UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (in English and officially, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup); or European Cup Winners' Cup (in English: European Cup Winners' Cup) until 1994, and known as European Cup Winners' Cup was an official international soccer competition organized by UEFA that, for 39 seasons, was played by the winners of the national cup competitions of different European countries. Although the 1960-61 edition, won by Fiorentina of Italy, is considered the first of the competition, it was not recognized by UEFA until October 1963 at the request of the Italian Federation, due to the fact that its organization fell on the Mitropa Cup committee. The European confederation was directly in charge of organizing the tournament from 1961 to 1999, the year in which the Cup Winners' Cup was absorbed by the UEFA Cup.
The format of the competition was identical to that of the original European Champions Cup: 32 teams faced off in four rounds of direct knockouts over two legs, with the final being played in a single leg since its second edition, in 1962. The winner of the Cup Winners' Cup had the right to play in the European Super Cup, against the champion of the European Cup/Champions League. He qualified to play the Cup Winners' Cup:
- The Cup Champion of each EUFA member country.
- The current champion of the Recopa, to defend his title. If the champion was able to qualify for the European Cup/Game Champions League, his place in the Recoup remained vacant.
- The finalist of the Copa competition of a country, in case the champion had doubled (winning League and Cup of his country) and therefore would have been classified for the European Cup/Game Champions League.
- On one occasion he played a team not included in these three cases, the SC Heerenveen, semi-finalist of the 1998 Dutch Cup competition, which went on to play the Recopa of the next season when the two finalists (Ajax de Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven) have been ranked for the UEFA Champions League, not without before contesting an elimination with the other semi-finalist.
The competition held its last edition in 1999, due to the fact that UEFA restructured the European club competitions to give more prominence to the European Champions Cup, which was renamed the Champions League, ceasing to be an exclusive competition for the league champions to give entry to more clubs.
The club with the most European Cup Winners' Cup titles to its credit is Fútbol Club Barcelona, which won it four times: 1979, 1982, 1989 and 1997. On the other hand, no Cup Winners' Cup champion managed, in their 39 years of history, winning the competition two years in a row; arriving, on eight occasions (1962, 1963, 1974, 1977, 1988, 1994, 1995 and 1997) the current champion to the final, without being able to win the title.
The trophy, having never been owned by any club, was officially awarded to its last winner, Società Sportiva Lazio.
History
The first edition had only 10 participants, and the first champion was Associazione Calcio Fiorentina, who beat Glasgow Rangers in the two-legged final (2-0 in the first leg and 2-1 in the second leg). This was the only time a double-legged Cup Winners' Cup final was played.
The second edition increased the number of participants, reaching 23 teams. Fiorentina would reach the final again, but this time it was Club Atlético de Madrid who won the title after a tiebreaker match that they won by three goals to nil, played in Stuttgart, since in Glasgow they equalized by one goal.
In 1963 Atlético returned to a final, where they were beaten 5-1 by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in Rotterdam. In this edition, the number increased to 25 participants.
In 1964, Sporting from Portugal wins after beating the Hungarian MTK Budapest. After drawing in Brussels, a tiebreaker was played in Antwerp, and the "lions" they rose by a goal to nil.
In 1965, West Ham United, with Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst on the team (world champions in 1966 with England), would beat 1860 Munich at the mythical Wembley in London by two to nil, with goals from Alan Sealey.
The following two years -1966 and 1967-, the title would fall into the hands of German clubs, specifically Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. The first was imposed in Glasgow against Liverpool Football Club (2-1); while the second did the same with Rangers Football Club (1-0 in Nuremberg). In the Bavarian ranks, players who would later win the World Cup would stand out, such as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier.
In 1968, Italian Milan won the trophy after defeating German Hamburg by two to zero, in the final played in Rotterdam. The following year, they would make history by winning the European Champions Cup, now the Champions League.
In 1969, Fútbol Club Barcelona -and with figures such as Sadurní, Rifé, Rexach and company-, would reach its first Cup Winners' Cup final, but lost to Slovan Bratislava of the then nation of Czechoslovakia 3-2, in the final played in Basel.
In 1970 and 1971, Manchester City Football Club and Chelsea Football Club would win the competition after beating Polish Górnik Zabrze and Real Madrid Club de Fútbol respectively. In the case of Chelsea, they needed the tiebreaker duel, played in Piraeus.
In 1972, Rangers from Scotland would lift the trophy -and the only international title in its history- after beating Dinamo Moscow, from the Soviet Union, in the final at the Camp Nou (Barcelona), although the behavior of the fans of the Scottish club was deplorable in that final. As a consequence, Rangers were punished by not going to defend their title the following season.
