{{short description|Soccer ball by Adidas}} {{Infobox product | title = Adidas Telstar | image = Telstar Durlast.jpg | image_size = 150 | alt = | caption = The 1974 World Cup Adidas Telstar | type = [[ball (association football)|Football]] | inventor = [[Eigil Nielsen (footballer, born 1918)|Eigil Nielsen]] | inception = {{start date and age|1968}} | manufacturer = [[Adidas]] | available = Yes | current supplier = Adidas | last production = 2018 | models = Telstar Elast<br> Telstar <br> Telstar Durlast<br>[[Adidas Telstar 18|Telstar 18]] | website = | notes = }} '''Telstar''' is a [[Ball (association football)|football]] made by [[Adidas]]. The iconic 32-panel alternating black-and-white design of the ball, based on the work of [[Eigil Nielsen (footballer, born 1918)|Eigil Nielsen]], has since become a global standard design used to portray a football in different media.
==History== [[File:Exposición “¿De qué color pinta el verde? - El Colegio Nacional - 02.jpg|thumb|Adidas Telstar soccer ball used at the [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970 World Cup]] in Mexico]] The ball was first introduced as the "Telstar Elast" for the [[UEFA Euro 1968|1968 European Football Championship]].<ref name=blizzard6>{{cite book|title=The Blizzard: Issue 6|year=2012|publisher=Blizzard Media Limited |isbn=978-1-908940-06-3|url=https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/product/issue-six-print/|access-date=2012-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827005507/http://www.theblizzard.co.uk/product/issue-six-print/|archive-date=2012-08-27|url-status=dead}}</ref> A slightly different ball named "Telstar" was used as the [[List of FIFA World Cup official match balls|official match ball]] of the [[1970 FIFA World Cup]] in [[Mexico]].<ref name="fifalist">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023004805/http://footballs.fifa.com/Football-Facts/FIFA-World-Cup-Footballs|archive-date=23 October 2011|url=http://footballs.fifa.com/Football-Facts/FIFA-World-Cup-Footballs#eztoc717_0_1_11|title=1970 Mexico|work=The Footballs during the FIFA World Cup|publisher=[[FIFA]]|url-status=dead|access-date=17 September 2011}}</ref> The similar "Telstar Durlast" was one of two official balls, along with the ''Chile Durlast'', of the [[1974 FIFA World Cup]] held in [[West Germany]].<ref name="fifalist"/><ref name="soccerballworld" /> The ball was also used in the [[UEFA Euro 1972|1972]] and [[UEFA Euro 1976|1976]] European Championships.
The Telstar was the first World Cup ball to use the now-familiar [[truncated icosahedron]] for its design, consisting of 12 black [[pentagon]]al and 20 white [[hexagon]]al panels.<ref name="fifalist"/><ref name="soccerballworld" /> The 32-panel configuration had been introduced in 1962 by [[Select Sport]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.select-sport.com/script/site/page.asp?artid=124&cat_id=84 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307173315/http://www.select-sport.com/script/site/page.asp?artid=124&cat_id=84 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 March 2010 |title=The Story of Select |publisher=Select Sport |access-date=17 September 2011 }}</ref><ref name="Bernsen">{{cite journal|last=Bernsen|first=Jens|year=1992|title=Vi er røde, vi er hvide|journal=Design DK|publisher=Dansk Design Centre|issn=0906-9194|language=da, en}}</ref> and was also used in the official logo for the 1970 World Cup.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=32/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070603185337/http://fifa.com/worldcup/archive/edition=32/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 3, 2007|title=1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico|work=Previous FIFA World Cups|publisher=[[FIFA]]|access-date=17 September 2011}}</ref> The black-and-white pattern, to aid visibility on [[black and white television]] broadcasts (colour television was still rare worldwide during this time), was also well established before the Telstar.<ref name="Bernsen" /><ref>See [[Getty Images]] photos: * [http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/53324431/Hulton-Archive #53324431] [[1965 European Cup Final]] * [http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/3376509/Hulton-Archive #3376509] Terry Venables in 1965 * [http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/81398917/Sports-Illustrated #81398917] New York Champions Cup 1966 * [http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/2887049/Hulton-Archive #2887049] [[1967 European Cup Winners' Cup Final]] </ref>
