Definition of Copa Libertadores

In 1956 the first edition of the UEFA Champions League took place, then known as the European Club Cup. In 1960 the equivalent competition was played in the continent South American, the Copa Libertadores de America. The entity that organizes this competition is the Confederacy Sudamericana de Fútbol, ​​better known as Conmebol.

In the first editions of the tournament the winners of the different national leagues competed, but later the runners-up and finally four teams for each nation. The team Tournament winner faces the winner of the UEFA Champion League in a new competition, the Club World Cup or Mundialito.

Curiosities about the Copa Libertadores

The name of this tournament refers, logically, to those who led the independence of the South American nations at the beginning of the 19th century.

The first match of the tournament was held in April 1960 between Club Atlético Peñarol from Uruguay and Club Deportivo Jorge Wilsterman from Bolivia. The Uruguayan club was the first champion of the contest.

Although it is a club competition in South America, it has a relevant international projection (the matches are broadcast on the big channels in the United States and also in Spain).

In recent years there have been several commercial sponsors (Toyota, Bank Santander and Bridgestone).

Since 2007, Conmebol has awarded an award to the best player in the competition (Argentine Juan Ramón Riquelme from Boca Junior was the first to receive this distinction).

Statistical data

In the list of winners of La Copa LIbertadores, three Argentine teams stand out (Independiente 7 titles, Boca Juniors 6 and Estudiantes 4), two Uruguayans (Peñarol with 5 wins and Nacional with 3) and the Brazilian soccer classics (Sao Paulo, Gremio and Santos obtained 3 championships). The country with the most titles is Argentina (24), followed by Brazil (18) and Uruguay (8).

- The biggest win of the tournament was a landslide victory by Peñarol over Valencia (11-2).

- The team that has lost the most finals has been Peñarol with five defeats and the one that has obtained the most triumphs in the final has been Independiente.

- Paraguayan player Hever Hugo Almeida is the one who has played the most games (a total of 113).

- The historical scorer of the competition is Alberto Spencer de Peñarol with 54 goals.

- Francisco Sá is the player with the highest number of trophies (6).

- Carlos Bianchi is the coach with the most victories (three with Boca Juniors and one with Vélez Sarsfield).

- Finally, it is worth mentioning that Diego Armando Maradona never participated in the Copa Libertadores.

Photo: Fotolia - D100

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