In 1973, Milan would again reign in the tournament. They beat Leeds United Association Football Club by the minimum, with a goal from Luciano Chiarugi, in the decisive duel played in Thessaloniki.
In 1974, F.C. Magdeburg, then representing the German Democratic Republic, made history by winning the title in Rotterdam, beating defending champions Milan in the final.
In 1975, the Soviet Dynamo kyiv defeated the Hungarian Ferencvárosi Torna Club in Basel 2-0.
From 1976 to 1978, Belgian Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht would become the only club to reach three consecutive Cup Winners' Cup finals in history, clinching two championships. In the first year, they beat West Ham United Football Club at home (Brussels) 4-2. In the second year they would fall in Amsterdam against Hamburg S. V. 2-0, while in the following season they would win in Paris against the Austrian Austria Vienna 4-0.
In 1979, Barcelona would win the first of its four Cup Winners' Cups after defeating Fortuna Düsseldorf in Basel 4-3.
The following year, the Spanish Valencia Football Club beat the English Arsenal Football Club in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw, with extra time included (5-4). The final was played at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
In 1981, Dinamo Tbilisi (today belonging to Georgia) would make history by beating West Ham United in the quarterfinals and Carl Zeiss Jena in the final in Düsseldorf to claim the trophy.
In 1982, and on the eve of the World Cup to be held in Spain, Barcelona played the final in their own Camp Nou stadium, achieving their second win against Belgian Standard Liège, winning by two goals to one.
In 1983, the Scottish Aberdeen Football Club, then coached by a barely known Alex Ferguson, beat Real Madrid 2-1 in Gothenburg.
In 1984, Michel Platini's Juventus Football Club beat the Portuguese Futebol Clube do Porto 2-0 at the St. Jakob Park stadium in Basel, winning the championship.
In 1985, the English Everton Football Club would win the title after beating the Austrian Rapid Vienna. The title would be a bitter celebration, since the sanction imposed on English football by UEFA after the Heysel Tragedy, two weeks after Everton's victory, would deprive them of the possibility of defending the title the following season.
In 1986, Dynamo Kiev would repeat the success achieved in 1975 after beating Atlético Madrid 3-0 at the Gerland Stadium in Lyon.
In 1987, a young Marco van Basten would give Ajax Amsterdam, coached by Johann Cruyff, victory against Lokomotiv Leipzig led by René Müller and Olaf Marschall, in Athens. The following year, the same Dutch club would reach the decisive duel, although they could not repeat the success after succumbing to the surprising Belgian RKV Mechelen in Strasbourg.
Barcelona wins the trophy in 1989 after beating the Italian Unione Calcio Sampdoria in Bern, a team that the following year would win the cup over Anderlecht. It should be noted that the Spanish club and the Italian club would play the final of the European Cup, three years later at Wembley.
In 1991, Manchester United Football Club, already with Alex Ferguson on the red bench, would beat Barcelona 2-1 in Rotterdam.
Werder Bremen would achieve the throne in 1992 after beating an Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club that was led by Arsène Wenger.
The Italian Parma Football Club would be the protagonist in the next two finals, beating Belgian Antwerp in 1993 and losing the next against Arsenal.
In 1995, Real Zaragoza surprised Europe after beating the last champion, Arsenal F.C. in the Parc des Princes in Paris. Nayim, a player from the Maño club, would be the great protagonist when he launched from 49 meters and scored the decisive goal in the last 20 seconds of extra time, which would crown them as champions.
In 1996, the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club would win the tournament after beating Rapid Vienna, in the final in Brussels, thanks to Bruno N'Gotty's solitary goal. In 1997 a young Brazilian named Ronaldo would manage to give Barcelona the fourth Cup Winners' Cup in its history by beating the French in Rotterdam, under the orders of Bobby Robson.
Chelsea Football Club got their second crown by beating VfB Stuttgart, at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm, in the 1998 final.
The Italian Società Sportiva Lazio would become the last champion of the tournament after beating the Spanish Real Club Deportivo Mallorca at Villa Park in the English city of Birmingham. The victory of the Roman club allowed him to keep the trophy as his own.
