| .jpg.webp) Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid hosted the final. | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1 August 1956 – 30 May 1957 | 
| Teams | 22 (from 21 associations) | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions | .svg.png.webp) Real Madrid (2nd title) | 
| Runners-up |  Fiorentina | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 44 | 
| Goals scored | 170 (3.86 per match) | 
| Attendance | 1,840,978 (41,840 per match) | 
| Top scorer(s) | Dennis Viollet (Manchester United) 9 goals | 
The 1956–57 European Cup was the second season of the European Cup, Europe's premier club football tournament. The competition was won for the second time by Real Madrid, who beat Fiorentina 2–0 in the final at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, on 30 May 1957.
After the great success of the first tournament, six new nations entered representatives: Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, England, Luxembourg, Romania and Turkey. The Football League had not allowed Chelsea to enter in 1955, and continued its stance on the European Cup as it being a "distraction". However, against the wishes of the FA, Manchester United entered the competition as English champions, becoming the first English team to play in Europe.[1] An additional place was awarded to third in 1955–56 La Liga Real Madrid as the competition's reigning champions, occupying the free berth left by Saar after its reunification with West Germany. As a result, Spain became the first association to provide two representatives to the premier European competition and it was only for Manchester United, who had won against Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals, that first ever meeting between two sides from the same country in the competition didn't happen.
This edition was the first to utilize play-off matches, after two legs were not enough to decide which team advances to the next round on three occasions: Borussia Dortmund won 7–0 against Spora Luxembourg in the preliminary round, while Nice and Real Madrid won 3–1 and 2–1, respectively, against Rangers and Rapid Wien in the first round.
Teams
A total of 22 teams participated in the competition.
AGF Aarhus, Anderlecht, Rapid Wien and Real Madrid returned to the competition, after participating in the inaugural edition.
Galatasaray was the only team, other than the title holder, who didn't enter as a national association champion, as Süper Lig was not founded until 1959.
- ↑ There was no top-level Turkish champion in the period from 1952 to 1955.
Preliminary round

The draw for the preliminary round took place in UEFA headquarters in Paris on 29 June 1956.[2] The 21 challengers of Real Madrid were grouped geographically into three pots. The first four teams drawn in each pot would play the preliminary round in September, while the remaining three clubs received byes.
| Pot 1 Eastern Europe | Pot 2 North-Western Europe | Pot 3 South-Central Europe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawn |  Slovan UNV Bratislava | .svg.png.webp) Nice |  Porto | 
| .svg.png.webp) CWKS Warsaw |  AGF Aarhus | .svg.png.webp) Athletic Bilbao | |
|  Galatasaray | .svg.png.webp) Anderlecht |  Borussia Dortmund | |
| .svg.png.webp) Dinamo București |  Manchester United |  Spora Luxembourg | |
| Byes | .svg.png.webp) Budapest Honvéd |  Rangers |  Fiorentina | 
|  Rapid Wien |  Norrköping | .svg.png.webp) Grasshopper | |
| .svg.png.webp) CDNA Sofia |  Rapid JC | .svg.png.webp) Red Star Belgrade | 
The calendar was decided by the involved teams, with all matches to be played by 1 October.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Play-off | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borussia Dortmund  | 5–5 |  Spora Luxembourg | 4–3 | 1–2 | 7–0 | 
