The unknown tragic end for England World Cup hero Pickles the Dog
Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, hell, even Dan Burn! 26 Englishmen and a German have the chance to make themselves World Cup heroes this summer, writing themselves into history right next to Pickles the Dog.
The 2026 World Cup gets underway on Thursday in the USA, Mexico and Canada. Though a myriad of issues with FIFA and Donald Trump's nation have threatened to derail excitement, there's nothing quite like the tournament.
It's bound to be a thrilling summer of football in the Americas, but icons will almost certainly be made off the pitch as well as on it.
There will be famous fans in the stands — like DR Congo's 'human statue' Michel Nkuka Mboladinga - and even animals might get in on the action.
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Paul the Octopus remains an icon for his string of correct predictions during the 2010 World Cup, while Pickles the Dog remains an England folk hero over 60 years on from his trophy-finding heroics.
How Pickles the Dog found the stolen Jules Rimet trophy
England not only won the World Cup for the first and only time in 1966, but they hosted the tournament too.
However, before Sir Bobby Moore was held up by his teammates with the Jules Rimet trophy in his hand, the iconic prize had been stolen.
Months before the World Cup got underway, the trophy was being exhibited in Westminster Hall when, on March 20, security guard George Franklin discovered it had been stolen from its display case.
As football historian Jonathan Wilson reports in his history of the World Cup, The Power and the Glory, a ransom note demanding £15,000 was delivered to the FA the next day.
An undercover police operation was launched to retrieve the trophy, yet when a police chase ended in the arrest of Ted Betchley but no trophy, all hope seemed lost.
Enter Pickles.
A week after the theft, Dave Corbett was walking his dog - a black-and-white collie - in Beulah Hill, South London. He quickly sniffed out a hidden package. Within was the Jules Rimet.
The sad end to Pickles' story
Pickles became an instant hero.
When the Three Lions eventually defeated West Germany in the final, the pup was invited to the celebration banquet.
He was awarded the silver medal of the National Canine Defence League, he starred as himself in a film - The Spy with a Cold Nose - about the incident, appeared on Blue Peter and was named 'Dog of the Year' in England and Germany.
Pickles even won enough free dog food to keep him happy for years. Sadly, he didn't get to eat it all.
While Pickles' legend is known by most English football fans, his grizzly end tends to get left out of the fairytale.
Less than a year on from finding the trophy, Pickles died.
He was hung from a tree by his own lead as he chased a cat in his new home of Surrey, with his owner buying a house with the reward money for returning the Jules Rimet.
Pickles' legacy remains six decades on, though, even if the Jules Rimet was eventually stolen from the Brazilian Football Confederation in 1983 and, this time, lost forever.
His collar is on display in Manchester's National Football Museum, while a plaque was installed in 2018 at the spot where he found the trophy.
As England look to end 60 years of hurt this summer, Pickles will not be forgotten.
Daniel Murphy