Vienna - Spanish singing sensation Enrique Iglesias comes from a family with a good footballing background. His father, Julio Iglesias, who has sold more than 300 million albums, played for the Real Madrid youth sides before a car crash put an end to his hopes of becoming a professional footballer.
Enrique Iglesias also wanted to play football professionally, but as he himself said, he was not really good enough in Spain.
"But then we moved to America and suddenly I was amongst the best."
On Sunday, he will at least experience big-time football as he sings the official UEFA song 'Can You Hear Me' during the short closing ceremony for Euro 2008.
His appearance will be the highlight for the 49,000 fans in the Ernst Happel stadium and millions watching the game world wide.
The 33-year-old, who, a few years ago, signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music for an unprecedented 48 million dollars, however knows the real reason why he is performing.
"I am actually only here for the free ticket," Iglesias joked with reporters on Friday.
He believes the song to be suitable for both disco and the stadium. "I just wanted to do a song that was pleasing and enjoyable," he said, adding that he would be holding thumbs for his native Spain.
Germany has a very good side, he said, comparing them with the German rock band Rammstein: "The team and the music can evoke fear now and then."
Iglesias said that, apart from Spain, he likes Portugal, while his favourite players are Brazilian Ronaldo and England's David Beckham, whom he both knows.
He watched the semi-final between Russia and Spain on Thursday in the stadium and said that he could not say which Russian player he liked the most as they were all very good.
His Russian girlfriend, the former tennis professional Anna Kournikova, had tried to get him to support the Russian team, he said.
"But of course you have to draw your boundaries, even if she is your girlfriend," he said.
UEFA said that the ceremony will last just ten minutes, with the focus being on football and the 16 participating teams.
"400 artists, many of them from the Vienna musical comedy school and the Austrian gymnastics federation (OEFT), will get the fans involved as they look back on the tournaments highs and lows," UEFA said.
