30. Adidas Jabulani (2010)
Look at this thing and tell us, straight-faced, that you can’t still hear the rumble of a vuvuzela.
As is tradition for every World Cup ball, the Adidas Jabulani was panned by just about everyone who kicked it – aesthetically-pleasing, as it was. The final ball was marvellously called the Jo’bulani – in reference to Johannesburg’s nickname, Jo’burg – but not even that would save the abhorred orb from its haters. There were even those who thought it was to blame for Frank Lampard’s ghost goal against Germany being ruled out.
“Whoever is responsible for this should be taken out and shot for crimes against football,” Craig Johnstone, former Liverpool midfielder and inventor of the Predator boot claimed in a leaked letter. Bit harsh, Craig.
29. Adidas Azteca (1986)
It's Mexican, of course.
Adidas haven't always looked to reinvent the (three-dimensional) wheel, you know. Including Aztec patterns, naming it after Mexico's most famous stadium and presenting this thing for Maradona to mesmerise with both his feet and fists was one of the Three Stripes' simpler MOs. It worked though, didn't it?
28. Adidas Finale 23 (2023)
Inspired by the greatest piece of music ever composed, the Adidas Champions League ball of 2023 paid tribute to the orchestral anthem of the competition, with each panel delicately adorned with a swirly character of some sort. The pattern overflowed from the stars onto the white spaces, with silver and blue of the UCL's former colour scheme returning for this ball.
27. Nike Flight (2022)
Covers are so rarely better than the originals – but this one comes pretty damn close, right?
Nike's 30-year Premier League match ball took the original Mitre design and added three Roman numerals whichever side you looked at it, for the anniversary. The gold is stunning, the typographic logo both refreshing and ever-so-slightly cheeky (could you be more obvious about the Mitre influence, lads?). What a ball.
26. Adidas Roteiro (2004)
The Italians complained that it swerved too much. English tabloids questioned whether it was to blame for penalty misses (no guys, it’s just us). But looking back, the Roteiro from Euro 2004 is that smelly supply teacher who you didn’t particularly like at the time but look back on semi-fondly now.
The Roteiro was a silver thing with black patterning, that had the name of the stadium, plus the longitude and latitude of the centre spot of the pitch inscribed on it. It didn’t scream “cool” at the time but looking back, it’s quirky enough to occupy a corner of your memory that subsequent Euro balls have failed to.
25. Nike Flight WE (2022)
The “WE” stands for “Women's Euros”, we presume.
Nike don't do many international competitions but their Women's Euro 2022 ball was loud, proud and stylish, just like the tournament itself. Based on the Nike Flight tech but with a unique pattern, there's simply never been a design like this, making it forever synonymous with the competition in England. It's a triumph.
24. Umbro Ceramica (1990)
Like Stonehenge, Gary Cahill or COVID-19, no one really knows where the Umbro Ceramica came from and no one remembers life before it. It’s an ever-present image in your mind’s eye – you probably can’t even remember a game that it was used in. Maybe an England friendly? Who knows.
Everyone’s had a kickabout with this – or at least punted it back to some kids in bibs at a park. It’s a simple enough design, utilising the Umbro logo nicely and despite its absence from top-level competition, it’s instantly recognisable.
23. Adidas Tango 12 (2012)
It literally looks like the Tango had a child. This particular relation of the original was used at Euro 2012, with intricate little patterning of the hosts' colours – that was Ukraine and Poland.
22. Adidas Finale Istanbul (2021)
20 years after first giving the Champions League the Finale ball, Adidas celebrated all the versions they'd made since. The patterns of those classics were incorporated into the 2021 ball – which never was used in Istanbul – as Chelsea lifted their second title.
The silver colour scheme recalled the original, with orange tying everything together nicely. It's a stunning tribute.
21. Mitre Permawhite Max (2022)
Basic can be boring – or it can be beautiful.
Released in 2022 to celebrate Ronnie Radford's 1970s FA Cup strike, the Mitre Permawhite Max is sumptuous in its simplicity, yes, but also off the back of a name. The Mitre logo is a good'un – but it's because of Mitre's heritage that this thing works. It recalls the tapestry of the manufacturer's history… and it's impossible to imagine this ball in the real world and not covered in mud.
