Football quiz: how well do you know your European Championship balls?

The official Euro 2016 ball. Photograph: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

1. 

   What was the name of this silver and black number so ugly it terrifies a young Michael Owen?

   1. Bola

   2. Roteiro

   3. Cinzento

   4. Fantasma

2. But why was it called that?

   1. It means "navigation chart" and is in homage to the Portuguese explorers of the 15th and 16th century

   2. It was the name of the ship in which Vasco de Gama sailed to India

   3. It is a reference to the metal dish in which cozido, the traditional Portuguese stew, is served

   4. It means "silvery grey" and is in homage to the fact that the ball is silvery grey

3. 

   What was the name of the ball used in 1992?

   1. Ǻska

   2. Gustav

   3. Etrusco Unico

   4. Hammare

4. And what was the reason behind that?

   1. It's literal translation is "worker's boots" and it is a a slightly obscure reference to the footwear worn by heroes in Swedish folk tales

   2. It's a homage to a Swedish king of the 18th century

   3. It literally translates as "thunder and lightning"

   4. It was the same ball that had been used at the 1990 World Cup in Italy

5. 

   For Euro 2012 Adidas returned to a more traditional design. What is the name of the ball that Nicklas Bendtner is getting to grips with here?

   1. Mundial 20

   2. Tango 12

   3. Telstar 2

   4. Teamgeist 7

6. 

   The black panels on the ball featured three intricate designs paying homage to the art of papercutting that is popular in the rural regions of Poland and Ukraine. But they weren't just any old patterns – they each had a meaning. What were those meanings?

   1. Rivalry, Unity, Passion

   2. Speed, Strength, Skill

   3. Earth, Wind, Fire

   4. Hustle, Loyalty, Respect

7. 

   Euro 1996 and Gareth Southgate cuts a familiar figure of English disappointment. The Questra Europa, a bespoke version of the original Questra used at the 1994 World Cup, was the name of the ball that Andreas Köpke had just kept out. But why Questra?

   1. It literally means "the quest for the stars" and 1994 marked the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission

   2. It's a portmanteau of the Spanish words for "quest for the gold"

   3. It's simply Spanish for "victory"

   4. It is the name of the US city in which the first football on American soil is believed to have been played

8. For Euro 1996 the detail in the Questra's black panels was updated. To what?

   1. A St George's flag motif

   2. Three lions surrounding a red rose

   3. Stylised interpretations of Wembley's two towers

   4. A lion, a unicorn and the phrase "dieu et mon droit"

9. 

   Another silvery number that seems to have caught Vedran Corluka by surprise. What was the moniker for this ball used at Euro 2008?

   1. Zielkugel

   2. Punkte

   3. GoalTicket

   4. Europass

10. And how much did it retail for when it went on sale in December 2007?

    1. €119.95

    2. €39.95

    3. €79.95

    4. €19.99 a month for the first three months, €9.95 thereafter

11. 

    What's the name of the Euro 2016 edition?

    1. Belle Balle

    2. Beau Jeu

    3. Orbe de Vie

    4. Bon Vivant

12. 

    But that has been replaced for the knockout stages. What's the name of this one?

    1. Brouhaha

    2. Fracas

    3. Rumble

    4. Melee

Solutions

1:B - This was the first ball to be personalised to each European Championship game. Another fun fact: each Roteiro used in a match had the latitude and longitude co-ordinates of the centre spot for that specific stadium inscribed upon it, 2:A - It was also the first European Championship ball not to be hand-stitched, with the panels joined by thermal bonding, 3:C - This was the first tournament since 1976 that did not use a version of the Adidas Tango, 4:D - Yep, Adidas didn't produce a Sweden-specific edition of this successor to the great Tango – they simply added "official ball of the European Championship 1992" underneath "official ball of the Fifa World Cup 1990". The name is a reference to ancient Italian history, 5:B - Adidas categorise this as the fourth European Championship iteration of the Tango ball, after the 1980 Tango River Plate, the 1984 Tango Mundial and the 1988 Tango Europa, 6:A - None of which were particularly present in England's campaign, 7:A - The original detailing on the balls used in 1994 was a space scene of stars and planets, 8:B - The Euro 1996 design was the first Adidas tournament ball to feature colours in addition to the usual black and white, 9:D - According to Adidas's press release at the time: "The name 'EUROPASS' refers to the common 'EURO' pass between the two host countries of Austria and Switzerland. It also represents every pass the players will make on the pitch during Euro 2008. Last but not least, it signifies the co-operation among all the fans who will make their way to Austria and Switzerland for the final competition.", 10:A - You would have been better off getting a £3.99 windball from the petrol station forecourt if some of the goalkeepers at the tournament were to be believed, 11:B - Ah, the beautiful game, 12:B - Which, of course, means "clamour" in French and, according to Adidas, "was chosen to encapsulate the drama and uncertainty associated with knockout games"

Scores