World Cup 2010…a disaster for England, for (lack of) goal-line technology, and for ear drums. Thanks vuvuzelas.
But there was one other significant component of the tournament that failed to cover itself in glory in South Africa.
The all important match ball. The dreaded adidas Jabulani that served the dual purpose of bamboozling goalkeepers and frustrating strikers.
So there was a collective sigh of relief and jump for joy at Sport-locker.net towers and in the general footballing world when adidas decided to bring back a classic of the game for Euro 2012.
The fourth incarnation of the iconic Tango was the ball that graced the turf in Poland and Ukraine and was stroked to victory by those all conquering Spanish tiki-taka masters.
It was a welcome return to form for the official ball supplier to the World Cup and European Championships, adidas, after the rather underwhelming Jabulani.
The Tango 12 promised to be easier to dribble and control and adidas certainly delivered with the subtly textured skin producing a ball straight out of a dribbler’s dream.
The major modification in the evolution from Jabulani to Tango 12 is the increased number of panels from eight to 32.
We found that this gave the ball greater solidityof structure and consistently delivered a much truer and predictable strike.
Sport-Locker.net also enjoyed the way in which adidas stayed true to the iconic Tango design while paying tribute to the Euro 2012 host nations with the flag colours of both Poland and Ukraine incorporated.
But the tributes do not end there…the Tango 12 features clever graphics that celebrate the great rural tradition of paper cutting in alignment with the great football traditions of unity, rivalry and passion. Now that is deep.
The Tango 12 represents a major return to form by adidas making for a memorable Euro 2012. Long live the Tango.
So what do you think of the adidas Tango 12? Do you think it made for a classic Euro 2012? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
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