Earlier this year we travelled to Salford City Stadium to take part in an adidas reveal event for the new World Cup specific equipment and were given a hands on experience looking at exactly what equipment will be in full view in Brazil next summer as well as being given the opportunity to catch up with some of the Premier League’s most prominent stars.
With the World Cup in Brazil just under a year away we were given a sneak preview of five new boot models as well as the official World Cup ball, which we now know to be called the ‘Brazuca’.
In the past the adidas developed footballs have followed the traditional panel pattern of hexagon or quadrant panels so to speak however the ‘Brazuca’ is completely different to any football I have seen before with there being no discernible set panel structure, the ball felt different as well with an almost ‘bobbled’ outer layer with very tiny circles providing the gripped feel on the exterior of the ball. The adidas representatives were quick to assure us that the ball had been tested vigorously and furthermore players would be able to train with the ball prior to the World Cup on their own in the months leading up to the tournament in order to get used to the feel and the movement of the ball.
The ‘Brazuca’ of which we were seeing one of only two models in the UK at the time is very impressive and revolutionary but what we were really interested to know was where the name for the ball came from and in actual fact it was Manchester City’s Fernandinho who reliably informed us that ‘Brazuca’ was what Brazilian people actually label themselves as it translates roughly to strong people with a lot of pride in themselves.
The day was a vastly interesting and enjoyable one with us being able to get a sneak preview on a lot of World Cup specific equipment and it appears yet again as if Adidas has outdone themselves both in the visual aspects of their products as well as performance. We look forward to seeing the products mentioned in this piece in action this summer in Brazil.
