Football

It has been 57 years since Pickles the dog rescued England’s World Cup dream by finding the stolen Jules Rimet Trophy.

The unlikely hero’s discovery came after the trophy had been stolen from a public exhibition just a few months before the 1966 World Cup was due to get underway in England. Pickles’ heroics made him a superstar in the UK and he is not the last pooch to be made famous by football in the years since.

Here, Daily Star Sport looks at the stories of Pickles and six other dogs who have rose to stardom in the world of football.

READ MORE: Paul Merson warns Gareth Southgate he’s facing problem after Kalvin Phillips example

Pickles the dog

Despite a middleman being arrested after the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen in March 1966, the missing silverware was still yet to be located a week on from the theft.

That was until Pickles stepped up as he sniffed around a neighbour’s car, with his owner David Corbett recalling in 2016: “There was a package by the front wheel. It was very tightly wrapped – the IRA was in action in those days and I thought to myself ‘was it a bomb?’

“So I picked it up. Put it down. Picked it up, put it down again. I tore a little bit off the bottom and saw a shield. I recognised it straight away and thought ‘This is it!'”

Corbett was initially treated as a suspect before being cleared of any wrongdoing once the trophy had been identified as the real thing. As for Pickles, he was presented with a cash prize for finding the treasure and was photographed posing with a football.

Relegation saviour

Back in May 1987, Torquay United found themselves on the brink of relegation from the Football League as they trailed Crewe Alexandra on the final day of the season.

With Torquay’s desperate attempts to find an equaliser to keep them up appearing to be in vain, right-back Jim McNichol was bitten by a police dog who thought he was attacking his handler.

In the time added on for McNichol receiving treatment, Torquay equalised and secured their place in the Fourth Division for the following season.

Fluminense superfan

Brazilians are known for their passionate support and their pets are no different.

One Fluminense fan’s dog recently went viral after being caught on camera watching the club play on television. The excited pooch could be seen wearing the club’s home shirt as it lay at the foot of a bed watching the match.

After Fluminense scored, the dog excitedly jumped in the air before running round in circles in celebration.

Touching tribute

Unlike the other dogs on this list, one footballer’s pet instead rose to fame after tragically passing away last year.

The player emotionally celebrated scoring for their club by ripping off his jersey to reveal a t-shirt baring an image of his recently-deceased dog.

As his team-mates gathered around him, the player then ushered them away so that the cameras at the side of the pitch could get a good view of the photo. Visibly emotional, he also lifted the shirt up to kiss the photo as he gazed to the sky.

P***taking pooch

Not all of football’s famous dogs have made their mark by saving the day, with one pooch doing the opposite last summer.

A non-league friendly between Yorkshire clubs Ilkley Town and Thackley back in July had to be paused after a dog bounded onto the pitch to relieve themselves during the match.

The dog ran around the pitch before heading to the corner flag to take a “p***”, much to the amusement of the players and those watching on the sidelines.

World Cup guard dog

After his penalty shootout antics helped Argentina win a third World Cup in December, Emiliano Martinez was quick to ensure his winners medal would be well-protected.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper forked out £20,000 on a Belgian Malinois guard dog to protect his medal after returning to the Midlands following the tournament.

Belgian Malinois’ can weigh up to 30kgs and have been deployed by the SAS and US Navy Seals in the past, with Martinez having his pet pooch specially trained to guard his home from invaders.

Club mascots

In addition to pet pooches and pitch invaders, football’s famous dogs also include a string of club mascots to have graced stadiums from the Premier League to League Two.

Huddersfield Town’s Terry the Terrier was the subject of controversy in 2018 after being pictured looking glum during a match against Watford, having been told to sit down to avoid obstructing the view of supporters.

Meanwhile, Birmingham City mascot Beau Brummie was involved in a kidnapping scare in 2012, only for it to turn out the mascot was instead taking a break until the club started spending money.

Barnsley, Doncaster Rovers, Newport County and Dagenham & Redbridge also have dogs as their official club mascots.

READ NEXT:

• Gary Neville tears into Gabby Agbonlahor for ‘slagging him off’ every week

• Eight emotional footballing returns as Ben Foster rejoins Wrexham after 18 years away

• Ex-Liverpool ace says club are ‘f***ed’ unless FSG sell while bidders pursue £6bn Man Utd

• Spurs blow two-goal lead to lose secret friendly days after Antonio Conte’s rant

• BT Sport’s Jake Humphrey called ‘spanner’ over 5am LinkedIn post on ‘world class basics’

Roy Keane finally enters the action in Daily Star’s World Cup of S***houses as the ex- Manchester United star looks to make it a double.

