4) Jabulani – 2010 World Cup
The Adidas Jabulani (meaning ‘Celebrate’ in Zulu) was the next step in the evolution of the football and was constructed out of only 8 panels, down from 14 panels – all of which were spherically moulded. Adidas described the ball to have a technology called “Grip ‘n’ Groove” that saw the surface of the ball contain grooves to improve aerodynamics.
The base colour was pure white with triangular elements evenly spaced out. At first glance, it did not seem to have many colours but actually had 11 different textures. The number 11 was significant not only for the number of players on each team but also because the host nation, South Africa, had 11 official languages. The ball’s latex bladders were made in India but the ball was made in China with a thermoplastic polyurethane-elastomer imported from Taiwan.
However, the ball was roundly criticised by players from various teams. The biggest complaints came from goalkeepers such as Spain’s Iker Casillas and Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon. “It is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such a horrible ball,” said Casillas.
On the other hand, Buffon was not one to mince words and said, “The new model is absolutely inadequate and I think it’s shameful letting us play such an important competition, where a lot of champions take part, with a ball like this.”
