In the process of developing any product, the choice of materials is a very important component. Combined with a good constructional design and application of appropriate manufacturing methods, the choice of materials greatly contributes to the development of the product with the best usability properties, at a lower cost and more admirable appearance. Such a product will be competitive on the market and will generate profits, which is the main goal of any production. This paper describes the development of the product and the process of selecting the optimal material. The methodology of choice of materials, the choice of material in practice and the criteria that influence the choice of materials are shown. It has also been explained which properties and characteristics should be taken into account when selecting materials. Then some of the quantitative methods of selecting materials are described. As the main goal of the game was to choose the optimal material for the soccer ball, the historical development of soccer balls and the requirements and constraints on this specific product are described. The design of a contemporary soccer ball has been clarified, which is divided by layers on the cover, lining, bladder and seams and for each layer the properties are analyzed. The described materials are also commonly used for individual parts, and then the optimum materials are chosen for each part of the ball. Polyurethane synthetic leather has been chosen as an optimal material for the soccer ball cover, and for different combinations of polyester, cotton, expanded polyurethane or expanded PVC, the optimal material for bladder football is latex and for polyester seams. All the tests required by each ball to get FIFA's permission for use in a professional match are stated and described in the paper. Considered in the end are some new trends in designing soccer balls and possible performances that will be played in the future.