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The 5 best footballs from history...
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Match balls more than ever have become instantly recognisable in the modern game, largely in part due to heavy branding and mass exposure on TV.
From the new (slightly Spiderman looking) Nike Ordem ball to the untouchable Finale Champion's League ball by adidas, every ball is easily associated with its respective competition at a glance.
Our favourite thing about footballs though is the feeling of nostalgia they bring about, reminding you of a particular tournament and as a result a moment in your life.
So, without further introduction, here's 5 of our favourites...
5. adidas Telstar ball (1970)
As you can probably tell from the picture, the Telstar was the official ball of the 1970 World Cup that was held in Mexico.
Brazil went on to lift the trophy, but that's not why we like the Telstar so much. It was the first match ball to utilise the now iconic black & white panel design.
Before the Telstar, match balls still looked like the solid brown leather ones that would knock you unconscious if you headed it on a particularly rainy day.
You could argue that the 1970 Telstar was the birth of the modern ball.
4. mitre Pro Max ball (1992)
Those of you of a certain age will remember that 1992 is the year the English Premier League was born thanks to a big money deal with Sky TV.
The mitre Pro Max was the first match ball ever used in what has become the most watched league in the world. The iconic "arrow" design of mitre footballs became synonymous with the league and the ball was used by the likes of Cantona, Shearer, Henry, Fowler, Giggs, Zola and many more.
Of course the EPL now uses the Nike Ordem as its official match ball and has done for several years, however the mitre Pro Max will always have a special place in our hearts.
3. adidas Tango Durlast (1978)
It's only the birth of arguably the greatest football of all time - the adidas Tango! It was used for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, which was eventually won by the hosts.
Just about everyone who's ever played the game has used a Tango at some point, whether it was during a Sunday League match or an evening games of 5s... and this ball is what kicked it all off.
The Telstar design was adapted to incorporate the new panel graphics, with variations of the ball used for the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 & 1998 World Cups.
2. adidas TriColore Tango (1998)
France 1998 was by World Cup standards a roaring success. The setting was glamorous, the matches were spellbinding and the French hosts stormed to a home victory.
More importantly than that, even Scotland qualified for it (we didn't think we'd still be waiting for another qualification 17 years later).
The TriColore not only looked utterly fantastic in the great colours of the French flag, but it was also the last time adidas would use the iconic Tango design for a World Cup, for that reason alone the TriColore is in the list.
1. adidas Finale Champion's League ball (2002)
The adidas Finale design has been the recognised ball of the Champion's League for many, many years now. Although there are variations on the theme with each new season, adidas wouldn't dare mess with the star-panel design that has made the Finale one of the best-selling balls of all time.
We've chosen the 2002 Finale as the most important for a few reasons. Firstly, the ball looks utterly brilliant in white with the black graphics, we don't think it ever looked better! Secondly, the 2002 final between Real Madrid & Bayer Leverkusen was held at Hampden in Glasgow, the one and only time the final has been held in Scotland.
But the main reason we chose this version of the Finale was this...
One of the greatest players of all time scoring arguably the best ever Champion's League goal in a final that also turned out to be the winner - all with that adidas Finale above.