IS this the closest that an Englishman will get to lifting the World Cup this summer?

Fatboy Slim holds a specially-commissioned lookalike trophy as he prepares to fly out to Brazil for the World Cup.

The Hove-based DJ, real name Norman Cook, will be playing nine gigs and watching five matches, including two crunch England group games, before returning to play Glastonbury at the end of the month.

The artist RYCA, aka Ryan Callanan, was commissioned to make the trophy.

Norman said the lookalike trophy was originally going to be used for the sleeve of his new album, Bem Brazil, until he realised that FIFA owns the rights to the image.

He said: “By this time RYCA had got so excited about the idea he decided to finish it anyway. It is the exact size and weight of the original.”

The World Cup opening ceremony today will be followed by the first match, between Brazil and Croatia.

For essential World Cup information visit www.theargus.co.uk/worldcup.