Euro 2024 got off to a flying start, with spectacular goals flying from all sides. But what could explain this dazzling success? What if a $170 high-tech soccer ball was the reason?
Adidas created the Fussballliebe, the official ball of the European Championship. The players seem to have quickly adopted it, as evidenced by the many astonishing goals scored, including some exceptional long-range strikes.
“This ball is fast,” Kane said. “He’s better for strikers or scorers than goalkeepers, so I’m not going to complain.” The fans aren’t complaining either after so many spectacular goals.
We remember Arda Guler’s curling shot into the top corner, from around 20 yards out, during Turkey’s 3–1 victory over Georgia. In the same match, his teammate Mert Muldur scored with a volley from the edge of the area.
Romania’s Nicolae Stanciu also scored a long-range goal against Ukraine and almost scored straight from a corner when he hit the crossbar.
Xherdan Shaqiri scored a legendary goal for Switzerland against Scotland, and there were missiles from Nicolo Barella and Lukas Provod, of the Italian and Czech teams respectively.
“The balls in these tournaments are not really designed for goalkeepers,” says Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. “It’s a pleasure to hit them. You can reach good distances. They are certainly not made for the goalkeepers’ grip.”
If official balls have been criticized in the past, this one, the Fussballliebe, seems to be unanimously accepted. Designed for “precision and consistency, promoting fast, precise play through maximum shape and air retention”, it is made from recycled polyester and more “durable” materials than previous tournament balls, including corn fiber, sugar cane and wood pulp.
Connected ball technology was used for the first time at a European Championship, making it possible to identify every contact with the ball and send precise data to video referees. A sensor with a gyroscope inside the ball sends data 500 times per second to record each time the ball is kicked.
Combined with AI, this technology can help determine offsides. In the case of Belgium, it made it possible to detect a marginal hand fault by Loïs Openda during the construction of the goal refused to Romelu Lukaku during the surprising defeat against Slovakia (0-1).
This match marked the first time that fast and precise technology supported a refereeing decision during a Euro 2024 match. A major breakthrough made possible thanks to this high-tech ball, the Fussballliebe, which appears to revolutionize the way whose game is played and refereed.