FIFA World Cup Soccer Balls

FIFA World Cup Soccer Balls

Adidas "TelStar" in 1970

   The FIFA World Cup football tournament is the main event in World Football, and in every four years it comes to open with lots of fun and excitement. FIFA have proactively developed all parts of the game and arrangement, including innovations in the match ball design and its quality. Over the years, we have seen more and more technology being introduced to the ball design, for giving it better weather resistance and better performance. The world wide sports manufacturing company “Adidas” have been the official ball designer since the 1970s.

Here are short descriptions of some of the innovations of Adidas. The following footballs were used in the FIFA World Cup finals tournaments, which is designed by Adidas.

1. Telstar in 1970 World Cup: This football is used in the Mexico World Cup football in 1970. Adidas started to manufacture soccer balls in 1963, but it made the first official soccer ball for the FIFA World Cup in 1970. Telstar was the first football with 32 black and white panels. This design was introduced for the first time in World Cup finals. Only 20 footballs were supplied by Adidas for that tournament. A brown ball (West Germany-Peru) and a white ball (first half if Italy-West Germany) were also used in that tournament. Mexico FIFA World Cup in 1970 was the first World cup to be broadcast live on television. This soccer ball was more visible on the black and white television. 

Best Young Player Award in FIFA World Cup

Award for the Best Young Player in FIFA World Cup Football

Lukas Podolski

   The Best Young Player award is given by FIFA after finishing a World Cup tournament. This award was awarded for the first time in 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, and German footballer Lukas Podolski got this award. Currently, this award is commercially termed as "Hyundai Best Young Player Award".

   The Best Young Player Award is handed out to a youngster who ‘executes’ beyond all expectations. Only a youngster who is blessed with a rare dosage of deftness and talent is honored with the award.  There is an age limit for this award; the award is only given to a player who has not crossed 21 years of age. The Best Young Player award is given for the best player under 21 years of age at the start of the calendar year, when the certain FIFA World Cup will be start.

   For an example, in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, this meant that the player had to have been born on or after 1 January 1993. The selection for the “Best Young Player Award” took place on FIFA's official World Cup website with the help of The FIFA Technical Study Group.

Michel Platini-The French soccer Legend

Michel Platini - More than a footballer

Michel Platini with Ballon d'Or

   Michel Platini, is a name of a star. He is not only a footballer but also a person who tries to improve the game and serve his life for the game.  Michel Platini was the European Footballer of the year for three times and probably he is the best footballer to have been produced by his country, France.  Michel Platini led France to two World Cup semi-finals and to the title during the 1984 European Championship.

   Michel Platini is a French football player who played as an attacking midfielder during his career. Michel Platini is named as one of the best free kick specialists in history, and he is the principal architect of the successes of the French soccer squad and Juventus in the eighties. Michel Platini was a playmaker with a great vision of the game and an inherent instinct for goal-scoring. His incredible football technique and his talent to be a leader earned him the nickname of Le Roi (The King, in French language). He played football for French National Team during 1972-1987, and he had played 72 International matches and scored 41goals for his country.

   Michel Platini was the winner of the 1985 European Cup with Juventus and the 1984 Euro Cup with France. During the European Football Championship of 1984, he scored 9 goals in 5 matches that made him the tournament’s top scorer of all time-a record which still stands today. Among his several individual awards is the Ballon d’Or, which he won three consecutive times (1983, 1984 and1985). He is regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time, he come in the sixth position in the “FIFA Player of the Century” vote, and he is also chosen on the “FIFA World Cup Dream Team”. In 2004, Michel Platini was named in the “FIFA 100” list of the world’s greatest living players.

The Oldest Soccer Club in History-Sheffield F.C.

The Oldest Soccer Club in History-Sheffield F.C. (1857)

Logo of Sheffield F.C.

   Sheffield F.C. (Sheffield Football Club) is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. This oldest soccer club was founded in 1857 and this club is officially recognized by the FIFA and the FA as being the oldest soccer club in the world. Sheffield F.C.  was given the FIFA Order of Merit award given in 2004; only one other club “Real Madrid” got this same award from the FIFA. Sheffield F.C. had won the FA Amateur Cup in 1903-04 season and finished as runners-up in the 1977 in the FA. In 2007 this soccer club was inducted into the English football Hall of fame, to memorialize (celebrate) their 150th anniversary of their establishment.

History of this Oldest Soccer Club:

   In 1855, members of a Sheffield Cricket club organized informal kick-about without any official rules. Two members of that Sheffield Cricket club, Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, founded the Sheffield Football Club afterward.

