By now you may already be familiar with the adidas “JABULANI”, the official Match Ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Over the last few days several goalkeepers, including Brazil’s Julio Cesar and Spain’s Iker Casillas, have expressed their discomfort with adidas’ latest football.

During a press conference Julio Cesar said the following: “The football is horrible. It seems like one of those you buy in the supermarket.”

Iker Casillas, considered by many the best goalkeeper in the world, also heavily criticized the football. After the match in which Spain defeated Saudi Arabia 3-2 Casillas said the following: “It’s a little sad that in a competition as big as the World Cup to have such a poor ball. It’s not just goalkeepers complaining, but outfield players as well”.

Claudio Bravo, starting goalkeeper for Chile called the football a “beach ball”.
Goalkeepers always complain about a new ball, because they have to get used to it, however when a field player complains about the ball as well, you may have a problem. We decided to try the ball for ourselves and break the myth.

The ball features a newly developed technology called “Grip’n’Groove” which provides more stability and perfect grip under all conditions. The ball is composed of eight thermally bonded 3-d panels, making the ball perfectly round, elimination imperfections in the surface.



When I first struck the ball I have to admit I felt it was a bit lightweight, I can see why Claudio Bravo called it a Beach ball. I compared the ball’s path against an older model, the famous adidas TANGO, and I was surprised with the results.
The JABULANI was accurate 9 out of 10 shots; the ball maintained a straight flight and didn’t seem to be affected by the elements.

In order to run my second test, I called a fellow colleague, a professional goalkeeper that plays in Argentina’s 2nd division; I wanted to get his opinion on the ball. We took some straight shots at him, free kicks over the ball, and some corner kicks for him to trap the ball in the air. No complains whatsoever from that side.

To run the final test, we played an 11 aside game, featuring former professional players like Silvio Carrario and Horacio Lugo. The ball moved very well, very easy to control even during the rain. One thing I did see was that the ball picked up speed really fast, that is one reason why goalkeepers may be complaining. But in my opinion, the adidas JABULANI is a good football, is a piece of innovation and as such we must get used to it.

Official information about the adidas JABULANI

The name:
The name ”JABULANI” originates from the Bantu language isiZulu, one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa, which is spoken by almost 25% of the population. Literally translated, “JABULANI” means “to celebrate”. Football is a passion that unites the world. The name of the new match ball appropriately pays tribute to the passionate football celebration international fans will enjoy in South Africa next summer.

The design:
Eleven different colours are used in the adidas “JABULANI”, the eleventh adidas World Cup ball. These 11 colours represent the 11 players in every team, the 11 official languages of South Africa and the 11 South African tribes that make the country one of the most ethnologically diverse countries on the African continent. The colourful design brings together the tremendous diversity of the country in harmonious unity. Four triangle-shaped design elements on a white background lend the ball a unique appearance in African spirit. And like the outer facade of Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium, individual design elements also capture the colourfulness of South Africa.

3-D panel shapes:
The Match Ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ features a completely new, ground-breaking technology. Eight 3-D spherically formed EVA and TPU panels are moulded together, harmoniously enveloping the inner carcass. The result is an energetic unit combined with perfect roundness. Following the first tests, players all over the world are enthusiastic and are promising many goals with the new ball.

What some players say about the football:
Michael Ballack: “Fantastic, the ball does exactly what I want it to.”
Petr Cech:"You can feel the energy coming towards you, like a shot.”
Frank Lampard:“A very strong ball, true to hit.”
Kaká:“For me, contact with the ball is all-important, and that’s just great with this ball.”

adidas JABULANI: Innovation or Experiment?

Barcelona and Real Madrid are the dominant teams in Spain and they proved it by being the two teams that monopolized nearly half of the spots of La Furia's 30-man roster. Barcelona ended up on top as seven of their players earned call ups. There were some surprises in Vicente Del Bosque's list, but for the most part the players that were expected to be on, were.

The majority of the team that won the European championship two years ago and played in the Confederations Cup last summer will be back.

