The Jules Rimet trophy would have been history if not for a four-year-old mongrel. The trophy was stolen prior to the 1966 World Cup in England and a nation-wide search was on. That’s when Pickles, the dog, came to the nation’s rescue.
One Sunday evening, when David Corbett left to make a call from a kiosk across his residence in London, he took Pickles along with him. The inquisitive dog drew his attention to a package covered in newspaper. Lo and behold! It was the World Cup trophy! It’s a dog’s world after all.
First a dog and then a lion made news leading to the 1966 edition. A mascot was introduced for the first time and it was a lion named World Cup Willie. The animal kingdom aside, the spotlight finally shifted on the players.
Being the hosts, England automatically qualified for the main event. Defending champions Brazil were beaten by Hungary and Portugal and were shown the door in the group stage.
England slowly made their way up, finishing as group toppers. Portugal, on the other hand, were turning out to be favourites, thanks to a certain Eusebio. The Black Panther kept the goals coming, setting up a semifinal clash with the hosts.
Bobby Charlton struck twice to give England the lead. Eusebio managed to net one, through penalty, but couldn’t steer his side through. He left the field in tears and ever since, the match has been known as the Jogo das Lagrimas (Game of Tears) in Portugal.
At Wembley, it was England versus West Germany. With the scores level 2-2 after 90 minutes, the game went into extra time. That’s when a certain Geoff Hurst burst into the frame, netting a hat-trick in his team’s 4-2 win, under controversial circumstances. One of his shots hit the crossbar and bounced under it but the referee signalled goal. With his final strike, Hurst handed England their first, and till date the only, World Cup title. And yes, Pickles was not forgotten and was invited to the celebration banquet.
Four years later, black and white gave way to colour television, Willie to Juanito as the action shifted to Mexico. From start to finish, it looked like a World Cup scripted to bid the perfect goodbye to Brazilian great Pele. Substitutes came into play, with Soviet Union’s Anatoliy Puzach becoming the first substitute to be used in World Cup history in the opening match against Mexico.
England made a quarterfinal exit, losing to West Germany in extra time. The Germans were a tad unlucky as Italy edged past them 4-3 in a semifinal that gave many a fan an adrenaline rush. Gerd Muller, the Golden Shoe winner, struck twice in extra time but it wasn’t enough.
This meant for the first time two former world champions met in the final – Brazil and Italy. The Brazilians proved too good and recorded a resounding 4-1 win to claim their third title, with Pele scoring the first, and his last World Cup goal. The South American nation, thereby, won the right to permanently keep the Jules Rimet trophy.
Legend Watch
The Trickster | Geoff Hurst
For some time, he pursued wicketkeeping and even played a first-class match. England was fortunate that he turned to football, for Geoff Hurst was the custodian of his country’s fortunes in 1966. In the final against West Germany, the striker scored what remains the only hat-trick in a World Cup final, in his team’s 4-2 win. His second goal tops the list of controversial goals in the history of the competition. The final was bitterly fought and reached extra time. Hurst’s shot hit the crossbar and bounced under it before being cleared. The Germans thought they were safe but the referee signaled goal as all hell broke loose. Unflustered, Hurst completed his hat-trick which gave England the title they craved for before that day and since. The second goal has remained central in arguments for and against goalline technology. Born in 1941, Hurst had football in his blood. His father was a pro, but it was cricket that attracted him in his younger days. Football took over before it was too late and apart from scoring four goals in 1966, he got one more in 1970 when England lost to Germany in the quarterfinals.