Sport is all about keeping your eye on the prize, and never more so than in soccer. Whether playing for your country or turning out for your local league team, if you play soccer, you’ll dream of lifting that trophy alongside your teammates at the end of the season.
Of course, the bigger the tournament, the bigger the trophy – and some have some fascinating stories behind them.
The World Cup – the one everyone wants to win
What can be better than being champion of the world? The soccer World Cup is second only to the Olympics as a global sporting spectacle. The trophy is no less spectacular. Introduced in 1974, the solid gold trophy is a true work of art and is valued accordingly at about $20 million. Created by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga, it depicts two human figures holding up the Earth.
The trophy will continue to be used until 2038, at which point there will be no room for new engravings, so a new trophy will be introduced for the 2042 World Cup.
The Henri Delaunay Trophy for Champions of Europe
The UEFA Championship, usually known as the Euros, also takes place every four years, two years out of sync with the World Cup. Similar tournaments now take place in the Americas, Asia and Africa, but it all began in Europe, and the trophy is named after the first General Secretary of UEFA. He came up with the idea of a European championship back in 1927, although the first tournament did not take place until 1960.
The original trophy was designed by Henri Delaunay’s son Pierre, and depicts a juggling boy. It was enlarged but to the same design in 2008. It is made of solid silver and weighs in at eight kilograms, almost 18 pounds.
The Philip F. Anschutz Trophy for the top MLS team
In the space of 20 years, MLS has evolved from the sporting fringes to one of the biggest sports tournaments in America. And just as football teams dream of lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy, soccer players only have eyes for the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.
Introduced in 2008, the sterling silver trophy weighs some 43 pounds and stands 24 inches high. It is named after the billionaire businessman who co-founded MLS and has owned or part-owned eight different teams over the years. During the league’s difficult years, he owned six teams and incurred substantial financial losses, effectively keeping MLS afloat single-handed. In fact, as Don Garber said, without Phil Anschutz, MLS would not exist today.
FA Cup – the Godfather of all soccer trophies
On June 03, 2023, Manchester City beat Manchester United 2-1 to win the FA Cup. It was the 142nd FA Cup Final in a tournament whose history goes back to the dawn of professional soccer – or football as they say in England. The inaugural FA Cup was played in 1872, when Wanderers beat Engineers 1-0 at the Kennington Oval in London. They were the first of 44 different clubs to win the cup, Arsenal holding the record for most victories with 14 FA Cup wins to their name.
The original trophy passed from one winner to the next but was stolen from a Birmingham shop window display in 1895. In 1911, a Bradford jeweler Fattorini designed a two-foot high, two-handled trophy. This remained in use till 1992, when it was retired and an exact replica created. This proved far less durable and lasted only 22 years before wear and tear meant another replacement was needed, which is the trophy Manchester City proudly holds today.