball, we were too worn out and tired to move it around.” But tikitaka has given rise to defensive football as an antidote. Chelsea and Inter under Jose Mourinho are just two teams to have reintroduced the bolt tactic, invented by Karl Rappan in Switzerland in the 1930s and which led to the sweeper system that favours collective, zonal defending.

the majestic tiki-taka style can be seen as a reaction to the power football of chelsea and juventus

53

Mario Gotze

Will the German attacking midfielder be locked into a Messivs-Ronaldo comparison with Neymar, as to who is the world’s best? Bayern chose him over the Brazilian

it can only be a matter of time before players have artificial tendon implants 54

The false 9

It is even more important for teams of this Hispanic-Dutch school of football, which, as of last summer, includes Guardiola’s Bayern Munich, to have individuals in their ranks who can break through the chain. When Guardiola took over as manager, he wanted to sign Brazilian Neymar from Santos. The 22-year-old was just the guy he was looking for; Neymar’s style of play – fast acceleration, expert dribbling skills, perfect technique, versatility – is similar to that of Messi, who matured into the best player in the world under Guardiola. However, the then president of Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeness, was able to convince his Catalan manager not to buy the South American and to go for his German equivalent instead, and so Mario Gotze came from

Jose Mourinho

If he wins the Champions League with Chelsea, where he says he wants to stay manager for another decade, he’ll be among the all-time greats

the red bulletin

Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund for €37 million. “He’s an incredible player and he’s smart and clever in the 18-yard box,” Guardiola gushed, about the man who plays for the German national team.

The 21-year-old can be the so-called ‘false 9’, a centre forward who drops deep into midfield, the playmaker or play on the wing. Maybe one day he’ll also play in central midfield. Neymar went to Barca and, in the summer of 2013, Real Madrid signed Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for, depending on who you believe, €91m or €100m. The Welshman guarantees goals but his deadstraight, ground-covering style of play suits Real’s direct game better. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, in awe of Bale, said that he is, “like a cannonball”.

Getty Images(2)

miles donovan

Time and space

Small, lightweight players like Messi, Neymar and Gotze, and model athletes who could be sprinters, such as Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, are increasingly important in the modern game. These are the players who break out of the constraints of modern team football, to find time and space at the right moment to make a difference.

“The tighter things get on the pitch, the more important good anticipation and swiftness of action become,” says Bernhard Peters, director for sport and youth development at Bundesliga team TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The team, from the Kraichgau area of Germany, is considered extremely innovative and, like Borussia Dortmund, trains its first team and youth teams using a footbonaut. A player stands at the centre of a 14m-square cage, the four walls of which are split into nine, two-panel columns. The two panels in the centre column of each wall are ball dispensers; the other 64 panels are goals. Balls are dispensed randomly, one at a time, and the player has to control the ball and then ‘score’ in whichever of the goals lights up.

The footbonaut allows players to practise exercises they can’t during regular team training “It improves the penetration and accuracy of your passes, as well as your perception and decision-making to optimise your first touch and help you keep possession until you want to pass it,” says Peters. Several top European clubs are thinking of buying one.

As luck would have it

In Germany, long seen as a country of battling players who run and run, footballers are being trained to improve their technique, as in Spain, but Peters the red bulletin

5

p redictions teams 1 National = second tier

We used to see the best football teams at the World Cup. Now it’s the Champions League. Top clubs can choose from a global pool of players and train them far better and more thoroughly than the national team coach who gets his squad together once every couple of months and has difficulty replacing unavailable players. The difference in quality between national teams and elite clubs will continue to get wider.

Life in the 2 old dog yet: rebirth of the

centre forward As recently as two years ago, it looked like that endangered species, the classic centre forward, already reduced from two to one in some line-ups, and not present at all in many others, might be replaced by the attacking midfielder. But as Bayern Munich show, old-school warhorses like Mario Mandzukic have again become extremely important when up against ultra-defensive opponents who defend very deep. The bruiser can’t be brushed off that easily.

joints 3 Artificial and tendons

Torn cruciate ligaments normally put players out of action for six months. Injured players are bad for results

and the balance sheet. The technology isn’t in place yet, but it can only be a matter of time before professional players have artificial tendon implants that will reduce the risk of injury and bear a greater strain.

4

Defenders As Stars

Defenders earn less and have lower transfer fees than their teammates up front. This is mainly down to distorted perception. Their mistakes stand out, while all the little things they do to prevent danger in the first place are glossed over.

As game data is increasingly analysed, the lads at the back will garner greater respect and tactics that encourage all-out attack or defence will make them more important.

There will be another Franz Beckenbauer, a superstar who emerges from the deep.

clock 5 isShotcominG

More teams will play extreme passing football because there will be more players technically able to do it. Eventually, players will be able to hold onto the ball as easily as basketball and handball players can. That will make necessary the introduction of a time limit for going on the attack, a shot clock, or a change in the rules whereby the referee can award a free kick to the opponents for the offence of “passive play”.

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economics professors Chris Anderson and David Sally showed in their book, The Numbers Game, that half of all goals are more or less flukes. “We have to accept that half of what happens on the pitch is out of our hands,” they wrote.

Football is, at least from a statistical point of view, a game of chance and, “a sport of glorious inefficiency”.

Roughly the same number of goals is scored now as 40 years ago, even though today’s players undoubtedly run further and faster and strike the ball harder. “A dynamic equilibrium between two forces has been reached: between offensive innovation and defensive technology,” say Anderson and Sally.

In October, it will be 10 years since his senior debut for Barcelona. Has he got another 10 years in him as the world’s best? Can he win a World Cup for Argentina? It’s tough at the top...

in the future… football will still be the team sport in which the underdog wins most often 56

doesn’t see a day when there’ll be 11 Gotzes on a single team. “It wouldn’t win you any titles,” he explains. “A team needs different types of players: leaders; those who are important for team spirit; artists.” When it comes to formation, you need the right balance of individual talent in a group tactical scheme. “If you’re lacking one or the other, you won’t achieve long-term success,” Peters says.

Jonathan Wilson says that the time of radical tactical revolutions is behind us and the basics of how football is played will only change slowly. It will remain the most complicated team sport because the relative scarcity of goals means the majority of effort is in vain. American

the red bulletin

Getty Images

Lionel Messi

miles donovan

The nine-second goal

But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do all you can to fight against luck.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers values the work of psychologist Steve Peters so highly that they sit next to each other in the dugout. Football analysis, where every type of player and match data is gathered, is likewise still in its infancy in Europe, but in years to come, it will provide information that will have considerable influence on the sport.

Small yet radical innovations have come from lesser teams because they have to make up for the gap in class with better ideas. We are likely to see more setpiece special moves that led to the goal that RB Leipzig’s Daniel Frahn scored against Stuttgart II in September 2013.

The two Leipzig players who took the opening kick-off, played the ball back to a defender, then ran into the Stuttgart penalty box along with five teammates who ran from the halfway line as soon as the referee blew his whistle. A high, long ball was played in; baffled Stuttgart players were caught napping and it was 1-0 to the home side after nine seconds.

