Totti, Toni, Del Piero will rise to the occasion!

My interest in football (initially) centred around Diego Maradona.

Maradona is perhaps the greatest football player we have ever had," says Kannada superstar Upendra. "My favourite team in this World Cup was Brazil, in the beginning. I liked the fact that Brazil plays passionately."

"At this point I think Italy will win hands down in the final. Italy has now replaced Brazil as my favourite team. The Italians will, like Brazil, rise to the occasion. (Francesco) Totti, (Luca) Toni, (Alessandro) Del Piero will excite fans in the final," says the actor and scriptwriter, whose latest film is Aishwarya.

"Although I am very busy shooting during the day and dubbing in the evenings, I came back early to watch some of the matches. My wife Priyanka does not watch these games, though she hails from Kolkata!"

"I think winning a match is more important than (looking at) how a team played. I saw the English team fumbling time and time again when they played against Trinidad and Tobago in their second match. But see how the team came back to score a 2-0 win. What is the use of discussing how a team played or how the players coordinated during the play, when it is the results that matter?"

"I will watch the final with my friends. I plan to put up a giant screen on my building's terrace and invite all my friends, including football fan Ambarish, who is a member of Parliament and actor."