Coolest Soccer Balls of the Last 20 Years

One aspect of the sport of soccer that changes frequently is the ball.Over the past 20 years, new soccer balls have been introduced for every major competition in the sport. Certain balls are claimed to better in the aerodynamics department while some are just designed in a different manner than others from the past were.This list takes a look at some of the coolest soccer balls from the last 20 years. Some balls made the list because of their classic, white features, while others made the list for being completely different and revolutionary in the color department. Other soccer balls made the list because of the tribute they paid to the host nation of the FIFA World Cup and host city of the UEFA Champions League Final.

Here is the list of the  coolest soccer balls from the last 20 years.

Mitre Ultimax

Let's start with one of the original match balls to be used across England.When the Premier League was conceived in 1992, the Ultimax was the first ball that was used for the newly formed top-flight league. Mitre made history with the Ultimax ball as it became the first synthetic ball to be used in English football, replacing the old leather footballs that were used in the past.

Nike Total90 Ascente

After a few seasons that saw under 1,000 goals scored in the EPL, the Nike Total90 Ascente was introduced before the 2009-10 season. Five players scored over 20 goals that season, with Chelsea's Didier Drogba leading the group with 29 goals. Not only did the Total90 Ascente produce plenty of goals, it also distanced itself from the traditional ball designs of the past.

Adidas ICON

The Adidas ICON made history in 1999 as the first ball that was specifically made for the FIFA Women's World Cup. The ball was used in the final of the tournament where the United States defeated China on a penalty shootout.That penalty shootout defined the tournament as Brandi Chastain won the title on the final kick and boosted the support of women's soccer in the United States.

Adidas Jabulani

No ball received as much attention as the Adidas Jabulani did before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.The Jabulani was improved on the outside to make the aerodynamics on the ball much better, but instead it made the flight of the ball unpredictable. While the unpredictability of the Jabulani frustrated many in the soccer world, its design did not see many critics. The ball was made with 11 different colors to represent both the starting 11 that a soccer team puts out on the pitch and the 11 official languages of South Africa. 

BOOTS..adidas or Nike?

It is a chaos to compare and choose between nike and adidas boots.So to make it simple,i have mentioned some of the best products of adidas and nike as follows:

adidas:

adidas have been a leading manufacturer of football boots for over 60 years, with their designs worn by generations of top players.  Their boots feature the latest fabrics and technologies to enhance your performance on the pitch and are instantly recognisable. Shop the complete adidas collection here.

Nike:

Nike football boots are worn by many of the world’s leading players and our collection features the latest designs to ensure you look the part as you step out onto the pitch. Nike boots are packed with features and innovations, making them ideal for any level of footballer.

Nike mercurial:

Worn by superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the Nike Mercurial boots are Nike’s fastest yet, featuring a lightweight design that combines minimal construction and strategic traction that delivers improved speed and control.

adidas ace:

The adidas Ace boots feature designs suitable for all surfaces, with lightweight materials to increase speed and comfort, innovative design and, the latest technologies to give you the confidence to perform to your maximum on the field.

Black Day for Brasil

Back when,

Brazil's World Cup dreams ended in humiliating and brutal fashion as Germany inflicted their heaviest defeat in the first semi-final in Belo Horizonte. A thunderous occasion that began with Brazil riding a tidal wave of emotion was reduced to a nightmare as Germany were 5-0 up inside 29 remarkable minutes in front of a disbelieving Estadio Mineirao crowd. Brazil's players mourned the absence of the injured Neymar before kick-off, but captain Thiago Silva was an even bigger loss. The result was their first competitive home defeat in 39 years, and the end of their hopes of making it to the World Cup final at the iconic Maracana on Sunday.

Thomas Muller gave the three-time winners an early lead before a period of utter chaos saw Miroslav Klose break the World Cup scoring record, Toni Kroos add two more in the space of 179 seconds and Sami Khedira net a fifth.

 Three years on, the memories of that record 7-1 World Cup semifinal crushing by Germany are still vivid for Brazil center-back Dante.

Those 90 minutes in Belo Horizonte arguably haunt the 33-year-old even more than any other teammate. It was the only match he played at that World Cup.

