A Brief History of the Cup Winners' Cup

Throughout almost the entire second half of the twentieth century, European teams measured their strength in a prestigious football competition. About fifty teams from fifteen European countries took part in the tournament. The history of the Cup of Cups originates in 1960. Throughout the time of confrontation of football European grandees were conducted on the Olympic system. One team match was held at home, the other on the road. The final of the tournament was held in a neutral field. In the first two drawings, the title of the champion was played out in two matches. In the first, considered semi-experimental, the rules meant conducting home and away games. And in the second - the reason for the additional match was a draw in the first final match.

Later, the Champions Cup, whose history is rich in changes in the rules, was conducted according to the standard, known to every football fan, the Champions League scheme. At first 32 compositions were met at the group stage. In each group on the field came on four teams, the matches were held at home, and on the road. Then the clubs fought each other in the battles "for the flight" for the right to raise the prestigious cup. Football of the best European teams in this tournament lasted from September to May. Later, in the format of the competition, a qualifying round was also introduced in connection with the increase in the number of participants. In addition to the cup itself, the winning team also received twenty gold medals. And the main award was kept for one season from the champion. Being one of the most significant and popular football feasts during the seventies and eighties, the Cup of Cups after the establishment of the UEFA Champions League in 1997 lost its former popularity and was disbanded.

Highscores

The Cup Cup history knows a lot of records and interesting cases. The most titled club is the Spanish "Barcelona", which was able to win four times the coveted trophy. Six times the club from Catalonia was in the final. The first victory of the Spaniards is dated 1979. In 1988, for the first time taking part in the famous soccer fight for the cup, the Belgian club Mechelen immediately became its owner. The former great coach of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, is also the record holder of the tournament, winning this trophy twice with different clubs. Under his leadership, the Scottish "Aberdeen" became European champion in 1983, and already in 1991 "Sir Alex" raised an elite European prize over their heads. The first champion was the Italian "Fiorentina", defeated in the finals of the season 1960/61 Scottish "Rangers" in both matches. The last club, which managed to win in the tournament, was the Roman "Lazio" in 1999.

The most titled country, which the Cup Cup history remembers , is England. British clubs eight times won in the finals, seven times it was done by Spanish teams, seven times Italians and four times German football players. The Soviet Union also did not stand aside. "Dynamo" (Tbilisi) and "Dynamo" (Kiev, twice) became champions of the European championship. It is noteworthy that the Cup Cup history does not know any football club that can defend the title of champion for two years in a row.