The football that made footballers too good
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 15. 10. 2022
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The Jabulani, the official ball of South Africa World Cup 2010, swerved, dipped and, at times, appeared to have a mind of its own.
Ahead of major tournaments, the design of the ball is met with nearly as much anticipation as the kits, or the squad announcements. And in 2010, the Jabulani was no different.
But what was so special about it? What made it the âroundest ball ever madeâ? And why did the players struggle to adapt to it?
Seb Stafford-Bloor explains, Craig Silcock illustrates.
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#WorldCup #FIFA - Sport
The INSTANT I saw that title, I thought Jabulani. Iconic.
same
Me too đ€Ł
Same here
You must be 12 years old
Then thought of Diego forlan.
We all bloody knew it was the Jabulani. What a beautiful time for football. I had no clue what was so cool or why⊠but I loved that ball. Was it precise, was it consistent, was it perfect? No. But it was unbelievably fun. An absolutely iconic period of football
Only football I've used that made me feel half decent! You could really put your laces through it! And, boy would it fly!
Disagree very strongly. Introducing randomness makes it worse, not better. If you're looking for unpredictability, go to a casino.
@@gordon1545 alternatively, I watch football because itâs entertaining. Give me mental long shots and fun over accuracy any day
Well said!!!
Jabulani, vuvuzela and no covid, good times
ForlĂĄn dominated it, that's why he was the best player in the world, he asked for it 3 months before to train with the ball
Forlan was never the best itw.
I just read about how he mastered that ball!
That actually backfired to us South Africans đđđ
@@williamstarck6863 he was the best player in that world cup, sorry if i expressed myself wrong
@@williamstarck6863 He was for that tournament, no one else dominated it the way he did. Not Messi or Ronaldo.
Loved the Jabulani, especially the gold one they used for the final
gold jabulani just looked so good.
Jobulani
I still remember the Van Bronchorst goal vs Uruguay. The ball moved so awkwardly yet it was amazing
Still get goosebumps seeing that strike. Otherworldly
That was literally one of the goals where it DID NOT move awkwardly. What rubbish are you writing?!
The ball went in a straight line
@@ted_umeh you do realize that he hit the ball with the outside of his foot and somehow the ball went straight right?
@@esbenjakobsen4575 If you called that shooting with an outside part of your foot and then the ball went straight wasn't really awkward at all, then sure. Because normally, it should have been swerved.
I don't know why I liked that ball so much, even made the 2010 world cup more iconic.
The ball and the VUVUZELA
nostalgia blindness, almost every game went to extra time
What?!
I bet you havenât played serious competitive fĂștbol. The jabulani beach ball made 2010 the worst quality cup
@@RubenCastilloGomez nah 2010 was fire dawg
@@zoeysiddiqi1532 It became a contest of whose teamâs players learned faster the ballâs bounce force and made less mistakes The world of fĂștbol was paying to watch the masters of the game not stupid beginners
Keisuke Honda went from being a relative nobody playing in Russia, to becoming the face of Japanese football with his own signature cologne thanks to that ball đ
I'll never forget his game against Denmark, that guy was on another level in that match. First time I saw a knuckleball free-kick
I was 11 years old during the 2010 World Cup. My dad bought the Jabulani Ball for my 16 year old brother and he used to spend 2 hours everyday just practising shots. The 2010 World Cup was such a special moment for my country RSA made so many foreign friends and I still keep up with my mates from Netherlands.(Oh interesting fact Jabulani means be happy. Its zulu similar language spoken in Black Panther.
Black panther had multiple african languages spoken in it
@@unkown981 such as? When they were speaking another language it was always Zulu/Xhosa.
how's your 40% unemployment and daily power cuts going? ;)
@@jaychimera372 Well Jay... it is like you said, thats why I cherish the happier times but yet again Im in uni I have my own apartment have a loving gf so life is good for me. Just a tip nxt time please do read the mood mate you can do better have your self a lekker day.
@@thevanicant5364 they also spoke Swahili and Changana too
Jabulani was unique and it was different and appealing. No matter what I loved it.
Same with me
I had 3 off them, where awesome to hit knuckle balls from 30 yards plus
I mean I trust Xavi but I don't think Gianpaolo Pazzini ever crossed a ball in his life lol
Thought I was the only one thinking that
It made the footballers too good...yet 2010 is the World Cup with less scored goals since the 32 team format was introduced, and just a bit above it is Germany 2006, which are the only two instances of less than 150 goals scored
This. Most of the game was the ball bouncing back and forth between the two teams in the middle half of the pitch because no one could play a pass with the damned thing.
