Golden Ball
It was decided that the FIFA World Cup 2006 final in Germany on July 9 will involve the use of a one-of-a-kind ‘Golden Ball’.
The Golden Ball was given the thumbs up by the World Cup organizing committee and was unveiled by German football legend, Franz Beckenbauer, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Tuesday, April 18, 2006. Along with the real Golden Ball was a giant model of the football detailing the design, which sports a modern look, with six of the 14 panels coloured gold.
In addition, the other 63 games will be played with a black and white ball for the first time since the FIFA World Cup 1994. The black and white ball signifies the colours of the German team and follows the previous two World Cups; where the FIFA World Cup 2002 in Korea and Japan featured a red and gold ball and FIFA World Cup 1998 in France, a tri-colour ball denoting the French colours.
The World Cup Final golden ball will be to the exact specifications of the official World Cup Adidas ball and will be named Teamgeist Berlin – teamgeist meaning team spirit.
Another first for the World Cup sees each ball bearing the kick-off time, date, venue and the two teams of each match.
An astonishing 2,880 balls have been made by Adidas for FIFA World Cup Germany 2006, 640 of which are 'Teamgeist Berlin' Golden Balls; 20 for each of the 32 teams. All match balls have been made in Thailand, apart from the 15 World Cup final balls in the Golden Ball style.
In addition to the Golden Ball, the Museum fur Volkerkunde in Hamburg is to have on display the world’s oldest ball during the world cup. Borrowed from the Smith Museum in Stirling, Scotland, the oldest ball in the world is an impressive 450 years of age; although it won’t be seen on the pitch.
