Thieves in Belgium reportedly stole Manchester City’s sixth Premier League trophy while it was taken on tour.
After 38 Premier League matches, strongly contested by 20 teams, the Premier League trophy is usually handed to the team with the most number of points.
Manchester United remain the most successful Premier League Club with the most Premier League trophies (13) followed by cross-city rivals Manchester City with 7 trophies.
City are now dominating the competition and have won it four times in a row, becoming the first team to do so.
Despite City’s serial triumph of late, winning the English top flight is no mean feat. It takes the best and strongest side with character and great teamwork to ace it.
However, two years ago, thieves in Belgium, opportunistically lay hands on the coveted piece and carted some parts away.
How was this possible? According to The Sun, it was Manchester City’s sixth Premier League title that was stolen. The trophy was taken on tour to Belgium and shown in a suitcase. The part of the trophy that was stolen is said to be the silver base and the golden crown.
It’s yet unclear how the thieves had access to the trophy. However, close sources suggest there must have been security breaches leading to the incident.
Why did the Premier League take the trophies on a European tour?
The Premier League is the most followed domestic football competition in Europe. The huge global followership has been linked both to the competitiveness of the league as well as a strong PR by the organizers of the competition.
Every year, two Premier League trophies are reportedly made. One is kept by the winner of that season’s competition while the Premier League body take the other on tour for more publicity.
It was at the event of one of the tour that one of the trophies was stolen. The two trophies are reportedly insured at the rate of £250,000 in case of a loss. So, the thieves literally carted away a £250,000-worth property in a suitcase in Belgium. Investigations to track down the culprits and recover the silverware commenced immediately but close sources reveal there are no hopes of recovering the trophy.
What is The Premier League trophy made of?
Styled with gold and other luxury pieces of jewelry, The Premier League trophy is built by renowned British Jewelry luxury brand Asprey in London. They deal in handbags, rings, watches, costly necklaces and other luxury items. The base of the trophy is made of ‘semi-precious green malachite gemstone’ while the rest of the body of the trophy is made of ‘the highest quality sterling silver and silver gilt,’ as described by Asprey. After it went missing in Belgium, the Premier League contacted the luxury brand for a new one to replace the lost version.
Some facts you may not have known about the Premier League trophy
There has never been a situation where two Premier League Clubs win the Premier League title in one season. However, the Premier League have made provisions to award the trophy to two teams in case of an inseparable tie at the end of the season.
According to the Premier League, if two teams win the trophy in a single season, plans are made to present the trophies to them at the separate stadium during the final match.
- Only players who have make at least five appearances for the trophy-winning side are presented with Premier League medals. This is why Kalvin Philips does not have the 2023-24 Premier League title in his records despite still having contract with Manchester City.
Also, the Premier League trophy dimensions are 104cm in height and 61cm in width. It weighs 25.4kg in total.
Only seven clubs have won the Premier League trophy since its inception. They are Manchester United (13) Manchester City (7), Chelsea (5), Arsenal (3), Blackburn (1), Leicester City (1), and Liverpool (1).
