adidas Uniforia Pro Football EK 2020

Product Information

What we saw in our cities – all our key cities – is the need to come together and unite for change. As one of the major sporting events in the world, UEFA EURO 2020 is a great opportunity to proudly showcase the power of unity and to celebrate sport as a connector of people, ideas and creativity." From a technology perspective, the Uniforia is effectively the same as recent FIFA World Cup models, offering the same high-performance structure and panel construction, but with a unique ‘Hi-White’ material – allowing for better visibility on the pitch for players. And that's that 'til the summer.

When I was a boy, the ball was like a treasure. The boy with the ball was the king of the playground." Slight variations in those early designs survived into the television era, though white balls had been trialled as early as 1951, with orange balls also used the same year for matches taking place in snowy conditions.

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When designing an Official Match Ball, we always look to reflect culture; what is the spirit of the street that we can proudly showcase in the stadium," explained Anika Marie Kennaugh, Product Designer at adidas. "What we saw in our cities – all our key cities – is the need to come together and unite for change. As one of the major sporting events in the world, Euro 2020 is a great opportunity to proudly showcase the power of unity and to celebrate sport as a connector of people, ideas and creativity.” The football is horrible. It is like one of those you buy in the supermarket,” said Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar, setting the tone for a torrent of disparaging comments.

As is customary, Adidas are supplying the ball for Euro 2020, and have so faravoid any such controversies this time around. It was not until 1 January 1996 that UEFA implemented FIFA-endorsed quality controls for the balls used in international competitions. Footballs were then divided into three quality groups: FIFA-approved, FIFA-inspected, and International Matchball Standard. Since 2006/07 there has been an official adidas match ball used at every UEFA Champions League fixture throughout the season. The Europa League also has its own specially designed ball, previously made by adidas but now produced by Molten since 2018. Uniforia's design encompasses the notion of crossing bridges, the blurring of boundaries, and the diversity that will accompany the tournament, through a unique mixture of art and football. These elements were the starting point for the design process, which began in 2018.To mark the 60th anniversary of the UEFA EURO, next summer's finals will be played in 12 different European countries and the tournament's fresh format is the inspiration for the official match ball. By 2016, when adidas launched the Beau Jeu, the official match ball for EURO 2016, after an 18-month testing period, top-of-the-range balls boasted six identical panels, thermally bonded to provide a seamless surface, and the promise of a predictable trajectory, better touch and low water uptake.

Winter', 'competition' and 'club' versions are all available too - but telling the difference between one and the other from photos alone isn't easy. Unlike leather, polyurethane is flexible and does not stiffen in cold conditions. The 1984 European Championship in France was the first major tournament to showcase a wholly non-leather ball, and two years later, the first such synthetic World Cup ball – the Azteca México – was deployed at the finals.The World Cup in South Africa had plenty of memorable moments, but the much-derided Jabulani was something that everyone seemed keen to forget. Engineered to highlight your lightning pace on the pitch, the adidas X 19.1 SG football boots feature on the feet of Mohamed Salah, James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale. His outfield team-mate, Robinho, wasn’t impressed either. “For sure the guy who designed this ball never played football. But there is nothing we can do. We have to play with it.”