In international football, Chile’s highly complex 3-3-3-1 formation, which national coach Marcelo Bielsa developed in time for the 2010 World Cup, still makes the South Americans one of the hardest sides to beat.

In the future, players will of course be more athletic and have better ball skills, but underdogs will better understand how to minimise the difference in class by using more studied tactics. Football will still be the team sport in which the underdog wins most often. Uncertainty will remain, and that goes a long way towards making the sport so exciting.

Whatever progress is made, even in a thousand years from now, we won’t know the outcome of a match in advance.

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Charity number: CHY 5745

D av i d B e l l e a n d h i s friends invented pa r ko u r . N ow, sta r r i n g in the sport’s highest profile movie and more pas s i o n at e t h a n e v e r about his incredible invention, he wants the world to live a n d p l ay by h i s r u l e s

make the

l teo tah e pn e x t level w o r d s : a l e x l i s e t z  p h o t o g r pa h y: j i m k r a n t z

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Parkour is a sport and, to its practitioners, a way of confronting fears and conquering obstacles in all aspects of life

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“ my fea r t el ls me ex act ly

how far I ca n go ”

FIR ST RUL E OF PAR KOUR :

FIN D yo ur B A L A N C E

The basic training for every move is achieving stability, physically and mentally

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the red bulletin

W David Belle (front) invented parkour as a teenager. Now he wants to share his experiences with youngsters all over the world

the red bulletin

hen David Belle is invited to a barbecue on a roof terrace, a switch will flip in his head.

He will divert his attention away from the smell of steaks, the other guests’ small talk, the admiring glances at his physique. Instead, his brain will be scanning the support column leading to the scaffolding leading to the lorryloading bay leading to the pavement.

As the host offers ketchup, he’s working out the way to get everyone to safety should the barbecue burst into flames.

If a three-year-old clambers onto the fire escape on the sixth storey of the building opposite, he will take a matter of seconds to stop the kid falling. He thinks the way that he thinks because he invented parkour.

It’s thanks to Belle that, in cities around the world, you see people in trainers and tracksuits practising for hours at a time trying to perfect a jump over a handrail or working out how to get over a wall. Parkour is the art of efficient motion in urban space. The aim is to find the fastest, most efficient and most elegant way from A to B on foot, without means of transport.

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“Parkour isn’t dangerous,” says David Belle, “because the people who do it for real know exactly what their bodies are capable of and what they’re not”

DA NGER OUS? ONLY IF YOU DON’ T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING David Belle (left) sees himself as a guardian of his sport’s pure teachings. “Not everything that looks like parkour,” he says, “actually is parkour”

“ e v e r y t h in g par kour”

THA T I AM TOD AY, I AM BEC AUS E OF

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fear yo ur fr ien d

to wa rn use you of dan ger and it bec om es Difficult jumps require mental preparation: a visualisation of every stage of the move in the finest detail. Only then can they be pulled off successfully

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the red bulletin

But for many of those who do it, parkour is more than that. Getting over obstacles, mastering challenges and taming fears makes parkour a school of life which to the rest of us looks like a really cool thing to do. “Everything that I am today,” says Belle, “I am because of parkour.”

SPREADING IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS The capital of the parkour world is Lisses, a small town with a population of 7,000 situated 30km south of Paris.

This is where 41-year-old Belle lives and where, 17 years ago, he and his Yamakasi Crew, which took its name from a word meaning ‘strong men’ in the Congolese language of Lingala, began with a couple of acrobatic moves that grew into a globally recognised subculture. A good portion of that fame comes from the movies.

In 2001, seven of the crew’s nine founding members starred in the action film Yamakasi: Les Samourais Des Temps Modernes. The two Yamakasi missing from the cast list had already left the group to pursue their own careers in cinema. Sébastien Foucan developed the acrobatic art of freerunning – a parkour variant that promotes flair and worries less about the rule concerning most efficient movement – which he showcased in an incredible chase sequence for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale.

Belle, too, had a solo career, which began in earnest in 2004 with the action drama District 13, written by Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel (Taken). He was also getting work as a stuntman in films, such as Crimson Rivers 2: Angels Of The Apocalypse and Transporter 2, and refining the parameters of parkour.

Being able to move efficiently was not an end in itself, he began telling an everincreasing number of fans and students.

Parkour is about être fort pour être utile, being strong to be useful, being ready for when others might need help.

For young, potential traceurs, as the practitioners of parkour are known, Belle became an idol. Millions would click on his YouTube videos and watch in awe as he jumped with ease from one block of flats onto another, a distance of 6-7m with a drop of 40m below.

But Belle, 41, with the musculature of a boxer and the sleek grace of a panther, doesn’t care much for personal fame and recognition. His burning desire is to have the whole world go mad for parkour. “Parkour’s potential has barely been tapped,” he says, “because anyone, anywhere, can learn it and they don’t need any equipment.” the red bulletin

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Traceurs from around the world meet to train together at this housing estate in Lisses, near Paris.

The ‘Private Property’ sign serves a mostly decorative purpose

A R T I S T S O F S U R V I VA L This year could be the most important year in the history of parkour since 1997, when the Yamakasi Crew formed. Belle wants to start a foundation to make the parkour scene more interconnected and promote up-and-coming talent. He hopes to publish a book on the history of parkour with Yamakasi member Charles Perrière. And he wants to help parkour break out from its Western roots.

First stop will be China, where he aims to spend the next few months building parkour training areas and holding workshops for up-and-coming traceurs with the help of local promoters.

“Parkour’s future is in China and Russia,” says Belle. “People there are growing up in a society that demands a lot of discipline and hard work of them, but they still yearn for some freedom and self-fulfilment. With parkour they can combine the two.”

Belle knows what he’s talking about here. He is the son of a soldier who served with the French army in Vietnam, and his own childhood was one where self-development and discipline were equally important educational goals. He is still inspired by his father, Raymond, who died in 1999. “‘You can do anything you want,’ he told me, ‘as long as you do it with complete commitment.’”

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The younger Belle knew exactly what it was that he wanted to do. He wanted to pick up on an idea of his father’s and fine-tune it. Raymond turned the Méthode Naturelle – the French army’s standard training practice – into a system of attack and escape for the jungle. Raymond had even come up with a name for his obstacle-course training, which involved negotiating ditches and fallen trees under a hail of bullets: le parcours.

‘ F E A R I S YO U R F R I E N D ’ Belle is now a father figure, both to the guys from the Parkour Origin crew, whom he trains for up to eight hours at a time, and to the hundreds of traceurs from all over the world who descend on Lisses every year to get a glimpse of his tricks and learn from them.

The fact that the neighbours don’t

complain comes down to another parkour core value: respect. Any urban space used for training purposes has to be left as it was found. Traceurs repair any obstacle they damage.

With its open stairwells, railings and low walls, Belle’s housing estate, the Résidence du Mail de l’Ile-de-France, is the perfect place to try out some of the basic moves of parkour. You can practise passements, the vaults over obstacles, as well as your saut de precision, or precision jump, and the tic tac, launching off an obstacle.

