This is probably a post for those people over the age of 30 or those football fans who like their history, as the wonder that is Cup Winners’ Cup was a European Cup competition that was held for the last time 20 years ago this season.
The competition was first contested in the 1960/61 season and was a club competition for the domestic cup winners across Europe to compete in a straight knock out competition, with ties played over two legs. In the early years of the competition this played over four round (1st Round, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final) and later years saw an introduction of 2nd Round as well, so has always been a smaller European Competition compared to the two we see today.
From 1972, The winners of the CWC would then play the winners of the European Cup in the European Super Cup, this would be the case until the end of the competition in 1999, where the Domestic Cup winners were entered into the UEFA Cup (Europa League).
Here we are looking at the finalists and what they wore in that final, all of the finals (apart from the first Final between Glasgow Rangers and Fiorentina) was played as a single game at a neutral venue.
Breaking down the winners, this was a competition that provided and variety of Winners from a number of countries with some Clubs we would come to expect to see wining European Competitions and some that you would not and also those that no longer exist in the form that they won the competition in.
- 8, England (Chelsea x2, Arsenal, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United, Everton)
- 7, Spain (Barcelona x4, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Real Zaragoza)
- 7, Italy (AC Milan x2, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Parma, Juventus, Lazio)
- 4, West Germany / Germany (Hamburg, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen)
- 3, Belgium (Anderlecht x2, Mechelen)
- 3, Soviet Union (Dynamo Kyiv x2, Dinamo Tbilisi)
- 2, Scotland (Glasgow Rangers, Aberdeen)
- 1, East Germany (FC Magdeburg)
- 1, France (Paris Saint-Germain)
- 1, Netherlands (Ajax Amsterdam)
- 1, Portugal (Sporting Clube de Portugal)
- 1, Czechoslovakia (Slovan Bratislava)
Kit highlights:
As always, I want to take a little bit of time here to look at some kit highlights in these finals:
Anderlecht v West Ham United – 1976
The 1976 final between Anderlecht and West Ham United, Admiral had begun their kit revolution and this design worn by West Ham was one their classic kits and with the white / purple combination of Anderlecht made from a kit show in this final.
Hamburg SV – 1977:
Hamburg in Pink, but its not just about the pink shirt, navy Shorts and blue socks. A combination on paper that should not work but in reality for me, looks fantastic… flappy collar, Adidas stripes…. a beautiful kit, top to bottom.
Juventus – 1984
Juventus, always famous for their black and white stripes but also for me this striking away kit, yellow and blue, again the collar just works with this kit but a classic combo for Juventus away colours that is a regular in the away kit portfolio for Italian Giants.
Barcelona v Sampdoria – 1989:
Another final, where both kits just work together… here at a time where is common place for both clubs to wear their away kits, both of these are classic kits of time. A sky blue Barcelona kit, with single red/blue stripes off centre and the Sampdoria kit a similar off centre stripe with their famous red/white/blue colours shifting to this position. What is not love here with these two kits.
Barcelona v PSG – 1997
Another final where the kits complement each other, both teams in their away kit of the time, Barcelona wearing their Kappa kit, which has a lot going on, flashes for red and blue within the Jade / Aqua base colour and PSG in their classic white away kit, broad red centre stripe highlighted with Navy blue.
What are thoughts of The Cup Winners’ Cup and the kits worn at the final, let me know on Twitter (@Kit_Geek) or in the comments below.
Football Kit Geek - @Kit_Geek 