The Year of the Lion
December 11, 2006
As 2006 comes to an end, DW-WORLD.DE waves goodbye to one of the icons of the year: World Cup mascot Goleo VI.
The much maligned mascot comes to the end of his four-year lifespan at the end of December after a career spent promoting the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. No other mascot has polarized opinion as much as the amiable, pantless carnivore.
Introduced as the embodiment of the fun and togetherness that FIFA wanted to convey during Germany's World Cup, Goleo became synonymous with the 2006 tournament through his singing, dancing, public appearances and branded merchandise.
As he and his side-kick Pille the talking ball prepare to retire from public life and take their places in the FIFA Hall of Fame, DW-WORLD.DE looks back over the brief but luminous career of Goleo VI.