Throughout almost the entire second half of the twentieth century, European teams measured their strengths in a prestigious football competition. The tournament was attended by about fifty teams from fifteen European countries. The history of the
Cup of Cups dates back to 1960. Throughout the entire time, the confrontations of European football grandees were held according to the Olympic system. The teams played one match at home, the other away. The tournament finale was held on a neutral field. In the first two draws, the champion title was played in two matches. In the first, which was considered semi-experimental, the regulation implied the holding of home and away games. And in the second - the draw in the first final match became the reason for the additional competition.
Later, the Champions Cup, whose history is rich in changes in the rules, began to be held according to the standard scheme of the Champions League known to every football fan. At first 32 teams met at the group stage. In each group, four teams entered the field, matches were held both at home and away. Then the clubs fought each other in the fights "on the fly" for the right to raise the prestigious goblet. Football of the best European teams within the framework of this tournament lasted from September to May. Later, a qualifying round was also introduced into the format of the competition in connection with an increase in the number of participants. In addition to the cup itself, the winning team was also awarded twenty gold medals. And the main award was kept for one season by the champion. Being one of the most significant and popular football feasts during the seventies and eighties, the Cup Cup after the establishment of the UEFA Champions League in 1997 lost its former popularity and was disbanded.
Highscores
The history of the Cup Cup knows many records and interesting cases. The most titled club is the Spanish “Barcelona”, which was able to win the coveted trophy four times. The club from Catalonia ended up in the final six times. The first victory of the Spaniards is dated 1979. In 1988, for the first time taking part in the famous football fight for the cup, the Belgian club Mechelen immediately became its owner. Former great Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson also holds the record for the tournament, winning this trophy twice with different clubs. Under his leadership, the Scottish "Aberdeen" became the European champion in 1983, and already in 1991 the "Mancunians" raised an elite European prize over their heads. The first champion was the Italian Fiorentina, who defeated the Scottish Rangers in both matches in the final of the 1960/61 season.
The last club that managed to win the tournament was the Roman “Lazio” in 1999.
The most titled country that the history of the Cup of Cups remembers is England. British clubs won the finals eight times, seven times by Spanish teams, seven times by Italians and four times by German footballers. 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 history of the Cup of Cups does not know a single football club that can defend the title for two years in a row.