Barcelona's Victor Valdés will have at least a fighting chance to enter Del Bosque's 23-man roster as he was considered part of his 30-man list. Valdés will most likely win yet another Zamora trophy and was among the five goalkeepers called up by the Spanish coach. His level during the past two seasons have been worthy of recognition and should be on the fast track to be in South Africa.

None of Real Madrid's players were named Guti or Raúl as Albiol, Arbeloa, Ramos, Xabi Alonso will follow national team captain Iker Casillas to South Africa.

One of the big surprises was Atlético Madrid's young goalkeeper David De Gea who has become one of the revelations of the tournament. Another surprise call up was that of Osasuna defender César Azpilicueta. He has become a stalwart for the Rojillos. Sevilla's Jesús Navas also got some recognition from Del Bosque.

One player that was left off the squad was Getafe's Roberto Soldado. He was being considered to be a viable replacement for Fernando Torres. His 14 goals for the season have him in La Liga's top ten in scoring.

Some players that were left off the list were Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop as well as Athletic counterpart Gorka Iraizoz. Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic, who decided to not go to Euro2008, was snubbed in favor of teammate Pedro Rodríguez who became one of the revelations of the tournament. Pedro was the first player in football history to score in all six competitions this season. He is also the team's third leading scorer behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and soon-to-be Pichichi winner Lionel Messi.

Spain will be participating in Group H alongside Chile, Honduras, and Switzerland.


Goalkeepers:Iker Casillas(Real Madrid CF), David De Gea(Atlético Madrid),Diego López (Villarreal), Pepe Reina (Liverpool-ENG), Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona)

Defenders
: Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid)
, Alvaro Arbeloa(Real Madrid),
 César Azpilicueta (Osasuna)
 Joan Capdevila (Villarreal)
, Carlos Marchena (Valencia),
 Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona)
 Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona),
 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

Midfielders:
 Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)
 Sergio Busquets (FC Barcelona)
 Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal FC-ENG)
 Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona)
 Javi Martínez (Athletic)
 Marcos Senna (Villarreal)
 David Silva (Valencia)
 Xavier Hernández (FC Barcelona)

Forwards
: Santi Cazorla (Villarreal),
 Jesús Navas (Sevilla),
 Juan Mata (Valencia CF),
 Pedro (FC Barcelona)
, Dani Güiza (Fenerbache SK-TUR)
, Fernando Llorente (Athletic Club),
 Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla FC)
, Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC-ENG)
, David Villa (Valencia CF)


Callup by team
Barcelona- 7
Real Madrid- 5
Valencia- 4
Villarreal- 4
Athletic - 2
Liverpool- 2
Osasuna- 1
Atlético- 1
Arsenal- 1
Sevilla- 2
Fenerbahce-1

Del Bosque announces Spain's 30 players

Spain is not only known worldwide for good football, it is host of some of the world's hottest women, and Eva Gonzalez is a worthy example.

González participated at the Miss España pageant in 2003, representing Seville. She won the title at the age of 22 and then headed off to Panama City, Panama for the Miss Universe 2003 pageant. She was an early favorite, but she did not enter the Top 15. She wore a flamenco dress at the national costume presentation.

After her reign as Miss España 2003, González entered the world of modelling, walking the runway for Spain's high fashion designers and doing many photo shoots for magazines. She also had a television career. She is one of the hosts of Spanish reality show Dímelo al oído. She had an on/off relationship with Real Madrid goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. They are currently not together.

You are really missing out on something Iker.

Beyond the pitch: Eva Gonzalez

Last year, Barcelona were in one of the most embarrassing situations for a professional team that there could be.



To have to escort your arch-rival with an honor guard type of entrance onto their own pitch is beyond humiliation. They then stepped on to the pitch and received a sound thumping. For fans around the world it was anticlimactic. There was nothing being fought over at this stage of the season- only pride- and Barca had little of it by then. That little bit that remained never allowed them to forget that moment and that was part of the reason why it simmered in the minds of these players.

