World Cup Cup: how much is it worth and how many replicas are there?
Millions want it, but few have it. Thousands have already passed within inches of it, but only a few hundred know how much it costs to raise it. It's everyone's dream, but only a lucky few can turn that wish into reality.
The World Cup cup is surrounded by stories, mysteries and jokes. A unique trophy, although not in the strictest sense of the word.
The original piece
The original cup measures 36.8 centimeters high, is 13 centimeters in diameter at the base and is made from 3 kilos of solid 18-karat gold, as well as two green malachite rings (a mineral).
In total, the piece weighs 6.175 kilos. According to FIFA's technical specifications, the trophy has an estimated value of 300 thousand dollars (approximately R$ 1.5 million).
The jewel is so exclusive that the champion country no longer has the right to take it home, not even for a short period. Until 2006, the winning team could display the cup in their country until the start of the following World Cup cycle.
This changed after the German Cup, when FIFA, citing the need to preserve the original design created by the Italian Silvio Gazzaniga, determined that the original cup would only be loaned for the awards ceremony and for official photos on the pitch. After that, she immediately returns to the entity's headquarters in Switzerland.
The security argument makes perfect historical sense.
An unlikely hero
The current trophy began to be used in the 1974 World Cup. Before it, FIFA awarded the Jules Rimet Cup - a smaller piece that, instead of two players supporting planet Earth, bore the image of Niké, the Greek goddess of victory. The ancient cup has been stolen more times than a Hollywood screenwriter could imagine.
The first disappearance occurred in March 1966, in England, the host country of that edition, due to an oversight by security guards during a public exhibition in London.
The British began a massive search for Jules Rimet (named after the FIFA president who created the tournament), until, eight days later, she was found wrapped in newspapers under the shade of a tree. The hero of the rescue was not Scotland Yard, nor James Bond: it was Pickles, a dog who was walking with his owner.
"He drew attention to a package half buried under a tree. I took out the newspapers and saw a woman holding a plate over her head, and a sign with the names 'Germany, Uruguay, Brazil'", said the dog's owner at the time. Pickles became a British national hero.
The definitive robbery in Brazil
In 1970, Brazil won its third world championship in Mexico and, according to the regulations at the time, won the right to keep the Jules Rimet Cup definitively. The trophy was kept at the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), in Rio de Janeiro.
But, 13 years later, in 1983, the cup was taken in a robbery that looked like something out of a movie. What took the Brazilian team 40 years to achieve, the thieves stole in just 20 minutes.
The police arrested the suspects, but the original cup was never recovered. The official version is that the trophy was melted and transformed into gold bars, although there is a theory that a private collector purchased the piece clandestinely.
The night of the three cups in Qatar
FIFA's new restrictions generated a curious scene at the final of the Qatar Cup in 2022. After Argentina's victory over France, two official cups were on the lawn: the original (which has the names of all the champions engraved since 1974) and the official replica given to the winner (called the Winners Trophy), made of gold-plated bronze, who travels with the delegation.
However, the cup that appeared on every newspaper and social media cover in the famous photo of Lionel Messi in the arms of the fans was neither. It was an unofficial replica taken by a couple of Argentine fans to the stands, which ended up being passed from hand to hand among the players during the party. That magical night ended with three cups circulating around the Lusail Stadium lawn.
Replicas for sale to fans
For fans who dream of having a piece of that glory at home, FIFA sells replicas in its official online store. These are miniatures of the version that the champion federations receive.
The so-called "authorized replica" has a base with the result of the grand final printed in white letters. The entity offers models in smaller sizes (such as 45 mm and 70 mm) and, for the most nostalgic collectors, the store also sells replicas of the historic Jules Rimet Cup in sizes of 100 mm and 150 mm.
Source: CNN