As a club we have got our hands on plenty of silverware over the years, but we can also lay claim to having a trophy named in our honour - thanks to FC Porto.
And this is not any old trophy - it cost around £300,000 in today’s money, is over two metres tall and has its own display case within the Portuguese giants’ museum. However, the story behind its creation is just as unique as the sculpture itself.
In May 1948, shortly after our record-equalling sixth league triumph, we embarked on a short tour of Portugal, with a well-earned reputation as the most powerful team in Europe, if not the world. The Portuguese were also smarting from a 10-0 hammering dished out by the England national side in an international match the previous year, and wanted some sort of redemption by putting up more of a fight against their esteemed opponents.
After defeating Benfica 4-0 on May 3, we headed to Oporto for another game three days later at their Estádio do Lima ground. However, few among the 20,000 capacity crowd who squeezed inside to catch a glimpse of the Gunners gave the home team any chance.
Porto and Arsenal line-up before kick-off in 1948
Without the famous Compton brothers Leslie and Denis to call upon, in the ninth minute a 30-yard thunderbolt from Antonio Araujo sailed into the top left-hand corner of George Swindin’s goal via the post, which was followed by Correia Dias netting in the 18th minute with a powerful shot after Araujo had played him into position.
The crowd were stunned, and even more so when the same combination was responsible for Oporto’s third goal two minutes later at the expense of a shell-shocked Gunners side.
3-0 down at the break, manager Tom Whittaker made two substitutions and this had the effect of rallying the team for the second half. An avalanche of Arsenal attacks ensued and one of the replacements in Ronnie Rooke netted in the 63rd minute, while Bryn Jones made it 3-2 when he headed in a Don Roper corner late on.
Such was their desperation to record an impressive scalp, Oporto resorted to timewasting tactics which the referee duly noted and in added time the crowd became agitated too, before bursting into celebration upon the full-time whistle.
Having restored the nation’s pride, Oporto decided to commemorate their win by commissioning a trophy called The Arsenal Cup, and requested that every important jeweller in Portugal put in a tender for the monumental icon, which was estimated to cost 70,000 escudos – around £300,000 today, which was paid for by donations from the club's members and general supporters thrilled by the team's exploits.
The Porto committee responsible for organising the donation with the flag given to them by Arsenal
The Arsenal Cup was designed at Ourivesaria Alianca in Porto, crafted by Marinho Brito and Albano Franca and it arrived at the club almost a year and a half after the game. Weighing 250kg, it contains 130kg of pure silver and is 2.8 metres tall while gold, enamel, crystal, fine wood, marble and velvet were also used in its production.
The trophy itself is entirely silver and consists of three sculptured figures of women rising on tiptoe holding the cup, with three athletes reaching to drink the wine of the victory. It’s housed within a glass cabinet with a wooden frame, supported by four silver dragons allowing the trophy to be viewed from all angles and the piece has many silver cherubs and figures holding up plinths.
A close up of the top of the Arsenal Cup
Atop is a silver sculpture which includes an athlete, kneeling and controlling a lion. In his right hand, the athlete holds a flame aloft while in his left hand he holds the flag of FC Porto. Behind the athlete and dominating the entire piece is the figure of victory.
The silverware is still on display in Porto’s club museum, while in a brief history of the club on their official website, the win is still celebrated as a pivotal moment: “the 3-2 victory over Arsenal, at the time known as the best team in the world, was a proof of the blue and whites’ potential.”
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
As a club we have got our hands on plenty of silverware over the years, but we can also lay claim to having a trophy named in our honour - thanks to FC Porto.
And this is not any old trophy - it cost around £300,000 in today’s money, is over two metres tall and has its own display case within the Portuguese giants’ museum. However, the story behind its creation is just as unique as the sculpture itself.
In May 1948, shortly after our record-equalling sixth league triumph, we embarked on a short tour of Portugal, with a well-earned reputation as the most powerful team in Europe, if not the world. The Portuguese were also smarting from a 10-0 hammering dished out by the England national side in an international match the previous year, and wanted some sort of redemption by putting up more of a fight against their esteemed opponents.
After defeating Benfica 4-0 on May 3, we headed to Oporto for another game three days later at their Estádio do Lima ground. However, few among the 20,000 capacity crowd who squeezed inside to catch a glimpse of the Gunners gave the home team any chance.
Porto and Arsenal line-up before kick-off in 1948
Without the famous Compton brothers Leslie and Denis to call upon, in the ninth minute a 30-yard thunderbolt from Antonio Araujo sailed into the top left-hand corner of George Swindin’s goal via the post, which was followed by Correia Dias netting in the 18th minute with a powerful shot after Araujo had played him into position.
The crowd were stunned, and even more so when the same combination was responsible for Oporto’s third goal two minutes later at the expense of a shell-shocked Gunners side.
3-0 down at the break, manager Tom Whittaker made two substitutions and this had the effect of rallying the team for the second half. An avalanche of Arsenal attacks ensued and one of the replacements in Ronnie Rooke netted in the 63rd minute, while Bryn Jones made it 3-2 when he headed in a Don Roper corner late on.
Such was their desperation to record an impressive scalp, Oporto resorted to timewasting tactics which the referee duly noted and in added time the crowd became agitated too, before bursting into celebration upon the full-time whistle.
Having restored the nation’s pride, Oporto decided to commemorate their win by commissioning a trophy called The Arsenal Cup, and requested that every important jeweller in Portugal put in a tender for the monumental icon, which was estimated to cost 70,000 escudos – around £300,000 today, which was paid for by donations from the club's members and general supporters thrilled by the team's exploits.
The Porto committee responsible for organising the donation with the flag given to them by Arsenal
The Arsenal Cup was designed at Ourivesaria Alianca in Porto, crafted by Marinho Brito and Albano Franca and it arrived at the club almost a year and a half after the game. Weighing 250kg, it contains 130kg of pure silver and is 2.8 metres tall while gold, enamel, crystal, fine wood, marble and velvet were also used in its production.
The trophy itself is entirely silver and consists of three sculptured figures of women rising on tiptoe holding the cup, with three athletes reaching to drink the wine of the victory. It’s housed within a glass cabinet with a wooden frame, supported by four silver dragons allowing the trophy to be viewed from all angles and the piece has many silver cherubs and figures holding up plinths.
A close up of the top of the Arsenal Cup
Atop is a silver sculpture which includes an athlete, kneeling and controlling a lion. In his right hand, the athlete holds a flame aloft while in his left hand he holds the flag of FC Porto. Behind the athlete and dominating the entire piece is the figure of victory.
The silverware is still on display in Porto’s club museum, while in a brief history of the club on their official website, the win is still celebrated as a pivotal moment: “the 3-2 victory over Arsenal, at the time known as the best team in the world, was a proof of the blue and whites’ potential.”