1961 in association football

The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 1961 throughout the world.

Events

• Copa Libertadores 1961: Won by Peñarol after defeating Palmeiras on an aggregate score of 2–1.
• 1961 International Soccer League
  • Dukla Prague beat Everton F.C., 9–2, in the final on aggregate
• September 6 – Dutch club Feyenoord from Rotterdam makes its European debut by defeating Sweden's IFK Göteborg (0–3) in the first round of the European Cup.
• September 18 – The North American Football Confederation and Football Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean merge to form CONCACAF.

Winners club national championship

•  Argentina: Racing Club
•  Brazil: Santos
•  England: Tottenham Hotspur
•  France: AS Monaco
•  Iceland: KR
•  Italy: Juventus
•  Mexico: Chivas Guadalajara
•  Netherlands: Feyenoord
•  Paraguay: Cerro Porteño
•  Romania: Steaua București
•  Soviet Union: FC Dynamo Kyiv
•  Spain: Real Madrid
•  Turkey: Fenerbahçe

International tournaments

• 1961 British Home Championship (October 8, 1960 – April 15, 1961)

 England

Births

• January 12 – Andrea Carnevale, Italian international footballer
• January 13 – César Baena, Venezuelan international footballer
• January 17 – Zhao Dayu, Chinese international footballer (died 2015)
• January 18 – Peter Beardsley, English international footballer
• January 20 – Patricio Yáñez, Chilean international footballer
• January 31 – Jonny Otten, German international footballer. ^[1]
• February 13 – Oļegs Karavajevs, Latvian international footballer
• March 13 – Sebastiano Nela, Italian international footballer
• March 21 – Lothar Matthäus, German international footballer and manager
• April 4 – Karsten Härtel, former German footballer^[2]
• April 6 – Tony Paul, English former professional footballer^[3]
• April 11 – Roberto Cabañas, Paraguayan international footballer (died 2017)
• April 19 – Dave Wiffill, English former professional footballer and coach^[4]
• May 3 – Daniel Sánchez, Uruguayan international footballer
• May 5 – Ali Hussein Shihab, Iraqi international footballer (died 2016)
• May 8 – Gert Kruys, Dutch footballer and manager
• May 21 – Thomas Dooley, American international footballer and manager
• June 1 – Rubén Espinoza, Chilean footballer
• June 3 – César Zabala, Paraguayan international footballer (died 2020)
• June 27 – Pat McQuillan, Northern Irish former footballer^[5]
• June 29 – Víctor Genés, Paraguayan footballer and football manager (died 2019)
• August 1 – Danny Blind, Dutch international footballer and manager
• August 10 – Chris Marustik, Welsh international footballer (died 2015)
• August 24 – Nick Hencher, Welsh former professional footballer^[6]
• September 9 – Justo Jacquet, Paraguayan footballer
• September 20 – Erwin Koeman, Dutch international footballer and manager
• October 16 – Wilfried Brookhuis, Dutch footballer
• October 20 – Guillermo Muñoz, Mexican footballer
• November 3 – Sven Habermann, German-Canadian soccer player
• November 4 – Nigel Worthington, Northern Irish international footballer and manager
• November 17 – Wolfram Wuttke, German international footballer (died 2015)
• November 20 – Dave Watson, English footballer and manager
• December 17 – Henk van Stee, Dutch footballer and manager

Deaths

January

• January 5 – Jack Butler (66), English international footballer and manager (born 1894)

October

• October 31 – Alberto Chividini, Argentine defender, runner up of the 1930 FIFA World Cup . (54)

References

1. "Jonny Otten - Matches and Goals in Bundesliga". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
2. "Karsten Härtel". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
3. "Anthony Paul". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
4. "David Wiffill". Barry Hugman's Footballers.
5. "1961 in association football". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
6. "1961 in association football". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 April 2020.