The European Cup was a football competition established in 1955 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It was the original name of the top European club football competition. The competition used to follow a straight knockout method and only the champions of each country's domestic league could participate. It was initially put on hold by the onset of the World War II.
With the presence of world-class stars like Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Francisco Gento, and José Santamaría, Real Madrid dominated the first five competitions, winning all of them. Barcelona ended Real Madrid's run in the first round of the 1960-61 campaign. The competition was renamed to the UEFA Champions League for the 1992-93 season, undergoing diverse changes in marketing and television rights.
European Cup Winners (1955-1992)
| Club | Titles |
|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 6 |
| AC Milan | 4 |
| Liverpool | 4 |
| Bayern Munich | 3 |
| Ajax | 3 |
| Inter Milan | 2 |
| Benfica | 2 |
| Nottingham Forest | 2 |
| Manchester United | 1 |
| Juventus | 1 |
| Barcelona | 1 |
| Porto | 1 |
| Celtic | 1 |
| Hamburger SV | 1 |
| Steaua București | 1 |
| Feyenoord | 1 |
| Aston Villa | 1 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 1 |
| Red Star Belgrade | 1 |
European Cup Winners in All Seasons (1955-1992)
| Season | Winners | Runners-up | Score |
| 1991-92 | Barcelona | Sampdoria | 1-0 |
| 1990-91 | Red Star Belgrade | Marseille | 0-0* |
| 1989-90 | AC Milan | Benfica | 1-0 |
| 1988-89 | AC Milan | Steaua București | 4-0 |
| 1987-88 | PSV | Benfica | 0-0 |
| 1986-87 | Porto | Bayern Munich | 2-1 |
| 1985-86 | Steaua Bucureşti | Barcelona | 0-0 |
| 1984-85 | Juventus | Liverpool | 1-0 |
| 1983-84 | Liverpool | Roma | 1-1 |
| 1982-83 | Hamburg | Juventus | 1-0 |
| 1981-82 | Aston Villa | Bayern Munich | 1-0 |
| 1980-81 | Liverpool | Real Madrid | 1-0 |
| 1979-80 | Nottingham Forest | Hamburg | 1-0 |
| 1978-79 | Nottingham Forest | Malmö FF | 1-0 |
| 1977-78 | Liverpool | Club Brugge | 1-0 |
| 1976-77 | Liverpool | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 3-1 |
| 1975-76 | Bayern Munich | Saint-Etienne | 1-0 |
| 1974-75 | Bayern Munich | Leeds United | 2-0 |
| 1973-74 | Bayern Munich | Atlético Madrid | 1-1 |
| 1973-74 | Bayern Munich | Atlético Madrid | 4-0 |
| 1972-73 | Ajax | Juventus | 1-0 |
| 1971-72 | Ajax | Internazionale | 2-0 |
| 1970-71 | Ajax | Panathinaikos | 2-0 |
| 1969-70 | Feyenoord | Celtic | 2-1 |
| 1968-69 | ACMilan | Ajax | 4-1 |
| 1967-68 | Manchester United | Benfica | 4-1 |
| 1966-67 | Celtic | Internazionale | 2-1 |
| 1965-66 | Real Madrid | Partizan | 2-1 |
| 1964-65 | Internazionale | Benfica | 1-0 |
| 1963-64 | Internazionale | Real Madrid | 3-1 |
| 1962-63 | AC Milan | Benfica | 2-1 |
| 1961-62 | Benfica | Real Madrid | 5-3 |
| 1960-61 | Benfica | Barcelona | 3-2 |
| 1959-60 | Real Madrid | Eintracht Frankfurt | 7-3 |
| 1958-59 | Real Madrid | Stade de Reims | 2-0 |
| 1957-58 | Real Madrid | AC Milan | 3-2 |
| 1956-57 | Real Madrid | Fiorentina | 2-0 |
| 1955-56 | Real Madrid | Stade de Reims | 4-3 |
- *The 1990-91 final ended in a draw. Red Star Belgrade won the penalty shootout
FAQs on European Cup
A. From 1955 to 1992, a total of 18 clubs won the European Cup.
A. Johan Cruyff was Barcelona's coach in the 1991-92 season.
A. From 1955 to 1992, Real Madrid played a total of nine finals in the European Cup.