| Dinamo București .svg.png.webp) | 4–3 |  Galatasaray | 3–1 | 1–2 | |
| Slovan UNV Bratislava  | 4–2 | .svg.png.webp) CWKS Warsaw | 4–0 | 0–2 | |
| Anderlecht .svg.png.webp) | 0–12 |  Manchester United | 0–2 | 0–10 | |
| AGF Aarhus  | 2–6 | .svg.png.webp) Nice | 1–1 | 1–5 | |
| Porto  | 3–5 | .svg.png.webp) Athletic Bilbao | 1–2 | 2–3 | 
First leg
| Borussia Dortmund  | 4–3 |  Spora Luxembourg | 
|---|---|---|
| Bracht  31' Niepieklo  54' Preissler  61', 73' | Report | Boreux  25', 34', 88' | 
| Dinamo București .svg.png.webp) | 3–1 |  Galatasaray | 
|---|---|---|
| Voica  10', 67' Ene  84' | Report | Oktay  77' | 
| Anderlecht .svg.png.webp) | 0–2 |  Manchester United | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Viollet  25' Taylor  75' | 
| Slovan UNV Bratislava  | 4–0 | .svg.png.webp) CWKS Warsaw | 
|---|---|---|
| Pažický  23', 68' Kováč  30' (pen.) Moravčík  40' | Report | 
| AGF Aarhus  | 1–1 | .svg.png.webp) Nice | 
|---|---|---|
| Erik Bechmann Jensen  16' | Report | Foix  61' | 
| Porto  | 1–2 | .svg.png.webp) Athletic Bilbao | 
|---|---|---|
| Matos  54' | Report | Gaínza  8' Canito  75' | 
Second leg
| Spora Luxembourg  | 2–1 |  Borussia Dortmund | 
|---|---|---|
| Fiedler  22' Letsch  39' | Report | Preissler  28' | 
Borussia Dortmund 5–5 Spora Luxembourg on aggregate; play-off needed.
| CWKS Warsaw .svg.png.webp) | 2–0 |  Slovan UNV Bratislava | 
|---|---|---|
| Kowal  52' Brychczy  63' | Report | 
Slovan UNV Bratislava won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Athletic Bilbao .svg.png.webp) | 3–2 |  Porto | 
|---|---|---|
| Artetxe  14', 73' (pen.), 82' | Report | Hernâni  4' Jaburú  20' | 
Athletic Bilbao won 5–3 on aggregate.
| Manchester United  | 10–0 | .svg.png.webp) Anderlecht | 
|---|---|---|
| Taylor  8', 20', 52' Viollet  25', 38', 44', 65' Whelan  61', 82' Berry  77' | Report | 
Manchester United won 12–0 on aggregate.
Nice won 6–2 on aggregate.
| Galatasaray  | 2–1 | .svg.png.webp) Dinamo București | 
|---|---|---|
| Aytaç  42' Oktay  89' | Report | Suru  31' | 
Dinamo București won 4–3 on aggregate.
Play-off
| Borussia Dortmund  | 7–0 |  Spora Luxembourg | 
|---|---|---|
| Preissler  24', 36' Simmer  29' Kelbassa  40', 49', 63' Peters  57' | Report | 
Borussia Dortmund won play-off 7–0.
Bracket
| First round | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Real Madrid | 4 | 1 | 5 (2) | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Rapid Wien | 2 | 3 | 5 (0) | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Real Madrid | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Nice | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Rangers | 2 | 1 | 3 (1) | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Nice | 1 | 2 | 3 (3) | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Real Madrid | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Manchester United | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Athletic Bilbao | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Budapest Honvéd | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Athletic Bilbao | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Manchester United | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Manchester United | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Borussia Dortmund | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Real Madrid | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|  Fiorentina | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|  Rapid JC | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Red Star Belgrade | 4 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Red Star Belgrade | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) CDNA Sofia | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) CDNA Sofia | 8 | 2 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Dinamo București | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Red Star Belgrade | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Fiorentina | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Fiorentina | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Norrköping | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Fiorentina | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Grasshopper | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
