FIFA World Cup: Did you know the Trophy made of 18K gold was stolen twice. All you need to know about the Holy Grail of Football

The winning country gets a replica of the original trophy made of bronze plated with gold.

It is going to be a blockbuster of a match. The FIFA World Cup final has a lot at stake not just for Argentine and France but for Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe too.

Argentina had stormed into the finals defeating Croatia 3-0 in the first semi-final of the tournament with goals from Messi and Julian Alvarez, while France had registered a convincing 2-0 win against the high-flying Morocco in the other knock-out clash.

Les Bleus (France) would want to win the Cup for a second consecutive time (having won the Cup in 2018) and get third time lucky (France had won its first World Cup in 1998), the men in white and blue, Argentina too would want to put an end to its 36 year wait to hold the cup and kiss it amid loud cheers of its fans across the globe. Argentina won FIFA World Cup in 1978 and 1986.

But did you know that the original trophy was stolen twice.

The current trophy weighs 11-pound (5 kg) and is made of 18K gold and 14 inches and 36 cms tall.

The FIFA World Cup trophy, the most sought-after treasure in all of sport also referred to as the Holy Grail of soccer, has enjoyed a well-traveled and an extremely fascinating getting stolen twice.

Here are some fun facts about the Holy Grail of Football:

1. The trophy was 1ST produced for the 1st ever football World Cup in Uruguay in 1930
2. FIFA commissioned French sculptor Abel Lafleur to design the trophy
3. 1st trophy was a winged goddess of victory, 30 cms high, weighing 4 kgs
4. ·  Made of solid cost, it cost around $50,000 today
5. Uruguay was the 1st country to win the trophy
6. During World War II, the trophy was hidden in a shoe box
7. In 1966, the trophy was stolen
8. It was on display at an exhibition in Central Hall of Westminster, England
9. A dog named Pickles found it hidden near a tree
10. In 1983 it was stolen again from the Brazilian Football Confederation office
11. It was never found
12. Milanese sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga designed the new trophy
13. The trophy is 18K solid gold, weighs 5 kgs, 14 inches and 36 cms tall. It cost $20,000 to produce
14. Winning team gets a bronze replica, plated in gold, to keep

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