World Cup Statistics

Source: Finanz und Wirtschaft

Roland: I totally love useless statistics, and right now I am really having a lot of fun: the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is a few days old now, but we can already find many entirely fascinating and utterly useless statistics out there in the intersphere. So here is a collection of my favorites!

1. If you want to win a game you better concede the first goal. At the time of writing this nine games were finished, and five of them were won by the team that went behind 0:1.

2. Within the people of the 32 countries that play the World Cup there are two obvious correlations:
a) the less religious the people are the richer they are!
b) the more beer they drink the more uniformly distributed their income is!
Undeniable proof can be found here (sorry it's in German).

3. Brazil is the country where the most butt lifting jobs are executed, while in no other country more people are killed by their lawnmowers than in the United States (proof here: sorry, German again).

4. Brazil will win the World Cup: using a complex statistical forecasting method the website FiveThirtyEight predicts that Brazil will win the World Cup with a probability of 43% (followed by Argentina 13%, Germany 11%, Netherlands 7%). At the moment of writing this Holland already beat Spain 5:1, and now Spain's chance of winning the Cup is at 0%. I would not bet my fortune on that!

5. Brazil will win the World Cup: YouGov provides an analysis of polls in 19 World Cup countries asking who will win the cup. The result: 16 countries believe in Brazil, the Gauchos believe in Argentina, the Spanish in Spain and the Americans... in the United States! Unfortunately there was no poll done where the most clueless fans can be found...

6. Germany will win the World Cup: The most convincing of all statistics has been developed by a highly regarded scientific company called Electronic Arts. They found an extremely difficult, but unbeatable algorithm under the name of "Fifa World Cup Soccer 2014" that undeniably predicts Germany to win the final against Brazil with 2:1 after conceding the first goal (reference to statistics 1). Miroslav Klose will score the match winner with his 16th WC goal and becomes the player with most scores in the history of World Cup. Now this is proof that cannot be argued with!

2012 - The Final Year (Part 8 of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries)

This will be the final installation of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries.

After having run into unspecific health issues Sonja had decided to change her diet, and went (mostly) vegan. We also concluded that with all this beautiful scenery at our doorsteps taking up hiking and kayaking was in order. 2012 certainly became the most outdoor active year in our Canadian records. 

In spring we visited our families in Germany again, and of course we also paid our dear friends in California another visit, and how could we not, as their weather turned out to be splendid and mild, contrary to the chilly dampness of the we(s)t coast. 

Burg, Germany

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

Also, as one of the perks of working in a New Zealand company Sonja got sent off to Kiwiland again, where new (moto-blogger) friends were made, and more of the beauty of this country was discovered. 

Kiwi Scenery

Auckland, New Zealand

Street Tripling on Coromandel Island (Photo: Geoff James)

After many miles on his Vespa Roland was ready to take the next step and procured himself a maxi scooter. There were two-wheeled road-trips around the Lillooet Loop, along the Sunshine Coast, and down to Washington and Oregon to meet our moto-blogger friends at the IMBC2012. 

Later the year we had another stopover in Europe with Norway, Sweden and Germany on our list. While Norway was a rather spontaneous decision, our business in Sweden was of more 'serious' matter, as a good friends of Roland's got married. Norway had impressed us, and reminded us dearly of the landscape of Newfoundland, while Sweden seemed to be more like Ontario. Contrary to our previous years in Canada we seemed to become quite the world travelers in 2012.  

Somewhere in Norway

Norway Fjord

Norway Scenery

Sweden

A bit unexpected (for Sonja), homesickness had kicked in for Roland after so many fantastic years in our dreamland. So, on the verge of the new year, the decision to return to Germany had been firm, and we prepared for the move, sold Paolo (Sonja's Vespa) and Whitey (Roland's Maxi Scoot), and got rid of furniture and other items we didn't want to (or couldn't - such as electrical stuff) take with.

View on Downtown Vancouver

Howe Sound

A last ride to Buntzen Lake

Sunset at Burrard Inlet, a five minute walk from home

At Duffey Lake

We said our goodbyes to our friends and the country we had called home for eight years, packed up our belongings, sold some of the vehicles (the red Vespa and the Sportster stayed with us), put the condo up for sale… the rest is history. Will we ever come back? Or settle down somewhere else? In Europe? In Canada? We don't know yet. But we are sure about this:

Found in a bookstore in North Vancouver

2011 - Traveling Canadians. (Part 7 of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries)

On our return from the winter wonderland in Germany we were welcomed by a different scenery in BC. Instead of the usual rain and clouds we got frost and sun.

