Yup, and it’s the oldest football in the world.

Apparently, the oldest football in the world is made from a pig’s bladder with a covering constructed from pieces of thick leather, probably from deer, and are tightly laced together.

Now that redefines what American football calls ‘’pigskin.'’

This magnificently ghastly piece of football history will travel to Germany for the World Cup. The 450-year-old ball will form the centerpiece of an exhibition on the history of the sport.

Staff at its current home in Stirling’s Smith Museum are preparing the delicate artifact for its trip to the Museum fur Volkerkunde in Hamburg.

The ball was once the property of Mary Queen of Scots and museum bosses in Germany were keen to display it after deeming it the oldest in existence. - BBC News

‘’The Germans have decided, from all the evidence, that our ball is the oldest football in the world and it will be the centerpiece of this huge exhibition,'’ said Michael McGinnes.

Michael McGinnes is the Smith Museum’s collection manager.

‘’We can’t prove that Mary Queen of Scots played with the ball but it is of that date,'’ McGinnes added.

Mr. McGinnes will take the ball on a flight from Prestwick to Lubeck Airport, near Hamburg, in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Once in Germany, the ball will receive a traditional Scots welcome by being piped into the exhibition.

It will remain overseas for the duration of this summer’s World Cup and it is expected to be returned home in mid-September. - BBC News

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