1958–59 European Cup
The 1958–59 European Cup was the fourth season of the European Cup, Europe's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Real Madrid, who beat Reims 2–0 in the final at Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, on 3 June 1959. This was Real Madrid's fourth European Cup title in a row. The two finalists also competed in the final of the first European Cup in 1956.
The Neckarstadion in Stuttgart hosted the final. | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 26 August 1958 – 3 June 1959 |
| Teams | 28 (26 competed) (from 25 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Real Madrid (4th title) |
| Runners-up | Reims |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 55 |
| Goals scored | 199 (3.62 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,980,818 (36,015 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Just Fontaine (Reims) 10 goals |
It was the first time that a team from Finland participated, while Turkey's representative returned to the competition in the presence of Beşiktaş. They were drawn against Olympiacos, but Greece's first ever entrants withdrew for political reasons before playing their first tie.
Also, Manchester United were invited to the competition following Munich air disaster in the previous season, but were not allowed to participate by the Football League, meaning that first ever walkovers took place in the UEFA organised competition. Had they played, England would be first nation in European Cup history to have more than one team in the competition, apart from title holder's association.