"That defeat was very, very painful," Dante -- who replaced suspended captain Thiago Silva that day -- recalls.

Yes, it's been hard to get over it.

"Some people tried to oppress us after that game. But that's the way it is, and in the football world you always need to pick yourself back up and keep working."

The absence of captain Silva and star forward Neymar, injured in the quarterfinal, had a bigger impact than anyone could have imagined.

What should have been one of the greatest moments in the country's footballing history became one of its worst, putting the loss alongside the 1950 World Cup final defeat by Uruguay in Rio -- otherwise known as the 'Maracanazo'.

Celebrities you didnt know were football fans

1.Tom Hanks

Aston Villa F.C.
 Hank’s decision to become a Villain was primarily due to the club’s name, with the actor claiming that Aston Villa sounded “pleasant.” He has since been featured on Aston Villa TV and was a guest when the club played a friendly against Portland Timbers. 

2.Gerard Butler

Celtic F.C.

 Butler was so worked up over the Celtic Champions League match against Barcelona in 2012, he had to leave his business dinner in Dubai to watch the game. He claims to have been in tears by the end of the match .

3.Hugh Grant

Fulham F.C.

Before he was on the big screen, he was a groundskeeper at Craven Cottage. Grant has made numerous visits to watch his team play, including the agonizing defeat to Atletico Madrid in the 2010 Europa League Final.

 4.Keira Knightley

West Ham United F.C.

Thanks to her nomadic lifestyle, she went years without owning a television but eventually broke down because “it was getting ridiculous watching football on the laptop.”

Football is my life

           Football  has been an event in my life since I was three years old and it still is today. “The key to life is not what life gives to you but what you take from life. It’s not how life treats you but how you treat life. You have a choice in life. You can either thrive or survive.”  Football has made me into the person I am today, hard working, and determined.

                               Without football my life worth is nothing-CR7

             As I look down the line, I see everyone dripping sweat; I see the pain on each players face. The coach blows the whistle and everyone takes off to sprint to the other end of the field. When things get hard, like what we experience in our workouts, there is no giving up. If we give up and quit now, it will happen in the game. Then, we have lost, failed, and been defeated. This applies to the real world as well. If you lose your job, you have to go out and find a new one because somebody has to pay the bills. You can’t quit because you will end with nothing and be defeated. Work isn’t always fun and it can be extremely hard. Whether it’s holding up the state championship or getting a promotion hard work reaps many rewards.

            Imagine being member of a football team on the field while the crowd is cheering for their favorite team. You are probably wondering, “Wow, I never thought that I will be part of this team.” Football is not for everyone and being part of a football team does not mean that you are going to be in the spotlight. A person can learn much from playing football. Football teaches strength, discipline, and how to be a team player.

             The most important lesson football teaches is how to be a team player. In football teamwork is the most important because each member is working to achieve the same goal, which is winning. Each player on the field is not worried about what they are doing but more of working together to get the job done.

                      I learned all about my life with ball at my feet-RONALDINHO

              In addition to teamwork, football also teaches discipline. Discipline is the result of commitment, a love for the task, and passion for the game. These characteristics are usually enforced by infusing commitment, passion, and love for the task while growing up at a young age. Discipline in football controls your goals and accomplishments, which starts on the football field. When team players are disciplined it means that they know what they want (to win games) and they do it the best they know how by perfecting the basic skills, such as, tackling, running and blocking. Some examples of discipline are showing up to practice on time and knowing what job is expected of you on the football team. If you do not know, it can cause your team to lose games. Exercising throughout the year is another example because the player’s body has to be in shape year round.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 - ROAD TO RUSSIA

          The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be the 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights on 2 December 2010. This will be the first World Cup ever held in Eastern Europe, and the first held in Europe since 2006, all but one of the stadium venues are in European Russia, west of the Ural Mountains to keep travel time manageable.

