If the New England Patriots are once again dousing themselves in Champagne in two weeks time, city officials in Boston might just want to clear some space for a monument to team owner Robert Kraft.

Should the defending champion Patriots get past the Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow night and go on to win the Super Bowl on February 6 in Jacksonville, it will be their third title in four years, and much of the credit will belong to Kraft, who acquired the team 11 years ago and has transformed it from one of the sorriest franchises in US sport to one of the mightiest. Indeed, the Kraft name may soon be as revered in Boston as the name Kennedy.