FIFA World Cup Trophy
A replacement trophy was commissioned by FIFA for the 1974 World Cup. Fifty-three submissions were received from sculptors in seven countries.[10][11] Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga was awarded the commission. The trophy stands 36.5 centimetres (14.4 inches) tall and is made of 5 kg (11 lb) of 18 carat (75%) gold with a base (13 centimetres [5.1 inches] in diameter) containing two layers of malachite. It has been asserted by Martyn Poliakoff that the trophy is hollow; if, as is claimed, it were solid, the trophy would weigh 70–80 kg and would be too heavy to lift.[12][13] Produced by Bertoni, Milano in Paderno Dugnano, it weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb) in total and depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. Gazzaniga described the trophy thus, "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."[10]
The trophy has the engraving "FIFA World Cup" on its base. The names of winning countries are engraved on the bottom side of the trophy, and are therefore not visible when the trophy is standing upright. The inscriptions state the year in figures and the name of the winning nation in its national language; for example, "1974 Deutschland" or "1994 Brasil". In 2010, however, the name of the winning nation was engraved as "2010 Spain", in English, not in Spanish.[14][15] As of 2010, ten winners have been engraved on the base. It is not known whether FIFA will retire the trophy after they run out of space at the bottom; as recent images of the trophy show, there is space left for only three more engravings at the most, which means that should occur in 2030, when the tournament will celebrate its 100th anniversary.[14] FIFA's regulations now state that the trophy, unlike its predecessor, cannot be won outright: the winners of the tournament receive a Bronze replica which is gold plated rather than solid gold.[10] Germany won the trophy for the third time in 2014.[16]
