Joe Hart shares an interesting find about the World Cup ball that players can use right away.
Joe Hart has been working as a pundit for the World Cup this summer with the BBC, and he’s noticed something interesting that players might use to their advantage during the tournament.
Hart, a former England goalkeeper, played in just one World Cup—the 2014 tournament in Brazil, where England didn’t get past the group stage. He was also part of the 2010 England squad in South Africa but didn’t play because Fabio Capello chose Rob Green and David James ahead of him.
Fans might remember the 2010 World Cup’s controversial Jabulani ball. It was tricky for goalkeepers because its flight was unpredictable when kicked. That ball helped create some unforgettable goals, like Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s for the Netherlands against Uruguay and Maicon’s for Brazil against North Korea.
Hart, who faced shots from his own teammates back in 2010, now thinks goalkeepers are facing a similar problem in this tournament because of the new ball. Talking on the BBC about Croatia’s first goal against England, he said: “I honestly feel like this ball is coming at the goalkeepers faster than they expect, right from the moment it’s kicked. You can see Jordan Pickford rushing at it and not quite getting it right. You wonder why he uses his thumb instead of his hand—it just feels like the ball is catching him off guard.”
Hart showed other examples too, saying goalkeepers seem to be timing their saves wrongly on long shots because the ball is flying faster, possibly due to the ball’s design. Players might take advantage of this during the competition, knowing keepers could have trouble saving these shots.
This new ball, called the Trianda, is unique. It has live sensors that send data directly to VAR to help with decisions like detecting touches and tracking the ball’s movement. It also has only four panels instead of the usual 32, which affects how the ball moves through the air.
Fans on social media have really liked Hart’s insight, happy to hear a professional goalkeeper explain what’s going on. One fan said, “Joe Hart knows because he’s been there and done that.” Another added, “Makes total sense! Even though keepers have had good games, I’ve seen them drop simple balls or concede rebounds. Now I get why.”
Some fans tried to guess why the ball might be faster, thinking the chip inside the Trianda changes its weight and speed. One wrote, “The heavier side might be facing the keeper after a couple of seconds, which makes it faster.”
Others joked or wondered if the sensors were part of a FIFA conspiracy to control the ball and increase the number of goals. One fan said, “Is this ball remote controlled, swerving at the last second?” Another added, “If there’s a chip, it could definitely be manipulated!”
Now, everyone will be watching closely to see if Joe Hart’s observations hold true and if goalkeepers keep struggling with long-range shots as the tournament goes on.