Didn't Russia have 149?
@@linuslaw9648 no Russia Has 169 which is 3rd most I think
I was hoping someone would comment this. Iâve watched every World Cup from 2002 and 2010 was by far the most boring
yep Spain won almost all their games 1-0
The vuvuzela had everyone on edge as well
2010 worldcup has to be the greatest ever. No other world cup do we remember the ball and the sounds of the stadiums
@@limbeboy7 2 great tournament songs, great FIFA video game, absolutely awful vuvuzelas though - like every game was attacked by swarms of angry bees
The vuvuzela drowned out the atmosphere at that world cup. They were just annoying noise more than anything and players hated them as they had trouble communicating with team mates. Glad there not at the world cup anymore.
Vivuzela are peak đ„đ„đ„
They ruined the tournament.
People hated it when it was new but this ball was the main reason SA 2010 was so epic. It felt like the goals for that whole tournament were all BANGERS or crazy goals
It blows my mind that so many people are being nostalgic about the 2010 World Cup. That was the worst WC of my lifetime, and I've lived through nine of them.
@ravecrab I was a teen and it was my first real intro to football. I fell in love with that Spain team when they lost to Switzerland with their tiki taka. Add the vuvuzelas, the goals, and that exciting young Germany team and yeah I only have good memories
@@ravecrabag shame. Sorry you feel that way
Jabulani actually means "be happy/excited" in isizulu
So it fits the characteristics of the ball lol
The ball lived up to its name đżđŠ made fans happy đ
As a South African, it makes me super proud that even today the world takes still appreciates innovations associated with our beloved country and the legacy that surrounds Africaâs first Football World Cup. We truly did not let down!đđżđŠ
The issue with its unpredictability was that it forced teams to change their playstyle.
They would play more shorter passes, and take less risks, making the game more boring rather than unpredictable, as teams avoided it.
This immensely benefitted Spain, with their short pass tika taka stylw
I'm surprised you didn't mention how sticky it was. You could make some very tight moves with it, but it would stick to your shoe at unpredictable times, and caused lots of trips at the WC.
I remember being annoyed by this tournament because of this ball. Turned football into futsal because you couldnât play a pass in the air and minus the handful of highlights, the game was boring because, as the midfielders said, it was nearly impossible to control a pass in the air. I seem to remember a stat saying this World Cup had the fewest shot attempts in the modern era as it was hard to create opportunities, however, I canât find the numbers anywhere. But despite FIFA and Adidas standing by itâŠone would assume thereâs a reason it hasnât been repeated.
Good lord people actually having to play football with their feet instead of hoofing it from defence to the number 9?
@@damianstarr1696 Reduced viability of tactics? An inability to switch play from left to right without going through a central player? Or, my favorite example, think about Wayne Rooneyâs pass to RvP against West Ham. Unpossible with the Jabulani.
@@SRTifiable Firstly you should always look to switch through a central player because you're more likely to turnover regardless of the ball. Big crossfield switches are either a last resort or theres a glaring hole in defence being exploited either way it's the least accurate way to move the ball from one side to another.
You say reduced viability of tactics, I say accerating archaic tactical systems demise. The trends in world football was already very much gearing towards possession and quick passing plays by 2010.
@@damianstarr1696Fun fact, if you take away the ability to play a long ball in the air when a defense does make a mistake, then you donât have to provide coverage across the field. All players collapse to a close location, leading to congested passing lanes, in turn reducing the viability of tiki-taka play because you have nowhere to go. It really isnât that hard to figure out how removing the threat of a long ball affects literally all aspects of the game. The 2010 WC displayed this perfectly. As stated by another individual, this was one of the lowest scoring world cups in the 32 team eraâŠbecause the ball rarely made it out of the midfield. Teams could not quickly release attacks to take advantage of an overly aggressive offense to counter, the ball mostly got jumbled up in the midfield where possession went back and forth because you could commit 3-4 defenders to press an attackerâŠand they would just go back and forth this way. Playing a long ball when there are viable options to progress up the pitch via short quick passing is most certainly not the intelligent footballing decision, but if you remove the possibility, like the Jabulani did, you end up with a slow, congested, boring game instead of the high tempo game that we all know and love. Unless youâre Italian. Park that bus đ
Anyway, Iâve wasted enough time on this. If you donât get how changing one aspect of the game can change the entire game, I donât know how else to help you understand.
@@SRTifiable Mate you're just spouting meaningless jargon...
