Santarossa entered his six metre high dwellings yesterday, where he will spend the entire World Cup and watch all 65 games. He was selected after a recruitment process through au.fourfourtwo.com which witnessed a huge response from readers.

"I'm just a bit of a nut, I was asked to do some crazy things in the interview process so maybe I was just the craziest of the lot," said Santarossa of his selection.

"I'm very excited about spending the World Cup in the ball. I was planning to watch every World Cup game anyway, so I would have been on a couch watching football for four weeks regardless.

"The first two weeks are going to be okay as the novelty will still be there and there are plenty of games to watch with three games a day during the group stages. However when it comes to the quarters and semis I will not have as much football to watch, but I'll still be fine."

Before entering the ball Adam was given tips on endurance and staying power from the A-League's Adrian Leijer and Kristian Sarkies, and AFL star Trent Cotchin. A surprise message from Tim Cahill gave Adam extra motivation for his 31 day long challenge. Cahill said, "Congratulations! adidas has searched far and wide on their quest and you are the chosen one. Thanks for your support and good luck on your journey."

"I'm looking forward to immersing myself in the World Cup with no outside pressure from work or family commitments," said Santarossa. "Friends and family know how passionate I am about football, so it hasn't come as much of a shock to them really.

"In-between games I'll try and get the fans involved and maybe try and get K-Rudd down for a bit. If he really wants the World Cup maybe he might be willing to spend sometime in the ball with me! That's sure to impress Sepp Blatter."

The Man in the Ball will be inside the giant Jabulani until 12 July and fans can follow his every move, including regular blogs and match reports from within, here.