Adidas has launched a global football advertising campaign produced for UEFA EURO 2004, dubbed the "European Cup" of football. The campaign, called "Road to Lisbon," was created by independent 180 Amsterdam, as part of the 180/TBWA alliance. The campaign includes TV, Cinema, Print and Outdoor and kicked off in the UK this past Saturday. A global roll-out will follow in a few weeks.

The campaign centers on a 2-minute film, entitled "Road to Lisbon," and is shot in the genre of a classic road movie. Thirteen of the world's best football players are caught on camera as they travel on customized scooters from their respective home countries to Lisbon for the UEFA EURO 2004 championships. Along the way they meet up for kick-a-rounds in forests, lay-bys and anything remotely resembling a game. Eventually they even take on a whole Portuguese town before we see the huge squad reach Rossio, the main square of Lisbon. The commercial is set to the tunes of Quincy Jones's "It's Caper Time"? from the soundtrack of the epic 1969 motion picture "The Italian Job."

If you're into scooters and the whole euro-soccer thing, you'll love this campaign. Adrants is clueless about soccer (footbal to the rest of the world) but there sure is some fancy foot work in this campaign.