In honor of title season, we take a look at some of the most unique football trophies from around the world.
Trophy season came and went with a flurry. Victors hoisted cups over their heads, and cities rang with celebration. It’s an exciting time of year, especially if it’s your team celebrating.
Normally, the focus is on the triumphant teams and players. Did they deserve it? Which moments define the title win? But what is often not looked at is the trophy itself.
It’s easy to get caught up in the celebration of a cup win, the cathartic release after a season filled with tension. For a winner-takes-all final match, it’s even easier to get lost in the sauce, as these games with best payout rates have the highest stakes imaginable, and go through various ebbs and flows.
There are some fantastic and uniquely designed trophies across world football, some of which are criminally overlooked because they come from smaller leagues or tournaments. Others are celebrated more for their figurative significance than their aesthetics. But I’m here to change that. These are some of my favorite trophy designs and the stories behind them.
Copa Libertadores
First up is the biggest tournament in South America, the Copa Libertadores. The design was created in 1959 by Italian immigrant Alberto de Gasperi. Originally, the trophy had space for just 18 winners on the pedestal. Nowadays, the pedestal has been extended to house more winner badges and seems to keep on growing. The inspiration behind the design is debated, with some saying it has Greek influence and others saying the top of it evokes the spirit of the “Libertadores” (liberators). It also features a silver footballer atop a globe, meant to represent South American flair and individualism.
Ramón de Carranza Trophy
When it comes to pre-season tournaments, Spanish clubs go all-out on the trophies. Deportivo de Coruña has the Teresa Herrera Trophy for one of the oldest and most prestigious friendly tournaments in the nation, but the Ramón de Carranza trophy is something extraordinary.
The pre-season tournament hosted by Cadiz was created by Cadiz City Hall in memory of their former mayor. It was mostly prominent in the 1970s with the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas featuring. It was also one of the first times we witnessed a penalty shootout decide the outcome of a game, and the first time Pele and Johan Cruyff crossed paths in Europe. Looking online, the inspiration behind the design remains a mystery but what we can confirm is that the trophy itself is huge and takes two people to lift and is one of the biggest in the world.
Cymru Premier
This one is crazy. It’s the national league of Wales, with the likes of The New Saints FC and Aberystwyth Town featuring. The trophy is one of the most insane I’ve seen during my time watching football. It is a bowl-shaped trophy that has two massive dragons sitting on top of it, creating the handles for the team to lift. Wales’ national animal is the dragon, and is emblazoned on the country’s flag, and this fuels the design inspiration. It’s a very gothic vibe, but one I can get on board with.
Jupiler Pro League
Going from one outlandish design to another, the Belgian league features a bull carrying a fragmented football on its back, standing atop what looks like some form of rock structure. The thought behind the design was to “innovate a fresh and new trophy concept, stepping away from the conventional,” and was created by Fosfor in collaboration with AB InBev, the parent company of Belgian league sponsor Jupiler. The bull is drawn from Jupiler’s logo and looks to blend heritage with innovation and to transcend traditional football trophy design. It’s most definitely different, and I feel it will split opinion. For me, I like it and the creativity behind it. The hardest part of it is trying to understand how the actual league format works…
DFB Pokal
The DFB Pokal is one of the more lavish-looking trophies. It’s a big gold cup that incorporates 12 semiprecious stones on gold-plated silver. According to some sources online, it has an estimated material worth of $100,000. The design is said to represent the esteemed quality of German football. To me, it looks rather regal and also looks perfect for filling it with German beer and pouring it over your manager when you win it, which isn’t so fitting of its luxurious aesthetic.
World Cup
Saving the best ‘til last. The World Cup trophy is, without a doubt, the best-looking and most prestigious trophy in the game. The design represents what the tournament is meant to stand for as it unites the world in a festival of football every four years. It was originally designed by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga, who beat seven other sculptors across 53 different designs to the commission. The trophy that succeeded the original Jules Rimet trophy features two figures holding a globe aloft. Made of 18-carat gold, this trophy is supposed to have an estimated worth of $20 million. The original trophy is kept in the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich, with winners getting a bronze replica to keep each year.
