Born on 14 October 1873, Jules Rimet is best known as the founder of the FIFA World Cup, the original version of which was named the Jules Rimet Trophy.
But young Jules Rimet got his start as a Christian activist who founded a Democratic and Republican magazine called Le Revue in 1898.
In January 1899, Le Revue merged with the magazine Le Sillon directed by Marc Sangnier.
Jules Rimet thus came to be a leader of the early Sillon movement.
He later co-founded the Paris club Red Star – Saint Ouen, and is also considered as the driving force as well as the first president of the French Football Association.
After World War I, he became president of FIFA from 1921 a position he held until 1953.
He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1955, a year before his death in 1956.
Jules Rimet presents the original World Cup to Uruguay in 1930 (Popper Photo, FIFA)
REFERENCES
Jules Rimet: The father of the World Cup (FIFA)
Jules Rimet: The man who kicked off the World Cup (The Independent)
FIFA World Cup — from Uruguay 1930 to South Africa 2010 (Svetla Dimitrova, South East European Times)
World Cup founder’s Catholic roots (CathNews)
The grave of Jules Rimet at Bagneux Cemetery in the suburbs of Paris (Findagrave)
PHOTOS
Jules Rimet Trophy: Reindertot
Other Jules Rimet photos (Wikipedia/Public Domain)