Keane was our back-to-back winner in our World Cup of Pundits and is among the favourites in the new tournament – though faces some fierce competition from some true s***houses.

You know the type – those that pull, pinch, time waste and use every trick in the book to wind up the opposition and win games. We absolutely love them.

In fact, we love it so much, that we thought a true champion needs to be crowned and came up with our very own World Cup of S***houses. But who wins? You decide…

READ MORE: Confused England fans are convinced Bear Grylls is former Premier League referee

We have shortlisted 32 names and split them into four randomly-drawn groups. With Groups A and B now done and dusted, we move on to Group C with the top two progressing to the semi-finals.

You get only one pick, so choose wisely!

Roy Keane

With a s***house legacy that has far surpassed his playing career, Roy Keane is a worthy contender to go the distance in Daily Star’s World Cup of Football S***houses.

From his brutal payback tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland that was years in the making to mocking the voice of Harry Maguire while on Sky Sports punditry back in 2021, Keane never holds his punches.

Now settled into the punditry game after stepping away from management – Premier League players will no doubt hope to avoid his wrath for years to come.

Pepe

Real Madrid icon Pepe has picked up a total of 14 red cards during his playing career – with a 2009 sending off providing a truly memorable meltdown.

The central defender first shoved over Javi Casquero before grabbing his opponent by the head, proceeding to stand on his rival twice for good measure.

Pepe then struck Juan Albin in the face before being handed a 10-match ban in true s***house style. Also known for rattling his opponents, Pepe found the time to slam Morocco’s time-wasting after the World Cup in December.

Diego Godin

Another central defender who would do anything to lead his team to victory Diego Godin was a master of the dark arts during his time under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid .

The Uruguay veteran has never been afraid to tussle with opponents using elbows and shoulders in a bid to assert his physical dominance – and is a master of doing so without the officials seeing.

His ability to find the net from set-pieces only strengthened the fury Godin would bring out of his opponents, with his departure from Europe a big loss to the s***house community.

Jamie Vardy

Jamie Vardy in his pomp would laugh his way through Premier League fixtures on his way to scoring a hugely impressive 134 goals in the competition for Leicester.

Having celebrated against Wolves by doing his best howl and doing a dancing eagle impression after netting against Crystal Palace, Vardy is truly a leading s***house.

The former England man is never happier than when winding up opposition fanbases dating back to his Championship days – and is right among the contenders for Daily Star’s World Cup of Football S***houses.

Robin Friday

The late former Reading and Cardiff City forward Robin Friday left some legacy in the game – despite retiring at the age of 25 and passing away just 13 years later.

Friday was known for unsettling opponents and a rather poor disciplinary record – once booting Mark Lawrenson in the face during a fixture.

As well as his spoiling tactics, Friday was hailed for his footballing intelligence as well as physical and mental strength – and is firmly a cult hero.

Martin Keown

The image of Martin Keown screaming in the face of Ruud van Nistelrooy is quite possibly the most recognisable striker vs defender clash in Premier League history.

Arsenal’s Keown was not only delighted but seemingly delirious after Van Nistelrooy missed a Manchester United spot-kick, getting up close and personal for good measure.

Although additionally known for his crunching tackles with six Premier League red cards, it will be that penalty reaction that has Keown in contention for Daily Star’s World Cup of Football S***houses glory.

Claudio Gentile

A Juventus and Italy icon, Claudio Gentile was an uncompromising defender who made his name as a man-marker who was not shy of aggressive challenges.

Often placed on polls of the hardest players in football history, Gentile was smart enough to limit his red cards to one across his career which no doubt wound up the opposition even more.

Gentile said in 2021: “A defender has to be strong. That’s something very different to being dirty and going in to do harm. A defender is a defender, not a dancer.”

Scott Brown

Scott Brown is synonymous with the Celtic success of the past two decades, leading his side to glory through his leadership as well as physical and mental strength.

Brown loved nothing more than winding up opposition players and fans during his time at Parkhead, notably getting Alfredo Morelos sent off in a 2019 Old Firm derby.

