The world cup trophy is the most prestigious price in the football world. Since the advent of the world cup two trophies have represented victory.
In 1928, FIFA made a decision to stage an international football tournament as initiated by the FIFA president Jules Rimet, he appointed French sculptor Abel Lafleur to design a trophy to be awarded to the winner of the inaugural edition held in 1930 in Uruguay. The gold trophy was designed to include a shallow decagonal cup, supported by an upraised arm of winged figure representing Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory with a blue base made of lapis lazuli. The cup spans 35cm in height and weighs 3.78 kg. The winner of each tournament would keep the trophy for four years, the first team to win the tournament three times was allowed to keep the trophy in perpetuity. The first holder of the trophy was Uruguay, winner of the 1930 world cup.
The 1934 world cup was held in Italy in the time of Benito Mussolini. The dictator hopes to use victory at the world cup to further the glory of his own regime. By making absolute maximum from natives of another country with Italian parentage, bribing referees and threatening players of other countries, the Italians clinched their first world cup.
At the 1938 French edition, the Italian team faced Hungary in the Final. Just to make sure his players were fully focused on winning, Mussolini sent each of them a telegram which simply read “Vincero o moriel” meaning “win or die”. Fortunately, the Italians retained their trophy.
The world cup tournament was suspended for 12 years due to World War 2. Near the end of the war, the vice president of FIFA Ottorino Baarassi hid the trophy in a shoe box under his bed to prevent the Nazis from taking it. After the war was over, FIFA renamed the trophy as Jules Rimet trophy in 1946 in honour of the former FIFA president.
The world cup made its comeback in 1950. The trophy was kept in turn by winners for 16 ‘quiet’ years. Several months before the 1966 world cup in England to kick off, the trophy was stolen during a public exhibition at the Methodist Central Hall, WestMinister. The trophy was found just a week later in a bush in South London by a dog named ‘Pickles’.
The New FIFA World Cup
In 1970, the brazillian team won the tournament for the third time after their victories in 1958 and 1962 allowing them to keep the trophy permanently thus, FIFA had to commission a new trophy before the 1974 world cup. Fifty three submission were received from sculptors around the world. In May 1971, Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga was awarded the task of designing it. It depicts two athletes spiraling out from the base to hold the earth in their hands. The trophy stands 36 meters and is made of 5kg of 18 carats gold. It has a space for 17 plaques detailing the winners and the space does not run out until the 2038 edition. Up till now the trophy has been presented to captains of six national teams—(West)Germany, Argentina, Italy, Brazil, France and Spain.
FIFA’s regulations now state that the trophy, unlike its predecessor, cannot be won outright. The original Jules Rimet trophy handed to brazil however did not stay in glory as the cup was stolen in 1983 from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Federation. This had been the third time it was lost. The Brazilian government offered a high reward to break the case but the trophy has never been recovered. It is widely believed that it has been melted down and sold away. The Brazilian Football Federation made a gold-plated replica of the trophy.
The 2018 edition is very near and there would be a new champions name on the trophy.
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