1979 in association football

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 1979 throughout the world.

Events

• Copa Libertadores 1979: Won by Olimpia Asunción after defeating Boca Juniors on an aggregate score of 2-0.
• European Cup 1979: Won by Nottingham Forest after defeating Malmö FF 1-0 in the Final.
• Intercontinental Cup 1979: Won by Olimpia Asunción after defeating Malmö FF by an aggregate score of 3-1. This was the last time the Intercontinental Cup was played in two legs (South America and Europe).
• May 22 – Ruud Krol becomes Holland's most capped player in history when he plays his 65th match for the Netherlands national football team against Argentina.

Winners club national championship

• Belgium – K.S.K. Beveren
• Bulgaria – PFC Levski Sofia
• Cyprus – Omonia Nicosia
• Denmark – Esbjerg Fb
• England – Liverpool F.C.
• France – RC Strasbourg
• Hungary – Újpest FC
• Italy – AC Milan
• Netherlands
  • Eredivisie – Ajax Amsterdam
  • Eerste Divisie – Excelsior Rotterdam
• Poland – Ruch Chorzów
• Portugal – FC Porto
• Scotland – Celtic F.C.
• Spain – Real Madrid
• West Germany – Hamburger SV
• USSR – FC Spartak Moscow

North and Central America

• North America – Vancouver Whitecaps

South America

• Argentina
  • Metropolitano – River Plate
  • Nacional – River Plate
• Brazil – Internacional
• Colombia – América de Cali
• Paraguay – Olimpia Asunción

International tournaments

• 1979 British Home Championship (May 19 – May 26, 1979)

 England

• Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico (July 2 – July 14, 1979)
  1.  Brazil
  2.  Cuba
  3.  Argentina

• Copa América (July 10 – December 12, 1979)
  1.  Paraguay
  2.  Chile
  3.  Brazil and  Peru

• World Youth Championship (August 26 – September 7, 1979)
  1.  Argentina
  2.  Soviet Union
  3.  Uruguay

Births

• January 12 – Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
• January 15 – Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
• January 26 – Maksym Kalynychenko, Ukrainian footballer
• February 2 – Daniel Bierofka, German footballer
• February 13 – Rafael Márquez, Mexican footballer
• February 19 – Steve Cherundolo, American footballer
• March 2 – Damien Duff, Irish footballer
• March 4 – Vyacheslav Malafeev, Russian footballer
• March 22 – Aldo Duscher, Argentine footballer
• April 5 – Timo Hildebrand, German footballer
• April 12 – Tobias Linderoth, Swedish footballer
• April 20 – Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer
• April 26 – Fereydoon Zandi, Iranian-German footballer
• May 19 – Diego Forlán, Uruguayan footballer
• May 29 – Arne Friedrich, German footballer
• May 30 – Fabian Ernst, German footballer
• June 4 – Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
• June 7 – Kevin Hofland, Dutch footballer
• June 19 – José Kleberson, Brazilian footballer
• July 14 – Sergei Ignashevich, Russian footballer
• July 26 – Paul Freier, German footballer
• August 7 – Pablo Salinas, Bolivian footballer
• October 8 – Doyle Vaca, Bolivian footballer
• October 15 – Paul Robinson, English footballer
• October 18 – Jaroslav Drobny, Czech footballer
• October 23 – Simon Davies, Welsh footballer
• November 5 – Patrick Owomoyela, German footballer
• November 20 – Dmitri Bulykin, Russian footballer
• December 7 – Diego Bengolea, Bolivian footballer
• December 14 – Jean-Alain Boumsong, French footballer
• December 14 – Michael Owen, English footballer
• December 20 – Ashley Cole, English footballer
• December 30 – Hernán Boyero, Argentine footballer

Deaths

• February 16 – Henk Steeman (85), Dutch footballer (b. 1894)
• April 19 – August Sackenheim (73), German footballer
• April 30 – Jaap Bulder (82), Dutch footballer (b. 1896)
• December 12 – Hans Rohde (65), German footballer