Can the Brazuca rescue World Cup football reputation?

Published 1046 GMT (1846 HKT) June 12, 2014

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Meet the Brazuca -- the official World Cup match ball hoping not to score an own goal at Brazil 2014. Adidas

Can the Brazuca atone for the sins of recent World Cup footballs, including the controversial Jabulani? Adidas

German manufacturer Adidas put the Brazuca through a rigorous testing program before letting 600 players try out the ball. Adidas

Argentina hero Lionel Messi is pretty handy with the ball at his feet, and he was one of the players enlisted to test out the Brazuca for Adidas. Adidas

Messi's Barcelona teammate Neymar trained with the new ball at the Brazil national squad's Granja Comary complex. Buda Mendes/Getty Images

Portugal's world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo will be hoping to make the Brazuca bend to his will as he did the much-mocked Jabulani in 2010. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

The Brazucas are made from six identical panels which are melded by thermal bonding techniques. Most have been made in China. Adidas

Two and a half years on from the drawing board, the Brazuca was given a glamorous launch party in Rio de Janeiro in December 2013. Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images

Brazucas joined tourist merchandise on the shelves in Rio in time for the 2014 World Cup. Adidas is selling the official match ball for $160 in the U.S. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Brazuca has already been in the limelight as the support act on the World Cup Trophy Tour. Here fans in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi take a close look at the official ball. HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/Getty Images