Paris Hilton has discovered a keen interest in football following the realisation that it involves well-defined men running around in shorts.

Currently single after her split from Stavros Niarchos III, the sport has apparently taken on a new meaning, and the World Cup seems to have come at just the right time.

She is particularly taken with the talents of David Beckham, Swede Freddie Ljungberg and Germany's own Lukas Podolski, according to Contactmusic.

"I think Lukas is the sexiest man on the pitch," she observed. "I would really like to meet him. I'm a keen football fan."