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How did we get from this... to this?
A thread on our balls.
A thread on our balls.
Starting at the start - not in this country, but in the Far East. 
According to @FIFAcom, cuju is the earliest recognised form of football.
It is thought to have started as an army exercise around 200 BC, before becoming a popular game amongst royalty & the upper classes.
According to @FIFAcom, cuju is the earliest recognised form of football.
It is thought to have started as an army exercise around 200 BC, before becoming a popular game amongst royalty & the upper classes.
Football, or hugball?
Shrovetide games have been played since the twelfth century, and persist in the form of an annual match in the town of Ashbourne.
There are two teams, two goals, and murder is prohibited. So basically the same rules as the modern game...
Shrovetide games have been played since the twelfth century, and persist in the form of an annual match in the town of Ashbourne.
There are two teams, two goals, and murder is prohibited. So basically the same rules as the modern game...
This is a ball. You'll just have to take our word on it. 
This was used in Harrow football, a game played at the public school to this day.
During the course of a match, this pie-shaped leather ball would absorb mud and water, becoming much heavier as the game wore on.
This was used in Harrow football, a game played at the public school to this day.
During the course of a match, this pie-shaped leather ball would absorb mud and water, becoming much heavier as the game wore on.
Not perfectly spherical, but at least we're getting there.
Duke & Son, renowned for producing cricket balls and equipment, manufactured this eight-panel ball in the 1870s.
They continued making footballs into the 20th century, but ultimately, it just wasn't cricket.
Duke & Son, renowned for producing cricket balls and equipment, manufactured this eight-panel ball in the 1870s.
They continued making footballs into the 20th century, but ultimately, it just wasn't cricket.
Your Badger Footballs are...the very finest I have ever played with; they keep their proper size, shape and weight right through a match."
Duke & Son's 1902 ball won the approval of @SheffieldUnited skipper Ernest Needham. Player endorsements have come a long way since then...
Duke & Son's 1902 ball won the approval of @SheffieldUnited skipper Ernest Needham. Player endorsements have come a long way since then...
Moving up to a whopping twelve panels...
Around the turn of the century, more balls featured interlocking leather panels, rather than securing said panels at the poles.
This Super Fine ball hails from around c1930, and features laces and a hole for the pump.
Around the turn of the century, more balls featured interlocking leather panels, rather than securing said panels at the poles.
This Super Fine ball hails from around c1930, and features laces and a hole for the pump.
The eighteen-panel football became commonplace by the early parts of the twentieth century.
The 'T' ball - named due to its T-shaped panels - was produced around the same period, and was a popular choice throughout the 1940s and 1950s...
The 'T' ball - named due to its T-shaped panels - was produced around the same period, and was a popular choice throughout the 1940s and 1950s...
Two balls, one final.
At the 1930 @FIFAWorldCup Final, neither side could agree on who should supply the match ball - so FIFA insisted on playing one half with each.
The first half was played using Argentina's 12-panel ball, the second with Uruguay's 'T' ball.
At the 1930 @FIFAWorldCup Final, neither side could agree on who should supply the match ball - so FIFA insisted on playing one half with each.
The first half was played using Argentina's 12-panel ball, the second with Uruguay's 'T' ball.
The most iconic ball in the history of the English game? 
This Slazenger Challenge 4-Star ball was made up of 25 panels instead of 18.
The decision to go with an orange ball for the '66 final, usually reserved for snowy conditions, surprised players and TV companies alike.
This Slazenger Challenge 4-Star ball was made up of 25 panels instead of 18.
The decision to go with an orange ball for the '66 final, usually reserved for snowy conditions, surprised players and TV companies alike.
You may recognise this ball from the emoji:
Adidas' popular Telstar was the first World Cup ball to move away from traditional panels, going with the truncated icosahedron style.
It was so popular in '70 that a similar design, the Telstar Durlast, was used in '74.
Adidas' popular Telstar was the first World Cup ball to move away from traditional panels, going with the truncated icosahedron style.
It was so popular in '70 that a similar design, the Telstar Durlast, was used in '74.
While the Telstar's aesthetic was partly functional - it helped TV viewers pick out the ball - the Tangos were all about looking good. 
The '82 España version was the last to be made of leather. In '86, the Azteca became the first fully synthetic ball used at the tournament.
The '82 España version was the last to be made of leather. In '86, the Azteca became the first fully synthetic ball used at the tournament.
Those Adidas "Buckyball" designs featured 32 sections, but not everyone was convinced that more panels equated to a better ball.
In fact, Garcis went in the opposite direction in 1982, producing this bizarre ball that featured just six panels. Safe to say it didn't catch on.
In fact, Garcis went in the opposite direction in 1982, producing this bizarre ball that featured just six panels. Safe to say it didn't catch on.
As we move towards the millennium, here's one of the @premierleague's best: the Nike Geo Merlin.
This was marketed as "the roundest ball ever made". The tech "allowed the bladder to fill out evenly against every panel, ensuring precision sphericity".
Is sphericity even a word?
This was marketed as "the roundest ball ever made". The tech "allowed the bladder to fill out evenly against every panel, ensuring precision sphericity".
Is sphericity even a word?
That's it. That's the ball. 
The ball of the 2002 @FIFAWorldCup, the Fevernova, featured a standout Asian-inspired design, but was considered to be a little lightweight and somewhat unpredictable.
(It's also the ball Beckham blasted home from the spot against Argentina.)
The ball of the 2002 @FIFAWorldCup, the Fevernova, featured a standout Asian-inspired design, but was considered to be a little lightweight and somewhat unpredictable.
(It's also the ball Beckham blasted home from the spot against Argentina.)
Finishing up with arguably the most controversial World Cup ball of all: the Jabulani.
For all the academic input and aerodynamic tech, players - goalkeepers in particular - were frustrated by the unpredictable movement of the ball in the air.
Did the science go too far?
For all the academic input and aerodynamic tech, players - goalkeepers in particular - were frustrated by the unpredictable movement of the ball in the air.
Did the science go too far?
BONUS: leaking our Object of the Week before Thursday... 
The Adidas Icon was used at the 1999 @FIFAWWC, and was the first ball designed specifically for the women's tournament by sponsors Adidas.
Find out more about the ball and the '99 WWC here:
https://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/collectionsnews/object-week-match-ball-1999-fifa-womens-world-cup/
The Adidas Icon was used at the 1999 @FIFAWWC, and was the first ball designed specifically for the women's tournament by sponsors Adidas.
Find out more about the ball and the '99 WWC here:
https://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/collectionsnews/object-week-match-ball-1999-fifa-womens-world-cup/