“The most important thing to remember is that you build up very gradually,” says Charles Perrière. The 39-year-old heads a parkour school, Culture Parkour, in Paris and he knows how to give his pupils the confidence the red bulletin

there is so m uch potent ial in thi s sport . it ’s now here near been tappe d

Using this technique, Belle has mastered drop jumps from heights up to 8m.

To him, the basics that every parkour beginner has to internalise until they become second nature, and which enable him to do what he does, are nothing unusual and within the grasp of everyone who does or wants to do parkour. “You start training for parkour with balance exercises,” explains Belle. “If you can keep your balance, everything else will come naturally.”

R E L U C TA N T H E R O

they need to succeed. “You have to work with your fear,” he tells them. “If you don’t know yourself well, you’re a slave to your fear. Use fear to warn you of danger and it becomes your friend.”

Perrière is a master of one of parkour’s most spectacular moves, the saut de fond, a drop jump from a great height. First, he visualises every phase of the move in his mind’s eye: “The more experience you have, the more detailed your imagination becomes.” Then he jumps neatly – “you have to jump, not fall” – straightens himself out, keeps his eye on the ground, lands with knees slightly bent and cushions the impact with his whole body.

“If you’ve got room, you can add a roll.

If you jump from a height of anything above about 1m 70cm, you have to.” the red bulletin

Evocative comparisons come thick and fast when Belle talks about parkour.

The mind of a traceur is a knight, he explains, and his body his horse.

A traceur, he says, is like a samurai: calm on the outside but always ready for action on the inside. Or they’re like pianists because their brains make the right decisions without them thinking. Belle is so convincing in conveying parkour’s emboldening and inspirational guiding principles because he is their own most eager follower.

“I was a shy kid. I was wary and solitary,” he says. “And I was impatient, too. If I didn’t get something straight away, I’d forget about it.” Belle reinvented himself thanks to parkour.

He says that every successful move increased his self-confidence. Training with other traceurs on a daily basis did away with his antisocial behaviour.

Repeating the same exercise hundreds

of times over and over again, he says, taught him discipline and patience.

“Hmm, OK,” he says, rethinking, with a smile. “Maybe not so much patience.”

A PA R KO U R B L O C K B U S T E R Last summer, Belle underwent a serious test of self-discipline and his ability to rise to a challenge. He had let his training slide over the previous winter, was 10kg overweight and had been feeling unhappy with his life. Then the phone rang. It was Luc Besson.

“David,” he said, “you still remember that film project we talked about a couple of years ago, don’t you?”

“You mean the Hollywood remake of District 13?”

“Exactly,” said Besson. “We start shooting in two months.”

Brick Mansions, in cinemas worldwide now, has every chance of giving parkour its biggest boost in awareness since Casino Royale. Belle stars as an ex-con who teams up with a cop, played by the late Fast & Furious star Paul Walker, to take down a criminal gang in a dystopian future Detroit housing project.

“I studied English for four hours a day and trained for the stunts with Paul for three hours,” says Belle, who also devised the choreography for the fights and the chases. In the opening scene, he leaps through a closed window and into another one. During another pursuit, he shows off a combined drop jump and gap jump (saut de détente), leaping from a height of almost 5m over a chasm 7m wide.

“My fear,” says Belle, “told me exactly how far I could go.” facebook.com/brickmansionsmovie parkour.com

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sam smith

The freshman

Music’s rising star on what comes from within, tiny flats and the melancholic dance-pop debut album that will make him a household name

the red bulletin: This year you went to the Grammys and have been all over Europe on a press tour. What did your life look like a year ago? sam smith: A year and a bit ago, I was so poor that I had to walk for an hour-anda-half to Waterloo station in London to exchange euros into pounds so I could get a train back home for Christmas day.

Wow. I was working in a bar as a barback: you clean all the glasses and the toilets. It was just horrible. People being sick, having to clean that up and then people smashing glasses into the sick. Those were my favourite moments.

Looking back, do you think that was an important life lesson?

I can’t tell you how important it is to work shit jobs. When I was coming home every night, I was knackered, but my mum would always say to me, “There is nothing wrong with working hard.” It’s true, because it means that when nice things happen, they mean more.

How did you get into songwriting?

I could never keep up writing a diary, but I always wanted to document my life.

To do that in the music is incredible, it’s like therapy for me. When I sing certain songs, it’s like looking back at a photo.

A diary is personal, but you share your songs with the whole world.

I struggle a bit singing them to everyone.

I’m not shy in general, but it takes it out of me emotionally. So every now and then I have a gig where I get really sad afterwards. I’m singing about things that have just happened a year ago.

Sadness is a big topic on In The Lonely Hour, your debut album.

I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I’ve always felt lonely to some extent.

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It was a moment on the phone to my mum, where I actually said for the first time, “I am really lonely.” And to me that was the bravest thing I could have ever done. So, for me to call the album In The Lonely Hour, it feels like a really brave title. That’s why I love it.

Some of the songs, like Money On My Mind, seem more like light-hearted pop hits than cries from the heart.

Is that ambivalence intended?

That comes with production because I’m attracted to happy sounds. There’s this song on the album called Leave Your Lover, the lyric is “Leave your lover, leave him for me.” It’s about being in love with

“I never listened to male singers growing up. The voices just didn’t attract me” someone who is married. It’s a very sad song, but when you hear it, it sounds light, almost like a summery song, because it’s nice to juxtapose the two.

You have an impressive wide vocal range. Does it come naturally?

I had vocal trainers. But the main thing for me is that I never listened to male singers growing up. The voices just didn’t attract me and all I’ve ever listened to is female singers. I’ve mimicked them and I think my voice has quite a big range because I sang Whitney Houston too much [laughs]. Also, I did musical theatre. I was a backing singer for my jazz teacher. Lots of things.

In the theatre, you play one part among many. Was it a challenge to have all the attention on you?

I had to make this decision when I was 14. Do I carry on with musical theatre?

You’re given a character, you’re given a name, you’re given a script, you’re told where to move on stage. Being yourself on stage is a lot harder, but I love it.

You won two prestigious prizes this year: Critics’ Choice at the Brits and BBC Sound of 2014. Do you feel more pressure because of that?

It doesn’t put me under pressure, purely because I keep the focus on the music.

This is about my album; these awards just gave me the best platform possible to reach as many people as possible.

How does it feel at the very heart of the hype machine? Is it surreal?

There are moments like that every day.

The night I got home from the Grammys, I hadn’t seen my roommates in three weeks. That was a moment where we just paused and were like, ‘Wow, what is going on?’ But it’s great.

You still live in a shared flat? No penthouse overlooking the river?

Definitely not [laughs]. It’s a tiny little flat in south London.

As you’re blessed with a rather common name, did you ever think about an artist alias?

When I was 19, I went through four months of giving everyone I knew hell because I decided I needed to change my name.

I was getting everyone to come up with ideas. Some names were hilarious. But it was my dad in the end who said, why don’t you just call yourself Sam Smith. And now I love it. It’s so boring that it’s cool.

In The Lonely Hour is out May 26; samsmithworld.com the red bulletin

Universal Music

Words: Florian Obkircher

Born May 19, 1992, Bishop’s Stortford, England Great Whit At his parents’ dinner parties he would get on the table and do karaoke to Whitney Houston. Singing lessons began aged eight.

