1986

Adidas Azteca (Mexico 1986)

Origin of the name: "Azteca" is a way of naming Mexican people, its origin comes from the Mesoamerican population that lived before the arrival of the Spanish to America, the Aztecs were one of the largest empires during the pre-Columbian era.

Design: It maintains the same style as the previous ball "Tango" with the difference that the design on the hexagonal panels was inspired by Mexican culture.

Innovation: It was the first ball made of synthetic materials to prevent water absorption.

Legacy: It was the first ball to have a design and name inspired by the host country.

Fun fact: To this day, no one knows if its design was actually inspired by the culture of Colombia, since the design of the hexagonal panels can also be used as a reference to Colombian culture because that country was originally going to host the 1986 FIFA World Cup, but decided to give up this event due to poor infrastructure at that time. It must also be taken into account that the drug war was very strong during the 80s and insecurity affected the country significantly.