The Mellerio family and the secret of the next winner
Why it matters
The Mellerio family, custodians of the Ballon d'Or, play a crucial role in maintaining the secret of the winner's identity. This award is not only an individual recognition, but also represents a symbol of excellence in football, influencing the careers of players, such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have been protagonists of this competition over the years. The pressure to maintain confidentiality is high, especially considering the importance of the award to Mellerio's reputation.
Context
The Ballon d'Or is considered the most prestigious individual award in football, and its award has historically influenced the careers of world-famous footballers. Lionel Messi, winner of numerous Ballon d'Ors, is often at the center of discussions surrounding the award, while competition with other big names such as Cristiano Ronaldo continues to define the football landscape.
Key points
- The Mellerio family and the secret of the next winner.
- The Mellerio family, known for its goldsmith tradition, guards the identity of the person who will win the 2023 Ballon d'Or until the day of the award ceremony.
- Gia tộc 500 năm tuổi nắm giữ bí mật Quả Bóng Vàng.
The Mellerio family, owners of the oldest high jewelry brand in the world, guards one of football's biggest secrets: the identity of the winner of the Ballon d'Or before the award is officially announced. "I have four children who love football very much and so I'm under a lot of pressure," Laure-Isabelle Mellerio told France Info, when asked why the identity of the winner is being kept secret. "But no, this is a problem that concerns the reliability of our company. I will not reveal that name." Laure-Isabelle is the head of Mellerio, the high jewelery brand based at 9 Rue de la Paix, in Paris, near Place Vendôme. She took over the leadership of the company after the death of her husband, Laurent Mellerio, who represented the fourteenth generation of the family. Each year, Mellerio is responsible for creating the Ballon d'Or, football's most prestigious individual award. This work also gives the family a rare right: to know the name of the awarded footballer in advance, while millions of fans around the world have to wait to know the name at the moment of the award ceremony. 100 hours of work, six months to make it. The Ballon d'Or is not simply a sporting award. It is a goldsmith's work made with traditional techniques, which combines brass, silver, gold and pyrite. Unlike the ball used on playgrounds, which is made of leather and stitching, the Golden Ball is made of metal, fire and the hammering of artisans. Instead of being a symbol of a sporting goods company, the work is engraved in French with the term "Meilleur joueur du monde", which means "Best player in the world". To create a single trophy, the artisans employ around 100 hours of manual work, within a preparation and creation process that lasts six months. This year's will be the seventieth trophy created by Mellerio. This year's awards ceremony will also be special, in fact it will be the first ever to take place in the UK. The Golden Ball will be awarded at a ceremony held at the London Palladium. It is also a ceremony that will have a commemorative value, as Stanley Matthews, the first footballer in history to win the Ballon d'Or, will be remembered. The former British footballer received the award in 1956 during a private ceremony at Blackpool Town Hall, at the hands of Gabriel Hanot, a journalist who played a fundamental role in creating the award. The trophy Matthews received was also much smaller than the current one. A jealously guarded secret. But how does Mellerio know the identity of the winner in advance? At the end of the process of making the trophy, which lasts six months, here is the delicate moment in which the name of the winner must be revealed: a craftsman specialized in engraving names must engrave the name of the awarded footballer, the year of the award and the Golden Ball symbol on the trophy. This craftsman receives information about the winner in advance, information that is given only to him. "This secret is a question of professionalism, of reputation," said Cottet-Dubreuil, also from Mellerio. "We have a duty to keep that name secret until it is officially announced." Mellerio also uses a system to protect the trophy from prying eyes: at the end of the engraving, the winner's name is covered by a small metal panel. If you look carefully at the photos of the awards ceremony, you will notice that the winner holds the trophy partially covered by this panel. Only when the name is read aloud during the ceremony will the panel be removed and it will be possible to see the engraved name. The tradition that has continued for six hundred years. The history of Mellerio begins in 1515, when the family left the Vigezzo valley, in northern Italy, to move to France, to Paris. About a century later, as reported on Mellerio's official website, the Queen of France Marie de Médicis granted the family exclusive rights to carry out the jewelry business, as a reward for having foiled a plot against her son, the young King Louis XIII. This event marked the beginning of a long relationship between the family and the French monarchy, as well as the highest echelons of the French nobility. At the time of Queen Marie Antoinette, the brand's prestige increased further, as the queen loved wearing jewels and objects made by Mellerio and often gave them as gifts to visitors to the palace of Versailles. The family continued to develop relationships with the Spanish imperial family, in fact in 1815 François Mellerio opened a shop in Rue de la Paix, which is the same address where Mellerio still has its headquarters today. European nobility began to shop at François Mellerio's shop, including Queen Eugénie of France, wife of Napoleon III. After 1848, a year of great political upheaval in Europe, the Mellerio family also opened a branch in Madrid, Spain, and began selling their jewelry to the Spanish royal family. One of the most famous pieces of the Spanish royal family, which is still in the collection, is the Mellerio crown, given by Queen Isabel II to the latter's daughter, Princess Isabel de Borbón, who was known by the nickname "La Chata". Recently, in 2007, Queen Sofía of Spain lent the crown to an official event held in the Philippines. From sport to football: how Mellerio conquered the world of sport. If in the world of football the names associated with the Ballon d'Or were those of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, in tennis the name associated with that of Mellerio is Rafael Nadal. In fact, Mellerio is in charge of creating the "Coupe des Mousquetaires", the trophy awarded to the winner of the Roland Garros men's singles tournament. Since 1981, Mellerio has been making this trophy. Nadal holds the record for most wins at Roland Garros, with 14, equaling the record for most Grand Slam tournament wins, with 22. However, unlike Ballon d'Or winners, Nadal cannot take home the trophy. The winners of Roland Garros can keep the trophy for a short period, just long enough to take the usual photos, and then the trophy must be returned to its place of safekeeping, which is at the headquarters of the Fédération Française de Tennis. However, in 2017, after Nadal won Roland Garros for the tenth time, the tournament organizers decided to give him a gift and give him a copy of the trophy, something that had never been done for any other tennis player.
What happens now
As the awards ceremony approaches, the attention of the media and fans will intensify, creating a climate of anticipation and speculation. Mellerio will continue to work on the Ballon d'Or, a process that requires time and craftsmanship, while fans wonder who will be next to receive this prestigious award. The current season could influence expectations about who deserves the award, with players like Ousmane Dembélé and Aitana Bonmatí likely to make a significant impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created the Ballon d'Or?
The Mellerio family is responsible for the creation of the Ballon d'Or.
When will the winner of the Ballon d'Or be announced?
The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be officially announced during the awards ceremony.
What is the material of the Golden Ball?
The Golden Ball is made with brass, silver, gold and pyrite.
What is Laure-Isabelle Mellerio's role in the creation of the Ballon d'Or?
Laure-Isabelle Mellerio is the head of Mellerio and guards the identity of the winner of the Ballon d'Or.
How long does it take to win the Ballon d'Or?
It takes 100 hours of work and six months to create the Ballon d'Or.