History
For a better detail of the finals, see UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Finalists
Names and flags according to the time.| Temp. | Champion | Outcome | Subfield | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup Europe Cup Champions Cup | ||||
| 1960-61 |  A. C. Fiorentina | 2 - 0, 2 - 1 |  Rangers F. C.
| First and only final to double game. |
| 1961-62 | .svg){kind=small} Atletico de Madrid | 1 - 1, 3 - 0 (des.) | A. C. Fiorentina
| First final determined in a strip game. First club to repeat final consecutively. Undefeated champion |
| 1962-63 |  Tottenham Hotspur F. C. | 5 - 1 | Atletico de Madrid
| Victory more lumpy. |
| 1963-64 |  S. C. Portugal | 3 - 3, 1 - 0 (des.) | .svg){kind=small} M. T. K. Budapest
| End with more goals. UEFA happens to the Mitropa committee as an organizer |
| 1964-65 | West Ham United F. C. | 2 - 0 |  T. S. V. München
| |
| 1965-66 | B. V. Borussia | 2 - 1 (dog.) | Liverpool F. C.
| First final determined in extension. |
| 1966-67 | F. C. Bayern | 1 - 0 (dog.) | Rangers F. C.
| Record of consecutive championships of the same country. |
| 1967-68 | Milan A. C. | 2 - 0 | Hamburger S. V.
| For the first time, teams from all UEFA members participate. |
| 1968-69 |  Š. K. Slovan Bratislava | 3 - 2 | C. F. Barcelona
| |
| 1969-70 | Manchester City F. C. | 2 - 1 |  K. S. Górnik Zabrze
| |
| 1970-71 | Chelsea F.C. | 1 - 1, 2 - 1 (des.) | Real Madrid C. F.
| Record of consecutive championships of the same country equal |
| 1971-72 | Rangers F. C. | 3 - 2 |  F. K. Dynamo Moskva
| First club to reach three finals |
| 1972-73 | Milan A. C. | 1 - 0 | Leeds United A. F. C.
| First club to repeat title, undefeated champion |
| 1973-74 |  F. C. Magdeburg | 2 - 0 | Milan A. C.
| |
| 1974-75 | F. K. Dynamo Kyiv | 3 - 0 | Ferencvárosi T. C.
| Undefeated champion |
| 1975-76 | .svg){kind=small} R. S. C. Anderlecht | 4 - 2 | West Ham United F. C.
| |
| 1976-77 | Hamburger S. V. | 2 - 0 | R. S. C. Anderlecht
| |
| 1977-78 | R. S. C. Anderlecht | 4 - 0 |  F. K. Austria Wien
| First club to contest three consecutive finals |
| 1978-79 | .svg){kind=small} F. C. Barcelona | 4 - 3 (dog.) | Düsseldorfer TSV Fortuna
| Final with more goals |
| 1979-80 | Valencia C. F. | 0 - 0 (5-4 p.m.) | Arsenal F. C.
| 1st final determined by criminals. Record of consecutive championships of the same country equal |
| 1980-81 | S. K. Dinamo Tbilisi | 2 - 1 | F. C. Carl Zeiss Jena
| |
| 1981-82 |  F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 1 | Royal Standard de Liège
| |
| 1982-83 | Aberdeen F. C. | 2 - 1 (dog.) | Real Madrid C. F.
| Record of lost ends |
| 1983-84 | Juventus F. C. | 2 - 1 | F. C. Porto
| Undefeated champion |
| 1984-85 | Everton F.C. | 3 - 1 | S. K. Rapid Wien
| Undefeated champion |
| 1985-86 | F. K. Dynamo Kyiv | 3 - 0 | Atletico de Madrid
| Sanction to English teams for the Heysel Tragedy. |
| 1986-87 |  A. F. C. Ajax | 1 - 0 | F. C. Lokomotive Leipzig
| |
| 1987-88 | K. V. Mechelen | 1 - 0 | A. F. C. Ajax
| Undefeated champion |
| 1988-89 | F. C. Barcelona | 2 - 0 | U. C. Sampdoria
| Undefeated champion |
| 1989-90 | U. C. Sampdoria | 2 - 0 (dog.) | R. S. C. Anderlecht
| Undefeated champion |
| 1990-91 | Manchester United F. C. | 2 - 1 | F. C. Barcelona
| Undefeated champion |
| 1991-92 | S. V. Werder Bremen | 2 - 0 | .svg){kind=small} A. S. Monaco F. C.
| Undefeated champion. Penalty is lifted to English teams |
| 1992-93 | Parma F. C. | 3 - 1 | Royal Antwerp F. C.
| |
| 1993-94 | Arsenal F. C. | 1 - 0 | Parma F. C.
| Undefeated champion |
| UEFA Cup Champions Cup | ||||
| 1994-95 | Real Zaragoza | 2 - 1 (dog.) | Arsenal F. C.
| Restructuring of competition |
| 1995-96 | Paris Saint-Germain F. C. | 1 - 0 | S. K. Rapid Wien
| Record of lost ends matched |
| 1996-97 | F. C. Barcelona | 1 - 0 | Paris Saint-Germain F. C.
| Record of titles, contested finals and undefeated champion |
| 1997-98 | Chelsea F.C. | 1 - 0 | VfB Stuttgart
| |
| 1998-99 | S. S. Lazio | 2 - 1 | R. C. D. Mallorca
| Undefeated champion. First and only trophy on property |
Note: pen. = Penalties; des. = Tiebreaker match; pro. = Rollover.
