Latin Cup
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1949 the football federations came together and launched their own club competition. European clubs could not afford hefty travel costs so competition was staged at the end of every season in a single host country. The competition featured two semi-finals, a third place play-off and a final.
The tournament began in 1949, and was played between the league champions of each of the participating countries. Every four years, a ranking would be determined for the countries based on their sides' performances in the Latin Cup. The competition was last played for in 1957 following the introduction of the European Cup. Real Madrid played and won in the 1957 both the European Cup and the Latin Cup. Immediately prior to the introduction of the European Cup, the Latin Cup was considered the most important cup for clubs in Europe, the longer-established Mitropa Cup having gone into decline after World War II.
[edit] Finals
| Year | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Estádio Charmartin |  CF Barcelona |
 Sporting Lisbon |
2-1 |
| 1950 | Estádio Nacional | SL Benfica |
 FC Girondins de Bordeaux |
3-3, 2-1 aet |
| 1951 | San Siro |  AC Milan |
Lille OSC |
5-0 |
| 1952 | Parc de Princes | CF Barcelona |
OGC Nice |
1-0 |
| 1953 | Estádio da Luz | Stade de Reims |
AC Milan |
3-0 |
| 1955 | Parc de Princes | Real Madrid |
Stade de Reims |
2-0 |
| 1956 | San Siro | AC Milan |
Atlético Bilbao |
2-1 |
| 1957 | Santiago Bernabéu Stadium | Real Madrid |
SL Benfica |
1-0 |
