Cup of Henri Delaunay

The first-ever European Championship, formerly known as the European Nations’ Cup, was hosted by France in 1960. The first team who lifted the most sought trophy in football was labeled The Henri Delaunay Trophy.

The Henri Delaunay Trophy, which is granted to the winner of the European Championship, is one of the most coveted on the planet with the FIFA World Cup the only one that exceeds it. Henri Delaunay is the secretary of the French Football Federation and the first General Secretary of Union of European Football Associations. He first came up with the idea of continental competition in 1927. His vision for a European international tournament finally occurred with the final of the first tournament in 1960.

Pierre Delaunay, son of Henri, was liable for the production of the original trophy. Since the first tournament, it has been awarded to the winning team for them to keep for four years, until the next tournament. This trophy bore the words “Coupe d’Europe”, “Coupe Henri Delaunay”, and “Championnat d’Europe” on the front and a juggling boy on the back.  This was done so because UEFA wanted to improve the quality of the trophy as well as the scale. In 1960, the second version of the trophy is based on the original designed by Arthus-Bertrand in Paris. It measures 18 cm and weighs 2 kg more than the original, composed of fine silver, and retains its historical name. Unlike the original, which was the work of goldsmith Chobillon, the names of the winners that appeared on the base were engraved on the back, which weighs 8 kg and is 60 cm high.

In 2008, the Henri Delaunay Trophy was remodeled to make it larger, as the old trophy was overshadowed by UEFA’s other trophies such as the new European Champion Clubs’ Cup. Asprey, a renowned goldsmith, and jeweler who has a great deal of experience in trophy-making, took over the production and the latest production of the trophy’s modern equivalent.

The first captain to hold it was Iker Casillas in 2008 when Spain beat Germany 1-0. Previously, the players and coaches of the winning team and the runner-up team were awarded gold and silver medals, respectively until UEFA decided that losing semi-finalists would no longer receive medals from the 2016 edition onwards, while Bronze medals were awarded until the 1980 edition.