Japanese Super Boot

With the World Cup in South Africa starting in June, one sponsor has introduced a high-tech kick machine that it says can even beat Christiano Ronaldo to the net.

Lubricant firm Castrol has unveiled the football wonder, which can boot a soccer ball towards the goal at speeds over 200 kilometers, or 125 miles per hour.

Charles Postles, chairperson of BP Castrol in Japan, says the Portuguese striker has some competition.

[Charles Postles, Chairman, BP Castrol Japan]:
"Christiano Ronaldo kicks at about 130 km per hour and this machine manages to get up over 200 kph, so a new world record."

Trying to compete against the machine, a former Japanese national team football player kicked a ball that nearly hit 100 kilometers per hour, but the machine, nicknamed "Ichi-Go," was twice as fast.

One kick was so powerful that it took off a simulated defender's leg, and Japanese on-lookers said the speed was almost too quick to see.

[Koji Taniguchi, Spectator]:
"It went so fast that I couldn't even see the ball."

Castrol will demonstrate the machine across Japan this year, but because of its power, won't use it for football training, partly for safety reasons.