On the occasion of the award ceremony of the prestigious Ballon d'Or on Monday, Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, president of Maison Mellerio, who has been making the trophy since 1956, was invited to tell her story about Europe 1. The title requires six months of manufacturing, a hundred hours of work and five craftsmen of different trades.

INTERVIEW

The 2019 Golden Ball, which rewards each year the best round football player in a European Championship, will be awarded Monday night. Regarded as the most prestigious individual award of the football world, it is also known for the great care that its design demands. "This trophy requires a hundred hours of work in about six months", reminds the microphone of Europe 1 Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, president of Maison Mellerio, who manufactures the trophy since its creation by the magazine France Football in 1956.

The value of the Ballon d'Or is estimated at around 13,000 euros today. "This title mobilizes five different artisans," says Laure-Isabelle Mellerio. "However, it is not entirely composed of gold, there is only a thin layer of gold coating it." Originally specialized in goldsmithery, the Mellerio house also manufactures the swords of Academicians.

"From 1983, however, the house wanted to make it a more prestigious trophy"

"Initially, the Ballon d'Or was much smaller and on a wooden base," says Laure-Isabelle Mellerio. "From 1983, however, the house wanted to make it a more prestigious trophy, so it was enlarged and we chose a base of pyrite because it is an ornamental stone that has the color of gold." The latest version of the trophy dates from 2003, when Pavel Nedved was crowned.