Meet the World Cup's new villian: The Telstar 18

Having made it's first appearance in a recent bout of friendlies, impressions of the Telstar have been a mixed bag. Wicked effects, abnormal swerving and very little grip make up some of the feedback the ball received. Some even went as far as likening it to the infamous Jabulani of the World Cup in South Africa that was heavily criticized. 

Looking at Thomas Muller's goal last night, it's clear that this ball isn't as stable as others. The German's effort from outside the box carried a lot of power but produced an odd effect, dipping beyond David De Gea and into the net. 

It was Spain's man between the sticks who was one of the first to complain about the new match ball. When asked whether he liked the Telstar 18, De Gea responded with a resounding "no." However, his compatriot Pepe Reina was more scathing. 

"I bet that at the World Cup we'll see at least 35 long-range goals. It's covered in a plastic film that gives it little grip. Goalkeepers will struggle with this ball," said the Napoli keeper to 'AS.'

It's not just the Spanish who have complained. Germany and Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen stated that the ball "could be better." "It's not always the ball's fault, but it's true that it's a bit difficult to stop, you can see that in the goal we scored. It moves a lot," he added. 

The Telstar 18 is a modern adaptation of the Adidas Telstar, the legendary ball from the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The idea behind re-making the ball was to leave a new legacy, but up to now, the Telstar has only sparked controversy. 

With complaints building up, it will be interesting to see if Adidas choose to modify their design again or whether they'll roll out the unpredictable ball in Russia this summer.