If you run out of space playing passing football, you go backwards and reset because that is now where the space is. That draws out their defensive lines and thus creates new space to exploit in opposition half again. We've had this figured out for quite a while now...
Also whilst I don't dispute it being the lowest scoring WC but the narrative being spouted that if the ball really was that unpredictable for keepers to guage then surely there should've been more goals?
I think itâs crazy that one of the biggest critics was Casillas. The same guy that only concedes 2 goals the entire tournament. Really goes to show how out of his mind he was playing at that time.
My mom had got back from Europe at the time, and she had visited a sports store in Portugal that was selling the ball. She came back with match replicas, and some souvenirs. Above all she came back with an official match ball. We used to use the ball during recess, and I would often pull the ball mid game. I loved that ball, it moved like no other. I played baseball for almost of my life, but during recess it was always football (soccer). The jabulani ball made me want to be a football player. I think itâs insane how these changes in the equipment we use can have such a huge impact on the sports we play. More over the confidence we have when playing the sport. I miss that ball, and think about it now that the World Cup has returned.
As an Australian, coming into the world cup, a lot of people didn't understand why Brett Holman kept on being selected when he constantly had CZcams compilation videos of him being uncoordinated. Then at the 2010 world cup, with Australia needing a significant win against Serbia for a chance to make it to the RO16, Holman scores a goal from distance which was way beyond what any Australian fan thought he was capable of. I don't recall a goal scored from range at that stage of the world cup yet, so I like to think Brett Holman mastered the Jabulani, or was at least misunderstood until he got the opportunity to play with a wacky ball.
lol.. I remember that goal.. from absolutely nowhere!! As a football player he was very average at best.. BUT Damn could that guy run!
He could run 80% of his max pace for 90 mins non stop.. craziest stamina I've ever seen
We all knew it had to be the Jabulani. I still have my old one.
Anish, would you be interested in selling it?
@@elmervilla4980 I fully understand why you would want to buy it, but it is for that same reason I wish to keep it. My apologies for being unable to help you, and I wish you only the best of luck in your quest to finding this iconic souvenir of footballing history!
Some kid bought a Jabulani OMB and brought it school
Now, I played Goalie mainly and I'm from BogotĂĄ (8600ft in altitude) and can confirm. The thing moved weird at high speeds and low density air
I never thought I'd hear someone butcher the pronunciation of "Jabulani"...
t wasn't that bad,
To be fair itâs not easy to pronounce it right if you arenât from SA.
Djabiulanee
Just came home from a Fluid Mechanics II class in university, I really do think that the Jabulani should be a mandatory case study for this class. The aerodynamic properties + the implementation of this football are trully fascinating, it became a show of it's own at the biggest stage in the world!
That was the best WC of my lifetime, and great music! My friends and I still often talk about us skipping class to watch the games singing waving flag đ
One of the most memorable world cups. Loved it. The ball added to the flavour. đżđŠđ„
Shows that Luis Suarez was the best keeper of the tournament
What about the forgotten ball? The Europass 2008, I remember it had similar problems to the Jabulani 2 years before
I'm from South Africa, and I can that we all loved the Jabulani ball. Even though it had a mind of its own
I started playing football in highschool but never really followed the international scene and when one of my classmates made a swerving corner kick, our teacher made an off-hand comment saying "wow just like a jabulani". Found out about the jabunali a few months later and this video sparked that memory.
I've still got 2 real official match balls from 2010.. i never intended on keeping them as "souvenirs".. both get kicked senseless when going for kicks on the weekend.
Believe it or not but both balls give the same level of distorted effect but in different spots on the ball. I had to use used little coloured stickers to prove I'm not going mad !
Gave the balls to a couple other mates that could also knuckleball well and predicted exactly when they'll do the best wobbly shot.. so long as they kicked the spots perfectly
It's crazy that both get major swerve from one particular spot and if you use that point as the reference.. they have identical 'bad spots' from that pointđ€Żđ±?Âż?
Very interesting, and cool that you still got them and are using them. The "bad spots" however sound like something that would happen from damage over time. You got them for 12 years now right?
@@eliad6543 Yeah still got them!
When I say 'bad spots' it's because it's kind of random with slightly off accuracy. Like if you slightly are off target.. the ball can make it look worse. Personally I love taking goal kicks with them.. they fly forever.. makes you feel like Carlos đ€©
@@eliad6543
Oh and they're not damaged thankfully
But when one does I'm keen to cut it open.
