There is probably nothing more representative of the World Cup than his trophy. That image of two men holding the earth globe bathed in gold is unmistakable; We see images of that trophy and immediately that World Cup atmosphere invades us instantly. As this is the most precious object in the world of football, the care that you have regarding your protection, transfer and security are worthy of the greatest political figures on the planet. Moreover, the team that is champion can not even keep the original trophy, they can only use it during the celebration in the field; then it is replaced by a replica bathed in gold which can remain the champion country for 4 years until the next World Cup, at which time it must be returned; while the original trophy always lies somewhere in maximum security at the FIFA headquarters in Switzerland.
But this was not always the case, there was a time when this trophy was not so representative and the security around it was precarious, so much so that it was stolen on diferent 2 occasions. That's right, the greatest symbol of world football was lost twice. It is noteworthy that both robberies happened with the Jules Rimet Trophy, predecessor of the current trophy and that was used until 1970, the year in which Brazil remained in definitive ownership having won it for the 3rd time. Since the 1974 Germany World Cup the current trophy is used.
First robbery and an unexpected hero.
The 1966 World Cup was just a few months away and the Jules Rimet Trophy was on display in a hallway in the Westminster Center in London. However, one morning the trophy simply was not in the display, it had been stolen. The news immediately went through all of England and the world, which was unmoved by the theft of the trophy despite the high security measures around it (the receipt of the trophy was reduced to a guard over 70 years of age, who he had taken his break for dinner just at the time it was stolen).
The police began an intense search without obtaining any results, the general feeling was that the trophy was lost forever. However, everything changed when 7 days later, a man named David Corbett was walking his dog Pickles in a square in South London. It was then that his dog began sniffing near a bush and found an object wrapped carefully in newspaper. Curiosity invaded him and when he opened it he discovered that it was the stolen cup. He immediately went to the police station and told the officer: "I think I found the world cup."
But the real hero of the day was Pickles, who as a reward for his discovery won a medal, 6,000 pounds sterling, a dog food for life, was invited to the banquet of the National Team of England when he was crowned tournament champion, besides fame and world recognition. Moreover, his fame was so great that he came to star in a movie in 1966 called "The spy with a cold nose".
Sadly, Pickles died in 1967 after suffering a strange accident when his belt strangled him while chasing a cat. But this puppy will always remain in memory as the hero of that year; thanks to Pickles England won, to date, his first and only World Cup.
Second robbery and its mysterious ending.
As we mentioned before, since 1970 Brazil won the Jules Rimet Trophy in property when winning it for the 3rd time. However, in 1983 while he was exposed to the public at the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, he was robbed again. Although the trophy was protected by armored glass, part of the structure was made of wood, which the thieves took advantage of to force it with a lever and take the cup.
After several years, the Brazilian police arrested 4 Argentine men who were judged as the perpetrators of the robbery. They declared that they stole it to melt it and thus keep the gold with which it was made. However, several years later and just before dying, several of the suspects confessed that the theft had been commissioned by an Italian collector, who paid them $ 100,000 for carrying out the theft.
The truth is that the trophy disappeared forever and probably never know the truth of what happened. Maybe it was cast, maybe it rests in an exclusive private collection; what we do know is that it is one of the greatest enigmas in the football history.
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