Did you know that before the 1966 FIFA World Cup kicked off in England, the trophy itself was stolen?
Yes, the actual World Cup trophy.
The Jules Rimet Trophy had been placed on public display at a stamp exhibition in Westminster when it vanished on 20 March 1966, just months before the tournament.
The strangest part? The thief walked straight past rare stamps reportedly worth around £3 million and took only the trophy, which was thought to be worth far less. He did not want its gold. He wanted a ransom, demanding £15,000 from the Football Association.
The country panicked. A World Cup on home soil, and no trophy to lift.
Then came the unlikeliest hero in football history.
A week later, a man named David Corbett was walking his dog, Pickles, in South London when the little collie began sniffing at a parcel tucked under a garden hedge. Wrapped in old newspaper and tied with string was the missing Jules Rimet Trophy.
Pickles became an overnight celebrity, appearing on television and even in a film. His owner later received around £6,000 in total rewards — more than the £1,000 winning bonus each England player earned for actually lifting the World Cup that summer.
And there is a final twist.
After Brazil won the trophy outright in 1970, it was stolen again in Rio de Janeiro in 1983. This time, there was no Pickles. It was never recovered and is widely believed to have been melted down.
England went on to win the 1966 World Cup. But before the players ever lifted the trophy, a dog had already become one of the tournament’s biggest heroes.
Is Pickles the most legendary dog in football history?