The interactive illustration shows a moving, bouncing football against the backdrop of the party town of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


Google has created a doodle to mark the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which starts today.

The internet giant has devised one of its iconic moving illustrations to commemorate the 20th staging of the global football extravaganza, which this year takes place in Brazil.

The interactive doodle begins by showing a yellow and blue coloured football bouncing into view from stage left.

The ball comes to a halt in the centre of the screen, at which point the letters making up the word Google come alive and begin to jump up and down in a carefree manner.

As the letters let themselves go in the foreground, the vista of Rio de Janeiro opens up into view behind them.

Golden sands and palm trees can be seen along with cable cars furiously conveying passengers to and from the top of the city's iconic Sugar Loaf Mountain.

The statue of Christ the Redeemer watches the carnival scene impassively, while the summer sun rotates in an unusual fashion.

The first World Cup was won by hosts Uruguay in 1930.

Brazil has won the competition five times before (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002) but never on home soil.

England, of course, have lifted the Jules Rimet trophy just the once, in 1966..