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In the popular game of soccer or football, the most important piece of equipment is obviously the ball. Before the modern invention of the official soccer ball, you should know that in the beginnings of the sport the ‘ball’ used was either a human head, a human or animal skull, an animal bladder, stitched up cloth, or an animal-skin ball. In medieval times, stories tell about animal bladders mostly, which, progressively started being covered with leather to maintain the shape better and for a longer time. It was only with Charles Goodyear who, in 1836 patented vulcanized rubber and in 1855 designed and created the first vulcanized rubber balls, that we can say we are getting closer to the shape of the official soccer ball of the modern times. Then, inflatable bladders started being produced in 1862, after H.J. Lindon invented them.

There are significant features to consider if we are to consider the official soccer ball chronologically. Periodically, the producer of the official ball changes, although the basic quality standards remain the same. Another aspect regarding the official soccer balls used in time is that of the manufacturing companies that have been entrusted to produce these items. Thus we ought to refer to Puma, Brine, Nike or Adidas that design soccer balls following the regulations and laws established by the international football organisms and associations (FIFA).

A first official soccer ball worth mentioning was Telstar, used in Mexico in 1970. Adidas started to produce soccer balls in 1963; they created the first official FIFA World Cup ball in 1970. It was the first ball that had 32 black and white panels and it was more easily noticeable on black and white televisions. Two Adidas soccer balls were afterwards launched in Germany, in 1974. Telstar appeared again but this time the gold branding was replaced by a black one. Then Adidas introduced a new all-black version of the official soccer ball called Adidas Chile, after an all-white ball previously tested in Chile in 1962. Both the techniques and materials used in Telstar and Chile were the same as those used in the making of the balls in 1970.

To count some more of the balls that have won the official soccer ball status there are: Tango Durlast 1978 with lots of elegance, passion and dynamism, Tango Espana, 1982 designed in natural leather, Azteca, Mexico 1986, the first polyurethane rain resistant coated ball, Etrvsco Unico, Italy, or in 1990 the first ball based on an internal polyurethane foam layer.

I hope the information above was useful. Thanks for reading.