FIFA World Cup Uruguay Trophy

The Jules Rimet Cup was the original FIFA World Cup trophy, introduced in 1930 and named after FIFA president Jules Rimet. Designed by French sculptor Abel Lafleur, it depicted Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Awarded to the winners of each World Cup, it survived turbulent times, including being hidden in a shoebox under a bed in Rome during the Second World War to protect it from the Nazis.

In 1966, before the tournament in England, the trophy was stolen in London but famously recovered by a dog named Pickles. According to FIFA rules, any nation winning the World Cup three times could keep it permanently. After Brazil’s third triumph in 1970, the trophy was awarded to them. In 1983, it was stolen again in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered, widely believed to have been melted down. The current FIFA World Cup Trophy was introduced in 1974 and replaced the Jules Rimet Trophy.