New football for every World Cup has received mixed reviews

Since 1970, a new football has been introduced at each World Cup as the Brazuca will be on the pitch this summer in Brazil.

Brazil’s Hernane, left, and the Netherlands’ Clarence Seedorf play with the official match ball for the upcoming 2014 World Cup named Brazuca during a presentation on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro. ReutShow more

While excitement may be building ahead of tomorrow’s draw for the World Cup next summer in Brazil, an equally important event happened yesterday – the launch of the ball that will be used in the tournament.

Following the introduction of two highly contentious balls at the last two World Cups, all eyes are on the design of the Brazuca ball – named after a Brazilian colloquialism for a stylish move – and what effect it will have on the action.

“The flight is predictable, it’s really fair,” former Spanish international Michel Salgado said at an unveiling of the ball in Dubai on Wednesday.

“You can tell this ball was designed with [the help] of players. It’s an improvement on recent competitions.”

Since 1970, Adidas has exclusively provided the Fifa World Cup ball, and will continue to do so until 2030.

To celebrate the launch of the new model, Adidas had decided to give every child born in Brazil on December 6 a new ball. In contrast, only 20 Telstar balls were made for Mexico in 1970; and what spectacular action they provided.

Gordon Banks’s memorable diving save for England in their match against Brazil. Italy’s 4-3 win over West Germany in the semi-finals, perhaps the greatest World Cup match of all. And Carlos Alberto’s sensational final goal in Brazil’s 4-1 destruction of Italy in the final, an emphatic exclamation mark at the end of a series of stellar performances by the most-adored team in football history.

The Brazuca follows in the footsteps of two balls that were not so loved by the players.

Germany 2006 featured the latest evolutionary leap. The +Teamgeist was made of 14, not 32, curved panels that were bonded, not stitched, together.

It was, we were told at the time, the roundest ball ever made. Players complained that it was too light, but they adapted as the tournament went on.

In South Africa 2010, came the Jabulani, made of eight moulded panels designed to improve aerodynamic flow. The players hated the ball’s erratic movement.

Robinho, the Brazilian forward, said, “for sure, the guy who designed this ball never played football.”

Iker Casillas, the Spanish goalkeeper, called it “horrible”. Lionel Messi was not quite as strong in his criticism, but the best the Argentine striker could add was that the ball was “complicated”.

Adidas have used the World Cup in the past as a chance to try out new initiatives and designs. In 1974, the Telstar Durlast came with added waterproofing to deal with West Germany’s wet conditions.

The tournament in Argentina in 1978 gave us the Tango, a design that would endure for two decades; 20 hexagons with black triads, and 12 white pentagons, giving the impression of 12 circles.

In 1986 in Mexico, the Azteca became Fifa’s first synthetic match ball, polyurethane-coated for water resistance, while four years later in Italy, the Etrvsco Unico was the first ball to have an internal layer of black polyurethane foam.

USA ’94 brought Questra, a softer ball aimed at providing better control and greater acceleration, while the Tricolore, at France 1998, was the first to depart from the traditional black and white Adidas colours, and the players seemed to enjoy it.

In Japan and Korea, the new Fevernova ball, with thicker layers, was designed to increase shooting accuracy.

Now comes the Brazuca, made of six identical panels. It has been in the works for over two years and involved 600 players and 30 teams in 10 countries across three continents, the company said.

But only one question matters: is it a great football?

“Brazuca has a stunning design that feels inspired by Brazil,” one goalkeeper said. “I’m looking forward to playing in Brazil with a great ball.”

The identity of the keeper?

None other than Casillas, Spain’s hard-to-please, World Cup-winning captain.

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