Manchester United goalkeeper David
de Gea has given his verdict on the World Cup ball, the adidas Telstar 18, and
he believes it is going to be a nightmare for shot-stoppers.
The 27-year-old is widely recognised
as one of the foremost players in his position in the world, but gave the
thumbs down to the ball following Spain’s 1-1 draw with Germany last Friday.
De Gea conceded a thumping shot from
Thomas Muller early in the second half and, while he is not crediting the new
ball with that, he does believe it behaves in a strange manner. “It’s really
strange,” he said. “It could have been made a lot better.” Pepe Reina, the
Napoli No.1 and understudy to De Gea in the Spain national team, was equally
critical.
“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 grumbled. “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.”
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