During this summer's World Cup in Brazil, "media companies will also be playing their World Cup, so they are arming their teams the same way as the participating nations," according to COLPRENSA. Former Colombian footballer Carlos Valderrama, who will work for ESPN during the event, said, "We will assemble a great team and send a positive message about the performance of Colombia. I will follow the team in every game." Each of "the former players who are now broadcasters are far from their roles as players, and they want to shine off the field." Former Colombian footballer Jorge Bermúdez, who "has worked for ESPN for several years," said, "If you want to perform in front of the camera like you did as a player, you have to study and prepare yourself to be better than the others." Another former Colombian footballer who will cover the World Cup is Óscar Córdoba, a columnist for Fox Sports Latin America. Other former footballers who will broadcast the World Cup include Alexi Lalas of the U.S. (ESPN), Bebeto of Brazil (TV Azteca), Diego Maradona of Argentina (Telesur), Hugo Sánchez of Mexico (TV Azteca), Enrique Wolff of Argentina (ESPN), Juan Carlos Oblitas of Perú (RPP Noticias Delantero), Michael Ballack of Germany (ESPN), Santiago Solari of Argentina (ESPN) and Steve McManaman of the U.K. (ESPN), among others (COLPRENSA, 4/6).
