Who stole the World Cup in 1966? My uncle 'knicked it for the thrill', man claims 52 years later

The 52-year mystery of who stole the World Cup has been solved after the nephew of a gangland robber claimed his uncle “knicked it for the thrill”.

Gary Cugullere and two other sources reportedly told the Mirror that Sidney Cugullere, then aged 40, broke into the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster, Central London, on Sunday 20 March 1966 and ran off with the winged Jules Rimet trophy.

Cugullere then took the secret to his grave when he died of cancer in 2005 - although his nephew said he did tell family and close friends.

Gary said his father Reg was also near the scene at the time of the theft, and recalled Sid emerging from the hall, lifting his jacket and saying: “’Ere you are, Reg, look at this.”

He went on: “My dad went: “F***ing hell, Sid, what the f*** do you think we are going to do with that?”

The case resulted in Scotland Yard launching one of the biggest manhunts in the force's history when the trophy went missing just weeks before the tournament began in England.

Gary revealed his uncle broke into the hall when the exhibition was closed by removing the door handles, and was able to get into the padlocked trophy cabinet and hide the prize in a brown removals-style coat.

Another source told the paper: “Many a time Sid would say he was the first Englishman to lift the World Cup in 1996 and that he did it before Bobby Moore."

But after failing to earn ransom money from the theft, they reportedly left the trophy with another family member. It was ultimately found in the street by Pickles the dog seven days after the theft, on March 27.

Captain Bobby Moore went on to lift the Cup after England defeated Germany 4-2 in the eighth World Cup final.