The Ballon d’Or Isn’t Made of Gold: The Manufacturing Secrets of the Highly Coveted Trophy
Neither solid gold nor a simple trophy, the most prestigious prize in football is the result of a craftsman’s work of about a hundred hours.
Neither solid gold nor a simple trophy, the most prestigious prize in football is the result of a craftsman’s work of about a hundred hours.
Contrary to what its name might suggest, the Ballon d’Or is not made of solid gold. “Obviously, otherwise the players wouldn’t be able to lift it,” explains Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, director of the prestigious Parisian jewelry house Mellerio, which has for decades been responsible for crafting the most coveted trophy in world football.
Its manufacture requires nearly a hundred hours of work and begins six months before the official presentation. The trophy is made of two brass hemispheres welded together, then filled with a specific mixture called “cement,” which allows the metal to be shaped outward and creates the characteristic seams of a football.
After this step, it is immersed in a gilding bath to achieve its unique shine. At the end of this meticulous process, the object measures 31 centimeters tall, 23 centimeters wide and weighs over 10 kilograms.
