Even if we will not see the national team at the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, Italy remains a country that lives and breathe football: from children playing on the beach or in the squares – even if only a few days ago, it was reported that it would be forbidden to do so in Naples – to the top professionals in Serie A, ‘the most beautiful league in the world’.
Not surprisingly, one of the most famous and best-selling balls has been produced in Italy since the 1960s. We are talking about the legendary Super Santos, a ‘popular’ ball made of pure PVC, 280 g in weight, orange in colour and with the characteristic black bands that recall the design of the old footballs made of leather strips.
A ball for everyone
The idea for this ball apparently came from the intuition of Stefano Seno, a worker at Mondo in Alba, and Brazil’s victory in the 1962 World Cup inspired its name. Orange, cheap – the original price was 350 lire – light and synonymous with ‘the ball for everyone’, the Super Santos has the peculiarity of the famous ‘boomerang effect’ that forces you to kick it with the tip of your foot since kicking with the neck you cannot master the trajectory. Despite this, the Super Santos is still the best-selling ball in the world, with 15 million sold in 2021. It is still produced by Mondo, based in Gallo D’Alba and, over time, has become an iconic object, cited more or less explicitly by many artists and writers, including Roberto Saviano, Brunori Sas, Francesco de Gregori and Zerocalcare.
An international giant
The company that makes it was founded by Edmondo Giovanni Stroppiana in 1948, and it started its activity by producing glue to repair inner tubes and balls for fistball. Today, after seventy years of history, it has become an international giant. It has three divisions: Mondo Sport&Flooring (flooring and sports equipment), Artigo (civil flooring) and Mondo Toys (balls and toys). Each represents excellence in its field of expertise and contributes to the group’s turnover of hundreds of millions, with 900 employees in 9 countries.
Congratulations to those who produce for the sport and always keep the Italian flag flying in the world.
Read more stories of Made in Italy companies in sports and leisure.