Etrusco Unico 1990 Fifa World Cup Italy Official Match Ball

The Etrusco Unico was an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

made by

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

in the early 1990s. It was the official match ball of the

1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...

in Italy, the 1991 Copa America in Chile, the

UEFA Euro 1992 The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Denmark won the 1992 championship, having qualifi ...

in Sweden and the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

in Barcelona, Spain. The name and intricate design took their inspiration from Italy’s ancient history and the fine art of the

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

. Three Etruscan lion heads decorate each of the 20 Tango triads. It was the first ball with an internal layer of black polyurethane foam.Telstar to Jabulani to Brazuca: Evolution of World Cup Final Ball By Crippy Cooke, 17 June, 2014

Bleacher Report Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in Aug ...

In Adidas tradition, there was also an accompanying

football boot Football boots, called cleats or soccer shoes in North America, are an item of footwear worn when playing association football. Those designed for grass pitches have studs on the outsole to aid grip. From simple and humble beginnings football ...

of the same name, which incorporated some of the design elements of the ball - the triads of the ball with the lion heads, along with the Etrusco Unico script were reproduced on the tongue. It was the official boot of the 1990 FIFA World Cup and was widely used by players in the competition.

References

Adidas Etrusco Unico UEFA European Championship balls 1990 FIFA World Cup UEFA Euro 1992 Football at the 1992 Summer Olympics {{footy-stub Products introduced in 1990