If that fixture needed to sum up his style in ore detail, he casques a mass brawl after scuffling with Ryan Kent, with Celtic of course going on to win.

VOTE HERE NOW!

Voting for Group D of the Daily Star World Cup of S***houses will end on Sunday April 2.

You only get to vote for one player, so choose wisely!

READ NEXT:

• Ukraine fans ‘sing song mocking Vladimir Putin’ and throw paper planes at Wembley

• ‘I was England’s World Cup goalkeeper but smoked 20 cigarettes a day and drank until 3am’

• Gary Lineker jokingly told his Harry Kane rhyme should be the one to ‘get him suspended’

Ukraine supporters launched paper planes with song lyrics mocking Russian forces at yesterday’s match against England.

Fans hurled the planes onto the pitch at the 24th minute of the Euro qualifier at London ’s Wembley Stadium.

On one side of the paper was a Ukrainian flag, while on the other was a cheeky song mocking Putin’s air force.

The song, which supporters sang during the match, was their own version of the England anthem ‘Ten German Bombers’.

Some of the planes – as well as a number of flags held up by fans – reiterated Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s plea to the west for F-16 fighter jets to help battle Russia.

The song began: ‘There were ten Russian bombers in the air … and the air force from Ukraine shot one down’ and later mentions the need for F16 jets.

The two teams united in a display of solidarity at the start of the match, holding a Ukrainian flag with the word ‘peace’ written on it.

A sea of yellow and blue could be seen across the stadium as the crowd also held up flags.

Before kick off and after the game, which England won, Channel 4’s broadcast aired reminders of the conflict in Ukraine and its impact.

Andriy Shevchenko, a former manager of the Ukrainian team, was part of the punditry and spoke of the game’s importance.

‘I think today is not just football, it’s a lot more,’ he said before kick-off. ‘A lot more meaningful to my country.

‘For me to be here today and represent my country, and I want to say thank you to all of England for incredible support, you’ve been very close to us since the war started and this means a lot for me and my country.

‘Also I want to say thank you for the Ukrainian soldiers as well for staying on the front line and defending [our country].

‘We’re so lucky they sacrifice their lives for us and the Ukrainian team today, just because there’s so many people on the front lines losing their lives to defend, they stay strong to help freedom to Ukraine.

‘We’re mentally very strong and in difficult moments we’re united all together.’

Mr Shevchenko also spoke warmly of Ukraine captain Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Arsenal left-back, who plays in midfield for Ukraine, has spoken out against the war since it began last year.

He said: ‘I want to say a couple of words about Oleksandr because I am so proud of him. I am proud of what the man has done, he took the responsibility, always talks about Ukraine, and the way he’s playing this season is incredible.’

The final result was 2-0 to England, with Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scoring one goal each.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

A DAD wept as he was spared jail after causing the death of his 12-year-old son by dangerous driving in a horror crash.

Paul Vines, 47, was on the way to a football match with his young son Edward when he collided with another car near Bardney, Lincolnshire, on January 16 last year.

The youngster was due to play for Alford U-12s in a match against Branston when the fatal collision took place.

Lincoln Crown Court heard that Paul was driving over the 60mph speed limit and ignored signs warning of an uneven road surface.

He lost control of his Ford Galaxy at speed and smashed into a Mercedes, with both cars ending up in a ditch by the road.

Edward, known to his loved ones as Ted, suffered a severe head injury that ultimately ended his life.

In a statement, his family paid tribute to him, saying: “Ted was loved by everyone – he was happy, fun and brilliant and had so many people who loved him.

“Everywhere he went, Ted made friends. He was a special part of the community for everyone.”

Victoria Frost, a passenger in the other car, sustained a number of severe injuries, including a broken back.

In a victim impact statement, she expressed her wish that Paul not be sent to prison, saying: “everyone makes mistakes in life…there is no hate towards him.”

Paul was handed a two year sentence, suspended for two years after he pleaded guilt to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and slapped with a two-year driving ban.

His lawyer told the court that the road has since had its speed limit reduced to 40mph.

Sentencing him, Judge Simon Hirst said: “What you were doing is driving far too fast for that piece of road in those particular circumstances.

“Had it not been your son in this case who died and had Mrs Frost not been enormously generous in her position, inevitably you would not be walking out of this court today.”