Brazilians pick out new Christmas present
The trophy was displayed in a bullet proof case with a wooden rear mount
Jules Rimet is considered one of the most influential administrators in the history of international football. Serving as FIFA President from 1921 to 1954, Rimet’s foresight was unparalleled, as it was he who coined the idea of the FIFA World Cup.
First held in 1930 in Uruguay, the winners would be awarded a trophy originally named ‘Victory’ that would later be renamed The Jules Rimet Trophy. While the trophy was retired in 1970 and replaced with the popular form all football fans love today, the trophy would keep its name well into the future.
What was not bargained for though was the persistence of pick-pockets. In 1966 in London, the trophy was stolen but was fortunately sniffed out by a local dog. The Jules Rimet Trophy’s final appearance was in 1983 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. On 19 December 1983, thieves broke into the Brazil Football Confederation Headquarters, forced open the wooden rear of the display and disappeared with football’s original status symbol.
The trophy has never been recovered and most believe it to have been destroyed. The more romantic of us believe the trophy was stolen by a desperate father who wanted to give his only son the symbol of Brazilian football excellence as a special Christmas gift. One hopes that young boy still keeps that trophy on his livingroom mantelpiece to this day.