[[File:Telstar 1 replica.jpg|thumb|left|130px|The [[Telstar]] satellite for which the ball was named]] The name came from the 1962 [[Telstar|Telstar communications satellite]], which was roughly spherical and dotted with solar panels, somewhat similar in appearance to the football.<ref name="fifalist"/> Developed by [[Bell Telephone Laboratories]] for [[AT&T Corporation]], Telstar was the world's first active communications satellite<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/telstar.html|title=July 12, 1962: The Day Information Went Global|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-date=20 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120153024/https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/telstar.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and was the first to send live television signals, telephone calls, and fax images through space,<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/07/50th-anniversary-telstar-1/|title=Telstar 1: The Little Satellite That Created the Modern World 50 Years Ago|magazine=Wired |access-date=1 February 2018 |last1=Mann |first1=Adam }}</ref> which inaugurated an age of instant worldwide communications via satellite.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/communications-satellite-telstar|title=Telstar inaugurated an age of instant worldwide communications via satellite|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-date=2 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202191802/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/communications-satellite-telstar|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The ball was made of [[leather]].<ref name="fifalist"/> The 1974 model's "Durlast" [[polyurethane]] coating provided [[waterproofing]] as well as protection from damage such as scuffs and tears.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.durlastitalia.it/Eng/why_use_durlast_polyurethanes.html |publisher=Durlast |title=Why Use Durlast Polyurethanes? |access-date=19 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722032147/http://www.durlastitalia.it/Eng/why_use_durlast_polyurethanes.html |archive-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Only 20 Telstars were provided for the World Cup; an estimated 600,000 replicas were sold subsequently.<ref name="fifalist"/> Some 1970 matches were played with a brown ball.<ref>See [[Getty Images]] photos of matches in the [[Estadio Nou Camp]], [[León, Guanajuato|León]]: * [http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/80752641/Popperfoto #80752641] (West Germany v. England) * [http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/79662284/Popperfoto #79662284] (Bulgaria v. Morocco) * [http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/81345734/Sports-Illustrated #81345734] (Peru v. West Germany) * [http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/80752534/Popperfoto #80752534] (Peru v. Morocco) </ref> The Chile Durlast was all white and was used during the Italy-Germany semifinal for the first 20 minutes, then it was replaced by a 32 panel black and white due to a deflation.<ref name="soccerballworld">{{cite web|url=http://www.soccerballworld.com/HistoryWCBalls.htm|title=The History of the Official World Cup Match Balls|work=SoccerBallWorld|publisher=Rig-Tech Inc|access-date=17 September 2011}}</ref>
A new version of the Telstar, named [[Adidas Telstar 18|Telstar 18]], was the official match ball for the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]]. The design maintains the general pattern, except the corners of the pentagons are stretched into pixellated gradients.
Telstar is now considered a classic design. Although most footballs used in current championships have different designs and sections, in representations of footballs in cartoons, comics, caricatures and decorations in general, footballs inspired by Adidas Telstar are usually used, becoming a universal icon for football to this day.
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{commons category}} *{{cite journal|url= http://mentalfloss.com/article/51296/why-are-soccer-balls-made-hexagons |title=Why Are Soccer Balls Made of Hexagons?|first= Erik |last=van Rheenen |journal=[[Mental Floss]] |date=16 August 2013 |access-date=16 August 2013}}
{{s-start}} {{succession box|title=[[List of FIFA World Cup official match balls|FIFA World Cup official ball]]|before=[[Slazenger Challenge 4-Star|Challenge 4-Star]] |after=[[Adidas Tango|Tango]] |years=[[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]]–[[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]]}} {{succession box|title=[[List of UEFA European Championship official match balls|UEFA European Championship official ball]]|before=''No official ball''|after=[[Adidas Tango|Tango River Plate]]|years=[[UEFA Euro 1968|1968]], [[UEFA Euro 1972|1972]], [[UEFA Euro 1976|1976]]}} {{s-end}}
{{Adidas}} {{FIFA World Cup official match balls}} {{UEFA European Championship symbols}} {{UEFA Euro 1968}} {{UEFA Euro 1972}} {{UEFA Euro 1976}}
[[Category:Adidas footballs|Telstar]] [[Category:FIFA World Cup balls]] [[Category:1970 FIFA World Cup]] [[Category:1974 FIFA World Cup]] [[Category:UEFA Euro 1968]] [[Category:Products introduced in 1968]] [[Category:UEFA Euro 1972]] [[Category:UEFA Euro 1976]] [[Category:UEFA European Championship balls]]