Lionel Messi finally got his chance to lift the Fifa World Cup trophy on Sunday, following a spectacular night of football at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, with Argentina defeating France in the final. It took him more than 16 years and several heartbreaks after his first World Cup appearance to win the coveted prize.
But does he get to take home the prize? Apparently, not.
But why is that?
Instead of the official trophy, each winning team receives a gold-plated bronze replica. This is called the World Cup Winners’ Trophy instead of just the World Cup Trophy, according to a report by Athletic.
As a result of winning it three times, Brazil were allowed to keep the original trophy, as per the wishes of Jules Rimet. However, the same sentiment does not apply to the newer trophy.
Otherwise, Germany would have retained the World Cup Trophy in 2014, having previously won it in 1974 and 1990.
Where is the Trophy Kept?
The FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, house the World Cup Trophy.
The only time it leaves its home is on occasions that FIFA deems worthy. Two of those occasions are the first and last games of the finals, the latter for when the trophy is presented to the winning team, the report states.
The trophy is also removed from its casing for the tournament draw, where it takes pride of place as the groups are revealed a few months before each World Cup.
There is an official global tour during each tournament cycle to ensure fans have the opportunity to see one of sport’s highest honours. The FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour visited all 32 nations that qualified for the Qatar tournament earlier this year. FIFA aims to show the trophy to each of its member states by 2030, the year of the 23rd World Cup.
Why So Much Security?
The original trophy awarded to World Cup winners was known as the ‘Victory Trophy,’ and it was renamed the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1946 in honour of FIFA’s long-serving president, who voted to establish the global tournament.
It was given to Uruguay and Italy (twice) between 1930 and 1938 before being hidden in a shoebox under Ottorino Barassi’s bed during WWII. The FIFA’s vice-president took the evasive action to keep it out of the wrong hands.
When it re-emerged after the war, it was successfully handed to four more winners and kept in safe hands. That was until 1966 when it was stolen during a public exhibition in London just a few months ahead of the World Cup.
Right Out of a Thriller
Though the Jules Rimet Trophy survived WWII unscathed, it was nearly stolen ahead of the 1966 World Cup in England, the first time the tournament was held in football’s spiritual home.
The Jules Rimet Trophy was on display at the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster four months before the World Cup began as part of the Sport with Stamps Stanley Gibbons Stampex rare stamp exhibition, a report by Olympic Games states.
The trophy vanished from its display cabinet on March 20, 1966, during a Sunday church service in another part of the building. The thief reportedly never touched the rare stamps, which were estimated to be worth over three million Pounds at the time, and fled with only the trophy, which was valued at 30,000 Pounds at the time.
While the law enforcement agencies, including Scotland Yard, scrambled to recover the Jules Rimet Trophy, Joe Mears, the chairman of Football Association (FA) and London club Chelsea FC, received a ransom note from an individual claiming to be ‘Jackson’.
Jackson demanded 15,000 Pounds for the return of the trophy and included a removable lining from the top of the trophy as proof of possession. The handover was to take place in front of Chelsea’s home stadium, Stamford Bridge.
What happened next seemed straight out of a crime thriller.
An undercover detective posing as Mears’ assistant tried to have Jackson lead them to the stolen trophy after luring him with fake money and scraps of paper. However, Jackson realised something was wrong and attempted to flee by jumping out of a moving car.
After a dramatic pursuit, Jackson was apprehended and revealed to be Edward Betchley, a petty thief with prior records. However, upon being interrogated Betchley claimed he didn’t steal the trophy and was only acting as a middleman for an elusive individual he referred to as ‘The Pole’.
Betchley was sentenced to two years in prison, but the police never found ‘The Pole.’ The trophy, too, remained in the wind.
While the nationwide search for the Jules Rimet Trophy continued, David Corbett, a Thames lighterman (barge operator), was out for a walk with his dog Pickles, a black and white collie, in southeast London’s Beulah Hill district. It was also a Sunday, exactly one week after the original theft.
The four-year-old canine sniffed out a package wrapped in newspapers and strings under one of Corbett’s neighbours’ cars while Corbett was stopped at a phone booth to make a phone call.
Corbett was initially sceptical and suspected it was a bomb, but he eventually gave in to his curiosity and unwrapped the package.
“I picked it up and tore some paper and saw a woman holding a dish over her head, and discs with the words Germany, Uruguay, Brazil. I dashed inside to find my wife. She was one of those sports-hating wives. But I declared, ‘I’ve discovered the World Cup!’ ‘I’ve discovered the World Cup!'” Years later, Corbett recalled his reaction to the Guardian.
Corbett eventually handed over the trophy to the local police station and was detained for a time on suspicion of involvement in the theft. He, however, had an alibi and got the clean chit.
Corbett and Pickles, whom the bargeman had adopted as a puppy from his brother because he ‘chewed on furniture a little too much,’ became national heroes.
Pickles, who had saved England from disaster, went on to become a celebrity and, eventually, a television star.
Thanks to the duo, particularly Mr Pickles, England captain Bobby Moore was able to hoist the original Jules Rimet Trophy at London’s Wembley Stadium after England defeated Germany in the World Cup final.
The Three Lions’ only World Cup victory to date, and the trophy was presented to Sir Bobby Moore by Queen Elizabeth II herself.
Pickles, along with Corbett, were also invited to the England team’s celebration banquet after winning the trophy.
(Image: Twitter @TheOlizhe)
The original trophy, however, was stolen a second time in 1983 from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) in Rio de Janeiro.
The original Jules Rimet Trophy was never found, and it was said to have been melted down into gold bars.
Following that chain of events, it’s easy to see why FIFA is so determined to keep their current trophy.
Need for Another Trophy
The names of the winners, as well as the year, are inscribed on the base of the original FIFA World Cup trophy, which has been in use since 1974. However, at its core, there is now only room for five more winners.
This means that by 2038, the base of the trophy must be completely filled with names, and FIFA should be looking to replace it by the 2042 FIFA World Cup, a report by the Daily Star states.
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