The
World Cup is a
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
trophyThe trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and usually afterwards serves as proof of merit. They are most often awarded with sporting events. These range from youth sports through professional level athletics...
that is awarded to the winners of the
FIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two trophies have represented victory: the
Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970, and the
FIFA World Cup Trophy from 1974 to the present day.
The Jules Rimet Trophy, originally named
Victory, but later renamed in honour of former
FIFAThe International Federation of Association Football, commonly known by its French acronym, FIFA , is the international governing body of association football. Its headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland, and its current president is Sepp Blatter...
president
Jules RimetJules Rimet was president of the French Football Federation from 1919 to 1946 and of FIFA from 1921 to 1954. He is currently FIFA's longest serving president, having served for 33 years.Rimet was born at Theuley, France....
, was made of gold plated
sterling silverSterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
and
lapis lazuliLapis lazuli is a relatively rare, semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color....
and depicted
NikeIn Greek mythology, Nike , was a goddess who personified triumph throughout the ages of the ancient Greek culture. She is known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was Victoria...
, the Greek goddess of victory.
The
World Cup is a
goldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. It has been a highly sought-after precious metal for coinage, jewelry, and other arts since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits. Gold is...
trophyThe trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and usually afterwards serves as proof of merit. They are most often awarded with sporting events. These range from youth sports through professional level athletics...
that is awarded to the winners of the
FIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two trophies have represented victory: the
Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970, and the
FIFA World Cup Trophy from 1974 to the present day.
The Jules Rimet Trophy, originally named
Victory, but later renamed in honour of former
FIFAThe International Federation of Association Football, commonly known by its French acronym, FIFA , is the international governing body of association football. Its headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland, and its current president is Sepp Blatter...
president
Jules RimetJules Rimet was president of the French Football Federation from 1919 to 1946 and of FIFA from 1921 to 1954. He is currently FIFA's longest serving president, having served for 33 years.Rimet was born at Theuley, France....
, was made of gold plated
sterling silverSterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
and
lapis lazuliLapis lazuli is a relatively rare, semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color....
and depicted
NikeIn Greek mythology, Nike , was a goddess who personified triumph throughout the ages of the ancient Greek culture. She is known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was Victoria...
, the Greek goddess of victory.
BrazilThe Brazil national football team is the national team of Brazil and is managed by the Brazilian Football Confederation that represents Brazil in international football competitions. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships...
won the trophy outright in 1970, prompting the commissioning of a replacement. The Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen in 1983 and never recovered. The replacement trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was first used in
1974The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. West Germany had been chosen in July 1966 as hosts by FIFA. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio...
. Made of 18 carat gold with a
malachiteMalachite is a carbonate mineral normally known as "copper carbonate" with the formula CuCO
3.Cu
2. This green-colored mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses. Individual crystals are rare but do...
base, it depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. The current holder of the trophy is
ItalyThe Italy national football team represents Italy in international football competition and is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio...
, winner of the
2006 World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000...
.
Jules Rimet Trophy
The Jules Rimet Trophy was the original prize for winning the
World CupThe FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. Originally called "Victory", but generally known simply as the
World Cup or
Coupe du Monde, it was officially renamed in 1946 to honour the FIFA President
Jules RimetJules Rimet was president of the French Football Federation from 1919 to 1946 and of FIFA from 1921 to 1954. He is currently FIFA's longest serving president, having served for 33 years.Rimet was born at Theuley, France....
who in 1929 passed a vote to initiate the competition. Designed by
Abel LafleurAbel Lafleur was a French sculptor who designed and made the FIFA World Cup trophy, first simply called 'Coupe du Monde', later renamed the Jules Rimet Trophy. The trophy was 35 cm in height, weighed 3.8 kg and was made of gold-plated sterling silver, with a blue base of semi-precious stone...
and made of solid gold on a blue base of
lapis lazuliLapis lazuli is a relatively rare, semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color....
, it stood 35 centimetres (14 in) high and weighed 3.8 kilograms (8.4 lb). It comprised an octagonal cup, supported by a winged figure representing
NikeIn Greek mythology, Nike , was a goddess who personified triumph throughout the ages of the ancient Greek culture. She is known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was Victoria...
, the ancient Greek goddess of victory. The Jules Rimet Trophy was taken to Uruguay for the first
FIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
aboard the
Conte VerdeSS Conte Verde was an Italian Lloyd Sabaudo Line ocean liner active in the early 20th century.It was built in 1923 and had a GRT of 18.765. She originally provided transatlantic passenger transport between Genoa and New York City. After acquisition by Italian Line in 1932, she became a part of...
