The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has to offer, all in one place.
The long-awaited first NFL match at Tottenham’s brand new state-of-the-art stadium in north London has finally arrived. This Sunday, the Chicago Bears take on the Oakland Raiders (6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET) on a field that was years in the making and ran… erm… a bit behind schedule, as Spurs fans can attest.
So, after all that, the change from Premier League football pitch to one suited for American gridiron football will happen lickity-split with the flip of a switch, right?
From ⚽ to 🏈!
Take a look at the incredible transformation at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the @NFL lands in N17. #THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/64tQyCcBDg
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 4, 2019
Well, not quite. It’s a bit of a production and quite a remarkable one at that. Ahead of the game, Spurs shared a time-lapse video that shows it’s both labour intensive and incredibly impressive.
– A 5-foot-6 mascot for a 5-foot-6 player
- Happy Birthday Zlatan – 38 quotes on his 38th
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s fitness secrets … pizza is OK
But the wonders of this pitch aren’t confined to the playing surface. The whole stadium is truly on the cutting edge of everything that modern technology, creature comforts and luxury have to offer both the professional athlete and the everyday spectator, as this video tour shows.
Sadly for the Bears and the Raiders, neither team will have the chance to score the first touchdown at this revolutionary new ground, as Bayern Munich beat them both to the punch in their 7-2 Champions League thrashing of Spurs in midweek!
Tottenham striker Harry Kane told ESPN that he wants to play in the NFL one day, and is clearly a superfan of New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, so that got us thinking… which players have shown they could make it in the NFL?
Lionel Messi’s Cirque de Soleil
Barcelona and Argentina legend Lionel Messi’s life story has been taken to the stage via Cirque du Soleil and it’s quite a show.
Cirque du Soleil, the live performance company that performs around the world, has previously based shows on musical acts such as The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Argentine rock group Soda Stereo, but never before on a football player. And this week we’ve had a sneak preview of what’s on offer.
A new Cirque du Soleil show inspired by Lionel Messi opens in Barcelona next week.
Here’s a sneak preview 👀 pic.twitter.com/TB5st1BqkN
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 4, 2019
The spectacle by the Montreal-based company will open in Barcelona on October, then travel the globe in 2020.
Their productions usually feature daring high-wire and acrobatic stunts, as well as extravagant costumes and musical performances, but there’s no word yet on whether his lifelong rival Cristiano Ronaldo appears as the pantomime villain.