The Ballon d’Or gala will be held on Monday, October 28 at the Thtre du Chtelet in Paris, with Brazil’s Vinicius as the big favorite to take the award for the best male footballer of the year, while Spain’s Aitana Bonmat and Alexia Putellas, aspire to be chosen as the best female players.
France Football magazine’s final list did not produce an overwhelming favorite, since Vini, with his 26 goals and 12 assists scored last season in which he won the Champions League and LaLiga with Real Madrid, has competition from teammate Jude Bellingham, while Spanish midfielder Rodri, is also among those who could win the trophy, after being key in Spain’s title in the European Championship and Manchester City’s in the Premier League.
Other names in the conversation are Dani Carvajal, for being a Euro, Champions League and LaLiga champion, as well as the recently retired Toni Kroos. Other possible candidates are Phil Foden and Lamine Yamal.
Does the Ballon d’Or winner receive a cash prize?
The Ballon d’Or is an honor that gives prestige to the winners, but does not grant a direct payment for the award. However, it does have a value that can come as an indirect compensation.
According to the portal Sport Bible, some players have a bonus in their contract from their teams or sponsors if they win the Ballon d’Or.
How much does it cost to manufacture the Ballon d’Or?
To make it, two brass plates are embossed in order to give them the shape of a hemisphere and create the main motif of the award: a soccer ball. Then, the goldsmith solders both pieces with a blowtorch, while the chiseler fills the ball with a wax-like material and shapes the seams of the ball with a chisel and a hammer.
Once this stage is completed, the Golden Ball is emptied of wax and sent to the polisher, who also engraves the logo; it is bathed in gold and screwed to a pyrite base.
This means that it costs around $13,800 (around $262,000 Mexican pesos), although it takes six months and approximately 100 hours of work to make it. The last touch is given the same night of the delivery, when a goldsmith engraves the winner’s name before handing it over.
