The 1998 FIFA World Cup was held in France for the second time. It was a glorious tournament for Les Bleus, who won their first ever title and became the sixth host nation to hoist the coveted Jules Rimet trophy. Led by a star-studded attack of Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Veira and Robert Pires, the "Rainbow Team" (named for its ethnic diversity of players) won three nailbiters over Paraguay, Italy and Croatia in the knockout rounds to reach the French national quad's first ever final. Against a heavily favored Brazil looking to repeat as champions and seize its record fifth cup, Les Bleus put it all together in front of 75,000 at the Stade de France. A brace from Zidane and a late insurance goal [with France down to ten men] capped off a convincing 3-0 victory over Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos and company.
This 1998 FIFA World Cup trophy was presented to the late Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, an important German political figure and longtime football/soccer executive. He served in Germany's state cabinet (1976-98) and was President of Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart (1975-2000) as well as UEFA's Vice President and Executive Committee member for many years. He later served as President of the German Football Association (DFB). These special Bertoni trophies are only issued to players, coaches, team executives and a select number of elite dignitaries involved with organizing each World Cup.
A smaller-sized version of the much larger FIFA World Cup trophy presented to the winning team on the field, it features an athletic figure with arms raised in triumph and a globe on top. The front bottom is engraved "FIFA WORLD CUP" and the rear bottom is hallmarked with famed Milan manufacturer "BERTONI", "© F.I.F.A." and "1974" (first year of this trophy design). A gold plaque on the 5x5x4 cm black marble base has "GERHARD MAYER VORFELDER" engraved along with the 1998 tournament logo. The well-crafted golden-colored trophy stands 15 cm tall and weighs 590 grams (~21 oz.). It comes housed in its original, wardrobe-like blue presentation case. The interior of the 21.5-by-12-by-12 cm tall case is lined in elegant blue satin and has "G.D.E. BERTONI MILANO" embossed in gold at the roof. The trophy sits atop an internal display stand enclosed by two doors that shut using a classy latch design. The trophy presents in outstanding condition as does its case. This is the first 1998 World Cup Bertoni trophy we have handled and the only '98 example offered publicly (from what we could find online). Its recipient was a powerful name in the sport of football for decades before passing away in 2015 at the age of 82.