This is the second time that adidas has
designed a special ball for a FIFA World Cup™ final, the first final ball was
the golden “TEAMGEIST BERLIN”, which was used on 9 July 2006.
The “JO’BULANI” also features the newly
developed “Grip’n’Groove” profile which provides the best players in the world
with a ball allowing an exceptionally stable flight and perfect grip under all
conditions. Comprising only eight, completely new, thermally bonded 3-D panels,
which for the first time are spherically moulded, the ball is perfectly round
and even more accurate than ever before.
History
The very first player ever to lift the FIFA World Cup Trophy as we know it today
was current Organizing Committee Chairman Franz Beckenbauer. In 1974 when the
new 18 carat golden trophy was first introduced, the tournament was also played
in Germany, with a black and white match ball, and Franz Beckenbauer was the
German team captain. As a tribute to host Germany’s greatest football moments and its traditional
uniforms, the adidas design team returned to traditional black and white as the
dominating colors for the FIFA World Cup Match Ball. The fine gold accents along
the rounded propellers are inspired by the golden FIFA World Cup Trophy. The
revolutionary new panel shape is designed to minimize corners and to create a
more homogenous system in terms of performance and look. The radiant lines of
the graphics surrounding the propeller shape symbolize movement and energy.
Thanks to adidas innovation team designer Scott Tomlinson from England and
German category designer Anatol Just, +Teamgeist combines everything needed to
become a state-of-the-art product.
The name “Teamgeist” is based on the single most decisive characteristic every
team needs to have to lift the golden trophy: team spirit! At the world’s
biggest sporting event, where global football stars are born and individual
strength, skill and power are celebrated on the world’s biggest stage, it still
comes down to what the individual is willing to give to the team and what the
team is able to do for its individual stars.