           The final tournament will involve 32 national teams, which include 31 teams determined through qualifying competitions and the automatically qualified host team. A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities. The final will take place on 15 July in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium. The winners will qualify for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Besides this,

• ·       Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport has the fastest Wi-Fi in Europe
• ·       Moscow to consider electronic visas for foreigners planning trips to Sochi
• ·       Average life expectancy in Russia up to 71.9 years in 2016
•  
• ·       U.S. President Trump prepares to meet Putin at G20
• ·       Russians consider Putin an influential historical personality
• ·       Political threats did not prevent U.S. from buying Russian Eurobonds
• ·       Russian arms exporter sells 50 warships worth $24 billion since 2000
• ·       Putin visits Crimean youth camp Artek
• ·       Russian warships fire Kalibr missiles, destroy ISIS arms depots in Syria. 
• ·       Russia’s telecom watchdog urges Telegram team to comply with demands.

         

 The tournament logo was unveiled on 28 October 2014 by cosmonauts at the International Space Station and then projected onto Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre during an evening television programme. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said that the logo was inspired by "Russia's rich artistic tradition and its history of bold achievement and innovation", and FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated that it reflected the "heart and soul" of the country. For the branding, a typeface called Dusha (from Душа, Russian for soul) was created by Portuguese design agency Brandia Central in 2014.

The World Cup is a very complicated tournament - six games, seven if you make it to the final  and maybe if you lose one game you're out, even if you're the best.    -PELE

Craziness at the Camp Nou

      Was Barcelona’s win the greatest comeback in Champions League history? The Catalan side’s chances of a three-goal recovery after 87 minutes? 0.1%

      The Camp Nou erupted. A late goal that turns the game around is enough to send any football crowd into raptures. But three? That was how many Barcelona required as the 90th minute approached on March 8th, in the second leg of a Champions League knockout tie against Paris Saint-Germain.

        The Catalan club had already been routed in the first leg, losing 4-0 in a poor performance away at the Parc des Princes on February 14th. Barça’s faint hopes of qualifying for the quarter-final were dampened further still by the away-goals rule: if the aggregate scores across the two legs are level at the end of the tie, the side which has bagged more goals away from home progresses. And sure enough, after the home side raced out to a 3-0 lead, Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain’s centre-forward, drove a volley into the roof of their net in the 62nd minute. That meant that Barcelona would have to beat them by five, leaving them three goals short with about half an hour to go. They failed to score any for the next 26 minutes.

        Only when the 88th minute arrived did the floodgates open. Neymar won a free-kick 30 yards from goal, and arrowed it into the top corner. Two minutes later Luis Suárez, who had already been booked for diving, went down in the box at the slightest of touches and won a penalty, which Neymar scored. Five minutes of injury time were added on. In the fifth Barcelona earned another free kick, won by their own goalkeeper in the opposition half, since everyone had piled forward in search of a winner. The ball was lobbed into the box, cleared, chipped in again by Neymar—and poked home by Sergi Roberto. The clock showed 94:40.The celebrations were quite literally recorded on local seismographs.

       Was this 6-1 victory the greatest escape in the history of the Champions League, the most prestigious tournament for European clubs—including the 38 years it was known as the European Cup? The answer depends on how one defines “greatest”. The simplest measure would be the size of a team′s lead after the first leg. By this figure, Barcelona′s accomplishment does indeed rank first: although eight clubs had previously reversed a three-goal disadvantage, none had come back from four.

FOOTBALL OR CRICKET ?

            I personally like both Cricket and Football. If I had to choose between them, I will choose football. Sport should be fast paced, exciting and thrilling, and where you can get it all, FOOTBALL!! People really think Cricket is better then football.  Everytime i watch a cricket match. I start snoring just after 15 min.

             I saw one person  said that he find football boring and finds a game in which only 3 players play at a time and others just wait for ball to come to them more interesting than football. Football is more than just 22 men trying to put the ball into net. You'll never understand the tactics used behind the screen by the coaches to make that 11 player machine to work in such coordination so that they can pass that ball in net. 11 players playing that beautiful game in such coordination, you'll never find that in Cricket.

             Now in terms of popularity, no sport is more popular on this earth than football. More than half of the world don't know what cricket is and they dont even have time to give shit to sport like that. On the other hand 200 nation on this planet plays football and compete to qualify for 32 slots to win that prestigious FIFA World Cup trophy, unlike Cricket which only have 12 teams in so called ICC World Cup.

