Watch Out For Brazuca

It is just one ball which millions of football fans in the world are talking about- Brazuca. Thirty-two teams, eleven cities, lakhs of viewers, millions of die-hard fans; and the ball introduced by Adidas, will be the star attraction in FIFA 2014. Every World Cup gets a new game ball; and since 1970, the balls have been made by Adidas. The ball was given the name in September 2012 after polling in votes of more than a million fans in Brazil. Brazuca is an informal local term that means ‘Brazilian’ or is used to describe the Brazilian way of life.

Adidas said that the ball has been tested by 450 players in 30 professional leagues and by national teams in 10 countries. A version of the ball was used in the recent FIFA U-20 World Cup. It uses the technology from the Tango 12 and UEFA Champions League balls. Manufacturer Adidas said, “The ball offers ‘breakthrough innovation’ featuring a revolutionary six-panel design.” The Brazuca has a new structural innovation, with a unique symmetry of six identical panels along a different surface structure that will provide improved grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics.

And the new colour scheme -- a distinct and vibrant ribbon design -- symbolises the traditional multi-coloured wish bracelets worn in Brazil. In 2010 World Cup, the 'Jabulani' ball was castigated by players. Spain's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who criticised the 2010 ball as ‘rotten’, has endorsed the Brazuca and also took part in the testing. Casillas said, "I'm looking forward to playing in Brazil with a great ball. Hopefully with Brazuca, we can get the same result as in 2010." As for specs, Brazuca weighs 437 grams and is 69 centimeters in circumference, which is well within the requirements of a normal sized ball.

Adidas engineers insist that the panel sizes comprise the perfect geometrical formula for a soccer ball, though it's not clear what that means exactly—or why it's preferable to all the other balls that make the same claim.

The ball’s shape is meant to give the ball better grip and make it more stable to handle, and improve its aerodynamics. Messi shared, "I’ve had the opportunity to test Brazuca and it’s great."