That reckon the inner bladder has to be different in some way. So different from my favourite Select (super brillant) balls which behave totally normal in comparison
Sulley Muntari and Diego Forlan goals in the Ghana Uruguay match was the Jabulani at its best. The ball was changing movement mid air. It was crazy
Lol South African world cup has to be the greatest world cup ever. The Shakira song. The vuvuzela, the Jubilani, 12 yrs later and we still all remember them. No other world cup has long lasting feelings of that
*waving flags
@@praddumnvats6759 When I Get Older intensifies
Italia 90 and España 82 were much better World Cups.
France 98 wants to have a word with you
@@fermillo65 Being a 9year old Norwegian, watching that world cup was a magical time for me. Norway is STILL one of the few nations Brazil have never beaten, including friendly matches.
You'll struggle to find a football fan who didn't love that ball
It was atrocious
found one
It was a crime against sport.
First goal of the 2010 wold cup...... Look it up. Unbelievable strike by Tshabalala.
Just imagine being a Keeper during a PK and having a Jabulani Ball âœïž coming at you, while a thousand Vuvuzelas đș blaring behind you đ
Penalty kicks are too close range to make much difference. 20+ meters is where the distance was enough to cross the "speed threshold" from above to below 55 mph and freak out the keepers.
Having said that, I've watched many free kick compilations, and great free kick specialists (like Juninho) can make any ball do a "knuckleball". Watch a compilation of his free kicks, and you'll see a great number of knuckleballs from 20+ meters using all the various balls spanning his career from the early 1990s until 2013.
awesome video as usual and whoever did the research about drag deserves a raise btw
Casillas called Jabulani rotten and with terrible characteristics
And Casillas only conceded 2 goals on that WC
Truly a great goalkeeper. 2010 was peak Casillas
3:31 THE FROG HAS STICKY PAWS!
I grew up with the Teamgeist and Jabulani being the standard balls, and I'd always want to use the Jabulani. Nothing was as light, as grippy, or as comfortable to send long-distance. Unfortunately wind influenced it a ton. It definitely was a different game when using it.
2010 South Afric my land was buzzing now we on the opposite of that vibe miss it...ngl
It is remarkable what this ball managed to do both on and off the pitch
i think majority of us played at least once with Jabulani...and ball just moves different than other balls do.
Unpredictibility factor with that ball was crazy. You never knew at what point in air ball will start falling and since of it's "perfect sfere" it was so damn hard to catch it with both hands and feet.
I remember Lampard's free kick, it was 28-30 meters from goal free kick and ball went up in air like i've never seen in my life. Like a damn bullet probably 15 meters in air.
Few years ago they did testing on that ball on ball throwing machine and shots kept bouncing to the left for no particualr reason with some of most awkward rotation possible. Than after some time, without changing anything, ball started bouncing to it's right side.
It's one of most iconic balls ,but it was complete dumpster fire in terms of quality. Fun, but it wasn't fun for players nor goalkeepers. Maybe Forlan lol
Loved the Jabulani. 2010 just was the best World Cup we ever had.
whenver someone pulled this ball out for a kick around you knew you were in for it. one of my favorits of all time.
my friend had a jabulani, i remember it was super fun playing with the jabulani, sad I didnt buy one back then
that ball made that world cup so good. The shots were fantastic.
"The excuses that were leveled at the design of the ball were Incredible. How can a ball be too round"? - Ortis Deley
Only one man owned jabulani- Diego Forlanâ€
Undoubtedly the best
I miss this ball every single day
I feel the Teamgeist got similar complaints as well, just to a lower degree.
When the complaints started in 2010, all I could think was âisnât this the same issue as the last World Cup?â
it was not the heavy with the Teamgeist and he had a bit of a upspinn even if he was shot in a stayed liene.
Crazy ball for a crazy world cup.
I remember only a handful of players looking like they had a proper grasp of the ball's behaviour. Once the ball left the ground nobody could predict its path.
Strangest swerves i've ever seen. Sudden dips, multiple direction changes... It was like a beach ball!
Two words:
Diego Forlan
Loved the flying frog with a cape and a gun. You are just the best.
You should make one about the ball of 2008 the African Cup. Some of the goals were so unexpected.
The ball was hard to pass with because of the unpredictability and it made shooting a toss up between blasting it over the bar and hitting a swerving demon of a strike.
On my own opinion that's the best ball to train up coming goalkeepers because it challenges them to be more alert and be ready to receive the ball in any direction.
there irony is Jabulani means "be happy". noone was happy about it (except Forlan of course).