Honours of Prizes
Only 32 clubs among the 493 historical participants in the competition have managed to proclaim themselves winners, while nineteen more for a total of fifty-one complete the list of clubs with a presence in a final. Among them, the Spanish clubs dominate with fourteen times, while the English are the ones that have won the most titles with eight and who have contributed the most different champion clubs with seven. Twelve clubs have won the tournament undefeated.
| Equipment | Titles | Subfield | Years champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| F. C. Barcelona | 4 | 2 | 1979, 1982, 1989, 1997 |
| R. S. C. Anderlecht | 2 | 2 | 1976, 1978 |
| A. C. Milan | 2 | 1 | 1968, 1973 |
 F. C. Dinamo of Kiev | 2 | - | 1975, 1986 |
| Chelsea F.C. | 2 | - | 1971, 1998 |
| Atletico de Madrid | 1 | 2 | 1962 |
| Rangers F. C. | 1 | 2 | 1972 |
| Arsenal F. C. | 1 | 2 | 1994 |
| A. C. F. Fiorentina | 1 | 1 | 1961 |
| West Ham United F. C. | 1 | 1 | 1965 |
| Hamburg S. V. | 1 | 1 | 1977 |
| A. F. C. Ajax | 1 | 1 | 1987 |
| U. C. Sampdoria | 1 | 1 | 1990 |
| Parma F. C. | 1 | 1 | 1993 |
| Paris Saint-Germain F. C. | 1 | 1 | 1996 |
| Tottenham Hotspur F. C. | 1 | - | 1963 |
| S. C. Portugal | 1 | - | 1964 |
| B. V. Borussia | 1 | - | 1966 |
| F. C. Bayern | 1 | - | 1967 |
 Š. K. Slovan Bratislava | 1 | - | 1969 |
| Manchester City F. C. | 1 | - | 1970 |
| F. C. Magdeburg | 1 | - | 1974 |
| Valencia C. F. | 1 | - | 1980 |
 F. C. Dinamo Tbilisi | 1 | - | 1981 |
| Aberdeen F. C. | 1 | - | 1983 |
| Juventus F. C. | 1 | - | 1984 |
| Everton F.C. | 1 | - | 1985 |
| K. V. Mechelen | 1 | - | 1988 |
| Manchester United F. C. | 1 | - | 1991 |
| Werder Bremen | 1 | - | 1992 |
| Real Zaragoza | 1 | - | 1995 |
| S. S. Lazio | 1 | - | 1999 |
| Real Madrid C. F.
| - | 2 | |
| S. K. Rapid Vienna
| - | 2 | |
 M. T. K. Budapest
| - | 1 | |
| TSV 1860 Munich
| - | 1 | |
| Liverpool F. C.
| - | 1 | |
| Górnik Zabrze
| - | 1 | |
 F. C. Dinamo Moscow
| - | 1 | |
| Leeds United F. C.
| - | 1 | |
| Ferencvárosi T. C.
| - | 1 | |
| F. K. Austria Vienna
| - | 1 | |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf
| - | 1 | |
| F. C. Carl Zeiss Jena
| - | 1 | |
| Standard Liege
| - | 1 | |
| F. C. Porto
| - | 1 | |
| Lokomotive Leipzig
| - | 1 | |
| A. S. Monaco F. C.
| - | 1 | |
| Royal Antwerp F. C.
