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France Football is set to announce the winner of the Ballon d'Or 2023 in a matter of hours at the Theatre du Chatelet. Lionel Messi is the consensus favorite to win the award and to become a record-extending eight-time winner.
Ahead of the highly anticipated event, we take a look at some of the intricate details of the trophy, including its price. According to GOAL, the price of materials to make up the Ballon d'Or trophy is approximately €3,000. However, the inflated price can go up to as much as €500,000.
The award was first brought into play by France Football in 1956. The size of the trophy used to be much smaller back then, as seen by the pictures of the trophy presented to the first winner, Sir Stanley Matthews, back in 1956.
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It was designed by Mellerio Dits Meller, a French jewelry house. A new design was brought into play in 1983 as the size of the trophy increased significantly (31 cm in height and 23 cm in width). The design, ideated by Francois Mellerio, has remained unchanged since.
The Ballon d'Or translates to a literal meaning of Golden Ball in English. The trophy, however, is not entirely made up of Gold. A wax-like material is surfaced by five kilograms of 18-carat gold. Brass plates are soldered together to give the trophy a ball-like shape. The surface is made up of gold and iron pyrite, aka false gold. The trophy weighs around 7 Kgs.
Where to watch the Ballon d'Or 2023 ceremony in India?
The 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony will be telecast by Sony Sports Network and Indian fans will be able to see the broadcast live. They can also stream it from the SonyLiv app. L'Equipe's official YouTube channel will also broadcast the ceremony.
The event will start on October 31, 01:00 am IST, i.e. October 30, 07:30 pm GMT. Lionel Messi is the current favorite to land the award with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting that the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner will be crowned for the eighth time.
Apart from Messi, the likes of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are also among the favorites. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, though, is not on the 30-man shortlist this time, bringing an end to an incredible run from 2004.
