> Besides, 11 people representing a country is just a ploy to entertain people. There is zero level of relationship between the players and the rest country.

Aside from the legal requirement that they be citizens of the country they play for, and that once a player represents his country in a competitive match, they are bound to represent that same country for the rest of their lives, barring some extraordinary situation where the country itself breaks up or ceases to exist.

Artificial requirements to make the illusion of a connection stronger.

I think your assertion that people who were born and grew up in the same country bear 0 resemblance goes against a lot of modern statistics.

They do but not more or less than footballers, bakers or your neighboor. There is nothing special about football except the idea that it's special.

I really don’t see what makes the concept of national football teams any more artificial than the concept of nations in the first place.

I don't think anyone would disagree with you there.

> There is zero level of relationship between the players and the rest country.

Oh I so dare you to go to Brazil and say Neymar doesn't matter. Actually, don't, I don't want to be (indirectly) responsible for your maiming...

Yes, it's very efficient mechanism to control the population.

People have a strong illusion their connection is real

To make my point plainer, who are you to say it isn't?

"who are you" implies I should have some special status to give my opinion.

But the fact remains that they don't run after the ball themself. They don't make any effort in this competition. They don't even have any personnal relationship with the players.

I don't deny it's fun.

You should have fun.

But it's no more real than a movie.

We are all connected.

But we are connected to some much more than others.

See: mother + newborn.

Do you remember coming out of your mother's vagina?

Is that relevant?