Top 10 World Cup Footballs

Following all the fuss over the Jabulani ball, Goal.com's Patrick Reilly pays tribute to 10 balls from the past...

By Patrick Reilly

Jun 13, 2010 1:30:00 PM

10) Fevernova (2002)
After breaking the mould in 1998, things went a bit mental with the Fevernova four years later. This ball ripped up the Tango heritage to introduce 11 layers and a special foam layer with tiny gas-filled balloons included in its construction. Players were not impressed, saying it was far too light, took off like a jumbo jet and would be better served in a volleyball tournament. Best consigned to history this one.

9) Crack (1962)

Strangely named, but rest assured this ball didn't have any drugs inside it. Crack was the first ball to switch from long panels to 18 octagons. Embarrassingly there was no 'Crack' in sight for the opening game between Chile and Switzerland so a random ball from inside the stadium was sourced until the official ball showed up with a handful of minutes remaining in the first half. It promptly deflated a few minutes later and another 'Crack' was required. FIFA weren't exactly thrilled and decided that allowing the locals to take care of match balls was a thing of the past. Adi Dassler was called and the rest is history.

8) Super Duplo T (1950)

Revolutionary for its time. This ball was the first to do away with the old-fashioned lacing and was inflated like a modern ball is with a valve. Just like in 1930, this football had 12 panels and plunged Brazil into a deep despair when it rocketed into the back of the net as Uruguay famously beat the Selecao on home soil.

7) Etrusco (1990)

Italia '90 wasn't memorable for great football. However, the description of the match ball certainly was. "Manufactured entirely from quality synthetic fibres. The lowest covering consisted of textiles impregnated with latex for form stability and resistance to tearing." Erm, if you say so.

6) Azteca (1986)

What a ball! This was a brand new model and for the first time it was made of synthetic material rather than leather. Rain resistant, this ball worked well on multiple playing surfaces, and of course it's the ball with which Diego Maradona scored both his famous goals against England in Mexico '86.

5) Just Fontaine's Favourite! (1958)

FIFA started to get a bit radical four years earlier by introducing a yellow coloured ball. Not that you would know unless you were there, as the games were broadcast in black and white. By 1958 things got really wacky as this classic ball was rubbed with animal grease before being inflated. Whatever went into the ball, it certainly helped France's Just Fontaine, who scored a record 13 goals in the tournament.

4) Tricolore (1998)

Trust the French to go and inject a bit of je ne sais quoi into the match ball. Actually, it was some magnifique colour as the stale black and white ball was done away with it for the aptly named Tricolore. Along with the splash of colour, the ball used underglass print technology with a thin layer of syntactic foam. Used to great effect by Zinedine Zidane's head in the final.

3) The T-Shape (1930)

As the first ball to be ever used in a World Cup final it deserves a place in the list. It had 12 T panels and had visible stitching as was common in that era.

All leather and incredibly heavy if it rained, there was a row in the inaugural final between Uruguay and Argentina. The teams couldn't agree which ball to use so Argentina supplied their own ball for the first half and Uruguay used theirs in the second. Strangely enough, Argentina were leading 2-1 at the break but when Uruguay used their own ball they romped home 4-2 to claim the first ever World Cup on home soil.

2) Adidas Telstar (1970)

FIFA's first official World Cup ball was the weapon of choice for Brazil's 1970 masters. Boasting 32 hand stitched panels (12 black pentagons and 20 white hexagons) the mixture of colours worked particularly well if you were watching the tournament in black and white. Hence the name 'Telstar', deriving from star of television. It was also the roundest ball then made and is almost as memorable as the golden samba shirts worn by Pele, Jairzinho et al. So good it was used again in 1974.

1) Adidas Tango Espana (1982)

Getting your hands on an elusive Adidas Tango as a kid was akin to finding the holy grail. No, seriously it was. The ball was introduced in 1978 for the World Cup but really rocketed to stardom four years later when Zico and Socrates were spraying it around with wilful abandon in Spain. Oh those magnificent triads.

It was the first ball to have water-resistant qualities, but due to its delicate construction it usually had to be replaced during a game. The Tango Espana also was the last genuine leather World Cup ball. Costing an outrageous sum, over €60 back in the day, it spawned all manner of copies throughout the 80s and 90s. Chances are you had one of the many imitations. Chances are you loved it more than life itself. Chances are you are going looking for another one right now.