When Argentina's Lionel Messi lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy under the lights of Lusail Stadium in 2022, it marked the end of a long wait and the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. That moment, etched into the hearts of millions, was more than a victory, it was entry into footballing immortality, just as it had been for legends like Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Yet the golden trophy Messi held has not always been the same.
From the inaugural tournament in 1930 until 1970, winners were awarded the Jules Rimet Trophy. But when Brazil claimed their third title at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, they earned the right to keep it permanently. FIFA was thus faced with the challenge of creating a new symbol for the game’s greatest prize ahead of the 1974 tournament.
Designers from seven countries submitted 53 proposals. The winning concept came from Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga.
Gazzaniga envisioned something beyond a traditional cup. “I created it to reward heroism, not a superhuman kind, but something universal,” he said in a 2002 interview.
He described the rising lines of the sculpture as spiralling upward from the base, expanding to embrace the world -- a dynamic form capturing the moment of triumph, with two human figures lifting the globe. In simpler terms, he noted: “Since the Earth is round, it resembles a football.”
Unable to fully convey his idea on paper, Gazzaniga presented FIFA with a plaster model. Its visual appeal and elegance when lifted convinced officials instantly.
The trophy stands 36.8 centimetres tall, weighs 6.175 kilograms, and is made of 18-carat gold. Its base, 13 centimetres in diameter, is adorned with two layers of green malachite.
But is it solid gold? According to British chemist Martyn Poliakoff of the University of Nottingham, a fully solid version would weigh around 70 kilograms -- far too heavy to lift. This suggests the globe is hollow, even though FIFA describes the trophy as “solid gold,” likely meaning it is not gold-plated but made entirely of gold.
Since 1974, the names of winning teams and years have been engraved on the base. After the 2014 World Cup, vertical engraving posed space issues, leading to a spiral format that allows room for future champions. FIFA calls it a way of “engraving history directly onto the game’s most coveted prize.”
After each tournament, the bottom disc is replaced to include the new winner.
Until 2005, champions could keep the original trophy until the next World Cup. Since 2006, FIFA has tightened security. Winners now briefly lift the original during the ceremony before it is returned, receiving instead a gold-plated bronze replica known as the FIFA World Cup Winners’ Trophy.
The original is permanently housed at the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, and only displayed during special occasions.
Only heads of state and World Cup-winning players are permitted to touch the original trophy. An exception came in 2010, when Nelson Mandela was presented with an official replica.
If ever auctioned, the trophy could fetch over $20 million, making it the most valuable prize in sport.
Since 1974, the trophy has been won most often by Germany and Argentina, with three titles each. European nations have claimed it eight times, while South American teams have won it five times.
Unlike the Jules Rimet Trophy, it is never permanently awarded, otherwise Germany, champions in 1974, 1990 and 2014, would have retained it.
Gazzaniga did not profit directly from his design, but it brought him global recognition and further work, including trophies for UEFA competitions. He passed away in 2016, yet his creation stands as a golden dream that continues to define greatness in football.