Key to Latch In October 2012, British neo-garage duo Disclosure released Latch, a track with Smith on vocals. It got to number 11 in the UK charts and earned a thumbs-ups from Taylor Swift and Adele.

Hey Judy Smith has adored Judy Garland since he saw The Wizard Of Oz as a kid, and became an even bigger fan reading a biography.

“It’s almost like she fell in love with her loneliness,” he says. “The tapes she recorded before she died are incredible. They had a big impact on my album.”

How do you climb an underground rock face that’s never been conquered when the clock’s ticking and there’s No margin for error?

Just ask these guys…

out of tHe words: Alex Lisetz photography: Klaus Fengler

darkness

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SUMMIT MEETING Stefan Glowacz, 49, (above right) and Chris Sharma, 33 (below right) climbed a rock face with a difference in Oman: the second biggest cave chamber in the world.

Below left: Glowacz and Sharma at one of the entrances to the Majlis al Jinn cave.

M

MAJLIS AL JINN The giant cave chamber in Oman was discovered by geologist Don Davison and his wife Cheryl Jones in 1983. Jones christened the cave Majlis al Jinn, Arabic for the meeting place of the spirits.

0m

– 50m

158.2 m deepest part of cave - 178 m

– 100m

– 150m

– 200m

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120m

The Statue of Liberty 93m

Majlis al Jinn

ore rope!” shouts Stefan Glowacz. “MORE! ROPE!” But Chris Sharma can’t hear him. Sharma is a couple of metres below the beam of light from Glowacz’s head torch, swallowed up by the darkness of Majlis al Jinn, the second biggest cave chamber in the world. The vastness of this underground cathedral breaks down Glowacz’s words into separate syllables, bounces them off the walls and turns them into a dull reverberation. His face is racked with pain. It is February 28, 2014, with little more than a week left to make a success of a near-impossible mission. He would like the acoustics to be the worst of his problems.

MID 2012, GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, GERMANY glowacz: “My friend Heli Putz put the idea into my head. He told me about this cave in Oman, the Majlis al Jinn. Felix Baumgartner [the man who leapt from the edge of space in the Red Bull Stratos mission] jumped into it in 2007 and a few other BASE-jumpers had been there since.

The cave is nondescript from the outside: three crevices a few metres across at the bottom of a slope covered in small rocks. But in actual fact, you’re standing on the roof of an enormous vault.

At 160m deep, 310m long and 225m wide, it could almost accommodate Wembley Stadium.

‘Wouldn’t it be amazing,’ Heli said, ‘if someone the red bulletin

The underground vault’s dimensions are huge, as were the trials and tribulations of the climb. The route was always overhanging and often more than 45 degrees steep

abseiled down to the bottom and then climbed back out via the rock face.’ I wanted to be that somebody. But this was not a job for one man alone.

I would need a partner. The best one I could get.

I thought Chris Sharma would be interested.

We had met at a couple of events and hit it off straight away. He is the most creative climber of his generation, one I look up to in the same way I admire my idols from the 1970s and ’80s.”

LATE 2012, SANTA CRUZ, USA sharma: “The phone rang. It was Stefan Glowacz.

The same Stefan Glowacz I’d admired for years.

With every new project he reinvents climbing, even though he’s now been active for decades.

I said yes before he’d even finished his question.”

On the Limit Rope tore Stefan Glowacz’s hands open in a fall (above). Although the injury had a negative impact on his every move, he fought on to the bitter end.

In December 2012, Glowacz drove to the Selma Plateau in Oman in a 4x4, stirring up clouds of dust that hung in the air for minutes. The Majlis al Jinn cave is only 30km from the coast, but to get there meant driving on bumpy gravel tracks and reaching altitudes of up to 1,500m above sea level.

Glowacz realised that he wouldn’t just be facing technical climbing challenges on this expedition.

There would be logistical challenges as well. There wouldn’t be any drinking water for the base camp he’d want to set up here.

Back in Oman’s capital, Muscat, he met with high-ranking officials. They agreed to grant him official permission to enter the cave, their only demand being that he should come back out alive.

Glowacz gave them his word. He had his hands on the official permit relatively quickly by local standards: six months later. sharma: “Today I stood for the first time at the chasm where our adventure awaits us and looked down. You can’t see anything. It’s just blackness.

I threw a rock in and waited for the impact. And waited. And waited. It seems pretty deep.”

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Credit:

FEBRUARY 18, 2014, MUSCAT, OMAN

“WE LIVING C R E AT U R E S A R E N ’ T WELCOME DEEP BELOW GROUND. I T ’S TO O FA R DOWN, TOO DARK, TOO DANGEROUS”

FEBRUARY 19, 2014, MAJLIS AL JINN glowacz: “We abseiled down to the bottom of the cave. Our first climbing attempts showed that the quality of the rock was better than we hoped, but the weak light meant it was hard to see in all directions. You could hardly see the holds on the rock in front of you. You’re climbing blind.” sharma: “Right from day one, I understood how differently Stefan and I wanted to approach the project. I’d like to just climb straight off, but Stefan studies the rock face first, plans the pitches, and co-ordinates the logistics, which is necessary because our project has turned into something huge. There are 20 of us in total on the team,

and we have 700kg of equipment, six lighting balloons and 2,400m of rope. And we’re in a hurry: we’ll have to climb all the routes in just two-and-a-half weeks because the authorities won’t let us stay in the cave any longer than that.

What I can learn from Stefan are analytical thinking and having a commanding overview.

I have to learn these things. We have a project full of questions ahead of us. The biggest question of all is whether we we’ll be able to free-climb such a steep rock face at all.”

The narrow beam of light from Sharma’s head torch scours the rock in front of him. He is hanging upside down about a third of the way up the rock 77

Extreme overhangs, crumbling rock and weak light meant that progress was slow and difficult

FEBRUARY 25, 2014, MAJLIS AL JINN sharma: “Stefan is one tough guy. He wrapped tape around his exposed palms, which must have stung like crazy. But as bad as it was, that fall could have ended very differently. Now I understand why Majlis al Jinn translates as ‘the meeting place of the spirits’. We living creatures aren’t welcome here, deep below ground. It is too dry, too dark, too far down, too dangerous. There aren’t any animals here, apart from a few tiny black bugs.

But I’m beginning to enjoy the challenge. As you have to improvise so much when you’re climbing, you can let your intuition take over. Climbing is actually like meditating for me. A peak sporting performance is the way to find yourself.”

BACK ON EARTH After two-and-a-half weeks, the conquest of the Majlis al Jinn was complete. Local goatherds came to offer congratulations at the cave’s exit.

“ C L I M B I N G I S L I K E M E D I TAT I N G .

P E R F O R M I N G AT Y O U R P E A K L I K E T H I S I S T H E W AY T O FIND YOURSELF” face. Even he, perhaps the best competitive climber in the world, has his limits.

Inserting each bolt into the rock face is a challenge. He moves from one to the next quickly.

“That’s great!” Glowacz shouts out, from below.

The echo reverberates off the walls.