|  Slovan UNV Bratislava | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Grasshopper | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
First round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Play-off | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United  | 3–2 |  Borussia Dortmund | 3–2 | 0–0 | |
| CDNA Sofia .svg.png.webp) | 10–4 | .svg.png.webp) Dinamo București | 8–1 | 2–3 | |
| Rangers  | 3–3 | .svg.png.webp) Nice | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 
| Slovan UNV Bratislava  | 1–2 | .svg.png.webp) Grasshopper | 1–0 | 0–2 | |
| Real Madrid .svg.png.webp) | 5–5 |  Rapid Wien | 4–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 
| Rapid JC  | 3–6 | .svg.png.webp) Red Star Belgrade | 3–4 | 0–2 | |
| Fiorentina  | 2–1 |  Norrköping | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| Athletic Bilbao .svg.png.webp) | 6–5 | .svg.png.webp) Budapest Honvéd | 3–2 | 3–3 | 
First leg
| CDNA Sofia .svg.png.webp) | 8–1 | .svg.png.webp) Dinamo București | 
|---|---|---|
| Kolev  12', 56', 63' Milanov  20', 65' Panayotov  27', 76' Dimitrov  80' | Report | Băcuț  81' (pen.) | 
| Manchester United  | 3–2 |  Borussia Dortmund | 
|---|---|---|
| Viollet  10', 25' Pegg  35' | Report | Kapitulski  68' Preissler  75' | 
| Real Madrid .svg.png.webp) | 4–2 |  Rapid Wien | 
|---|---|---|
| Di Stéfano  9', 21' Marsal  60', 63' | Report | Dienst  58' Giesser  90' | 
| Rapid JC  | 3–4 | .svg.png.webp) Red Star Belgrade | 
|---|---|---|
| Janssen  8' Bisschops  78' Tasić  81' (og.) | Report | Kostić  4', 75' Toplak  42' Rudinski  82' | 
| Fiorentina  | 1–1 |  Norrköping | 
|---|---|---|
| Bizzarri  15' | Report | Bild  8' | 
| Athletic Bilbao .svg.png.webp) | 3–2 | .svg.png.webp) Budapest Honvéd | 
|---|---|---|
| Artetxe  16' Marcaida  27' Arieta  82' | Report | Budai II  75' Kocsis  85' | 
Second leg
| Red Star Belgrade .svg.png.webp) | 2–0 |  Rapid JC | 
|---|---|---|
| Toplak  32' Kostić  84' | Report | 
Red Star Belgrade won 6–3 on aggregate.
| Rapid Wien  | 3–1 | .svg.png.webp) Real Madrid | 
|---|---|---|
| Happel  18', 38' (pen.), 40' | Report | Di Stéfano  60' | 
Real Madrid 5–5 Rapid Wien on aggregate; play-off needed.
Nice 3–3 Rangers on aggregate; play-off needed.
Manchester United won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Norrköping  | 0–1 |  Fiorentina | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Virgili  16' | 
Fiorentina won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Grasshopper .svg.png.webp) | 2–0 |  Slovan UNV Bratislava | 
|---|---|---|
| Vukosavljević  75' Duret  89' | Report | 
Grasshopper won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Budapest Honvéd .svg.png.webp) | 3–3 | .svg.png.webp) Athletic Bilbao | 
|---|---|---|
| Budai II  6' Kocsis  78' Puskás  86' | Report | Merodio  1', 72' Arieta  67' | 
Athletic Bilbao won 6–5 on aggregate.
| Dinamo București .svg.png.webp) | 3–2 | .svg.png.webp) CDNA Sofia | 
|---|---|---|
| Nicușor  58' (pen.) Lăzar  67' Neagu  84' | Report | Stoyanov  23' Yanev  62' | 
CDNA Sofia won 10–4 on aggregate.
Play-off
Nice won play-off 3–1.
| Real Madrid .svg.png.webp) | 2–0 |  Rapid Wien | 
|---|---|---|
| Joseíto  1' Kopa  23' | Report | 
Real Madrid won play-off 2–0.
