In the grandness of the biggest football games, it can be easy to forget the thing at the heart of it all: the ball. Some of the most famous balls in the history of the sport are still held and talked about, and many of even the biggest fans of the sport might not know anything about some of the most famous balls. The football bookmakers themselves have even given odds on what ball is to be used at an upcoming game. The ball is easily forgotten, but someone nonetheless had to sit down and design it year after year, and those designs became iconic each in their own way.

Today, we’re going to look at the most famous footballs in football history. So, let’s get started.

’06 World Cup

Few who saw it could forget the drama of the 2006 World Cup. The ball, an Adidas and Teamgeist ball, was the first of any ball which varied the 32 panels which were introduced back in 1970. This ball featured 14 panels that were curved, giving it a beautiful, sleek design.

It’s flight pattern was actually questioned early on, though concerns were quickly put to bed with Del Piero perfectly scooped the ball into the top corner of the German net.

’98 World Cup

The Adidas Tricolore of the 1998 World Cup is another iconic design which is difficult to forget. Its tango design became instantly recognizable around the world, and this was in the fact the first time a ball was given a splash of colour rather than just being black and white.

This ball has lived on in all of our hearts, especially in the image of Michael Owen careening it past the Argentinian keeper. It is doubtless one of the most famous footballs in the world.

Champion’s League ’00-’03

Another entry from Adidas who just cannot produce anything but the most iconic designs, the ball introduced for the 2000 Champion’s League season remains one of the most iconic of the league’s history. They took charge of the whole contract after only initially providing balls for the semi-final and final.

The black and white star design is one of the most well-known of all football designs, and was one of the ones which sold the best in retail and commercial stores. It is another of the most famous footballs in existence. Though you might think that the most famous footballs in the world would mostly be World Cup balls, the English Premier League is definitely popular enough to rise these balls to the levels of fame even beyond the World Cup.

Premier League ’95-‘00

Football designs would undergo tremendous change over the course of the 1990s. in the 1995 Premier League, Mitre introduce the Ultimax off the back of the Pro Max and Delta. Serving for five years, to this day it is the single longest serving ball in the League’s history. This record is unlikely to be broken any time soon.

It was also the first ball ever to be recorded hitting 100mph speeds. Mitre called it the most accurate and the fastest ball in history.

’78 World Cup

Reaching further back in time, of course, we have the World Cup ball from 1978. This was another in the Adidas Tango series, so this goes to show just how lasting an impact this design has had on the sport. This was the original tango, and the design wouldn’t be substantially altered until 2002.

Without doubt this is one of the most iconic football designs in history, and its influence is still felt very strongly to this day.

’02 World Cup

So, what was the ball which finally altered the 1978 tango? In 2002, Adidas revealed the Fevernova to the world. This was the first World Cup ball to alter the Tango design, introducing flame like graphics and featured a golden colour scheme. David Beckham himself scored again against Argentina with this ball, and no doubt this is part of why it has remained so iconic.

Premier League ‘04/’05

Adidas weren’t the only ones who could design an iconic football, though. In 2004, Nike introduced the Total 90 Aerow, with an incredibly bold and fresh colour scheme which wouldn’t be soon forgotten. Featuring bright yellow primary color with a sharp, blue ring around it at either side, it would last for another four generations.

Even for those not familiar with football at all, it was hard to escape this design—it was everywhere.

These balls witnessed some of the most monumental games in modern football history. They themselves can tell their own stories in a way—if walls and balls could talk! All of these balls have a unique history, and it’s really interesting to consider them in their own right this way. Don’t forget the importance the ball itself holds historically speaking!