FEBRUARY 20, 2014, MAJLIS AL JINN glowacz: “I was climbing differently from the way I normally climb. I wasn’t falling back on my routine and was more unsettled than usual, which is why I made a mistake. I wanted to hook in my second ascender rope, but when released, it went into a sudden spin. This caused the other ascender to come loose and I was flung down about 10m. I automatically grabbed the rope with both hands, which is the worst thing I could have possibly done.

The rope ripped the skin off my hands to the point that flesh was exposed. I screamed out and dropped a bit further. Shit.” the red bulletin

Sharma is hanging in the fourth of the 13 separate sections, known as pitches, that he and Glowacz have mapped out. He’s climbed 100m so far. The stresses and strains of organising the pitches over a total of 300m are enormous.

Many pitches are on overhangs of at least 45 degrees from the horizontal. No natural light.

No days off. And now he has the toughest section of the whole rock face ahead of him.

Sharma dips into the chalk bag once more.

He will later rate this pitch as one of the hardest he has ever undertaken.

MARCH 1, 2014, MAJLIS AL JINN glowacz: “‘If you do this,’ I say to Chris, ‘then in my view you’re the best climber in the world.’

I can see the ambition in his eyes, but just as he’s a couple of millimetres away from triumph, he has to give in because we don’t have enough time to devote a whole day to a single pitch.

So we organise a way around, even if Chris is a little unhappy about it.”

MARCH 5, 2014, MAJLIS AL JINN sharma: “Yes, it is possible to free-climb in the Majlis al Jinn. Today we managed the final pitch and climbed every single red point, which means that we only used the natural rock structures. We spent six days climbing in all. The rest of the time went on organisation.

It was rough going. We peeked out into the glaring light of the desert. Our crew celebrated and a couple of goatherds gave us toothless grins. We hugged. But Stefan, with his hand injuries, stayed out of the high-fives.”

After they packed up their equipment, Sharma and Glowacz flew to Europe. While celebrating at a small party in Spain, where Sharma has chosen to make his home, they hear that the Majlis al Jinn is to be opened up to tourists.

Perhaps, in three or four years’ time, other climbers will be climbing different routes back out into the light of day.

“Every rock face,” Glowacz explains, “is easier once someone has shown it can be climbed. The hardest thing is imagining the impossible.” glowacz.de

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Neil Young’s digital music player MUSIC, page 86

Where to go and what to do

ac t i o n !

T r a v e l / G e a r / T r a i n i n g / N i g h t l i f e / M U S I C / p a r t i e s / c i t i e s / c l u b s / E v e n ts

Life’s a beach impress everyone on your next holiday by working out like a beach volleyball pro

Rutger Pauw/Red Bull Content Pool

Training, page 83

Brinkmanship: follow Julius Brink’s tips to gain a strategic advantage

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Action!

get the gear Star Trek: the bike that helps Macdonald to podium finishes

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Kit up to get down MOUNTAIN BIKING In the ultracompetitive world of downhill, gear that shaves seconds off race times is vital. Here’s some you can use

facebook.com/BrookMacdonaldMTB trekworldracing.com

Toe to head Brook Macdonald’s must-have kit

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Five Ten Impact VXi Clipless

the ride thing why this bike makes you better

1 OFF THE SHELF

the Bontrager rims are designed to dent instead of break,” says Buckle.

“Hopefully that helps him get to the bottom of the course without puncturing.”

“Anyone can walk into a bike shop and buy an exact replica of this frame,” says Trek’s Brian Buckle of the Session 9.9 650B. “We want people to be able to ride the same frame as our elite riders.”

4 RUBBER GOAL

2 SPRING LOADED

The Fox RAD DH Shock on Macdonald’s bike is custom-built for him. He’s one of a handful of World Cup riders racing with the prototype part.

“Tyres are nearly as important in mountain biking as in Formula One,” says Buckle. “Brook can choose from seven different Bontrager tyres depending on the conditions.”

3 ROCKY ROAD

“As Brook bombs down mountains and bounces off rocks,

Oakley Airbrake

Bell Full-9 Downhill helmet

“I’ve used Five Ten shoes since I started in the sport, but the change to clipless should help me be more consistent and hopefully faster.”

“These have been called the Swiss Army knife of goggles. They’re customised to fit my face and have great breathability around the nose and an incredible field of vision.”

“It’s designed for motocross, but it’s been adapted for mountain biking and it’s light and durable and it makes me feel safe.”

fiveten.com

oakley.com

bellhelmets.com

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robert tighe

Brook Macdonald: on the up and up in downhill mountain biking

“The competition is so fierce now,” says Brook Macdonald, of the UCI Downhill World Cup. “Everyone is going faster and you’ve got to try everything you can to get an edge.” The 22-year-old from New Zealand has made several changes to his setup this year to help him in his quest to be the best in the world. The biggest change is the bike he’s riding, an upgrade from the Trek Session 9 with 26in wheels to the Trek Session 9.9 650B (above) with 27.5in wheels. “With the bigger wheels, I’ll have faster roll-in speeds. It will help smooth out some of the rougher sections and hopefully it will help me gain lots of time,” says the man they call Bulldog. Macdonald is also hoping a switch in footwear will help, too. He is changing from flat shoes to clipless, which, despite the name, attach to the pedals. It’s a significant change for a rider known for his fast and loose style.

Action!

workout

Deep sand, great take-off power: Julius Brink

Shore thing Beach volleyball Olympic gold medallist Julius Brink on how to play – and look – like him

Rutger Pauw/Red Bull Content Pool, HochZwei/Red Bull Content Pool, Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool, vario sling.de

Golden sands: Julius Brink is reigning Olympic beach volleyball champ

Through a varied schedule of endurance training, weights, and technical and tactical practice, Julius Brink spends about 25 hours a week honing his body. The team tactics element is all the more important, because the 31-year-old German beach volleyball pro has a new partner this season, in the shape of Armin Dollinger, a 23-year-old fellow German. Brink says that would-be beach volleyballers – you, for three hours a year, on holiday – can certainly learn from the pros. “Play indoor volleyball, which is quicker than the beach version, on a regular basis to improve your basic technique.

Do weight training two or three times a week and work classic exercises such as squats, dead-lifts and pull-overs into your programme, to strengthen your shoulders because they come under great strain.”

Fu ll b o dy w o r k o ut Take a shot at sling training

Core improvement

The sling trainer is a simple piece of kit used for warm-up, strengthening and rehabilita­tion. One way Julius Brink uses it is an effective exercise to improve core stability (below left). Hook your feet into the straps and stretch your body. Push yourself backwards and forwards while keeping your body tense.

G E T V O L L E Y B A L L e r s ’ S h o U L D E RS “Pull-overs with a barbell are a basic exercise when it comes to improving shoulder stability,” says Brink. “I recommend five sets of eight-12 reps each, leaving at least a minute’s break between sets.”

brink-dollinger.de

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A session with the sling trainer is part of Julius Brink’s regular workout routine

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Lie flat on the bench. Hold the bar above your chest with your arms bent slightly. Carefully lower the bar behind your head, maintaining full control.

