DistantNews
Support us
The 'filfa' of FIFA: A history of the World Cup trophy
🇪🇸 Spain /Sports

The 'filfa' of FIFA: A history of the World Cup trophy

From La Vanguardia · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • The article recounts the history of the FIFA World Cup trophy, from the original Victory Cup to the Jules Rimet Trophy and the current FIFA World Cup trophy.
  • It details the theft and recovery of the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1966 and its permanent awarding to Brazil in 1970, followed by its second theft in 1983 from which it was never recovered.
  • The author suggests a redesign of the current World Cup trophy, humorously proposing it be named the "Gianni Infantino" and depicting a woman with specific physical attributes.

The history of the FIFA World Cup trophy is a tale of evolution, theft, and enduring legacy, beginning with the vision of Jules Rimet.

Jules Rimet, the FIFA president who conceived the World Cup, initially saw the winning team presented with a trophy called Victory. Later, a successor, perhaps seeking favor, renamed it the Jules Rimet Trophy. This trophy, designed by sculptor Abel Lafleur, was distinct from the current FIFA World Cup. It depicted the Greek goddess of victory, Niké, holding an octagonal cup, stood about 30 centimeters tall, weighed around four kilograms, and appeared to be solid gold. In reality, it was sterling silver with a gold plating over a lapis lazuli base meant for inscribing the winners' names.

A dramatic incident occurred in 1966, just four months before the World Cup in England, when the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen from its display in London. The alarm was immense, comparable to the theft of the Mona Lisa. However, a week later, a dog named Pickles discovered the trophy hidden under a bush in a South London garden, wrapped in newspaper. The dog's owner received a substantial reward, Pickles became a national celebrity, and Bobby Moore, captain of England's only World Cup-winning team, was able to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy.

Brazil was awarded the trophy permanently in 1970 after winning its third World Cup in Mexico. It was housed at the Brazilian Football Confederation's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro until it was stolen again in 1983. This time, no dog came to the rescue, and the Niké trophy vanished without a trace, never to be seen again.

Considering the history and the upcoming World Cups in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the author provocatively suggests it is time for a redesign of the current World Cup trophy. They humorously propose it be named the "Gianni Infantino" and envision it as a "great Penelope" with exaggerated physical features, holding a red card in one hand and the Hasan II stadium in the other.

It seems urgent to redesign the World Cup trophy, the Gianni Infantino

— AuthorSuggesting a redesign of the current FIFA World Cup trophy.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Vanguardia in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog