Balls in the World Cup 1970-1994: pentagons and synthetics

We continue to talk about the balls that were played at the World Cup. Today, the turn is 1966-1994, when the main projectile for the game underwent several revolutionary changes.

Balls at the World Cup 1930-1938: a dangerous string and the Orsi incident
Balls in the World Cup 1950-1962: the rescue valve and the Chilean curiosity

In 1966, at the World Cup in England, the ball of the old generation was played for the last time: it was introduced by Slazenger, which also produced tennis balls for the Wimbledon tournament, as well as balls for field hockey and cricket. It was made from 25 yellow and orange panels.

The 1970 World Cup, held in Mexico, was revolutionary in many ways. It was here, for example, that the first match was played using yellow and red cards: the defender of the USSR national team Kakhi Asatiani earned the first yellow card in a duel with the hosts. The Mexican championship was broadcast live for the first time. And finally, for the first time, a completely new ball model was used. "Telstar" from the company "Adidas" was sewn from 32 panels - 12 black pentagonal smaller and 20 white hexagonal larger.

It was not only more comfortable for the players and more spherical than its predecessors, but also perfectly suited for TV broadcasts due to its spotting and was perfectly visible on black and white TV screens. It is this “Telstar” for many that is now the most recognizable soccer ball. And Adidas has since become a regular supplier of FIFA balls: the functionaries really liked the new ball.

In 1974, at the World Cup, they played the same ball as in Mexico, but in 1978, another one was used in Argentina, called "Tango". It was also sewn from 32 five- and hexagons, but its design gave the impression that it was made up of twelve circles. "Tango" was also good because it was more resistant to rain, mud and other vicissitudes of the weather. In 1982, they were also played in Spain, but for the first time mixed materials were used: the ball was sewn from genuine leather and synthetics, and also coated with a polyurethane mixture for better water repellency. The time of swollen and water-heavy balls is over.

In 1986, the time for synthetics came in Mexico: leather was abandoned in the manufacture of the ball for the World Cup. Visually, the Azteca ball was similar to the Tango, but the contours of the circles were decorated with Indian ornaments. It was this ball that went down in history without exaggeration, as it helped Diego Maradong perform two miracles in the quarter-final match against England, when he first helped himself to score a jump with his hand, and then distinguished himself by beating five opponents.

In 1990, it was an ornament of the Etruscans who lived in the Apennines - the World Cup was held in Italy. The "Etrusco" ball was distinguished not only by the depicted lion heads, but also by even better resistance to water and impacts and jumped better.

In 1994, at the World Championships in the United States, they played with the Questra ball, developed by French specialists, which was even lighter and more bouncy. He also completed the 24-year era of black and white balls - from the next world championship they will use colored balls: the sports equipment industry adjusted to television and printing.