 I think football is more ancient game than cricket. When early man first saw a coconut or a stone lying around, he would have first thought of kicking it instead of chucking it another person and hoping he has a bark of a tree to hit it with.

             And I think its me and all those football fan around the world who make this sport so special. Who pray for their team to be on the top and support even when they lose in the first round or in the final. Football is a sport in which the 12th player are the fans.

             It’s a beautiful game because it is played in all weather whether its raining, hailed, slushed, the players are on the field and the game goes on. In  football, it takes 90 minutes to decide a winner (ok, a few minutes  more in some cases). In cricket, purists believe it takes 5 days of  about 6 hours each (30 long-drawn hours) to choose between two teams.  And often, even that is insufficient… Guess that’s why it’s called a  test. A test of your patience.

Only  1 guy runs at any given point of time, while everybody else just  watches him – either it’s the bowler, batsman or fielder. In football,  everybody’s running after the ball. The only spectators are outside the  field.

       Football is a sport in which the 12th player are the fans.

el clasico - THE WAR CONTINUES...

El Clasico  is a football match between two Spanish rival football clubs, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, in the Spanish football league La Liga. It is one of the most famous football matches in the world.

The rival match is also well-known due to its history. Historically, Catalonia was oppressed and disrespected by the dictatorship. Thus, the only way the citizens could take revenge to the government was to defeat the football club representing Madrid (the capital city and the central government in Spain). Real Madrid led in Official Matches 93 wins to 90 FC Barcelona.

Currently, the records for both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are one of the top football clubs in the world.

Besides this, the game is not just  the  clash between two clubs,its a clash between two great and best footballer of this era;Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona clash is such a huge, complex phenomenon, it even has its own vocabulary. Consequently, you can’t really call yourself a TRUE fan if you’re not familiar with these words and phrases around El Clasico:

1. A Barcelona supporter is called Culé (arse) or Barcelonista, while the team is often referred to as Barça or Blaugrana.

2. Real Madrid fans are known as Merengues or Madridistas, while the nicknames Los Blancos and Galácticos are used for the players.

3. Canguelo is a term used by the Madrid-based sports press to describe FC Barcelona’s fear of losing the league title to Real Madrid.

4. La manita (or little hand) refers to a Barça’s 5-0 win.

Pegada is a Spanish word describing Madrid’s traditional playing style, often regarded as opportunistic.

5. Villarato describes the situation in which Madrid fans accuse Barça they have won on account of favors from Spanish referees.

FOOTBALL-THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

The beautiful game: football  is linked and bonded with passion, emotion, excitement and dedication across all over the world. Football is like life;it requires perseverance, hardwork,sacrifice,dedication and respect for authority. References to extreme emotional experiences at football games characterised all aspects of discussions with football fans — some referring to the 'pure joy' and exhilaration of being at football games. Such is the intensity of the experience that two thirds of fans have cried at football matches — mostly through joy, but occasionally because of despair. Football provides for many fans an opportunity to let themselves go emotionally — to release the frustrations of everyday life.

To be a 'true' football fan requires the 'living' experience of football. It is not about being a mere spectator — it is about being a participant. Match attendance is a given, of course, but there is also a duty to engage emotionally in the life of the team in order to impact positively on a team's performance. Attending away games is an important ritual for fans involving a number of psychological and logistical challenges. Away supporters are always out-numbered and mostly out-sung. In our discussions with fans there was a defiant stance against 'fair-weather supporters' — those who only attend matches occasionally or when their team is doing well. Such fans lack dedication and resilience and the detailed knowledge of team statistics, standings, players and history that is characteristic of 'true' fans. Football fandom is seen as a rite of passage involving a process akin to apprenticeship. It involves years of instruction, of 'practice', of dedication and of demonstrating your own knowledge in the presence of others before being accepted by 'real' fans.

Its beautiful beacause its everything for us.

Its not just a Jersey,its our skin.

It's not just a stadium,its our home.

We are not 11 players,we are family.

