The Ballon d'Or trophy has often ignited debate, given that it is the one individual award that puts a player above the rest for a particular season based on their performances.
This year's ceremony will take place on October 30 in Paris, with Lionel Messi widely expected to win a record-extending 8th title. His main competitors are Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, whom he faced and beat in the World Cup final.
But what is the shiny trophy made of? There have been numerous changes to how the winners have been determined over the years. There have also been new categories added to the ceremony, but the nature of the trophy has always remained as the name suggests - a golden ball.
Ballon d'Or: What it is made of and market worth
Total Sportal reports that the market value of the trophy is roughly 2920 USD. The exact weight isn't known, with different outlets quoting figures of between 7 kilograms to 15 kilograms.
It stands at 31cm tall with a diameter of 23cm. It is made of brass plates, which are curved into the shape of a ball. It is then filled with wax-liked material before the outside is coated with gold.
The first-ever design was worked on by Mallerio dits Mellerm, a family known all over Europe for their works in jewellery crafting in Europe.
How much money do Ballon d'Or winners get?
The award is one of the few trophies that doesn't include a monetary value attached to it. In fact, there is no known prize from the French magazine for all the previous winners.
Just like half-time performers at the Super Bowl aren't paid; in the same vein, the benefits that come with winning the Ballon d'Or are massive.
For instance, when Luka Modric broke the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly in 2018, Spanish newspaper El Confidencial reported that the Croatian was given 780,000 USD by his boot sponsors, Nike.
German magazine Der Speigel also reported that Ronaldo had an agreement with Nike to get a bonus of roughly 3.9 million USD every time he won the award. The Portuguese phenom has five of them.
Messi has a running deal with Adidas and other top brands since moving to Major League Soccer, but it is unknown if he has clauses to receive bonuses from his sponsors. If he wins this year, he will become the first player not stationed in Europe to take the award.
What is the Super Ballon d'Or?
Have you ever heard of the Super Ballon d'Or? Judging by the name, the award is superior to the normal Ballon d'Or title that is handed out every year.
As Sports Brief previously reported, the Super Ballon d'Or has only been awarded once in history, when Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano won it on December 24, 1989.
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