, which set sail from
Villefranche-sur-MerVillefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
, just south of
NiceNice is a city in southern France located on the Mediterranean coast, between Marseille, France, and Genoa, Italy, with 347 060 inhabitants in the 2006 estimate...
, on 21 June 1930. This was the same ship that carried Jules Rimet and the footballers representing France, Romania and Belgium who were participating in the tournament that year. The first team to be awarded the trophy were
UruguayThe Uruguay national football team represents Uruguay in international football competition and is controlled by the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol....
, the winners of the
1930 World CupThe 1930 FIFA World Cup was the first FIFA World Cup, the world championship for international football teams. It was played in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July...
.
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the trophy was held by
1938The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. France was chosen as hosts by FIFA in August 1936...
winners
ItalyThe Italy national football team represents Italy in international football competition and is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio...
.
Ottorino BarassiDr. Ing. Ottorino Barassi was an Italian sports official.The first action of his career was to help organise the 1934 FIFA World Cup, which was played in his native Italy. His notability in World Cup history continued, as Italy won the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France...
, the Italian vice-president of
FIFAThe International Federation of Association Football, commonly known by its French acronym, FIFA , is the international governing body of association football. Its headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland, and its current president is Sepp Blatter...
and president of FIGC, secretly transported the trophy from a bank in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
and hid it in a shoe-box under his bed to prevent the
NaziNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
s from taking it.
On 20 March 1966, four months before the
1966 FIFA World CupThe 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England was chosen as hosts by FIFA in August 1960 to celebrate the centenary of the codification of football in England...
in England, the trophy was
stolenThe Jules Rimet Trophy, awarded to the winner of the football World Cup, was stolen in 1966 prior to the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. The trophy was later recovered...
during a public exhibition at
Westminster Central HallThe Westminster Central Hall is a Methodist church in the City of Westminster. It is on Victoria Street in London, just off Parliament Square, next to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and facing Westminster Abbey....
. The trophy was found just seven days later wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge in
Upper NorwoodUpper Norwood is an elevated area in south London, England within the postcode SE19. It is a residential district largely in the London Borough of Croydon although some parts extend into the London Borough of Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Bromley. Upper Norwood...
,
South LondonSouth London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes.-Boundary Commission:...
, by a dog named
PicklesPickles was a black and white mongrel dog renowned for his role in finding the stolen Jules Rimet Trophy in 1966.- Overview :The trophy was stolen during a public rare stamp exhibition at Westminster Central Hall, on the afternoon of Sunday 20th March, just four months before the 1966 FIFA World...
.
As a security measure,
The Football AssociationThe Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
secretly manufactured a replica of the trophy for use in the post-match celebrations. The replica was also used on subsequent occasions until 1970. The replica was sold at an auction in 1997 for £254,500, when it was purchased by FIFA. The high auction price, several times the reserve price of £20,000-£30,000, led to speculation that the auctioned trophy was not a replica, and was in fact genuine. Subsequent to the auction, FIFA arranged for the replica to be displayed at the English
National Football MuseumThe National Football Museum is a museum in Preston, Lancashire, England, founded to preserve, conserve and interpret several important collections of Association Football memorabilia...
in
PrestonPreston is a city and non-metropolitan district of Lancashire, in North West England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign...
.
The
Brazilian teamThe Brazil national football team is the national team of Brazil and is managed by the Brazilian Football Confederation that represents Brazil in international football competitions. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships...
won the tournament for the third time in
1970The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. Mexico was chosen as hosts by FIFA in October 1964. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of...
, allowing them to keep the real trophy in perpetuity, as had been stipulated by Jules Rimet in 1930. However, the cup was stolen again on 19 December 1983, when it was taken from a display at the
Brazilian Football ConfederationThe Brazilian Football Confederation is the governing body of football in Brazil. It was founded on August 20, 1914 as Confederação Brasileira de Desportos , meaning Brazilian Sports Confederation. Its first president was Álvaro Zamith. It organizes the Brazilian national competitions, like...
headquarters in
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and...
. The trophy was kept in a cabinet with a front of bullet-proof glass, but a rear made of wood was pried open with a crowbar. The trophy was never recovered, which suggests it may have been melted down. Four men were eventually tried and convicted in absentia for the crime. The Confederation commissioned a replica of their own, made by
Eastman KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational US corporation which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment. Long known for its wide range of photographic film products, Kodak is re-focusing on two major markets: digital photography and digital printing.- Origins :Kodak's origins rest...
