1964 Copa Libertadores
The 1964 Copa de Campeones de América was the fifth edition of South America's premier club football tournament. For the first time since its inception, every member of CONMEBOL was represented in the competition. Deportivo Italia became the first club from Venezuela to participate, providing an unexpectedly impressive performance after eliminating Bahia of Brazil in the preliminary round and beating Barcelona in Guayaquil.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 3 - August 12 |
| Teams | 11 (from 10 confederations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Independiente (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Nacional |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 88 (3.38 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Mario Rodríguez Celino Mora (6 goals each) |
Building up on Boca Juniors's great showing in the last season, Argentine football managed to put themselves on the international map as Independiente won Argentina's first title. El Diablo Rojo, or Red Devil, eliminated the powerful Santos, which played without the main stars of its attack (Dorval, Mengálvio, Coutinho and an injured Pelé didn't play, and Pepe played just the first match of the semifinal). After winning both matches of their semifinal series the Argentines dispatched Nacional in the finals. Mario Rodríguez was a key factor in Independiente's triumph and he became the top scorer of the tournament with 6 goals.