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As you move to the end position, with your elbows still slightly bent, push your lower back into on the bench and exhale as you return to the start position.

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party

Jump around: Bar Rouge is the place to be in Shanghai

not just noodles Shanghainese must-eats

Xiao Long Bao Delicate, soupfilled pork dumplings are a staple of the city’s cuisine. You can find them everywhere from street corners to the finest restaurants.

Living the Hai life It’s hard to stay on trend in a city as fastpaced as Shanghai. Yet here, where conspicuous consumption is a competitive sport, one club has endured. This year, Bar Rouge will celebrate a decade servicing a well-turned-out crowd with a high proportion of expats. Certainly, location has been key to this place’s longevity. You’ll find it in the Bund, the city’s historic waterfront, and on its splendid terrace you can sip to the backdrop of a spectacular 180-degree view of Shanghai’s skyline – a sight that has changed much in the last 10 years.

Like many high-end clubs, Bar Rouge, has its own caste system, where VIPs occupy tables groaning with prestige alcohol and everyone else waits at the permanently packed bar. The door policy is strict. “But if you arrive with positive energy and a big smile,” says Deniz Otman, the club’s operations manager, you just might get in.” bar rouge 18 Zhongshan East 1st Rd, Huangpu, Shanghai, China bar-rouge-shanghai.com

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Bar Rouge offers views, drinks and expat pandas

rooms with a view watch the world worldwide

Gansevoort Park Rooftop, New York Clubby twin-level hotel bar, 20 stories above Park Avenue South in the city’s NoMad district, with one of NYC’s best roof pools.

People by Crystal, Dubai Thanks to its 360-degree view of the skyline, from the top of the Raffles Hotel, it draws top DJs like Steve Aoki. Less great: super-strict door policy.

Rooftop Bar, Melbourne Astroturfed venue that hosts everything from DJ events to open-air movies.

A laid-back vibe and great views of the city’s Central Business District.

Shao Kao Shanghai’s street barbecue is popular and a cheap late-night snack. Choose from the vast array of vegetables, meat and seafood on sticks and watch them grilled in front you.

Chou Doufu You can’t avoid getting a whiff of this pungent fermented tofu. A Western equivalent is, sort of, salty blue cheese. To find your nearest vendor, just follow your nose.

the red bulletin

Dave Tacon, Kai Wang, Artbeat Studio(3), shutterstock(3)

s hanghai A first-rate nightclub with a superb view of China’s second city. Just stay happy in the queue

fiona, 30.

ADDICTED. TO sex. on fire

SERIoUSLY AdDICTIVE MUSIC

Action!

Music

listen real good Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones grew up in Queensbridge, a rough part of New York City. His father left. He dropped out of school. The classic CV for a career as a drug dealer. Instead, he became Nas, and in 1994, released his debut album, Illmatic, aged 20. It was groundbreaking: no one had told the tough-life tales in such a poetic and musical way before. The album is still lauded as a hip-hop touchstone by critics, fans and fellow musicians, and a 20th-birthday rerelease includes demos, remixes, and unreleased tracks. Nas took time out from the celebrations to remember the music that fired him up back then.

Nas’s Illmatic is 20 this year

‘It sounded like a rhino’ Playlist To mark the special edition of one of the great hip-hop albums, Nas picks the songs that fired him up when he made it

Upgrade your digital music quality now

WooAudio wa7 Digital-analogue converters turn music files into audible sound.

This vacuum tube headphone amplifier does so at higher quality. wooaudio.com

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Public Enemy Rebel Without A Pause

“I saw them live for the first time at an anti-racism rally in Harlem in 1988. With samples of speeches by civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson and Chuck’s razor-sharp rap, hip-hop never sounded more forceful. Chuck D roared, ‘Soul, rock and roll, co­ming like a rhino,’ during this song and it really sounded like a rhino was running through the club.”

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Stevie Wonder Master Blaster

“I was a kid when I heard this song for the first time, and I thought, ‘Whoever this guy is, he is the greatest music-maker of all time.’ He recorded this song as a tribute to Bob Marley’s Jammin’.

That Stevie would care to do a reggaeinfluenced record like that is incredible.

It was pivotal in me later working together with Marley’s son, Damian.”

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Boogie Down Productions My Philosophy

“When I was a teenager, I used to wonder if rappers could be philosophers.

KRS-One of BDP answered my question with this track.

He showed what an MC can do, what being a rapper is all about. This song was mind-blowing and still is, musically as well as lyrically. KRS-One was a teacher for me. He was like Malcolm X, the Marcus Garvey of our generation.”

dfx Audio Enhancer Software that gives music a fuller sound on your computer, phone or tablet with 3D surround simulation. fxsound.com

Michael Jackson Human Nature

“The way Michael describes meeting a girl in a city in this song is magical. I still wonder what synthesizers he used for it – respect to Quincy Jones, who is the best producer who ever lived.

I used a sample from it for my single, It Ain’t Hard to Tell. Sadly, I never got to meet him in person, but we spoke on the phone a few times.”

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A Tribe Called Quest I Left My Wallet In El Segundo

“My favourite early ATCQ tune is this one. The story is amazing: Q-Tip and the guys take a road-trip across America in his mother’s car. When they get back he realises that he lost his wallet in El Segundo. It was the first time I heard the word ‘grub’, meaning food. Q-Tip is the coolest of the cool and we ended up working on Illmatic together.”

s o u n d b ox the orchestra around you

Ototo

Crowd-funded on Kickstarter, this mini-synth turns everyday objects into musical instruments. Bana­nas, pan lids, items of furniture… anything can be used to generate a sound once it’s hooked up. Sounds are emitted via a built-in speaker. dentakulondon.com

Ponoplayer Rock legend Neil Young says that listening to hi-res music on this forthcoming digital player (he’s a company founder) sounds 30 times better usual MP3s. ponomusic.com

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the red bulletin

pressherenow.com

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City Guide

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Montevideo

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WHAT TO DO IN MONTEVIDEO

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City Surfing

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OK, so perhaps Montevideo’s beach isn’t the world’s most attractive surfing location.

But the steady, smallish waves and mild climate make it a good spot for beginners.

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TOp Five when juan’s in town

Uruguay guy: musician Juan Campodonico

Where’s the beef?

shutterstock(2)

montevideo The clash between old and new, and amazing steaks, are what makes the capital of Uruguay so great, says one of its most famous sons Juan Campodonico is a star in his native Uruguay.

The 42-year-old musician has formed successful bands Bajofondo and Campo, produced albums by Jorge Drexler (who became the first Uruguayan to win an Oscar, for the soundtrack to The Motorcycle Diaries) and has composed the music for international TV ads for the likes of Honda. He cannot get enough of his hometown. “What is it that I so love about Montevideo? The magnificent dichotomy between progress and nostalgia. We Montevideans like what’s new, but we also like to wallow in the past.

You can feel that in the city’s music, culture and image.” Here he makes a must-do list for next time you swing by South America. juancampodonico.com; www.campomusic.net

the red bulletin

1 La Otra Tomas Diago 758 “There’s no factory farming in Uruguay, which means our meat is high quality, and this is the city’s best steakhouse. I recommend the vacio [flank] steak. You mainly get it here and in Argentina.”