Its not just a logo,its our heart.

Well to describe why we are crazy and passionate is kind of very difficult.

But when we start supporting a club its like we have found ourselves somewhere in it,we feel like a family member.

If our team wins it just makes our day,we can't stop dreaming about the game. Many  times we have to wait till 1-2 am for match to start but it is worth it.

If team loses we feel very bad,lost,dejected and there is always a hope that our team will win the next match and eventually there will be smile to our faces.

 Everyone's love for this beautiful game is limitless.So keep calm and play this beautiful game.

JOSE MOURINHO-'The Special One'

Jose Mario dos Santos Mourinho Felix was born in 26^th January 1963.He is a Portuguese professional football manager and former football player. He is the manager of Premier League club Manchester United.

"When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started."

Mourinho(The Pragmatist) is obviously the one with slight advantage, having  managed Chelsea to three league titles in two separate stints. He knows how to win in this league, although he struggled incredibly last season before he’d been sacked.

Mourinho’s  mantra is ‘winning’. That seems rather silly considering he is a football manager but the man has made a career out of winning at all cost. If what is needed to win is a seven foot giant that would tackle the opposition’s key player out of the stadium and into the storm drain, he would do it without blinking an eye. He always has a solution for each specific problem that’s stopping him from winning.

Mourinho began his involvement in professional football as a player in the Portuguese Second Division. He studied sports science in Technical University of Lisbon and attended coaching courses in Britain. In Lisbon, he worked as a physical education teacher and had spells working as a youth team coach, a scout, and an assistant manager. In the early 1990s, he became an interpreter for Sir Bobby Robson at Sporting CP and Porto in Portugal, and Barcelona in Spain. He remained at the Catalonian club working with Robson's successor, Louis van Gaal.

Mourinho impressed with brief but successful managerial periods at Benfica and União de Leiria, taking the latter to their highest ever league finish. He returned to Porto in early 2002 as head coach, winning the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, and UEFA Cup in 2003. In the next season, Mourinho guided the team to victory in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, to the top of the league for a second time, and won the highest honour in European club football, the UEFA Champions League. Mourinho moved to Chelsea the following year and won the Premier League title with a record 95 points, the club's first league title in 50 years, and the League Cup in his first season. In his second year, Chelsea retained the Premier League and in 2006–07 he took the club to an FA Cup and League Cup double. Mourinho left Chelsea in September 2007, surrounded by reports of a rift with club owner Roman Abramovich.

In 2008, Mourinho moved to Serie A club Internazionale. Within three months he had won his first Italian honour, the Supercoppa Italiana, and completed the season by winning the Serie A title. In 2009–10, Inter became the first Italian club to win the treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League, also the first time Inter had won the latter competition since 1965. He is one of only five coaches to have won the European Cup with two different teams, along with Ernst Happel, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Jupp Heynckes and Carlo Ancelotti. He won the first ever FIFA World Coach of the Year Award in 2010. He then signed with Real Madrid in 2010, winning the Copa del Rey in his first season. The following year, he won the La Liga and became the fifth coach, after Tomislav Ivić, Ernst Happel, Giovanni Trapattoni and Eric Gerets, to have won league titles in at least four different countries: Portugal, England, Italy and Spain. After leaving Madrid in June 2013, Mourinho returned to England to manage Chelsea for a second spell, during which they won another league championship, but was sacked on 17 December 2015, after a poor run of results left Chelsea just outside the relegation zone. Following several months out of the game after losing his job at Chelsea for the second time, Mourinho was confirmed as the new manager of Manchester United on 27 May 2016.

Due to his tactical knowledge, charismatic,but also very controversial personality, and what his opponents regard as emphasis on getting results over playing beautiful football, he is often seen, by both admirers and critics, as the successor of Argentine manager Helenio Herrera.

Besides this, on 17 December 2015, after losing 9 of 16 Premier League matches, the club went on to state, "The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea".Despite of  one unsuccessfull season,they may all hate us and hate you but we(Chelsea fan) all love you.#KTBFFH

"A leader needs to know where he/she is going if they expect their employees to follow them"