Many football fans have wondered if the UEFA Super Cup is a major trophy or not. This article put the matter to bed.
Founded in 1972, the UEFA Super Cup is a yearly football match held by UEFA where the victors of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League face off. This contest was Initially known as the Super Competition before it was later renamed the European Super Cup. In 1995, following a policy of rebranding by UEFA, the competition was finally given its current name, the UEFA Super Cup.
Manchester City, who won the Champions League last season, are the current title holders of the UEFA Super Cup. They clinched the trophy after a penalty shootout victory over Sevilla, the Europa League champions, concluding a 1-1 draw weeks ago. Barcelona, AC Milan, and Real Madrid are the most triumphant clubs in the history of the tournament, with each team having lifted the trophy on five occasions.
Is a contest that is held before the start of a new season, a major competition? or is it just another pre-season warm-up affair?
Why The UEFA Super Cup is a major trophy
The Super Cup is a major trophy in football especially because it is organised by UEFA, which is a very strong and powerful body in football. Secondly, all football clubs who win the trophy have it recorded (sometimes crested) in their official trophy records and cabinet. These clubs do not include preseason trophies in their cabinet but they include the UEFA Super League in it and that speaks volumes of the authenticity of the trophy.
Bagging the accolade is something of a priority for the Champions League-winning teams as evidenced by the winners of the title in the last decade.
During the late 1990s, there was a phase where it seemed that the European champions, now known as the winners of the ‘Champions League’, did not prioritize the Super Cup as much as the teams from the secondary competition. For the prominent clubs, it became more of a burden while the other clubs saw it as an opportunity to claim a significant victory.
From 1997 to 2001, in a streak of five consecutive Super Cups, it was not the winner of the Champions League who emerged as the champions, but rather the victors of the Cup Winners’ Cup/UEFA Cup. During this period, Barcelona, Chelsea, Lazio, Galatasaray, and Liverpool all claimed triumph, overcoming Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Real Madrid (once again), and Bayern Munich respectively.
Ever since Atletico’s Super Cup victory in 2012, where Radamel Falcao had a standout performance against Chelsea, the Champions League winners have lifted the trophy significantly more than the Europa League winners.
This implies that clubs from the bigger competition are now placing a greater emphasis on the UEFA Super Cup as a chance to start the season with a trophy. As success in modern football is primarily evaluated based on winning titles, having the opportunity to claim an additional trophy and include it in the official record is seen as too valuable to disregard.
Consider Reading: FA Cup vs Champions League – The Major Differences Analyzed
Conclusion
The idea behind contesting for the Super Cup title is to establish, conclusively, the top European team of a particular year, serving as the opening highlight of the domestic season in Europe.
Irrespective of the broad narrative about the standards of the Super Cup, a competition that features the two best teams in Europe is arguably a major tournament.
So technically, with all these points, it is quite clear that the UEFA Super Cup is a major trophy in football that clubs really aspire to win.
