At the Lusail Stadium in Doha, after a superb night of football match on Sunday, Lionel Messi ultimately got the opportunity to lift the Fifa World Cup trophy with Argentina winning in the final against France. It took Messi more than 16 years after playing his maiden World Cup tournament, to get his hand on this coveted prize. But he and his team won’t be able to take the trophy home!
The original FIFA World Cup trophy was called the Jules Rimet Trophy. It was named in honour of former FIFA president Jules Rimet. He was instrumental in the conceptualisation of a global football tournament like the World Cup. From the very first World Cup (held in 1930) to 1970, the trophy was given to the champions. It was made of gold-plated sterling silver and weighed 3.8 kg.
At that time, FIFA had a rule in place that allowed countries (which won the World Cup three times) to keep the original trophy. Thus, in 1970, after their third title, Brazil took home the Jules Rimet Trophy.
However, in 1983, the Jules Rimet Trophy that Brazil took home (in 1970) was stolen. In Rio de Janeiro, it was on display at the Brazilian Football Confederation headquarters. Till date, it has not been found. Reportedly, the trophy was melted down and sold to someone.
Interestingly, this was the second instance of the award being stolen. In 1966, just a few days before the World Cup hosted by England, it was stolen during a public exhibition in London. But, the trophy was retrieved within 10 days.
Nowadays, the champions receive a gold-plated bronze replica of the FIFA trophy. The winning team is not allowed to take home the original. This is mainly due to security concerns.