Beau Jeu: All you need to know about Euro 2016 match ball

The 2016 European Championship is all set for kick-off as hosts France take on Romania at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday. The Les Blues will be look to make the most of home advantage and surge to pinnacle of European football for the first time since 2000. On the other hand, defending champions Spain will aim to complete a hat-trick of European titles after winning the last two editions in Austria and Switzerland and then in Poland and Ukraine. Like previous European Championships, Euro 2016 will have it’s very own match ball known as Beau Jeu.  [caption id=“attachment_2827802” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Beau Jeu, the official match ball for Euro 2016[/caption] Beau Jeu - Euro 2016’s official match ball was launched in presence of legendary French midfielder Zinedine Zidane and Spanish midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez in 2015. It succeeds the Tango 12, which was the official match ball for the 2012 edition. As the ball is set to get rolling in France, we take a look at Beau Jeu and how it’s different from its predecessors. Beau Jeu is very similar to the Brazuca match ball of the 2014 World Cup. Adidas has retained the six-panel assembly—six polyurethane panels which were thermally bonded together, and claimed that it allows the perfect roundedness of the ball thus ensuring the ball gets a good and uniform flight. But unlike Brazuca, Beau Jeu has a rougher texture which allows better grip and prevents a movement known as knuckling, that makes the ball have volatile swoops and knocks, thus making it easier for the players to control. In addition, a fiberglass print on the Beau Jeu reduces the chances of abrasion on the printed layers of the ball preventing a knock-on effect on the movement characteristics. Euro 2016’s match ball is better equipped for rainy conditions with the outer shell being more water resistant compared with the predecessors. So all in all it’s an absolute delight for dribblers like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. The authorities have ensured that the match ball has enough elements to represent the host nation. The design bears the French tricolour. Mainly white, the ball incorporates streaks of blue and red alongside slick silver trims symbolizing the much sought after Euro trophy. The bright orange highlights will enable improved in-flight visibility for the players. The letters ‘E’, ‘U’, ‘R’, ‘O’ and ‘2’, ‘0’, ‘1’, ‘6’ feature throughout the panels of the Beau Jeu alongside the official tournament logo. The name Beau Jeu is a French term that translates to ‘Nice game’, which is in synchronization with ‘Beautiful game’, a term widely associated with the game of football. After the ‘Jabulani’, the match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup faced heavy criticism from the players, for its unpredictable flight, the Beau Jeu ball was only officially announced after eighteen months of testing by top Adidas athletes in their global headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany. So the Beau Jeu is unlikely to face similar criticism. In fact, Wales’ Bale has already given the ball a thumbs up. “It performed brilliantly. I can’t wait for the tournament to start." said the Welshman, who is set to lead Wales’ charge at Euro 2016. Iker Casillas - Spain’s veteran goalkeeper -has also expressed his satisfaction at Beau Jeu. “As a goalkeeper, it’s important to have the chance to take goal-kicks, practice shot-stopping, punch, catch and throw any new ball,” said Casillas. “Beau Jeu is going to be great at Euro 2016,” he added.