Since the world cup is now over, and has been for some time now, I have decided to do a review about the Adidas Jabulani FIFA world cup 2010 official match ball. The ball is priced similarly to all other world cup balls, around 100-150 dollars. Sometime one can get lucky off an eBay listing like I have done. I have purchased two world cup soccer balls thus far (one from 2006 and this most recent one from 2010) and I must say that they are both incredible soccer products. I have not played with better quality soccer balls in my life. There were major differences between this world cup soccer ball that with the previous version.
The Design
The Jabulani match ball had a revolutionary panel design unlike any ball I have seen before. A standard soccer ball has 32 octagon panels that are stitched together. This ball has 8 panels that are thermally bonded together so the ball is virtually seamless. The other Teamgeist match ball from the previous world cup had 14 thermally bonded panels. The other difference with the Jabulani world cup ball was the texture of the outer casing of the ball. There are multiple raised groves on the surface of the soccer ball. This is what Adidas called “Grip ‘n Groove.” It is suppose to enhance the contact made with the product and assist the balls flow through the air.
The Controversy
There was controversy with the ball from multiple players, from goalkeepers to strikers; the ball was unpredictable in the air. Here is a link to a youtube video of some players kicking the soccer ball. As you can see the ball dips and dives in a manner that is very uncommon to traditional soccer balls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEaQCHBIyFs&feature=related
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