RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Jarvas Meneghini Carlini, a Brazilian soccer fan and former metallurgist, is combining his love of the sport with business to create soccer replicas. fifa world cup Trophy in his workshop in the west rio de janeiro.
After Brazil won their fourth World Cup in 1994, watching then-captain Dunga triumphantly lift the trophy, Carlini decided he wanted to create one himself.
“They weren’t for sale, so I decided to make the trophies myself, and today I’m a trophy maker,” he said from his workshop in Campo Grande.
The 58-year-old crafts replicas of World Cup trophies by hand from molds and finishes them with paint. They come in a variety of sizes and prices, ranging from $1 to $100.
Carlini sells them to fans and tourists at nearby museums. Maracanã Soccer Stadium. But he also presented trophies to the following stars: Pelesent out Jorginho and Ronaldinho. Brazil And around the world.
Mr. Carlini pointed to the meaning of the trophy to explain the emotion that often appears when customers take pictures with his work.
“Everyone wants to be world champion, everyone wants to be the best,” Carlini said.
Like the game’s original and most coveted honor, Carlini’s trophy features two stylized figures reaching upward to support the earth. However, his is made of plaster rather than 18K gold.
“It still gives you the same sense of wonder, as if it were made of gold,” Carlini says.
Over the years, the craftsman has expanded his field and now creates replicas of the Copa, the former World Cup trophy used from 1930 to 1970. libertadores It includes not only trophies, but also gold balls, gloves, and boots.
Carlini said World Cup years are particularly good years for business.
As the country prepares to support the Selecao (national team) At this year’s tournament Carlini has 200 trophies available for the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in June and July, but said sales could reach 600 if Brazil wins.
South America’s largest country has won the World Cup five times, more than any other country, but their last success came back in 2002.
Carlini said the Brazilian is known for his fun playing style and is known for pulling off fancy tricks such as the bicycle kick, and said he hoped the team could end this year’s dry spell.
“What we need to use in the next World Cup to become champions is to use joy and use artistry,” he said.
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