Champions League Final This Saturday: The Two-Handle Lift 🏆

The UEFA Champions League final lands this Saturday. The trophy — known as "Old Big Ears" for its oversized handles — weighs 7.5kg and needs two captains to lift cleanly. The two-handle design is older than the World Cup and still teaches more about presentation mechanics.

Two Handles Force a Shared Moment

A trophy that one person can lift cleanly is a trophy for one face. A trophy that requires two people to lift forces the captain to share the photograph with a teammate. The Champions League trophy weighs 7.5kg and its handles sit far enough apart that single-handed lifts look strained. Norman Brookes Cup at the Australian Open uses the same trick. For team-sport perpetual trophies in Thailand — provincial league cups, corporate league championships — two-handle design quietly engineers more inclusive lift photos.

Handle Proportions Beat Trophy Height

The Champions League trophy is only 73cm tall — modest compared to many domestic cups — but the handles are dramatically oversized, which is what makes the silhouette readable from the back of any stadium. For trophy commissions where broadcast or stadium-screen visibility matters, oversized handles do more work than additional height. A 60cm trophy with bold handles photographs more clearly at distance than an 80cm trophy with refined small handles. Specify handle prominence early in the brief.