The trophy of the FIFA World Cup made by the Italian company Gde Bertoni.
The Italian National football team does not starts the World Cup 2014 as the favourite, but, anyway, in the night of July 13th in Rio de Janeiro there will be a bit of Italy. Just like there has always been over the last 40 years of World Cup, and not only in 1982 or 2006. Because the trophy that the winner raises to the heavens since 1974 is made in Italy. Exactly, in Paderno Dugnano, in the province of Milan. Here there is the Gde Bertoni, small company with 12 employees, and here, in the 70s, the most famous cup ever was born.
THE COMPANY WAS BORN IN THE EARLY 1900
The history of the company starts in the early 1900, when Eugenio Losa began producing badges and sacred objects with his father-in-law Emilio Bertoni. The turning-point arrived in 1960, when the company won the tender for the medals of Rome Olympics.
THE DEBUT OF THE TROPHY IN 1974
In 1970, Fifa launched a conmpetition to design the new trophy of the World Cup, after three consecutive victories of Brazil with the Rimet cup. The Milanese sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, Bertoni’s art director, designed a cup giving the idea of dynamism and austerity at the same time. Losa did not only send the sketches, but also a plaster prototype. «A first-rate move. This way Fifa immediately had the idea of how the trophy could be. Rather than a cup, it is a real sculpture, with a strong symbolic meaning. And it is also easy to grasp and raise, despite its weight», said to the Huffington Post Italia Valentina Losa, 34 years old, who succeeded the grandfather Eugenio and the father Giorgio in the direction of the company. In 1972 Bertoni received the official communication of its victory and in 1974 the cup were assigned for the first time to Western Germany, which also hosted the competition.
MORE THAN 6 KILOS OF PRIZE
The world trophy made in Paderno (but first of all made in Novate Milanese, other location in the hinterland which used to host the old seat of Bertoni) is made of solid gold, is 36, 8cm-high and weighs 6 kilos and 175 grams. Its realization, in the various phases, requires 8 people. Firstly, they prepare a pattern with the shape of the cup where the metal melts. Then it is modelled by hand, the melting holes are fitted, it is cleaned with brushes and degreased in a special bath. At this point, it is plaunged in pure gold, washed with bicarbonate and dried. The assembly starts from the body, then there is a malachite basis, a central ring, another malachite basis and a gold disc wher the name of winners are engraved.
THE RESTYLING EVERY 4 YEARS
Every four years a copy of the copy is realized in golden brass, to be left to the winning team. After the world cup the original copy too, belonging to the Fifa, goes back to the Gde for a small restoration. «We control the basis and the finishing, we polish it and then we gild it again. Once we even received a dented cup, but we managed to fix it», added Valentina Losa. Among those who realize the copies of the trophy today, there is also the son of one of the workers that made the original one.
OTHER TROPHIES TOO ARE DESIGNED BY BERTONI
The company Bertoni gave birth also to the trophies of the Champions League, the Uefa Cup, many other international sports awards and several olympic medals. A niche production, ma of high level, which allowed to the company to stand the crisi. «we work a lot with sports league and little with private individuals, for whom we only realize “custom-made” products», said Valentina. «We have a number of customers in the Arab markets, ordering military decorations and objects in precious metal. Working with foreigners is an advantage and a payment warranty, especially in this difficult moment».
THEY WATCH THE WORLD CUP AT HOME
But for the “origin family” of the Cup there is no place up-front at each World Cup. «Personally, I have never been invited. Maybe my father went to the final match of Italy 90s, but I can’t remember precisely», concluded Valentina.
For information: Gde Bertoni
