The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football competition created for the UEFA Champions League winners and the UEFA Europa League.
Towards the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, European football rapidly grew, and popularity was rising. UEFA, as a body, wanted to capitalize on the momentum.
In 1971, the Secretary General of UEFA, Hans Bangerter, proposed the idea for establishing the UEFA Super Cup, and his idea later became a reality as the first edition was played in 1972.
Some core reasons for this initiative was to:
• Showcase the quality of the two top European Clubs.
• Generate extra revenue by making use of broadcasting and sponsorship.
• Reward the top-quality clubs that won the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.
After the actualization of the Super Cup competition in 1972, it was at that moment that the competition between the winners of the European Cup winners (now known as UEFA Champions League) against the European Cup Winners’ Cup (now known as UEFA Europa League) started. The first match was played between Ajax and Rangers. The competition was later revamped and it was recognized as a competitive encounter between the UEFA Champions League winner and the UEFA Europa League winner before the beginning of all European Club Football competition.
Some Notable Records in the Competition
• Barcelona: 5 Titles
• AC Milan: 5 Titles
• AC Milan: Highest Appearance- 11
• Real Madrid: 5 Titles
Real Madrid’s Success in the UEFA Super Cup
With 15 UEFA Champions League trophies, Real Madrid is seen as a team with a high frequency of appearances in the UEFA Cup competition.
In 2002, the team won the Cup under their manager Vicente del Bosque where Raul Gonzalez netted 2 goals to defeat Feyenoord 3 goals to 1.
Carlo Ancelotti won it twice (2014 and 2022) with the club and Cristiano Ronaldo netted a goal to see them defeat Sevilla 2 goals to nothing in 2014 and David Alaba and Karim Benzema got a goal each as they defeated Manchester United in 2022.
Football legend Zinedine Zidane was the manager of the club when they won the cup again twice in 2016 and 2017, defeating Sevilla and Manchester United 3-2 and 2-1.
Atalanta’s UEFA Super Cup Campaign
Atalanta as a club has never recorded any notable appearance in the UEFA Super Cup. But the team has had notable appearances in UEFA competitions like the Champions League and Europa League.
The Italian club, in the just concluded season, had a brilliant performance in the UEFA Europa League as they won the competition. Hat-trick from the Nigerian international skipper Ademola Lookman saw them crush Xabi Alonso’s Bayern Leverkusen side and break the club’s 51-game all-round competition unbeaten run.
This victory had brought them up the radar to compete in the UEFA Super Cup finals.
The Warsaw 2024 Finals
As both Real Madrid and Atalanta will lock horns on Wednesday the 14th of August 2024, they have proven to the whole football-loving fans in the just concluded European competitions that they have a bunch of talents who are world-class and deserve their spot in the finals of the UEFA Super Cup.
With the addition of top-class players like Kylian Mbappe and Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa for Real Madrid and Giorgio Scalvini, Nicolo Zaniolo, and Merih Demiral for Atalanta this season, both teams are ready for the season ahead.
The final is scheduled to take place in Warsaw Poland.
