The gold trophy that was once hidden in a shoe box
In short: Before the iconic gold figures of the current FIFA World Cup Trophy, there was the Jules Rimet Trophy. It has a history marked by theft, a search by a collie dog, and a secret hiding place under a bed during the war.
The original trophy, originally titled Victory and later renamed for FIFA president Jules Rimet, was a gold-plated sterling silver sculpture of the goddess Nike. It stood 35 centimetres high and weighed 3.8 kilograms. Its history is defined by two major thefts: one in 1966, where it was recovered by a black and white collie named Pickles in a London garden hedge, and another in 1983, when it was stolen from a cabinet in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered. While some believe it was melted into gold bars, others argue it contained insufficient gold for such a feat and may still exist on the black market.
The theft of the Jules Rimet Trophy by Brazil—who won it in perpetuity after their 1970 title—necessitated a replacement. The current FIFA World Cup Trophy, introduced in 1974, was designed by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga and produced by GDE Bertoni. It depicts two human figures holding up the Earth and is made of 18 karat gold with malachite bands on its base. It stands 36.8 centimetres tall and weighs 6.175 kilograms.
To prevent the trophy from being too heavy to lift, chemist Sir Martyn Poliakoff noted in 2010 that the trophy must be hollow, a fact later confirmed by the manufacturer. Housed within Switzerland's FIFA World Football Museum in Zürich, the present prize is touched exclusively by certain individuals, such as FIFA officials, heads of state, managers, and victorious players. As of June 2026, the material cost of this gold icon is estimated at US$713,000.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: FIFA World Cup Trophy
- Also: Wikidata — FIFA World Cup Trophy · CC0
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