The FIFA World Cup is an iconic and prestigious trophy that every nation wants to get their hands on. The original copy of the present trophy 36.8 centimetres and 6.2kg of golden brilliance with two stripes of green malachite near the base was first designed by Italian artist, Silvio Gazzaniga in 1970. After Brazil won the Jules Rimet cup that year, FIFA had announced an official competition to design the trophy, at the end of which, the Italian sculptor’s work was chosen.
According to Gazzaniga, the cup represents “the joy and greatness of the athlete at the moment of victory, with two stylized athletes cheering and holding up the globe”. In the present days, it comes from Paderno Dugnano, a small city in Milan, from the pink-walled factory of GDE Bertoni. Bertoni’s company is the historical manufacturer of UEFA Champions League trophy, Olympic Order, FINA medals to name a few.
Every four years, Bertoni provides an identical brass-body copy of the Original gold World Cup which is given to the winning team, as FIFA’s new regulations do not allow the gold trophy to be brought out. The brass is chiselled by die grinders which remove the excess metal and the finished product is given shape. Two disks of green malachite are mounted near the bottom marble, followed by mechanical brushing and polishing. The shimmering effect is produced due to the ultrasonic degreasing bath and intense cleaning procedures that also includes galvanic treatment and a coat of zapon varnish. Another round of cleaning and checking procedures follows, with the workers maintaining high accuracy and hard work in each step.
The finished product was given to the champions, France this Sunday in Moscow.
