The tender story of Pickles, the puppy who saved the 1966 World Cup in England.

Can you lose and win the FIFA World Cup in the same year? The answer is yes.

This happened to England in 1966 when they hosted the World Cup.

Just a few months before the start of the games, someone stole the trophy and demanded a ransom. The organizers of the tournament were so desperate that they secretly asked silversmith George Byrd to make an exact copy.

FROM.In July 1966, England defeated West Germany 4-2. became world champion. Fortunately, that day the iconic image of the English captain Bobby Moore lifting the cup was left for posterity. For real.

Robbery

Until 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the winner of the World Cup. made of 925 sterling silver, plated with gold, on a base of blue malachite and weighing almost 4 kg.

He represented Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, and his name is in honor of the French FIFA president who helped create the sporting event.

In March 1966, the sculpture was exhibited in a stamp exhibition at the Westminster Museum. Central Hall in Central London.

Two guards were supposed to be constantly at the trophy box during working hours, but on March 20 they failed in their duties. On the same day, a divine service was held in another part of the building, which was filled with people.

During their midday round, the guards discovered that the back doors of the building had been forced open, as was the shop window. The trophy is gone.

The thief ignored a stamp collection worth around £3 million, taking only the trophy.3000 pounds.

Three days later, then Football Association chairman Joe Mears received a ransom note signed by someone named Jackson demanding £15,000.

A meeting was arranged with an undercover police officer transporting counterfeit money. At the appointed place, he met Edward Bletchley, a petty thief.

Bletchley was arrested but did not have a cup and insisted that he was only an intermediary. No one else was found to be involved in the crime.

Gherkins to the rescue

Seven days after the theft, Pickles – “gherkins” in Spanish – warned his owner, David Corbett, about a bundle wrapped in newspapers in a hedge near his home in south London. The dog smelled the abandoned World Cup.

Pickles became a celebrity after his discovery, and both the man and the dog were treated to a celebratory dinner. after England won the tournament in July; he was even allowed to eat from his master’s plate.

Pickles has been awarded the National Canine Defense League medal and numerous awards.

He also became a TV star when he appeared in The Cold Nosed Spy with Eric Sykes, a British actor, screenwriter and film director well known in the UK for his roles in British comedies of the 50s.

He was invited to many events around the world, but at the time, health restrictions required the dogs to be quarantined for 6 months. after traveling, so his owner turned down all offers.

Pickles died the following year, but such was his legacy that his necklace is on display at the National Football Museum.

This was not the last time the World Cup was stolen.

In 1970, the trophy was given to Brazil in perpetuity after winning the tournament for the third time, and a new trophy, currently awarded, was designed for future world championships, made of 18 carat gold and depicting two human figures holding the earth.

Jules Rimet’s original glass, the one that Pickles saved, it was stolen again from the Brazilian Football Confederation building in 1983. Nobody has seen him since.

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