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Bilbao .svg.png.webp) | 5–6 |  Manchester United | 5–3 | 0–3 | 
| Fiorentina  | 5–3 | .svg.png.webp) Grasshopper | 3–1 | 2–2 | 
| Real Madrid .svg.png.webp) | 6–2 | .svg.png.webp) Nice | 3–0 | 3–2 | 
| Red Star Belgrade .svg.png.webp) | 4–3 | .svg.png.webp) CDNA Sofia | 3–1 | 1–2 | 
First leg
| Athletic Bilbao .svg.png.webp) | 5–3 |  Manchester United | 
|---|---|---|
| Uribe  2', 28' Marcaida  43' Merodio  73' Artetxe  78' | Report | Taylor  48' Viollet  54' Whelan  85' | 
| Fiorentina  | 3–1 | .svg.png.webp) Grasshopper | 
|---|---|---|
| Segato  3' Taccola  10', 12' | Report | Ballaman  31' | 
| Real Madrid .svg.png.webp) | 3–0 | .svg.png.webp) Nice | 
|---|---|---|
| Joseíto  18' Mateos  49', 72' | Report | 
| Red Star Belgrade .svg.png.webp) | 3–1 | .svg.png.webp) CDNA Sofia | 
|---|---|---|
| Kostić  6', 25' Popović  53' | Report | Yanev  88' | 
Second leg
| Manchester United  | 3–0 | .svg.png.webp) Athletic Bilbao | 
|---|---|---|
| Viollet  42' Taylor  70' Berry  85' | Report | 
Manchester United won 6–5 on aggregate.
| CDNA Sofia .svg.png.webp) | 2–1 | .svg.png.webp) Red Star Belgrade | 
|---|---|---|
| Bozhkov  22' (pen.) Panayotov  39' | Report | Tasić  29' (pen.) | 
Red Star Belgrade won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Grasshopper .svg.png.webp) | 2–2 |  Fiorentina | 
|---|---|---|
| Ballaman  25' Vukosavljević  85' | Report | Julinho  7' Montuori  52' | 
Fiorentina won 5–3 on aggregate.
| Nice .svg.png.webp) | 2–3 | .svg.png.webp) Real Madrid | 
|---|---|---|
| Foix  15' Ferry  82' (pen.) | Report | Joseíto  45' Di Stéfano  50', 79' | 
Real Madrid won 6–2 on aggregate.
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Star Belgrade .svg.png.webp) | 0–1 |  Fiorentina | 0–1 | 0–0 | 
| Real Madrid .svg.png.webp) | 5–3 |  Manchester United | 3–1 | 2–2 | 
First leg
| Red Star Belgrade .svg.png.webp) | 0–1 |  Fiorentina | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Prini  88' | 
| Real Madrid .svg.png.webp) | 3–1 |  Manchester United | 
|---|---|---|
| Rial  61' Di Stéfano  63' Mateos  83' | Report | Taylor  82' | 
Second leg
Fiorentina won 1–0 on aggregate.
| Manchester United  | 2–2 | .svg.png.webp) Real Madrid | 
|---|---|---|
| Taylor  62' Charlton  85' | Report | Kopa  25' Rial  33' | 
Real Madrid won 5–3 on aggregate.
Final
| Real Madrid .svg.png.webp) | 2–0 |  Fiorentina | 
|---|---|---|
| Di Stéfano  69' (pen.) Gento  75' | Report | 
Top scorers
The top scorers from the 1956–57 European Cup (including preliminary round) were as follows:[5][6]
Notes
- ↑ It is assumed this match was played in Munich as a result of Swiss protests regarding the outcome of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 which also led to them boycotting the 1956 Olympic Games.[3]
- ↑ Played at Heysel Stadium, Brussels due to Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
References
- ↑ Woodward, Hamish (2021-06-20). "Why are Manchester United Called the Red Devils?". Atletifo Sports. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
- ↑ Corriere dello Sport, June 30, 1956.
- ↑ Melbourne/Stockholm 1956 (All facts) Olympic.org
- ↑ "Real Madrid vs. Fiorentina" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ↑ 1956/57 European Champion Clubs' Cup - Tournament phase - Goals scored
- ↑ 1956/57 European Champion Clubs' Cup - Qualifying phase - Goals scored
External links
- 1956–57 All matches – season at UEFA website
- All scorers 1956–57 European Cup (excluding qualifying round) according to protocols UEFA + all scorers qualifying round
- European Cup results at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
- 1956-57 European Cup – results and line-ups (archive)



