1960 European Cup final

Background

Real Madrid had won the first four editions of the European Cup in 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959.

Eintracht Frankfurt had not played in European competitions before 1959 but a Frankfurt XI, made up of players from the city, competed in the inaugural Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1955–58.

The match was initially in doubt as the German Football Association (DFB) had banned their clubs from taking part in matches with any team containing Ferenc Puskás. Following defeat to West Germany in the 1954 FIFA World Cup final, Puskas – who had scored in the match for the defeated Hungary side – alleged that the West German players had used drugs. As a result, Puskás had to make a formal written apology to the DFB before the match could take place.

Route to the final

Real Madrid

Real Madrid qualified for the competition as defending champions and they were given a bye in the preliminary round.

In the first round, Real Madrid defeated Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg 7–0 at home in the first leg and 5–2 away in the second leg to advance 12–2 on aggregate.

Real Madrid then faced Nice of France in the quarter-finals. After losing the first leg 3–2 away from home, Real Madrid won the second leg at home 4–0 to advance to the semi-finals 6–3 on aggregate.

In the semi-finals, Real Madrid faced rivals Barcelona. After winning the first leg 3–1 at home, Real Madrid won the second leg away from home by the same scoreline to advance to the final 6–2 on aggregate.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt qualified for the competition after winning the German football championship for the only time in 1959.

In the preliminary round, Eintracht Frankfurt were due to play Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) of Finland but were given a walkover after KuPS withdrew.

Young Boys of Switzerland were Eintracht Frankfurt's opponents in the first round. After winning the first leg 4–1 away from home, Eintracht Frankfurt drew the second leg at home 1–1 to advance 5–2 on aggregate.

Eintracht Frankfurt then faced Wiener Sport-Club of Austria in the quarter-finals. After winning the first leg 2–1 at home, Eintracht Frankfurt drew the second leg away from home 1–1 to advance 3–2 on aggregate.

In the semi-finals, Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Rangers of Scotland 6–1 in the first leg at home and 6–3 in the second leg away from home to advance to the final 12–4 on aggregate.

Match

Details

• Di Stéfano
• Puskás
• Kress
• Stein

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Aftermath

The match set a record attendance for a European Cup final at over 127,000 while an estimated 70 million people across Europe watched the match on television. It also set a record for the most goals in a European Cup final at 10. As a result, the match is often quoted as one of the greatest football matches ever played.

Real Madrid's four-goal winning margin set a record for the largest margin of victory in a European Cup final. This would not be bettered until decades after the competition was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League. In 1994, AC Milan equaled the record by beating FC Barcelona 4-0. In 2025, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5–0 to break the record.

Notes

References

References

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