In praise of the Cup Winners' Cup, the competition that was never retained

Atléti, Anderlecht, Arsenal, Ajax, Fiorentina, Milan, Parma and PSG all played finals as reigning champions – and they all lost

By Sam Carney for These Football Times

Most of the great football tournaments start with a dynasty. Think Preston North End, the Invincibles and the First Division. Or Real Madrid’s early domination of the European Cup. In Italy, it was Genoa – brimming with English players and originally a cricket club – who took home six of the first seven championships.

All of these competitions were helped along by an all-conquering team who sent out out a message to any prospective challengers: this is a piece of silverware that is worth winning. But there is one tournament that clearly does not fit this pattern: the Cup Winners’ Cup, which was contested in 39 seasons but never retained.

Continue reading...