Today
adidas unveiled the official match ball to commemorate the UEFA Champions
League Final 2013 taking place at Wembley Stadium on 25th May. The adidas
Finale Wembley was revealed to the public today as it was announced that the
ball will be used on-pitch for the remainder of the season.
The
ball has been designed to celebrate the UEFA Champions League Finals that have
taken place at the ‘home of football’ over the last 50 years. The road to
Wembley really gets underway during the knockout stages of the competition
during which the ball will be introduced on-pitch. Wembley has seen some of the
greatest teams in history compete for the top trophy in European football. From
the AC Milan team in ’63, Manchester United in ’78, Ajax in ’71 to Liverpool’s
’78 side and Barcelona’s all-conquering teams in ’92 and again in 2011, Wembley
has born witness to some fantastic sides lifting the UEFA Champions League
trophy.
The
aesthetic of the ball reflects these events, incorporating the years in which
the finals took place into the well-known star panel design – an iconic feature
of adidas’ official match balls for the competition. The technical graphics and
the expressive colour scheme come together to reflect the grandeur of the
occasion where this year’s winners will be crowned in front of the near
90,000-strong crowd.
The
ball features an outer coating texture designed to provide optimal grip at the
point of impact. The thermally bonded star panel design on the match ball,
based on the design of the UEFA Champions League logo, provides a seamless
surface and, as such, a truer flight.
The
Vice President of Global Sports Marketing Football for adidas, Claus
Peter-Mayer talked about the development of the ball, “adidas has created a
ball to celebrate the finals staged at Wembley which, in turn, is a fitting
tribute to this season’s eventual finalists and a wonderful compliment to what
is surely going to be a great occasion.”
Guy-Laurent
Epstein, UEFA Events SA Marketing Director stated “The ball is bold, iconic and
almost regal in appearance which, for us, brilliantly reflects the UEFA
Champions League values and the fact that this year’s final will be held in
London. This season will see the ball used on-pitch for all knockout stage
matches along the road to Wembley where the Kings of Europe will be crowned on
what promises to be another historic night of European club football.”
adidas
has a rich history in developing match balls having been the official supplier
for all major UEFA and FIFA tournaments since 1970. This year’s ball will be
the twentieth Official Match Balladidas has produced for the UEFA Champions
League competition.
The
adidas Finale Wembley will be used on field during UEFA Champions League
matches from February 12th and is available for purchase in adidas retail
stores and associated stockists as of 1st February.
