The trophy has already been stolen twice and once it was found… by a dog. 1974 incident changed everything.
Raised by legends, celebrated by millions of fans. But he never went home with anyone again. The history of the FIFA World Cup Trophy includes wars, robberies, mystery and even a four-legged hero, recalls FIFA itself.
The first World Cup trophy appeared in 1930, the year in which FIFA organized the first edition of the competition, in Uruguay, under the leadership of then president Jules Rimet. The trophy was originally called Victory, but would eventually become known as the Jules Rimet Cup, in honor of the French director who helped create the most prestigious competition in national team football.
Designed by French sculptor Abel Lafleur, the trophy represented Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, raising a chalice, the football association. It was made of gold-plated sterling silver and sat on a lapis lazuli base. Uruguay, host of the inaugural edition, was the first team to win it.
Trophy found by dog
Over the decades, the Jules Rimet Cup has become much more than a sporting prize. During World War II, Italian leader Ottorino Barassi hid the trophy in a shoe box under his bed in Rome to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Nazis.
Years later, in 1966, the trophy was once again at the center of an unusual story. A few months before the World Cup in England, it was stolen during a public exhibition. The disappearance raised a scandal, but had an unlikely outcome: the cup was found by Pickles, a dog who discovered it wrapped in newspapers, under a hedge, in south London.
Stolen trophy changed everything
In 1970, Brazil won the World Cup for the third time and took definitive possession of the Jules Rimet Cup, as stipulated in the regulations at the time. At the time, whoever won the World Cup would keep the trophy. But history took a dramatic turn again in 1983, when the trophy was stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation, in Rio de Janeiro.
This time, there was no Pickle. The bowl was never recovered and is believed to have been melted down for illegal sale.
Before this second theft, FIFA had already presented a new trophy for the modern era of the World Cup. Created by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga, the current World Cup Trophy measures around 36 centimeters and is made of 18 carat gold. The design shows two human figures lifting planet Earth, representing the global and unifying nature of football.
West Germany was the first team to lift the new trophy, in 1974. Since then, several generations of champions have written their names in the history of the competition, from Argentina, Brazil, Germany and Italy to France and Spain. And also since that year, no team has ever been able to win the real cup.
Unlike the Jules Rimet Cup, the current trophy is never definitively awarded to a team, no matter how many times they win the World Cup. Champions can lift it at the consecration ceremony, but then receive a gold-plated replica, the FIFA World Cup Winners’ Trophy, to keep.
Access to the original is extremely restricted. Only former world champions, heads of state and senior FIFA officials are allowed to play it. One of the rare symbolic exceptions occurred before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when Nelson Mandela received an official replica — the only time an official version was offered to an individual person.
