World Cup stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba strip down for Vanity Fair

Well, that's one way to get more Americans to watch soccer.

The June issue of Vanity Fair features a number of the marquee players in the 2010 World Cup in far less than their regulation kits. Cover subjects Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast (and English Premier League club Chelsea) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (and Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid) are in nothing but patriotic briefs.

The piece also features shots of such stars as Landon Donovan of the United States, Kaka and Pato of Brazil and Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon -- all shot by Annie Leibovitz -- and an essay by British journalist A.A. Gill on the appeal of "the beautiful game" worldwide.

And no, it's not called that because of things like Leibovitz's cover shot.

The World Cup gets under way June 11, when host South Africa takes on Mexico in Johannesburg. The United States has its first match the following day against England.

And, if you like what you see in Vanity Fair and the video below but are still on the fence about the game itself, you should know that players sometimes celebrate goals by stripping off their shirts. Just sayin'.



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Photo credit: Vanity Fair