Well I wasn't aware that the much coveted trophy doesn't head back to the winner's home soil.
As German players posed with, kissed and hoisted one of the most coveted trophies in all of sport, it's a fair assumption that many of the players had no idea their time with the historic 18-carat gem was running short.
Just a few minutes after the German celebrations on the pitch ended, FIFA whisked away the trophy Germany worked so hard to win and locked it away.
That's right only a gold plated replica that heads back to German soil. It seems like one of the biggest teasers in sport. continue
Germany isn't the first team to go home with a replica, every winner of the World Cup since 1974 have all walked away with the replicas. The reason is that the trophy isn't only coveted by the players but also by thieves.
As at 2010, Cash4Gold said the trophy was worth upwards of $10 million and its value continues to rise as the value of gold rises. The trophy has been stolen twice and once saved from thievery.
During World War II, Dr Ottorino Barassi, the Italian vice-president of FIFA, hid the original trophy (the Jules Rimet Cup) in a shoebox under his bed to keep it out of the hands of the Nazis. However, the trophy was still stolen in England while on display at a public exhibition in London but was later found by a dog named pickles, who was relieving himself on a bush when his owner saw the trophy wrapped in newspaper.
In 1970, the Jules Rimet Cup went to Brazil permanently after it won its third World Cup. However in 1973, thieves stole the Jules Rimet Cup from the Brazilian Football Federation headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and never recovered. It is believed to have been melted down and sold.
Each winner since 1974 has had its name engraved on the base of the trophy and after Germany gets its engraving there's only room for three more names. It is known what FIFA will do after it runs out of space in 2030 on what will be the 100th anniversary of the tournament.
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