France Football European Team of the Year

The France Football European Team of the Year (French: Challenge Européen de Football),^[2] also known as European Challenge Interclubs (Challenge Européen Interclubs),^[3] was an association football award conferred by French sports magazine France Football with the sponsorship of German multinational corporation Adidas. It was held in Europe for the first time in 1968 based in men's clubs' performance in association and UEFA competitions during the last sporting season disputed,^[1] being assigned weighted scores according with the results achieved by each team, forming a virtual league.^[4]

France Football European Team of the Year

Sport	Association football
League	Football leagues affilied to UEFA
Awarded for	Best performing men's European club of the season[1]
Local name	Challenge Européen de Football (French)[2]
Sponsored by	Adidas
Country	France
Presented by	France Football
History
First award	1968
Editions	23
Final award	1990
First winner	Benfica
Most wins	Ajax (5 times)
Most recent	Ex æquo Juventus & Milan AC

The award was conferred annually during 23 seasons between late 1960s to late 1980s in the same ceremony which was given the European Golden Shoe to the clubs' men's leading goalscorer in the continent^[5] and, each four years, the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship awards, being Adidas the main sponsor of both competitions.^[6][7]

The prize was officially discontinued following the Adidas decision of not renewing its commercial contract with the French publication after it awarded the 1990 winner teams in a gala held in Paris, in January 1991.^[8] Subsequently, the Germany's designs and manufacturers corporation became the main sponsor of the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, established in that year.^[8]

Roll of Honour

Year	Winner (s)	Refs
1968	Benfica	[9]
1969	Ajax	[10]
1970	Celtic	[11]
1971	Ex æquo Ajax & Arsenal	[8]
1972	Ajax	[10]
1973	Ajax	[12]
1974	Ex æquo Bayern Munich & Feyenoord	[8]
1975	Borussia Mönchengladbach	[8]
1976	Liverpool	[8]
1977	Juventus	[13]
1978	Liverpool	[3]
1979	Nottingham Forest	[8]
1980	Real Madrid	[1]
1981	Ipswich Town	[14]
1982	Liverpool	[8]
1983	Aberdeen	[15]
1984	Liverpool	[16]
1985	Everton	[8]
1986	Real Madrid	[17]
1987	Ajax	[18]
1988	PSV Eindhoven
1989	Milan AC
1990	Ex æquo Juventus & Milan AC	[19]

By club

Club	Total
Ajax	5
Liverpool	4
Real Madrid	2
Juventus	2
Milan AC	2
Benfica	1
Celtic	1
Arsenal	1
Bayern Munich	1
Feyenoord	1
Borussia Mönchengladbach	1
Nottingham Forest	1
Ipswich Town	1
Aberdeen	1
Everton	1
PSV Eindhoven	1

By country

Country	Teams	Total
England	5	8
Netherlands	3	6
Italy	2	4
Germany	2	2
Scotland	2	2
Spain	1	2
Portugal	1	1

References

1. Clubs' results in official competitions at national level, in UEFA competitions and in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup were included, cf. González, José Damián (8 November 1980). "El Madrid, proclamado mejor club europeo". El País (in Spanish).
2. "France Football - European Team of the Year (1970 photo)". Retrieved 17 January 2013.
3. "Soulier d'Or pour Hans Krankl". L'Impartial (in French). 10 October 1978. p. 17.
4. Calvo, Juan Antonio (23 February 1988). "Dos reales para un título". El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). p. 30.
5. Calvo, Juan Antonio (8 November 1983). "Gomez y el Abeerden recibirán en París sus trofeos europeos". El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). p. 32.
6. Castillo, Juan José (5 November 1982). "París, la gran fiesta del balón". El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). p. 15.
7. "Van Basten y Colak recibieron su oro". El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 3 February 1989. p. 20.
8. "El inglés Gary Lineker, delantero del FC Barcelona, recibirá hoy en París la Bota de Oro". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 13 November 1986. p. 35.
9. Pereira, Luís Miguel (November 2009). Bíblia do Benfica [Benfica Bible] (in Portuguese) (7th ed.). Portugal: Prime Books. p. 91. ISBN 978-989-655-005-9.
10. "Muy breve". ABC (in Spanish). 22 September 1972. p. 65. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
11. Dart, James; Bandini, Nicky; Armstrong, Sean (28 February 2007). "The sulkiest football walk-offs ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
12. Berenschot, Carel (1 April 1999). "De Nikè van Samothrake: De Oscar voor voetballers". Ajax Magazine (in Dutch). No. 6. pp. 188–189. OCLC 73043394.
13. Caroli, Angelo (5 October 1977). "Juve 'Europea'". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 18. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
14. "El búlgaro Slavkov, 31 goles, es la Bota de oro". ABC (in Spanish). 30 October 1981. p. 60. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
15. Webster, Jack (2003). The First 100 Years of The Dons: the official history of Aberdeen Football Club 1903–2003. Hodder and Stoughton. p. 297. ISBN 0-340-82344-5.
16. "Ian Rush recibió la "Bota de Oro"". El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 31 October 1984. p. 14. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
17. "El Madrid, galardonado como el mejor equipo europeo". ABC (in Spanish). 16 November 1986. p. 83. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
18. "Ajax, Europese ploeg van het jaar". Ajax Magazine (in Dutch). No. 5. 1 March 1988. p. 7. OCLC 73043394.
19. "Schillaci premiato: Pallone e Scarpa d'oro del mondiale". La Stampa (in Italian). 1 January 1991. p. 33. Retrieved 17 January 2013.