| - | 1 | |
| VfB Stuttgart
| - | 1 | |
| R. C. D. Mallorca
| - | 1 |
Titles by country
| Country | Titles | Subcamp. | Clubs champions |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglandEngland | 8 | 5 | Chelsea (2), Arsenal (1), West Ham United (1), Tottenham Hotspur (1), Manchester City (1), Everton (1), Manchester United (1) |
Spain Spain | 7 | 7 | Barcelona (4), Atlético de Madrid (1), Valencia (1), Real Zaragoza (1) |
Italy Italy | 7 | 4 | Milan (2), Fiorentina (1), Sampdoria (1), Parma (1), Juventus (1), Lazio (1) |
Germany Germany | 5 | 6 | Hamburg (1), Borussia Dortmund (1), Bayern Munich (1), Magdeburg (1), Werder Bremen (1) |
Belgium Belgium | 3 | 4 | Anderlecht (2), Mechelen (1) |
| ScotlandScotland | 2 | 2 | Rangers (1), Aberdeen (1) |
Ukraine Ukraine | 2 | - | Kiev Dinamo (2) |
| France | 1 | 2 | Paris Saint-Germain (1) |
| Portugal | 1 | 1 | Sporting de Portugal (1) |
Netherlands Netherlands | 1 | 1 | Ajax Amsterdam (1) |
Slovakia Slovakia | 1 | - | Slovan Bratislava (1) |
| GeorgiaGeorgia | 1 | - | Dinamo Tbilisi (1) |
Austria Austria
| - | 3 | - |
Hungary Hungary
| - | 2 | - |
Poland Poland
| - | 1 | - |
Russia Russia
| - | 1 | - |
Statistics
- For a complete statistical summary of the competitions see UEFA European Recoup Statistics
Historical classification
The 118 points achieved by the Spanish Fútbol Club Barcelona place it as the leader of the historical classification of the competition among the 493 teams that have ever participated in it, achieved in 13 editions of the competition. 29 points below is the second classified Club Atlético de Madrid, who in turn surpasses the third historic team in the tournament, the Scottish Rangers Football Club, by 24 points.
| Pos | Club | Temp. | Points | PJ | PG | PE | P | GF | GC | Dif. | Pts. x3 | Titles | Subfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F. C. Barcelona | 13 | 118 | 85 | 50 | 18 | 17 | 178 | 87 | +91 | 168 | 4 | 2 |
| 2 | Atletico de Madrid | 9 | 89 | 62 | 38 | 13 | 11 | 118 | 57 | +61 | 127 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Rangers F. C. | 10 | 65 | 54 | 27 | 11 | 16 | 100 | 62 | +38 | 92 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | R. S. C. Anderlecht | 7 | 61 | 44 | 29 | 3 | 12 | 86 | 34 | +52 | 90 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | Chelsea F.C. | 5 | 56 | 39 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 81 | 28 | +53 | 79 | 2 | - |
| 6 | S. K. Rapid Vienna | 10 | 55 | 52 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 87 | 73 | +14 | 74 | - | 2 |
| 7 | Paris Saint-Germain F. C. | 6 | 54 | 38 | 24 | 6 | 8 | 66 | 27 | +39 | 78 | 1 | 1 |
| = | S. L. Benfica | 7 | 54 | 42 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 67 | 34 | +33 | 75 | - | - |
| 9 | F. C. Bayern de Munich | 5 | 52 | 39 | 19 | 14 | 6 | 67 | 36 | +31 | 71 | 1 | - |
| 10 | Aberdeen F. C. | 8 | 49 | 39 | 22 | 5 | 12 | 79 | 37 | +42 | 71 | 1 | - |
| = | F. C. Porto | 8 | 49 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 13 | 58 | 44 | +14 | 70 | - | 1 |
Historical scorers table
- For a complete detail see Maximum European Recouplers.
The tournament's top scorer is the Dutchman Rob Rensenbrink with 25 goals, followed by the German Gerd Müller with 20 goals, being the only players to surpass the twenty-goal barrier in the history of the competition.
In addition, it is worth noting among the top scorers the aforementioned Müller for being the player with the best scoring average in the competition with 0.80 goals per game, ahead of Kurt Hamrin and Rensenbrink with an average of 0.70 and 0, 69 respectively, adding 2 top scorer distinctions between them, one for the German and one for the Swede.
Note: Talked games and goals in previous rounds.
| .jpg) Rob Rensenbrink, the ultimate winner of the competition. |
Other statistical data
- Great.:
Sporting de Portugal 16-1 
APOEL Nicosia in 1963-64. - Major global score:
Chelsea 21-0 
Jeunesse Hautcharage (8-0 and 13-0) in 1971-72. - Eliminatory with more goals converted:
Levski Sofia 19-3 
Lahden Review (12-2, 7-1) - 22 goals in the 1976-77 season. - Team with more contested finals: Barcelona with 6.
- Team with more participations:
Cardiff City with 14. - Player with more goals converted into competition: Rob Rensenbrink with 25.
.svg){kind=small}
Various publications
Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category UEFA Cup Champions Cup.