While the press in Madrid clamored for this match expecting the complete capitulation of a team that was no longer battling for first or second place- they were face-to-face with destiny. For Barcelona it was not just a match, it was a moment almost a year in the making for them. Everytime they stepped onto any pitch in the world, they saw the Merengues, they saw that bully and they were getting ready to take them on.

People outside of that intimate circle looked at the next match against Madrid and said, "this could be the one". We all wanted Málaga, Deportivo, Espanyol, Atlético, then Sevilla to knock them off of their torrid win streak so Barcelona could look at bigger things. That was not to happen, and to be honest, that was the way they wanted it. If you want things done right... you have to do them yourself.

The panic lasted three minutes for any Barcelona fan. Gonzalo Higuaín's goal made people uncomfortable; but that was all gone when Thierry Henry answered in almost clinical fashion in front of Iker Casillas. Carles Puyol would then put them ahead, and it was a release of pent up anger that he had. It was a release of pent up anger that all Barcelona fans had. In the 35th minute, Xavi would literally pickpocket Lass Diarra (one of the "promised ones" alongside Julien Faubert and Jan-Klaas Huntelaar that would lead Madrid to the title) and Messi would get the ball and slot it past Iker Casillas.

The rest of the match was a concerto. It was a combination of skill and desire. There was no doubt who wanted it more. If there was one goal that displayed that it was Gerard Piqué's. He was rejected by Casillas, but still had the will to chase the ball down and contort his body so he could shoot the ball and beat an already broken Fabio Cannavaro. It shut people's mouths in the Spanish press that were starting to use terms like "chorreo" (getting the shits), "Villarato" (reference to RFEF president José María Villar and his relationship with Joan Laporta). All of those suppositions of Barca en route to winning the title due to "decree" were silenced. All of those statements and blazing headlines that pointed out preferential treatment by referees because, of course, Fernando Hierro wants Barcelona to win.

All of that was extinguished. All of that ended.

Is payback a bitch? Well ask Real Madrid. They will let you know.


I guess that was the source of inspiration that Manny Pacquiao received on Saturday night when he knocked out Ricky Hatton. Could it symbolic?

Historic Karma, Historic Payback For Barcelona

Okay the Mad About Futbol World XI for 2008 isn't comprised of the men in the picture so lets get to it. Happy New Year to you and may 2009 be as exciting and intriguing as 2008. This past year was witness to some great moments and some truly historic performances from Liga De Quito's monumental Libertadores victory to Spain shaking off their underachievers label with their impressive Euro 2008 title to Argentina repeating as Olympic champions. Many great players kept us suspended to our chairs or sofas or bar stools and made us realize that soccer players are the true sports magicians. As a fan of offense the 2008 MAF World XI will have a 3-5-2 look to it. That said, here are the magicians the 2008 MAF World XI:

Goalkeeper:
Iker Casillas

This is a no brainer, Real Madrid's portero is the best in the world and my choice for Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, refer here. He was brilliant in the Euros as he anchored a Spanish defense that was not given enough credit for La Furia Roja's championship.

Defense:
On the right Barcelona's Dani Alves.

The Brazilian defender has been the best & most used of Barcelona's '08 summer signings. He is obviously an attack minded right back (what Brazilian defender isn't) but he is an underrated defender and for all his attacking, he is not a defensive liability.

In the middle is Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic.

Sir Alex's Serbian Minister of Defense, Vidic might be Fergie's best signing since he acquired Ruud Van Nistelrooy from PSV in 2001. It is quite possible that Vidic is Manchester United's most valuable player even more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only is he a rock in the back, he's shown a knack for scoring timely goals ask Hull City, Sunderland, and Gamba Osaka.

On the left is another Blaugrana defender, Catalan icon Carles Puyol.

The Barcelona captain is a natural center back but he's so good that he can play any position on the backline and has. His partnership with Valencia's Carlos Marchena in the middle of the Spanish defense was critical in Spain's Euro success. Puyol managed to keep Barca's backline serviceable when Lillian Thuram & Gabi Milito were consistently getting burned during the 07-08 season. You can't have a a Best XI defense without Carles Puyol.

