Paul Rouse: Brilliant design at the heart of football's growth as the global game

The exhibition “Football: Designing the Beautiful Game” tells the fascinating story of how soccer has been shaped and reshaped by the world of design.

Matthias Sammer’s 1984 football boots, exhibited in the Football: Designing the Beautiful Game exhibition. Mid-deal with adidas but with a club sponsored by Nike, Sammer covered the adidas three stripes with a handmade Nike logo. Pic via @designmuseum

There is a brilliant opportunity for some Irish institution – cultural, educational or other – to bring to this island an exhibition that would offer a window on modern life that has never been available here before.

The Design Museum in London – an internationally-renowned, award-winning museum dedicated to architecture and design – has just closed an exhibition on soccer that ran since the spring to popular acclaim.