Pele, Maradona for WC opening

2006-06-06 20:17

Munich - Pele, Diego Maradona and around 170 players who have won the World Cup will be the stars of the glittering opening ceremony for this year's tournament here on Friday, the organisers said on Tuesday.

Pele, widely considered the world's greatest ever player and a World Cup winner in 1958, 1962 and 1970, will carry the trophy on to the pitch of the futuristic Munich stadium with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

The ceremony will take place directly before the opening match of the tournament between host nation Germany and Costa Rica.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter said inviting players who have won the World Cup would create "a special atmosphere".

The oldest surviving player attending will be 79-year-old Alcides Ghiggia, who scored the winning goal for Uruguay against Brazil in the 1950 final in Rio de Janeiro.

All 22 players from the 1974 final in which Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1 in Munich will also attend.

England will be represented by the Charlton brothers, Bobby and Jack, who were part of the 1966 winning team.

German President Horst Koehler will officially declare the World Cup open.

- AFP