The Jules Rimet Trophy was the trophy given to the team that won the FIFA World Cup until 1970.
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Let’s go almost 100 years into the past, prior to the celebration of the 1st edition of the FIFA World Cup, which was held in Uruguay in 1930. The Jules Rimet Trophy, named after the 3rd President of FIFA, was initially called “Victory”.
It was created in 1930 to honor the winners of the FIFA World Cup. Weighing about 3.8 kilograms and standing a little over 35 centimeters tall, this trophy had a unique design. It depicted the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, holding up a vessel above her.
Made of solid gold and set on a base of blue semi-precious stones, it’s no wonder the trophy caught many eyes. It truly was a work of art. The sport of kabaddi also gives some beautiful trophies, and the best betting sites for this exciting discipline are the ones that you can find at the 1xBet platform.
From 1930 to 1970, the trophy was awarded to the winning team of each World Cup. But here’s the catch: any team that won the tournament 3 times could keep the trophy forever. The teams that lifted the trophy during its known existence were:
- Uruguay;
- Italy;
- West Germany;
- England;
- and Brazil.
Brazil, with their mesmerizing football magic, achieved this feat in 1970. Pelé, the footballing genius, and his team clinched the title for 3rd third time, having previously won in 1958 and 1962. So, the trophy found its forever home in Brazil, or so everyone thought.
An unresolved mystery
Here’s where the story takes a wild turn. In 1983, this cherished piece of football history was stolen in Rio de Janeiro. Yep, you heard that right. Even with a display case made of bulletproof glass, some cunning thieves managed to get their hands on it. If you like Brazilian football, you can visit the https://india-1xbet.com/ platform in order to discover excellent wagering opportunities on its great teams.
Some people might think that they have heard this story before. Well, they are right. This is because this wasn’t the first time that the Jules Rimet Trophy had been stolen. The same had happened prior to the 1966 FIFA World Cup held in England. However, this story had a happier ending.
Eventually, a dog named Pickles became an overnight sensation when he found it wrapped in newspaper under a garden hedge. Even to this day, the identity of the person who stole the trophy in England remains totally unknown. You can visit the 1xBet website now if you want to wager on football competitions that are held in England too.
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Sadly, the 1983 theft didn’t have such a fairy-tale ending. Despite extensive investigations and nationwide searches, the trophy remained elusive. While nobody knows what exactly happened to the Jules Rimet Trophy, it is thought that most likely it was molten down and sold as scrap metal. This, of course, is a huge loss not only to Brazil, but to world football history as a whole.
While the original Jules Rimet Trophy was lost, after its theft in 1966, FIFA had already thought about creating a replica. Back then, the football governing entity didn’t even imagine the importance that said replica would acquire one day.
They commissioned the trophy to the same company that created the original one, which was called Garrard & Co. However, this replica wasn’t a carbon copy of the original. This is because its purpose was to be displayed for the general public and not for being used in actual FIFA World Cup competitions. Of course, after the 1983 theft, the replica became even more significant.
In a twist that seems straight out of a movie, the replica was sold at an auction in 1997 for a whopping £254,500. And guess who bought it, well, the buyers were None other than the Brazilian Football Confederation. For this reason, to a certain extent it can be said that the Jules Rimet Trophy returned home.
