adidas reveals the official match ball for 2021 UEFA Champions League final
Monday, February 15, 2021
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The Finale Istanbul 21 celebrates the 20th anniversary of the ‘starball’ design and will be used at this year’s UEFA Champions League final in Turkey’s largest city on 29 May.
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adidas has today unveiled a special anniversary edition of the UEFA Champions League official match ball, the Finale Istanbul 21, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the iconic ‘starball’ design.
The Finale Istanbul 21 will be deployed for all the remaining UEFA Champions League matches this season, starting from the round of 16 which gets underway tomorrow and culminating with the final at Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 29 May 2021.
First introduced in 2001, the ‘starball’ design was based on the stars of the UEFA Champions League logo and has since become an iconic symbol of world football’s premier club competition.
The Finale Istanbul 21 features every design from 20 previous UEFA Champions League finals, weaving past and present together into a high-performance ball. Slim red banners detail each year and city, while the thermally bonded star panels provide a seamless surface for an improved first touch.
The ball continues to offer control, aerobatic stability and a secure grip via thermally bonded hexagon panels, overlapping stars and textured coating. Incorporating sustainable glue, the ball provides a seamless surface and improved first touch for even more precision on the pitch.