FIFA Fair Play Trophy

FIFA Fair Play Trophy in the World Cup Football

FIFA Fair Play

   The "FIFA Fair Play Trophy Award" is given for the team that advanced to the second round with the best record of fair play. This award was first awarded in 1970, FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

   Peru was the first country to achieve this FIFA Fair Play Trophy in Mexico World Cup in 1970, and Peru are the only country in the FIFA World Cup history to achieved the Fair Play Trophy without receiving any yellow or red cards in the certain tournament in 1970. Brazil won this award for the maximum numbers of World Cup. Brazil won this in four FIFA World Cup football tournaments.

The Golden Glove Award in FIFA World Cup

The Golden Glove Award or the Best Goalkeeper Award in FIFA World Cup

Michel Preud'homme

   The Golden Glove Award is given for the best goalkeeper of a respective FIFA World Cup football tournament. Currently, this award is commercially named as "Adidas Golden Glove Award". Previously, it was known as the "Lev Yashin Award" from 1994 to 2006 World Cup. This best goalkeeper’s award was introduced with the name “Lev Yashin” in 1994, in honor of the world famous late Soviet goalkeeper. 

   The man is selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group recognizes the top goalkeeper of the tournament based on the player’s performance throughout the whole competition. Although only the goalkeepers have this specific award (Golden Glove) for the position. But a goalkeeper can be eligible for the Golden Ball (best player) award as well as in a certain FIFA World Cup. The German goalkeeper “Oliver Kahn” won the Golden Ball award along with the Golden Glove award in 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan.

   This best goalkeeper’s award was introduced in 1994 from the FIFA World Cup in United States as “Lev Yashin Award”, and Belgian goalkeeper Michel Preud’homme was the first winner of this award. This award was continued in the same name till 2006 FIFA World Cup, after that this best goalkeeper’s award is named as “Adidas Golden Glove Award”. In 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas won the first “Adidas Golden Glove Award”.

The Golden Ball award in FIFA World Cup

The Golden Ball winners in FIFA World Cup

Paolo Rossi

   The Golden Ball award is given to the best player of the World Cup football tournament. This was first awarded in 1982, and champion Italian footballer “Paolo Rossi” got that award for the first time. Currently, this award is commercially named as "Adidas Golden Ball". The Golden Ball award for the best footballer at every FIFA World Cup finals is given from a shortlist drawn up by the FIFA technical committee and the winner is voted for by representatives of the media. Those footballers who finish as runners-up in the vote receive the Silver Ball and the Bronze Ball awards as the second and the third most outstanding players in the tournament respectively.

   This award is given by FIFA at the conclusion of each World Cup tournament. From 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, this award was introduced; before that there was no award like this for the best players of the World Cup football tournament.  So, great players like, Pele, Alfredo Di Stefano, Frence Puskas, Garrincha could not get this type of award. 

The African Nations Cup

The African Nations Cup or the African Cup of Nations

The African Nations Cup Winner

   The African Nations Cup is the most prestigious soccer competition in Africa. The African Nations Cup, officially CAN (in French language: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations), also referred to as African Cup of Nations, African Nations Cup, or AFCON. It is the main international association football competition in African nations or in the whole continent. It is certified by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). This competition was first held in 1957 in Khartoum, Sudan.  Since 1968, this competition has been held in every two years. The current champion of this tournament can be qualifying for the FIFA Confederations Cup tournament for that time.

   The origins of the African Nations Cup were started from June 1956, when the creation of the Confederation of African Football was proposed during the third FIFA congress in Lisbon, Portugal. There were immediate plans for a continental nation’s tournament to be held, and in February 1957. The first African Nations Cup was took place in Khartoum, Sudan, only 3 countries were participated in that competition. The completion was being played of the four founding members of CFA (Sudan, South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia).

FIFA Ballon d'Or Award-FIFA Player of the Year Award

FIFA Ballon d'Or Award or FIFA Player of the Year Award for male

FIFA Ballon d'Or

   The FIFA Ballon d'Or (it means “Golden Ball" in French) is an organization football award given annually to the male player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous year. It is awarded based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams, as well as journalists from around the world.

   Previously, the Ballon d'Or was referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award. It is an annual association football award. The award was conceived by France Football’s chief magazine writer Gabriel Hanot, who asked his associates to vote for the player of the year in Europe in 1956. The first winner was British footballer Stanley Matthews of Blackpool football club.

   Originally, journalists could only vote for European players at European clubs, meaning that players like Diego Maradona (who played in European football clubs but is not an European) and Pele (who neither played for a European club and nor European) were ineligible for this award. A change in the rules in 1995 allowed non-European players to be eligible for the award if they played for a European club. The first non-European to win after the rule change was A.C. Milan’s George Weah in that same year. In 2007, any player in the world became eligible, and the number of journalists allowed to vote also increased; 96 journalists from around the world chose their top five players, as opposed to the 52 Europe-based journalists in 2006.