The French magazine France Football has presented the iconic award, the Ballon d'Or, every year since 1956 to the best football player in the world, based on votes by sports journalists from around the world.

Golden Ball

The name of the most famous award, “Ballon d’Or,” awarded to football players, is literally translated from French to “Golden Ball,” and it is sometimes referred to by this name even in English publications, but this name is not entirely accurate in the full sense of the word.

Is the Ballon d'Or award made of gold?

The answer to this question is somewhat complicated, as there are many metals used with gold in the composition of the “Balloon d’Or” award.

The entire golden ball is carefully plated with a layer of 18-karat gold, but it is not entirely made of solid gold.

Making a gold ball entirely out of solid gold in this way would not only be very expensive, but also not entirely practical.

If the Golden Ball were made entirely of gold, it would be incredibly heavy, to the point where no ordinary human could reasonably lift it.

Instead, the ball itself is made of two solid copper discs that are soldered together with a blowtorch. From there, the ball is smoothed and covered in gold paint, then the France Football magazine logo and the winner's name are engraved on it.

How big is the Ballon d'Or trophy?

The height of the golden ball at its base is about 31 centimeters and its weight is about 12 kilograms, while the diameter of the ball itself is about 23 centimeters and weighs about 7 kilograms.

If we assume for the sake of argument that the ball is made of solid gold, it would likely be much heavier.

Gold generally weighs about 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter, which means that a ball of solid gold with a diameter of 23 cm would weigh about 123 kilograms, a weight that no one could lift to celebrate, except perhaps professional weightlifters.

What does the Golden Ball rule consist of?

The Golden Ball is made from the mineral pyrite, commonly referred to as “fool's gold,” and each Golden Ball has a unique base.

Because pyrite varies greatly in size and shape as it occurs naturally, the pyrite used in each individual Golden Globe is unique to that year's design.

The meticulous process of making the Golden Ball takes more than 100 hours to complete, which amounts to about four days.

How much is the Golden Ball worth?

According to the "GiveMeSport" website, the monetary value of the raw materials used in the manufacture of the Ballon d'Or trophy itself is estimated at approximately 3,000 euros, and when including the labor and craftsmanship required to make the ball, the value increases to approximately 500,000 euros.

Given the moral value of the award and its symbolism in the career of football players, its value is likely to be much greater than that for the eventual winner.

Source: sportingnews