He has one of the brightest and most admired brains in the world which can normally be found pondering the great unanswered questions of the universe. He’s 72, He’s in a wheelchair, he speaks with a machine voice, but that’s not slowing him down.
Many football managers now pay more attention to statistics and sports science than ever before, but I doubt that any of them have ever gone this far. Professor Stephen Hawking has probed into the world of theoretical physics to come up with a mathematical formula to guarantee England success at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil – and also on how to take the ‘perfect penalty’.
The Cambridge physicist analysed data from every tournament since 1966 – but he believes the heat, the altitude and the distance from home could all reduce England’s chances. Oh, and he’s not a football fan.
‘Ever since the dawn of civilization, people have not been content to see events as unconnected and inexplicable. They have craved an understanding of the underlying order in the world. The World Cup is no different.’
Although the gist of it still boils down to a single equation: England are more likely to win while playing an attacking 4-3-3 formation and in red shirts , the formula for success at the world cup looks something like this:
And the one for the ‘Perfect penalty’ is:
Professor Hawking’s analysis was commissioned by bookmakers Paddy Power. Perfect example of ‘math meet football‘.
You’ve seen Stephen Hawking’s prediction for England. Where’s yours for Nigeria?
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