Diego Forlan shined in 2010 WC and one reason was his long shots and goals
What about van Bronckhost's goal ! Insane physics on that shot
I loved that ball and the vuvuzelas. What a unique worldcup! Bought myself a Forlan jersey after his first goal and he did not disappoint! But I miss most Iniesta and Xavi together - like a beautiful ballet. Interesting to learn that they disliked the ball.
Instantly knew it was gonna be about Jabulani. I loved this ball so much. As a goalkeeper, it was damn annoying to play against, but the amount of dip I could catch on it was DISGUSTING
I agree i once had one and went for a low driven pass and that low driven pass turned into a 55mph knuckle ball
It was literally like playing football with a volleyball. Very similar ball movement as a Jabulani.
I've noticed how many shots goes over the bar with the Tsubasa in Qatar. It looks like players are struggling to keep it down. Almost like its too light or bouncy.
The greatest ball of all time đđŸ
You could hit a mean knuckle on the Brazuca as well. But the jabulani was different
My grandparents gifted one original Adidas Jabulani to my brother and me... we played with it a ton and never had problems (though we were young and might never have hit 55mph)
Wouldâve loved to see prime Roberto Carlos get his feet on this ball
Everyone plays with the same ball, in the same conditions on the same pitch. It doesn't matter if you're playing football with a rugby ball, the game is equally difficult for either team. Football is also meant to entertain and this ball did just that. The way Diego Forlan mastered the unpredictable nature of the ball and delivered on the pitch was a highlight I'll remember for the rest of my life. The ball is rarely even a thought in your average football match, but this ball delivered its part in what was one of the best world cups of all time. Football is meant to entertain and this ball added an extra layer of unpredictability to games. It delivered in spectacular fashion and it was beautiful.
The fevernova for the 2002 world cup was controversial as well
i remember me and my brother had a couple of the replicas from sports direct when i was younger and even those went
Greetings, what I find strange is why footballers who used it in other tournaments & league games didn't complain about it so much. If it did improve footballer's abilities, then the 2010 World Cup would have a higher goals per game average than other World Cup tournaments but it didn't. Maybe the footballers of the 2010 World Cup just were startled at new features in a new ball but I don't think it took away or added anything to the game, goalkeepers made great saves & players scored great goals & missed goals. Forlan & Muller are great players
, that's why they played well with the ball, not because the ball made them better. Germany with Muller scored 7 against Brazil (not North Korea) with the Brazuca. It's not the ball.
I feel i was expecting football but I entered a physics lesson đ
Never expected to get aerodynamics lessons at tifo football
Jabulani, Vuvuzela, and English GK đ is the reasons why 2010 world cup is so iconic.
I take it Nelinho's wonder strike in the 1978 World Cup play off match against Italy was due to the characteristics of the ball đđđ
Would anyone happen to still own a Jabulani or a Europa league (2010-2011/2011-2012) or even a Teamgeist? Would love to buy so I could compare them
There is a song called Jabulani. Total classic for any African of an earlier age I would say!! Uuuooooh uooo uoooo jabulaani! Oh I wish that song was in that world cup
The 2006 WC ball also flew through the air like a missile.
As soon as I saw the title, I knew this was abt the Jabulani
The teamgeist will forever be my fave
Every time I hear about jabulani Diego Forlan sneak into my mind kick it.
Played it in a youth championship match. As soon as anyone got a decent shot on goal, it was a lottery for the keeper. It literally started dropping mid air like a Ronaldo free kick, but came from the foot of a 15-year old. Bad for professional keepers, unplayable for youth and lower league teams.
2010 World Cup forever goated.
In cricket, balls are highly scrutinized to act the same, new and old ball are taken into a factor, humidity is also a factor but cricket mostly depends on the pitch. Wow, how much different these games are!
I miss that classic ball with the white and black design
Pro V1 is the ultimate in spherical technology and (for me) always will be
2010 was iconic the games were fast played
That World Cup had the second lowest goals per game ever. I wouldnât say it made anyone better.
I'm a fan of the Ball's design but If Xavi says its hard to control, *Its Hard To Control!*
This ball gave me flashbacks....and not in a good one! đ
Lukas Podolski twatted this ball so hard he nearly broke the sound barrier
Most iconic World Cup held in my home country South Africađ
Love the trajectory unpredictability
I would hate to have one of Tifo's goalkeeping nightmares...
You know the ball is bad when even NASA gets involved
DIEGO FORLAN TE AMOOOOO