Pickles (born in 1962 or 1963; died in 1967) was a black and white collie dog most remembered for his involvement in recovering the stolen Jules Rimet Trophy in March 1966, four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup began in England. He was owned by Robert Swann, who had bought him in South Africa, where he had been trained as a guide dog.
On January 8, 1966, shortly after 6 a.m., Swann was driving through London on his way to work when he saw police lights ahead of him. He stopped at a checkpoint and was asked whether he knew why they were there. Without answering, Swann drove off, but soon after ran into more checkpoints and was arrested. Police searched his car and found the trophy hidden under the front seat. At his trial, Swann was fined $5,000 (about $60,000 in today's money). However, because of financial difficulties, he was allowed to go free.
Swann took out a newspaper advertisement looking for the cup, but no one claimed it. So, he gave up hope and went back to work, but was fired a few days later for being absent without leave. Then one day, he saw an article in The Daily Mirror about the theft and realized that could be the person who stole the cup. So, he wrote a letter to the paper saying that he found the cup and wanted to return it.
When the World Cup was stolen and later recovered by Pickles the dog. The English will always remember 1966 as the year we won the World Cup. What's frequently forgotten is that the trophy was stolen in the days leading up to the competition... and then found in a thicket by a dog named Pickles.
In fact, the cup was still locked inside its case when it was discovered by Pickles back in June. At the time, she was living with her owner, John Bentley, at his house in Surrey. One day, Bentley went to collect his wife from work and saw that something was wrong with her car. To his astonishment, he found that someone had broken into the vehicle and taken the cup while they were at the match.
Bentley called the police and reported his loss but didn't report his missing cup seriously. He just thought it must be somewhere else in the world cup squad parking lot. It wasn't until three months later that the cup was spotted by another driver who noticed it lying in a bush. This time, the police were contacted and they started an investigation which led them to Bentley. He admitted that he had lost the cup but said that he didn't think it was important enough to report missing.
However, when officers looked closer at the situation they realized that this wasn't just any old cup. It was the real thing; the prize for winning the World Cup.
The Jules Rimet Trophy, which is given to the World Cup victor, was stolen in 1966, just before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. The trophy was eventually retrieved by a dog named Pickles, who was praised and earned a cult following for his bravery. The trophy was finally won by England, the host nation.
You may have heard that there are actually two different trophies used at the World Cup. This is true, but they're called the Jules Rimet Cup and the Webb Ellis Cup. They are kept in separate vaults at the Football Association (FA) headquarters in London. It's considered very important that neither cup be opened or removed from its vault during any stage of the competition.
In fact, the only time anyone has ever touched either cup in an official capacity is when they were being carried around by their respective champions. World Cup winners Nicolas Anelka of France and Paulo Roberto Alves of Brazil carried the cups on each side of their bodies while walking down the streets after receiving them from the FA president.
Here are the locations: The Jules Rimet Cup is carried by World Cup winner Nicolas Anelka of France. He carries it on his right shoulder while walking down the street with the help of a bodyguard. The Webb Ellis Cup is carried by Brazilian World Cup winner Paulo Roberto Alves.
Pickles, a mongrel dog out on a stroll with his owner on March 27th in south London, ultimately discovered the award. Later that year, England won the World Cup, but after winning the championship for the third time, Brazil was permitted to keep the trophy in perpetuity. It is now on display in the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.
The trophy was officially named the Jules Rimet Football Award in honor of its founder. It is colloquially known as the World Cup trophy because it was used to celebrate each world cup tournament awarded by FIFA.
The original silver trophy is still in use today and can be seen at special events within the English FA museum in Southport, Merseyside. It is also on display at The Football Association headquarters in Park Lane, London.
The prize money offered for winning the World Cup increased steadily from $50,000 in 1930 to $750,000 in 1954 before peaking at $1 million in 1958.
In 1966, just two years after Brazil had last won the trophy, a young boy called John Charles Hooper found it under a tablecloth in a restaurant in Greenwich. He was taking food to his mother who was sitting out with friends near the Thames River. When asked about the trophy, he simply said "I'm not telling stories," and ran off with his pickle stick.
In September 2018, a plaque was installed at the location where Pickles discovered the World Cup Trophy on Beulah Hill in Upper Norwood. Pickles' Plaque atop Beulah Hill in Upper Norwood The World Cup in football is stolen in 1966. On This Day in History, BBC Alastair Reid (10 September 1966). "The FIFA World Cup." The New Yorker, page three. The date was February 2, 2007.
Pickles, a dog who found the cup in 1972, lived near the top of Beulah Hill with his owner Roy Palmer. When Palmer died, so did the mystery of where he had placed the trophy. In 2004, Chris Yates, another dog-owner, found the cup in his garden. He knew it was important and contacted The Football Association to let them know what had happened. They sent an expert to examine the cup and she said it was probably between 1930 and 1990 that they might have been able to win money with it. She also said there were probably more valuable items inside but access would be difficult because it's made of wood and covered in rubber.
Yates decided to put up an advertisement in The Times to see if anyone knew the story behind the trophy finding. After receiving many responses, he set up a website, FindTheFIFA.com. In 2005, Palmer's family agreed for him to sell the cup to fund a charity for disabled children.
Sergio Peralta, the mastermind, was released from prison in 1998. In 2003, he died of a heart attack. The trophy was never discovered. Instead, the CBF received a copy of the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1984. "The World Cup of Football was stolen in 1966." BBC News, 20 March 1966, accessed 28 June 2010. Atherton
The Jules Rimet trophy has been lost for 30 years this month (the precise anniversary is December 20), having been taken in Brazil and allegedly melted into gold bars by its captors. It was hunted by the Nazis and stolen before the 1966 World Cup, only to be returned by a black and white collie.
Sergio Peralta, the mastermind, was released from prison in 1998. In 2003, he died of a heart attack. The trophy was never discovered. Instead, the CBF received a copy of the Jules Rimet Trophy in 1984. "The World Cup of Football was stolen in 1966." BBC News, 20 March 1966, accessed 28 June 2010. Atherton
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