De Gea, Reina And Ter Stegen Give Damning View On World Cup Ball

Three of the world's top goalkeepers are seriously unhappy with the ball being used for the upcoming World Cup.

David De Gea, Pepe Reina and Ter Stegen slammed the Adidas Telstar 2018 after the 1-1 draw between Germany and Spain in Dusseldorf.

The ball, which is inspired by the design used for the 1970 and 1974 World Cups, was debuted in November.

De Gea, widely viewed as the best 'keeper in world football, saw the Telstar fly past him and into the top corner when Thomas Muller struck a wonderful 25-yard strike past him at the Esprit Arena.

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Images: PA

And while he's not pinpointing the ball as the reason he conceded, he's not a fan.

"It's really strange," he said, as quoted by Goal.

"It could have been made a lot better."

His opposite number on Friday, Ter Stegen, voiced his concerns but acknowledged that those in between the sticks must simply get used to it.

"The ball could be better; it moves a lot," he told AS.

"But I think we're just going to have to get used to working with it and try to get to grips with it as quickly as possible before the World Cup starts. We've got no other option."

Image: PA

However, Spain No.2 Reina was much more blunt with his criticism of the ball - saying that because of the design, we'll see a plethora of long-range goals in Russia.

"I bet you as much as you like that we'll see at least 35 goals from long range in Russia, because it's impossible to work out," he moaned.

"It's covered in a plastic film that makes it difficult to hold on to. Goalkeepers are going to have a lot of problems with this ball."

It's the Jabulani all over again, by the sounds of it.

If you recall, the ball Adidas created for the 2010 showpiece brought a whole lot of issues because of the ridiculous way it moved in the air - garnering negative reception from Lionel Messi, Iker Casillas, Robinho and David James to name just a few.

It worked wonders for Diego Forlan though, as he scored a slew of belting goals for Uruguay in the tournament.

Image: PA

Topics: Football News, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, David De Gea, Football, Adidas, World Cup

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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