Picture perfect at Pitt River

Back in 2011 we thought, this is it, we have arrived, here's where we always wanted to be. With this in mind we sold our Calgary apartment and purchased a condo with a view on the inlet and the mountains in Port Moody. Little did we know where life would take us only two years later.

The best thing happened to us in February that year. In a festive ceremony we became Canadian citizens. 

Roland, although having put his feelers out on the BC job market, continued working for his employer in Alberta, who had generously approved his commute between Vancouver and Calgary, and partly working out of his home office.

Spring time did reunite us with Andrea and Guido for a recharge of our batteries, and we escaped the rainy west coast by having a splendid time on Maui.

Aloha, Hawaii!

Another highlight of the year came in form of Roland getting into motorcycling. Sonja had meanwhile a lot of two-wheeled solo travels under her belt, or went off with a riding buddy. However, when Roland fell in love with a certain red Italian beauty, he insisted that Sonja should get a Vespa, too.

Going Vespa - Bella & Paolo

With our newly acquired Canadian passports at hand traveling to the US of A became so much less cumbersome, and so we decided on a trip down to Oregon. Oregon had inspired us on previous visits and we had secretly voted it our most favourite American state.

Columbia River

Some time in May we swapped our Merc against a small Audi, which was so much more fun to drive on the twisty roads of the BC hinterland.

Route 99 at Duffey Lake

We also explored the local scenery on our newly acquired scooters. It was fun, and Sonja thought that selling her Beemer was an acceptable decision. However, by summer she got a craving again for a real motorcycle. This is how this most beautiful American Iron came into her life.

Hear me roar! A sportster purchase.

Vespa-ing through Washington

Solo on a Harley

The Summer in BC turned out to be awesome, no reason to go anywhere else. We spent a lot of time riding in the hinterland, hiking in the rainforest or walking on the beach, all available at our doorsteps. Life couldn't be better!

Our main vacation would take us once again to the US of A. We had planned a Best-of-the-West tour that included as many national parks as we could find along the route. Road-tripping America certainly is (almost) every European's dream.

Arches NP, Utah

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Death Valley, California

We really made good use of our new passports this year. Countless business trips would send each of us to the midwest of America mostly. But we also got to explore Washington and Oregon some more, and meet with friends. 

View on Portland, OR

Pike Market, Seattle, WA

Becoming Canadians was the very last step in our immigration process. We had moved to BC, made Port Moody our new home, traveled a lot, and felt fully integrated in the Canadian society. It was another perfect year.

Lower Mainland Winter

2010 - Going Coastal. (Part 6 of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries)

Having friends in California certainly has its advantages. It was good that we had started the new year with sun and warmth instead of wintery prairies because on her new project Sonja got thrown into a cold and dark place in the province of Manitoba. Winnipeg, or Winterpeg as the natives call it. Need we say more?

At the University of Manitoba

The job was alright but there were limits to what one could mentally endure wheather-wise. The seemingly endless winter, the constant black and white, and minus 40C plus windchill made her back out of her contract, and escape to the west coast of Canada only a few months later.

North Vancouver

By March she had lined up new employment at a New Zealand based start-up company, with a ticket in her pocket to actually visit down under, where it happened to be warm and sunny.

Downtown Auckland

After her return to BC a car was bought, and an apartment set up, and while Roland packed up the condo in Calgary and organized the move, Sonja had set up their future life in Port Moody, British Columbia.

Reunited in Vancouver

New friends were made easily, especially with that revived hobby of Sonja's. By May she had a new (used) motorcycle, and ventured off to explore the coast and the lower Mainland.

While Roland spent his summer vacation with his best friend at the jazz festival in Montreal, Sonja and a certain moto-blogger buddy of hers went on a motorcycle trip through Washington and Oregon.

Downtown Montreal

Yakima Canyon with Bob - on our way to IMBC2010

In fall we had the opportunity to visit Vancouver Island again. It was another exciting and busy year, but all went well and we had finally arrived where we always wanted to be: At Canada's We(s)t Coast!

On the Island

Pitt Lake (Lower Mainland)