France's World Cup-winning former footballer Christian Karembeu accompanied the trophy on the Pakistan leg of its World Tour. The trophy arrived along with a host of superstars including legendary batsman Younis Khan, famous singers Quratulain Baloch and Momina Mustehsan.
The current trophy was introduced more than four decades back in 1974, and is made of 18 carat gold with a malachite base. The trophy is approximately worth $150,000 according to research in 2017, and was made by Italian company Stabilimento Artistico Bertoni.
The mega soccer event will be held in Russia in the summer, where 32 teams will battle it out to claim the iconic trophy. Germany will defend its title which was won four years back in Brazil after a 1-0 win over Argentina, thanks to an injury-time winner from attacking midfielder Mario Gotze. The trophy's tour will end in May later this year, after which it will return to Russia.
Speaking at a colourful gathering, Karembeu said, "I am extremely happy to be here in Lahore. It is a great honour for Pakistan that the FIFA trophy is here for the first time. We can make our future better through football." Cricket legend Younis Khan said, "For me, football is one of the most popular sports in the world and it is a really big deal that the FIFA trophy is here."
Hockey legend Kaleemullah said: "I had never even imagined that the FIFA trophy would come to Pakistan. It is encouraging for footballers to have the FIFA trophy come to Pakistan. I feel that one day Pakistan would also do well in football."