In 2009, another revolution took place in the world of soccer balls. Many thought that technology would go the way of reducing the number of panels. However, for the final of the Champions League 2009-2010, the Adidas engineers introduced the new Adidas Finale Madrid. This ball consists of 20 panels, which are connected by thermal bonding.
We see the first ball ever with panels in the form of Champions League stars. The rejection of the already familiar rounded panels did not affect the aerodynamic characteristics. This is a wonderful ball that is well controlled. The outer layer in the form of a large relief allows goalkeepers to more reliably pick up balls in difficult situations.
The main design element of any ball for the Champions League is always the stars. In our case, the stars have a red border. Inside each star are the logos of the last Champions League final. For these logos, a light gold color was used, which goes well with the red color of the edging.
The promotion of the ball involved the superstars of Spanish football of past years – Fernando Hierro and Emilio Butrageno. In the very finals of the Champions League 2010, the Italian Inter and German Bavaria met. The winner was the Italian team.