Adidas Telstar

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Telstar provided by Adidas was the official match ball of 1970 FIFA World Cup and 1974 FIFA World Cup held in Mexico and West Germany.

It was painted with black and white panels so it was more visible on black-and-white television. The name Telstar (short for television star) came from the first communications satellites, which were roughly spherical and dotted with solar panels, somewhat similar in appearance to the football.

It was the first World Cup ball to use the truncated icosahedron or bucky ball for its design, consisting of 12 black pentagonal and 20 white hexagonal panels, which later became the regular design of a football. Older balls had consisted of groups of stripes, similar to the configuration of the modern volleyball.

Although made of leather, it still had relative water resistant qualities provided by its shiny durlast coating.

The Telstar is considered a design classic. Although most footballs in actual use today look different, depictions of footballs in drawings such as comic books and caricatures, as well as decorative imitations of footballs, are usually still made in the Telstar look, testifying to its enduring appeal.

Preceded by Challenge

Official World Cup Ball 1970 and 1974

Succeeded by Tango

[edit] External links

• Adidas ball history
• R. B. Fuller's 1961 patent for geodesic structures.

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