It will not have escaped anybody's attention that the most coveted prize of world football, the solid gold World Cup trophy, is all about the map. The globe has been crafted being borne aloft by players at the moment of ecstatic victory, not a struggling Atlas in sight.

 
I don't hear any complaints about the 'inaccuracy' of the globe in the statue, maybe because its accuracy is completely beside its purpose. It exists as a symbol of universality, inclusiveness, world domination (football-wise of course), meanings which accompany the image of the globe in statues, monuments and trophies the world over. I think the intended symbolism of this globe has been particularly potent to the 2010 World Cup, despite there being a predictably Latin American - European dominance to the quarter final line-up. Perhaps we may yet witness a huge surprise.

Unfortunately we were unable to include the trophy in the Magnificent Maps exhibition. We asked a certain 11 sportsmen to fetch it for us, but they appear to have returned empty-handed.