Jabulani: official match ball of the 2010 World Cup

By Taylor Fisher | 4th December 2009

Jabulani: official match ball of the 2010 World Cup

Chelsea FC players are presented with the World Cup 2010 official match ball, the Jabulani at the Chelsea training ground, London. Photo by Getty Images for adidas | read this item

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It has seemed like forever – four years to be exact – but the official match ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa has finally been unveiled. Feast your eyes on yet another unique design by adidas – Jabulani – the eleventh World Cup match ball created by adidas. Eight spherically molded panels were thermally bonded, which is said to have created this “perfectly round” ball. The new “Grip’n'Groove” technology allows the ball to have a truer flight with perfect grip under any and all conditions.

Players were given the chance to test out the ball, and they gave it rave reviews. Germany’s captain Michael Ballack found it to be “fantastic, the ball does exactly what I want it to.” Meanwhile, Brazilian national, Kaka, can’t wait to get his feet on it in the group stage. “For me, contact with the ball is all-important, and that’s just great with this ball.” Frank Lampard and Petr Cech also had great things to say about the ball, and they were pleased to be given the opportunity to test out the ball.

The meaning behind the name and design is rather clever. “Jabulani” comes from the isiZulu language, which means “to celebrate.” isiZulu is one of the eleven official languages spoken in South Africa, which is represented by the eleven different colors present on the ball itself. The eleven colors on the ball also represent the eleven players on each team and the eleven tribes in South Africa.

You can see the LIVE unveiling of the ball by Sepp Blatter, David Beckham, and Franz Beckenbauer right here on Premiership Talk! The ball will be revealed at 9:45am EST (2:45pm GMT), so head on over and check it out!