England will only use the new World Cup football once before the tournament starts in June.
The Adidas Telstar 18 will be used at the World Cup in Russia this summer, and goalkeepers are already complaining about the ball – which has become a tradition in a World Cup year.
Goalkeepers such as David de Gea and Pepe Reina have complained that the ball leaves them at a disadvantage.
“It does strange things, its flight is unpredictable and there is a lot of room for improvement on it,” De Gea said earlier this week.
However, the Manchester United goalkeeper should spare a thought for England’s goalkeepers, as they won’t get much time to practice with the new ball.
Because of the Football Association’s commercial deal with Nike, the England team will only get to use the new ball once before the World Cup begins. England have been using Nike Ordem V ball, which is currently used in the Premier League. They will only use the Adidas World Cup ball when they play Costa Rica in a friendly on June 7 at Elland Road.
