It is almost 500 years old, was found in a castle and could have belonged to Mary Queen of Scots. Today he is the star of an exhibition in Miami.
A leather object the size of a small melon, with visible seams and almost five centuries of history, crossed the Atlantic to be installed in a museum in Florida. The soccer ball oldest in the worldrecognized by the Guinness World Recordsleft his usual showcase in Scotland to coincide with one of his country’s most important matches in the World Cup, according to the BBC.
The piece, which dates from between 1540 y 1570arrived at Coral Gables Museum as part of the exhibition Diplomacy and the Beautiful Game: From Scotland to Brazil to Haiti. It will remain on display until Saturday, but its most visible moment will be on Wednesday, when Scotland faces Brazil in the group stage of the tournament.
The ball is property of the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museumwhere it occupies the central place in a collection of more than 40,000 pieces. It was discovered in the decade of 1970 during construction work in the Stirling Castlehidden behind the ceiling panels in the Queen’s Chamber, installed in the 1540s.
At that same time, a young Mary Queen of Scots inhabited those chambers of the castle. Historical records indicate that Maria was a sports fan.: I played soccer, tennis and golf. The ball also has visible repairs on its exterior, indicating that it was an object of frequent use and not a decorative piece.
«Someone in the 1540s must have kicked the ball hard enough for it to get stuck in the ceiling,» he explained. Aoife McKennacurator of the Stirling Smith.
«The chronology coincides with Mary Queen of Scots’ residence at the castle and, of course, she was discovered in the Queen’s Chamber. We can’t say for sure, but we like to think that María played with this ball«he added.
Scottish football of the 16th century: popular and prohibited
The construction of the ball It responds to a technique of the time: thick leather panels sewn together and then turned inward, which made it more aerodynamic. Inside, an inflated pig’s bladder that could be refilled with air when it lost firmness. It is, in that sense, a completely functional piece.
«It was quite a different game, very violent. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t popular, on the contrary. Many of the Scottish monarchs tried to ban it because of the chaos it generated,» McKenna said.
Historical records confirm that football was a widespread pastime in Scotland from the 15th centurylong before there were formal rules or organized competitions.
«It’s very exciting that it’s there for the Scotland-Brazil game. People tend to come specifically to see the ball, so football fans already know it’s here. But we think this will bring its story to a huge amount of people who maybe didn’t know the Smith had it,» McKenna said.
