Mandela welcomes the World Cup in Johannesburg

Nelson Mandela with the World Cup trophy on Thursday, six years after he was famously pictured with football's greatest prize on the day South Africa won the right to host the event.

The 91-year-old former president met with FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke and chief local organizer Danny Jordaan, who brought the 18-carat, solid gold trophy to the Nelson Mandela Foundation buildings in Johannesburg. The meeting was held in private, with no journalists present.

Valcke said Mandela was one of the architects of the 2010 World Cup.

'For us there was no way that the trophy would arrive in the country and not be brought first to Mandela,' Valcke said.

Jordaan said it was an "emotional and joyful moment" to bring the trophy back to Mandela, who is affectionately known as 'Madiba' by South Africans, a traditional title adopted by members of his clan.