FC Bayern should also be German champions at the end of this season. The feeling should captain Manuel Neuer hold the championship trophy in his hands will be different. The good piece needs to be enlarged.
It has been the symbol of German football for more than 75 years: the championship trophy. A piece of silver weighing almost eleven kilos, 59 centimeters in diameter, covered with names, dates, tourmalines – and stories. But after this season, the legendary trophy will get an update: a new outer ring will have to be installed.
The previous outermost ring is replaced by a wider ring that offers more engraving space. The German champions from 1982 must be engraved again on this new ring. The appearance of the shell only changes a little, the structure basically remains the same.
The last entry was made last season: “2025 FC Bayern Munich”. Now there is only room for one more engraving – and only if the master has a comparatively short name. “2026 FC Bayern Munich” would no longer fit on the trophy. 1. FC Cologne, on the other hand, does.
However, space constraints are nothing new. As early as the 1960s, the inner engraving plates were enlarged – from seven to ten lines. The first major renovation followed in 1981: an additional silver ring and five new gemstones weighing 71.98 carats, set in gold worth around 9,000 euros. HSV was the first club to lift the enlarged version into the sky in 1982.
The bowl is made from 5.5 kilograms of sterling silver
The next space problem arose in 2009. The solution: larger engraving plates on the outer ring, so that there were three lines for the club names instead of the previous two. But now the limit has been reached – so it is being expanded again.
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Historically, the trophy has always maintained a clear style: high-quality silver work, cabochon gemstones, classic, traditional shape. The master bowl was designed in 1949 by the Cologne art professor Elisabeth Treskow, made from 5.5 kilograms of sterling silver and originally 50 centimeters in diameter. Eleven small and five large tourmalines were used for decoration.
The trophy bears all champions since 1903, including the double engraving from 1922 (Nuremberg and HSV) and the gap from 1904 (championship aborted). The original is a challenge cup – the duplicates are available at the clubs.
The text was written for the Sports Competence Center (WELT, „Bild“, “Sport Image”) created and first published in “Sport Bild”.
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