 The Adidas Telstar 18. | |
| Type | Association football |
|---|---|
| Inception | 2017 (2017) |
| Manufacturer | Adidas |
| Available | Yes |
| Current supplier | Forward Sports[1] |
| Last production year | 2018 |
TheAdidas Telstar 18 was theofficial match ball of the2018 FIFA World Cup, which was held inRussia. It was designed by the companyAdidas, aFIFA Partner andFIFA World Cup official match ball supplier since 1970, and based on the concept of thefirst Adidas's World Cup match ball.[2] The manufacturer of the ball wasForward Sports, a sports equipment supplier based inSialkot, Pakistan.[1]
The Telstar 18 was presented inMoscow on 9 November 2017 byLionel Messi.[3] Retired Brazilian footballerRonaldo opened the2018 FIFA World Cup by introducing a Telstar 18 that was sent into space to theInternational Space Station crew in March 2018, and returned to Earth in June.[4]
The name of the ball was revealed on 9 November 2017 at the official presentation in Moscow byLionel Messi, winner of theGolden Ball at the2014 FIFA World Cup,[5][6] and attended by winners of the World Cup in different years:Zinedine Zidane,Kaká,Alessandro Del Piero,Xabi Alonso andLukas Podolski.[7] The Telstar 18 pays homage to Adidas's first World Cup match ball, named theTelstar, which was itself named for its resemblance to the originalTelstarcommunications satellite.[8] The word "Telstar" is a combination of the words "television" and "star".[9]
The original Telstar used in the1970 FIFA World Cup was the first football to show a black and white pattern. This was done to ensure that television audiences would know where the ball was while games were in operation, due to many televisions at the time sporting a black and white screen (colour television was still rare in many parts of the world in this era).[10] Although the Telstar had 32 panels, the Telstar 18 has six textured panels. They are not stitched, but seamlessly glued together.[11]
The ball has an embeddednear-field communication (NFC)chip for marketing purposes. However, it is of no value to players, providing no information about theirkicks orheaders of the ball, although Adidas has provided this in a previous football. Consumers who purchase a Telstar 18 are able to connect to the chip using asmart phone to access content and information that is unique to that ball, personalized and localized, providing the consumer withinteractivity themed on the upcoming World Cup competition.[9][12] Speed Sports manufactured Adidas Telstar 18.
The Telstar 18 balls are manufactured inPakistan andChina.[13][14]
Although Adidas stated that the Telstar 18 was scientifically designed to be predictable in flight and was "the most perfect piece of equipment ever used in the game,"[15] internationalgoalkeepers includingMarc-André ter Stegen,Pepe Reina andDavid de Gea assessed prior to the tournament that the ball changed direction unpredictably and could be slippery due to the smooth coating and lack of seams.[15][16]Dani Alves,full-back forBrazil, was quoted as believing that "Telstar 18 is an absolute joy for those shooting with it, but a nightmare for those who have to second guess its trajectory and try and stop it".[17] According to Joaquín Maroto ofDiario AS, the ball "encourages players to shoot from distance because if the ball is struck well, it fizzes through the air but loses none of its intensity on impact", citingThomas Müller's goal forGermany from range in a March 2018friendly againstSpain.[17] Criticism of the Telstar 18's instability continued after several long-distance goals in early rounds of the World Cup.[18] According to news channelRussia 24, this was part of an intentional shift in the balance of the game.[19]
Further commentary on the ball's performance arose after two balls burst in afirst-round game betweenFrance andAustralia,[20] and another ball failed in thematch betweenArgentina andIceland.[21] A fourth Telstar 18 was found to have lost pressure in thematch betweenUruguay andSaudi Arabia on 20 June.[14]
At the end of the 2018 World Cup group stage, FIFA revealed a new design to be used in theknockout stage: theTelstar Mechta (Мечта). "Mechta" meansdream orambition in Russian.[22]
At the2018 Russia–United States Summit, Russian presidentVladimir Putin gifted a Telstar Mechta to U.S. presidentDonald Trump, whosenational team was not qualified for the tournament. The ball, which included the standard chip and transmission devices, incited a political controversy within the U.S. over fears of spying.[23]
| Preceded by | FIFA World Cup official ball 2018 | Succeeded by |