The Mystery of the Jules Rimet Trophy, the Stolen World Cup Found by a Dog
March 1966 was supposed to be England’s proud countdown to hosting the World Cup, not a national embarrassment. The prized Jules Rimet Trophy, named after the man who started the tournament, was the star attraction at a stamp exhibition in Westminster’s Central Hall. It was designed by Abel Lafleur and crafted from gold-plated silver and lapis lazuli, depicting Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. The trophy should have been safe and guarded by six security men. However, on March 20, someone slipped past them, removed a padlock, and vanished with the cup in broad daylight.
The country went into panic mode. Scotland Yard launched an investigation, but all they had was a vague description of a man with dark hair and a facial scar. To make matters worse, a ransom note arrived for Football Association chairman Joe Mears, demanding £15,000. The letter was signed by “Jackson” and came with a piece of the trophy as proof.
Police assisted Mears in setting up a sting operation using fake cash. But when Mears was struck by angina, an undercover officer replaced him. “Jackson” turned out to be Edward Betchley, a small-time crook who claimed to be only a middleman. The trophy, though, was still missing.
A Dog Named Pickles Becomes a Hero
A week later, on March 27, a man named David Corbett took his mixed-breed collie, Pickles, for an evening walk near their South London home. As Corbett tried to clip on the leash, Pickles began sniffing around a bush. He found a package wrapped in newspaper and tied with a string. When Corbett tore it open, he saw the words “Brazil, West Germany, Uruguay” engraved on a base. Then he noticed a golden figure holding up a shallow dish. His heart pounded. Pickles had found the missing World Cup.
Corbett raced to the local police station, only to be met with disbelief. One officer reportedly told him, “Doesn’t look very World Cuppy to me, son.” Soon after, Scotland Yard confirmed it was the real deal. Overnight, Pickles became a celebrity. He was awarded a silver medal by the National Canine Defence League and treated like royalty. Corbett received approximately £5,000 in reward money, a substantial sum at the time. Pickles appeared on “Blue Peter,” starred in the comedy film “The Spy with a Cold Nose,” and even won Dog of the Year.
Fame, Football, And Farewell
Image via Getty Images/GeorgePeters
That summer, England won its first and only World Cup, beating West Germany 4–2 at Wembley. Queen Elizabeth II presented the same recovered trophy to Bobby Moore. To avoid another scare, police swapped the real cup for a replica during the victory celebrations. The FA later returned that replica to silversmith George Bird, who kept it under his bed until FIFA purchased it in 1997. It now sits safely in Manchester’s National Football Museum.
Sadly, Pickles didn’t enjoy his fame for long. In 1967, he died in an accident after chasing a cat; his leash caught on a tree. Corbett buried him in his garden in Lingfield, with a plaque that still reads, “Pickles—Finder of the World Cup 1966.”
The Real Thief In The End
For decades, no one knew who had taken the cup. In 2017, journalist Tom Pettifor uncovered that the thief was likely Sidney Cugullere, a South London criminal who had broken into Central Hall with the intention of stealing stamps instead. Seeing the trophy unguarded while security had tea, he stuffed it under his jacket and walked out. Cugullere never found a buyer and tried to ransom it through Betchley. His family later confirmed his story, and at his funeral, wreaths were shaped like the World Cup.
The trophy’s saga didn’t end there. After Brazil’s third World Cup win in 1970, the country was allowed to keep it. In 1983, it was stolen again in Rio and has never been seen again. Some say it was melted down. Others, like journalist Simon Kuper, believe it’s sitting in a collector’s cupboard somewhere.