Jules Rimet Trophy

Definition: The original prize for winning the World Cup. Originally called "Victory", but generally known simply as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde, it was renamed in 1946 to honour FIFA president Jules Rimet who died in 1929. The trophy is solid gold on a blue base of lapis lazuli. After winning their third World Cup in 1970, Brazil were given the trophy to keep and a replacement was commissioned.

The trophy was held by 1938 winners Italy during World War 2. Ottorino Barassi, the Italian vice-president of FIFA and president of FIGC (Italian Football Federation), secretly took it out of the bank it was being held in, transporting it to Rome where he put it in a shoebox under his bed to stop the Nazis taking it.

Four months before the 1966 World Cup in England, the trophy was stolen during a public exhibition at Westminster Central Hall. Bizarrely, the trophy was found in a suburban South London back garden wrapped in newspaper. It was recovered by a dog named Pickles.

The trophy was again stolen from the Brazilian headquarters in 1983. It has never been recovered, and a replica was presented to the Brazilian president in 1984. Four men were eventually tried and convicted in absentia for the crime.

Also Known As: World Cup, Coupe du Monde.