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records by old Uruguayan singers such as Romeo Gavioli and Alfredo Zitarrosa. I also go there for the fruit, the books, the wonderful second-hand clothes and live tango music on every corner.”

4 la ronda & El Santa Ciudadela “You might not find a Starbucks in Montevideo, but you will find bars steeped in folklore. Like La Ronda (above) or El Santa. You’ll often see President Pepe Mujica in the latter – as always, without a tie.”

3 Feria de T Narvaja Dr Tristán Narvaja “Legendary flea market. On a Sunday, I rummage through

SandboardinG Mega-popular in Uruguay, not least because of places like Valizas and Maldonado. For sand-sport fanatics, the huge dunes they offer are the best anywhere on the continent. sobrelasdunas.com

City Gliding

2 La rambla

Am Rio de la Plata “The seafront promenade is 22km long, with sandy beaches, large sunbathing areas and a pink granite footpath. You have to go for a walk here.”

olasyvientos.com

5 Parque Rodo Barrio Parque Rodo “People tend to either love or hate this area of the city, which has somehow got stuck in the past. There are 1960s buildings, romantic parks and an ancient fairground. It’s a reflection of Montevideans’ nostalgic soul.”

Want a bird’s-eye view of the Uruguayan capital?

Go straight from Montevideo’s beach into the air on a hang-glider.

We recommend the night-time trip for spectacular sights. arribauruguay.com

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Action!

sunglasses

HOW TO LOOK good this season

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RBR 207 Red Bull Racing Eyewear Sebastian Vettel’s sun-blocker-outer of choice, made of XMP, a Formula One thermoplastic

Gloryfy Gi2 DeJaVu Stylish, splash of colour on the inside of the arms and, thanks to G-Flex plastic frames, unbreakable

Police Neymar Jr 1 Deadly in the penalty area: these are the shades sported by Brazil’s World Cup superstar Neymar

Oakley Heritage Frogskins The iridium coating on the lenses reduces reflective glare and increases UV protection

Adidas Originals Malibu A fine pair from the Three Stripes’ heritage line, with a slight retro feel and wide arms

Carrera 89/S Classic aviators with a modern twist.

Reflective grey lenses and metal frames

Smith Optics Approach Not too sporty for everyday wear, not too everyday for sport wear

Michael Pachleitner Group

Here comes the sun

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Sebastian Vettel versus UV rays: only one winner the red bulletin

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Action!

watches

th e N ASA Test Three of the 11 hoops the Speedmaster had to jump through to reach the moon

HEAT/ HUMIDITY

Through space and time: the current Omega Speedmaster ’57 chronograph

High temp: 48hrs at 71°C then 30mins at 93°C. Low temp: 4hrs at -18°C. Ten days in 95% humidity at 20-71°C

Out of this world

Vibration Three, 30-minute cycles, with the watch in different positions and the vibration frequency varying from 5-2,000Hz.

O mega Speedmaster How a piece of precision Swiss engineering became vital kit in the exploration of space

SHOCKPROOF

www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/omega.html The only watch “flightqualified by NASA for all manned space missions”

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Six shocks of 40G, lasting 11 milliseconds each and in one of six different directions.

Alexander Linz

Top: The centrifuge used in the test programme. Left: Buzz Aldrin wearing a Speedmaster on the moon in 1969

The Speedmaster with a NASA strap, on a NASA test log. The strap allowed astronauts to wear the watch under or over a sleeve

Buzz Aldrin wearing his Speedmaster in Eagle, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module

the red bulletin

omega (4), nasa, shutterstock

Anonymous NASA staff descended on Houston’s jewellery stores in 1964 to buy a bunch of watches, from which they’d choose the one they would issue to their astronauts. They bought timepieces made by Bulova, Elgin, Gruen, Hamilton, Longines, Lucien Piccard, Mido, Omega and Rolex, then put each one through an 11-part test of precision under extreme conditions. The only survivor of that process was the Omega Speedmaster.

NASA designated it as “flight-qualified

by NASA for all manned space missions”.

Astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young were the first men to wear the watches in space, on the Gemini 3 mission, on March 23, 1965. Legend has it that Omega, based in Biel-Bienne, Switzerland, only found out about this a year later, after seeing a photo of an astronaut wearing a Speedmaster.

Today, both American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts wear one.

Action!

games

Packing a punch: Ultra Street Fighter IV

P l ay Again?

How often do gaming’s icons appear?

Mario Mario Kart 8, out on May 30, after Mario Golf: World Tour. With these, there have been about 200 games (plus format variants) featuring Nintendo’s mascot.

Hadouken!

The thing about a new Street Fighter game is that it’s not really new.

It’s still essentially the side-on, fast and frantic super-powered beat-’emup it was back in 1987, and that’s why the fighting game series is one of the most popular of all video games. Gaming tech advances have only led to improvements in a winning formula, rather than a throwing-out of the Bison with the bathwater.

So, Ultra Street Fighter IV is 2D fisticuffs in a kinda 3D environment, just like the Super Street Fighter games that preceded it. There are five more playable characters in this latest version, including Decapre, a leggy Russian wearing a blue ninja suit and a hat last seen on Concorde stewardesses, making a total of 44 combatants.

Street Fighter nerds either love or hate the fact that Decapre is a clone of Cammy, a veteran Street Fighter character, also playable in USF IV, made flesh by Kylie Minogue in the Street Fighter movie.

The passion of those nerds has also led SF’s maker, Capcom, to tweak this new game based on feedback from the last one, ironing out the gameplay kinks that led to much online discussion. In early June, those who own the last game can upgrade to the new one; the rest of us have to stump up in full.

For Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3. streetfighter.com

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up next

Your games dreams come true

Make a million-dollar game for nothing

You can download and use the same tools that leading games developers use to build games such as Unreal – some of them for free. Unreal Engine 4 costs US$19 per month, while the CryEngine from Crytek, maker of Far Cry and Homefront 2, is only US$9.90 per month. All those times you shout at the screen, “If only…”? Put your money where your mouth is.

Sonic There are 30 main games on the blue hedgehog’s CV, plus as many again in cameos and team-ups, including the Mario Olympics games (see above).

unrealengine.com cryengine.com

Showtime

sonicthe hedgehog.com

At E3, know gaming’s future

On June 10, social media will be busy. That is the first day of E3 2104, the 20th and biggest Electronic Entertainment Expo, the trade show at which new games are traditionally unveiled. About 50,000 people are expected over three days at the Los Angeles Convention Center. When is Halo 5 out? Is Nintendo making a new console?

These, and so many more questions, will be answered.

e3expo.com

‘T’ First seen in 1984, along with I, J, L, O, S and Z, and since in a grand total of 54 official Tetris games and countless other unofficial homages and rip-offs. tetris.com

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paul wilson

Ultra Street Fighter IV Fireballs fly in the return of gaming’s most beloved beat-’em-up

mario.nintendo.com

Never miss an issue ‌

/ MAY E L I R AP AL ON S I NG E U ISS LEAD S T A NOW SAG E NT N EW RYWI DE T COU N

Every issue Includes Expert Advice on: Training, Racing, Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Gear Reviews. subscribe online at www.athleticsireland.ie Free training diary to all new subscribers Subscriptions Hotline: (01) 886 9933

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buyer’s guide

Deep impact

kit that steps up when you go under 2 x underwater jet pack Rocketeer-style jet packs may still be a way off, but the underwater equivalent is nearly here. It might be the most fun you can have with your swimming trunks on. With a high-performance marine thruster strapped to each forearm, you’re propelled through the water while retaining complete control. Designed by two brothers in Portsmouth, it’s the first of its kind, still at the prototype stage, but due out before year’s end. £3,600/€4,350 scpmi.com

panasonic Hx-wa30 This rugged video camera makes sure you never miss a moment. It’s shockproof, freezeproof, dustproof and waterproof down to 10m. The grip and foldout screen make for easy use even underwater, and on dry land it’s wi-fi ready, so footage can be shared or viewed on a big screen at the tap of a button. £300/€362 panasonic.co.uk

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liquid image explorer series 8.0mp If entrusting your beloved smartphone or tablet to a waterproof case fills you with fear, record your underwater wanderings with a piece of kit designed for the depths. The built-in video camera on this mask will also keep your hands free for swimming. £48/€58 liquidimage.com

lifedge case in juniper for iphone 5/5s The patented ‘silicon pistonseal system’ of this sleek, UK-designed case makes it possible for your phone to get wet with you. £75/€90 lifedge.co.uk aXtion pro for ipad Dive in and leave your tablet floating on the surface with this buoyant tough case, or the red bulletin

RUTH MORGAN LUKE KIRWAN

take it below the surface down to 2m: its lens protector will actually enhance your pictures. £79/€95 parotec-it.co.uk TAG Heuer 500m aquaracer calibre 5 Anything good enough for Leo DiCaprio is surely good enough for the rest of us.

Splash out on the watch he’s worn on billboards around the red bulletin

the world, safe in the knowledge it can get as wet as you can down to 500m.

And, no matter how murky the depths, its luminescent hands ensure that it won’t just keep the time, you’ll be able to read it, too. £2,050/ €2,474 tagheuer.co.uk finis neptune For the ultimate sub-surface sound, strap one of these to

your goggles and make like a marine mammal. This underwater MP3 player mimics the way dolphins and whales communicate using bone conduction technology, to give perfect playback with no need for unreliable earbuds. Just place one on each cheek in front of the ear and splash around to the beat. £110/€133 swimmer.co.uk

Nikon 1 AW1 Happy at depths up to 15m, this is the only waterproof camera to come with interchangeable lenses.

It’s also shockproof up to 2m and freezeproof, if Arctic diving’s your thing. It has an electric compass, GPS for spot-on location tagging and a depth gauge to make sure you don’t drown it. £750/€900 nikon.co.uk

garmin forerunner Whether training in the pool or open water, the 910xt is the watch to take along.

Water resistant down to 50m, it identifies and counts strokes, measures distance, pool length, and calculates overall swim efficiency. The GPS function maps your chosen route, and it works for running and cycling, too. £330/€400 garmin.com

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Action!

save the date

don’t miss Perfect podcasts for the month’s events

22 may

espncricinfo.com

23 may

Geeky

Gut 60.000 Kubikmeter Schnee werden bei den Super biker: Obstacles verbaut.

Jonathan Rea

Attendees at the MCM London Comic Con owe US comic Chris Hardwick a debt.

His insightful, smart talk show about science, film, gaming and related subjects gives geekery a good name.

May 25

Revving up The Superbike World Championship circus will pitch its tent in Donington for the 2014 season’s fifth round, between stops in Italy and Malaysia. It will be a welcome leg for Northern Irish contender Jonathan Rea, who will be hoping to repeat his victorious 2012 performance at the circuit.

nerdist.com

redbull.com/motorsports

7 june

Tickets on sale now

Big hitters

May 21-25

Little screen Ditch the multiplex for the Fastnet Short Film Festival, in Schull, Co Cork, Ireland, where shorts are shown in restaurants, pubs and shops. fastnetshortfilmfestival.com

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This month the best cricketers from 12 universities are battling to represent the UK in Red Bull Campus Cricket, a 20/20 competition between eight cricketing nations. The UK will face a tough group stage from which two national teams will progress to The Oval for the World Final in July. redbullcampuscricket.com

May 24-26

Grand slam Anyone who missed out on seeing lovable Cheshire rogues Blitz Kids on their recent sold-out tour should head to the Slam Dunk Festival, where the band will be spreading the sound around with consecutive dates in the north (Leeds), south (Hertfordshire) and in between (Wolverhampton), alongside the likes of Less Than Jake and The All American Rejects. slamdunkmusic.com

Party The Parklife Weekender brings the best in new electronic music to Manchester.

Get to know the next big things before they even know they’re big with the Resident Advisor weekly podcast. residentadvisor.net

the red bulletin

Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool, fastnet short film festival, Sebastian Marko/Red Bull Content Pool, Phil Sharp, Getty Images, SHOWTIME, AEphotos/A Edmonds

Sporty As the England cricket team starts the summer by taking on Sri Lanka, stay ahead of the game with the Switch Hit podcast, an informative panel chat show that will also raise a smile.

Coming soon

Here comes the fear Our love of bloodsuckers, zombies and otherworldly monsters shows no sign of abating, and all of them are present in the shadowy Victorian London of new TV series Penny Dreadful. The show, featuring Josh Hartnett, Eva Green and Timothy Dalton, promises horror and thrills. sky.com/tv/show/ penny-dreadful

specialists in high end road and triathlon bikes

June 6-8

Dive in The public’s love of high diving is clear when there’s a Saturday night TV show about it, in which largely graceless celebrities hit the water. The British Diving Championships put the pro divers, including Splash! host and Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley, back in their rightful place on the diving board to show off their bonafide aerobatic talents. swimming.org

Starter Packs from €299 June 6-8

Winning waters The world’s best practitioners of canoe slalom couldn’t hope for a better start to the 2014 ICF World Cup Series than competing on the world’s newest purpose-built slalom course. Thanks to the 2012 Olympic Games, that’s exactly what’s available in Lee Valley, London. Can the home nation repeat its successes of two summers ago? visitleevalley.org.uk

the red bulletin

Wheelworx Unit 48, Fonthill Retail Park, Lucan, Co. Dublin.

Tel: 01 6201000 Email: info@wheelworx.ie Web: www.wheelworx.ie

Greece, March 26, 2014 The Corinth Canal is about 21.3m wide at its narrowest point. Enough to rush an Extra 300S through there, thought Hungarian aerobatics legend Peter Besenyei. The plane has a wingspan of 7.5m.

Besenyei has a hell of an eye.

“ Claustrophobia?

When you’re jetting at 300kph there’s no time for it” Peter Besenyei, world aerobatics champion and Red Bull Air Race pilot

The next issue of the Red Bulletin is out on june 10 98

the red bulletin

Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool

Magic Moment

Daniel Ricciardo for Pepe Jeans London