There are not many trophies like the Champions League. Creator of the current version, Jörg Stadelmann told Uefa.com: “Maybe it’s not a work of art, but everyone in football wants to put their hands on it.”
The Swiss designed the trophy under pressure: the deadline was before his marriage and honeymoon. “I had to be ready before March 28 of that year,” he said.
Stadelmann made the final details, and the recorder Fred Bänninger concluded the work. “We ended up on time, fortunately,” said Ourives.
The cup was commissioned in 1967 by the then secretary general of, Hans Bangerter. With 73.5 cm tall and 7.5 kg, it was created by the Stadelmann Swiss jewelery.
Cup drawing took into account tastes of different countries
Jörg and his father, Hans, spread sketches on the floor of Bangerter’s office. “He said: the Bulgarians will like this, the Italians of that … We rode like a puzzle,” Stadelmann told Uefa.
The official name of the Cup is Coupe Des Clubs Champions Europeens, or European Champion Club Cup. In all, it took 340 hours of work to produce it.
The cup replaced the original competition trophy, used from 1956 to 1967. The previous model was quite different from the current, smaller and with discreet straps.
The large and curved new straps gave the cup the nickname “ears”. In French, it is called La Coupe Aux Oreilles; In Spanish, La Orejona.
The evolution of the rules to keep the original cup
From 1969 to 2009, clubs that won five times in total or three consecutive brought the original cup home. Today, these clubs receive only one replica – the official trophy remains with UEFA.
Real Madrid got the first trophy after winning the inaugural edition. Until 1967, the club already added six titles. – Milan comes back with seven.
Only five clubs have the original cup in their collections: Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Milan and, more recently, Liverpool.
This Saturday (31), another “ears” will be raised in Munich ,. Tradition continues – and the trophy is still the dream of any European club.
