If the World Cup is a feast of football, the most impressive dishes will be served by players plying their trade in the rich Spanish and English top-flights.
These world-famous leagues may not have their clubs featuring in this year's Uefa Champions League final - that honour belongs to Italian aristocrats Inter Milan and Germany powerhouse Bayern Munich - but the cream of the globe's best players are nevertheless based in Spain and England.
Thanks to their buying power, and ability to borrow big, they boast the top four players in the world at present - Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United and England), and Kaka (Real Madrid and Brazil).
At the last tournament in Germany four years ago, only six of the 32 participating countries did not have a player in their squad who was contracted to an English club.
And Durbanites who have secured tickets will get to see most of the top dogs, notably when Portugal take on Brazil on June 25 in a match which pits Real Madrid superstars Kaka and Ronaldo against each other.
Barcelona team-mates Messi and Xavi (Spain) are two other players whose expensive skills are likely to light up the World Cup, as will the bustling craft of Rooney.
"What makes Messi different from the rest is that he attacks the space in front of him," says veteran South African coach Clive Barker.
"He lets the ball come through him, so he commits defenders. His positioning is perfect. He goes right to create the space he needs and then goes left to finish off the move. He's the next Maradona."
Ronaldo and Kaka are also marvellous to watch when on song.
"Ronaldo has great ability to shield the ball, as he has great physical strength. He scores with his head, right foot and left foot," enthuses Barker.
"Kaka plays in a team of superstars for Brazil but he is the one who ignites them. He's a notch above the rest.
"And Rooney is a great team player. He has the ability to set up moves and finish them off. He's one of the best players to come out of England in a long time.
"Those are the four players any coach would want in his team."
England legend Alan Shearer is also convinced Rooney, currently nursing a groin strain, will carry the burden of World Cup expectancy being heaped on his shoulders, according to the Fifa website.
As a former Three Lions striker himself, Shearer knows exactly what pressures Rooney is likely to be under in South Africa as England try to lift the greatest prize in the game for the first time since 1966.
"A hell of a lot is on his shoulders, but he can carry the burden. When you have done it for the biggest club in the world for the past 12 months, England will not be a problem," says Shearer. "In fact he is relishing it. The more pressure that is heaped on him, the more he enjoys his football.
"Any team that wins a major tournament needs luck, but if all our players are fit and playing well, England have a very good chance."
Adds Shearer: "Rooney has been awesome. He has had a magnificent season. He is in the top three in the world without a doubt. After Ronaldo left, Sir Alex Ferguson asked him to score more goals. He has come up with that. At times he has carried Manchester United but his performances have not dipped. Sometimes as a forward, goals can hide a poor performance. He has scored and played very well.
"He has developed his game this season. In previous years the accusation has been that Wayne is a magnificent team player but has done too much work. Now he is spending more time in the right areas, which is why his goals tally has gone up. And he will improve even more, which is a scary thought for defenders.
"He has played on the biggest stage for Manchester United and is now delivering on a regular basis with England. He is up there with Messi, Ronaldo and Kaka without a shadow of a doubt."
Other stars worth watching in the World Cup, according to Barker, include Wesley Sneijder of Holland and our own Steven Pienaar "who is another player who can win matches for you".