, using 1.8 kg (3.97 lb) of gold. This replica was presented to the Brazilian president in 1984.
FIFA World Cup Trophy
A replacement trophy was commissioned by FIFA for the 1974 World Cup. Fifty-three submissions were received from sculptures in seven countries.. Italian artist
Silvio GazzanigaSilvio Gazzaniga, born in 23 January 1921, is a sculptor from Milan, Italy. While working for the Stabilimento Artistico Bertoni company, he created the FIFA World Cup Trophy. Gazzaniga was a graduate of the Brera Academy, as is his daughter, Gabriella, and is a fan of AC Milan.His design was...
was awarded the commission. The trophy stands 36.5 centimetres (14.4 inches) tall and is made of 5 kg (11 lb) of 18 carat (75%) solid gold with a base (13 centimetres [5.1 inches] in diameter) containing two layers of
malachiteMalachite is a carbonate mineral normally known as "copper carbonate" with the formula CuCO
3.Cu
2. This green-colored mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses. Individual crystals are rare but do...
. Produced by
Bertoni, MilanoGDE Bertoni is a trophy and medal manufacturer, in Milan, Italy. Until 1995, the company was known as 'Bertoni, Milano'.The company's most famous production is the FIFA World Cup Trophy, which it made in 1971 after winning an international competition....
, it weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb) in total, depicts two human figures holding up the Earth. Gazzaniga described the trophy thus, "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory." It was first presented at the
1974 FIFA World CupThe 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. West Germany had been chosen in July 1966 as hosts by FIFA. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio...
, to West German captain
Franz BeckenbauerFranz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
.
The trophy has the visible engravement "FIFA World Cup" in outpouring letters at its base. The name of the country whose national team wins each tournament is engraved in the bottom side of the trophy, and therefore is not visible when the trophy is standing upright. The text states the year in figures and the name of winning nation in English, for example "— 2002 Brazil". As of 2006 nine winners have been engraved on the base. It is not known whether FIFA will retire the trophy after all of the name plaques at the base are filled in; this will not occur until after the 2038 World Cup at the earliest. FIFA's regulations now state that the trophy, unlike its predecessor, cannot be won outright: the winners of the tournament receive a replica which is gold plated rather than solid gold.
Shortly before the
2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000...
in Germany, the trophy was briefly returned to Italy for restoration before eventually being awarded to the same country. On 14 July 2006 it was reported that The World Cup Trophy appeared to have been broken after being in Italy's hands for only a few days.
Fabio CannavaroFabio Cannavaro is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus. He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2006, making him the first and so far only defender to win the award, as well as the oldest recipient...
, Italy's captain, was photographed holding a piece of green malachite that had broken off the base, which was subsequently glued back into place.
Jules Rimet Trophy
BrazilThe Brazil national football team is the national team of Brazil and is managed by the Brazilian Football Confederation that represents Brazil in international football competitions. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships...
- 1958, 1962, 1970
ItalyThe Italy national football team represents Italy in international football competition and is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio...
- 1934, 1938
UruguayThe Uruguay national football team represents Uruguay in international football competition and is controlled by the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol....
- 1930, 1950
West GermanyThe German national football team is the football team representing the country of Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association DFB which was founded in 1900....
- 1954
EnglandThe English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England...
- 1966
FIFA World Cup Trophy
BrazilThe Brazil national football team is the national team of Brazil and is managed by the Brazilian Football Confederation that represents Brazil in international football competitions. They are the most successful national football team in the history of the World Cup, with five championships...
- 1994, 2002
ItalyThe Italy national football team represents Italy in international football competition and is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio...
- 1982, 2006
West GermanyThe German national football team is the football team representing the country of Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association DFB which was founded in 1900....
- 1974, 1990
ArgentinaThe Argentina national football team is the national football team of Argentina and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association . Argentina has won most international titles by any national team - 19, a record shared with Uruguay....
- 1978, 1986
FranceThe France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA....
- 1998
Total
| Country |
Jules Rimet Trophy |
FIFA World Cup |
Total |
| Brazil Brazil |
3 |
2 |
5 |
| Italy Italy |
2 |
2 |
4 |
Germany Germany (as West GermanyWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| Argentina Argentina |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| Uruguay Uruguay |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| England England |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| France France |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Total |
9 |
9 |
18 |
| Countries won |
5 |
5 |
7 |
External links
- The story of the 1966 theft The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a left-liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-History:The...
- FIFA Trophies (PDF)