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I have to say that on the face of it, I love this ball.World Cup balls are always a hot topic of debate, however the new Adidas designed World Cup ball may not lead to any complaints at all. Forgiving the name which in English sounds pretty terrible but translates to ‘Brazilian’ and represents the Brazilian way of life, it looks great.
However it needs to play well, we all remember the problems with the 2002 ball which seemed to just fly with little encouragement, how many free-kicks were blazed over the bar.
It seems as though the same mistakes won’t be repeated as this ball is the most tested ball in history. It has gone through two and a half years of tests, with over 600 players having had the opportunity to play with the ball, including the likes of Lionel Messi.
The ball has six identical panels 'will provide improved grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics on the pitch'. The feedback that Adidas received in relation to the ball was overwhelmingly positive, and it was used earlier this year during a friendly between Sweden and Argentina.
A ball should never take centre stage at a World Cup, but if it is as good and reliable as advertised, we may see the better footballing nations playing some rather attractive football, unfortunately when I say that I don’t think of England, more Spain, Germany, Argentina and Brazil.