Do Players Get to Keep the Ballon d‘Or Trophy?

No, the original Ballon d‘Or trophy remains the property of France Football magazine and is not awarded permanently to players. However, the winners do get to keep a specially made replica trophy to commemorate their achievement.

A Brief History of the Coveted Ballon d‘Or

First awarded in 1956, the Ballon d‘Or (meaning "Golden Ball" in French) is an annual football award given to the best performing male player of the year. It was established by the famous French football magazine France Football.

During its prestigious 65-year history, the trophy has become one of the most coveted individual honors in the sport. Winning the golden ball is considered a crowning achievement for any professional footballer.

The award‘s early winners feature legendary names like Stanley Matthews, Alfredo Di Stefano, and the great Pele. In recent decades superstars like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo have cemented their legacies by winning football‘s top individual prize.

But after all the ceremonies and celebrations, what happens after you win the Ballon d‘Or? Do you get to take the iconic trophy home?

The Original Ballon d‘Or Trophy Remains Property of France Football

The original Ballon d‘Or trophy, crafted by the French jewelry company Mellerio dits Meller, is made of brass and coated with 24-carat gold. Weighing in at 12 kg and standing 28 cm tall, it depicts a footballer holding up the world.

As per France Football‘s rules, the original trophy remains their property and is not awarded permanently to any player. After each year‘s ceremony, the trophy is returned to their Paris office where it usually rests in a glass cabinet.

France Football brings out the original trophy every year for the next Ballon d‘Or award ceremony. This allows the tradition and continuity around the revered golden ball to continue year after year.

Winners Receive Lavish Replica Trophies to Keep

Instead of the original, France Football awards specially made replica trophies to the winners which they do get to keep permanently.

While not solid gold like the original, the replicas are lavish trophies in their own right, crafted by the same French jeweler Mellerio that makes the iconic Ballon d‘Or. The winners proudly display these replica trophies at home and in their club museums.

For those rare players who win the award multiple times like Messi and Ronaldo, France Football provides a new replica for every win rather than reissuing a previous one. This allows players to display and accumulate their full Ballon d‘Or collection.

Notable Examples of What Players Have Done with Their Replicas

Here are some examples of what players have chosen to do with their replica Ballon d‘Or trophies over the years:

• Cristiano Ronaldo – Donated his 2013 replica to a charity auction benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It raised £1.2m.

• Luka Modric – Gifted his 2018 trophy to his childhood club NK Dinamo Zagreb where it‘s displayed.

• Ronaldinho – His 2005 replica sits in his personal museum in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

• Michael Owen – Loaned his 2001 trophy to the National Football Museum in Manchester for display.

• George Weah – Sent his 1995 trophy on tour around his native Liberia for fans to see.

• Rivaldo – His 1999 replica is proudly exhibited at the Museu do Futebol in his home city of Sao Paulo.

Some players even released photos posing with their Ballon d‘Or replicas at home to celebrate their win on social media. Clearly, receiving their own Golden Ball is a career highlight for players.

By The Numbers – Some Interesting Ballon d‘Or Facts & Stats

• 56 – Total number of players who have won the Ballon d‘Or since 1956.

• 12 kg – Weight of the trophy.

• 24-carat – The gold composition of the original trophy.

• 7 – Record number of wins by a player (Lionel Messi).

• 3 – Number of players who have won it 3 times (Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco Van Basten)

• 5 – Most wins by a European player (Cristiano Ronaldo).

• 1991 – The year the award was first given to a non-European player (Liberia‘s George Weah).

Winning Ballon d‘Or Represents Football‘s Peak for Any Player

The Ballon d‘Or represents far more than just a trophy for players. It is football‘s ultimate individual honor acknowledging the world‘s best player that year based on votes by journalists. For professionals competing in the globe‘s most popular sport, winning the golden ball is the pinnacle.

Lifting that trophy in front of peers and fans at the star-studded ceremony solidifies your status as an all-time great. It fulfills childhood dreams of being recognized as the best player on the planet. Your name goes down in football history next to the legends who have won it previously.

While the World Cup represents the pinnacle for international football, the Ballon d‘Or is the most coveted individual accolade for any footballer‘s career resume. Winning it etches your name into the annals of football history forever.