Midfielders:

Let's begin with the central midfield and the men that back up the attacking players. They don't get as much attention as the attacking players but their teams would suck without them.

Xavi

The player of the tournament for Euro 2008 and many people's choice for the Ballon D'Or. He is not spectacular but he does everything well. He has been Barcelona's savior on many occasions and is mainly responsible for Barcelona being able to play in the Champions League despite the drama surrounding the team during the 07-08 season.

Sebastián Battaglia

Boca Juniors were recently crowned Apertura champions after a dramatic 3-team playoff. The fact they made it to that point is a credit to coach Carlos Ischia and Battaglia. Without goal scoring icon Martin Palermo and public bickering amongst teammates, Battaglia helped to keep the team together on & off the pitch. With a young group of talent forced into action, Boca's #5 was the veteran presence in the midfield that helped Los Xeneizes become champions. El Pibe De Oro needs to include him for Los Albicelestes in World Cup qualifying.

In Part II, we'll reveal the guys who get the goals, glory, and the women. The attacking players will be revealed in Part II as well as the DT.

'08 MAF World Best XI - Part I

There is only one person in the starting XI under the sticks- Iker.

Things have not changed much for him. With a suspect backline Iker Casillas is the one that saves Madrid's hide time after time after time. He might not be close to his Zamora-winning season last year, but he is the man. To me, Casillas is the FIFA World Player of the Year. His resume was more impressive than Cristiano Ronaldo's as he was solid with both club and country. He has not given his club any headaches, and is not one to be splattered on the European tabloids making out with hot models on the beach. Hey, he can even compete with Ronaldo in the female department as well.

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La Liga's Winter All XI

We are coming up on that time of the year when the next three months we will dress up as someone or something, eat some turkey or some bird till we get fat, and open some presents from our families that we will probably return 2 weeks later. It is also the time when the major awards in football will be awarded.



The Ballon D'Or given to the European Player Of The Year and FIFA World Player Of The Year have been "kissing cousins" since the FIFA award's inception in 1991. In fact, 10 of the last 17 Ballon D'Or winners have won the FIFA award including the last 3 winners. Only 3 times since 1991 has the Ballon D'Or winner not finished in the Top 3 of the FIFA award voting. It is likely this year once again, the winner of the Ballon D'Or will also win the FIFA P.O.Y., so let's look at the 3 best candidates.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese superstar was a virtual lock for both awards at the end of the club season. His play carried Manchester United to the Premiership and a 3rd European Cup. He scored in the Champions League final but got cute with a PK, lucky for him John Terry messed up too. 42 goals in 49 total matches is a great feat but his steam ran out at the 2008 European Championship where he was ineffective to say the least. Maybe he was tired from the club season, whatever the case his lock on both awards were broken.

Iker Casillas

The Real Madrid goalkeeper is the best at his position in the world right now. He also has a double winning La Liga with Los Merengues and then capturing the European Championship with Spain. He was brilliant in Euro 2008 keeping a clean sheet throughout the knockout stage and his PK saves versus Italy in the quarters propelled Spain to the title. In addition, who knows how many points he saved Real Madrid throughout the course of the La Liga season.

Xavi

Xavier Hernández Creus does not have as much hardware as the Ronaldo or Casillas this year but he is just as valuable. The man known as Xavi won the European Championship with Spain and was named the player of the tournament. He didn't win anything with Barca but they might be in the UEFA Cup if it weren't for him. He scores timely goals and is the prototypical midfielder connecting the defense to the offense. That is why the Blaugrana will lock up the Catalan star contractually for the rest of his career.

Since we're lumping both the FIFA P.O.Y. & Ballon D'Or together, the winner should be:
Iker Casillas


Cristiano Ronaldo is a VERY close 2nd, Iker gets the nod because he did it at both the club and national team levels. If there were no international competitions this year than Ronaldo is a runaway winner but that's not the case. Show the netminders some love, its hard being a good keeper at Real Madrid besides no keeper has won either award.

Award Winners - Part II. Next up the candidates for South American Player Of The Year.

'08 Ballers Of The Year - Part I