The 1960 European Cup final was a football match played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland on 18 May 1960 as the conclusion to the 1959âÂÂ60 European Cup.
The match was contested by four-time defending champions Real Madrid of Spain, the only previous team to win the competition, and Eintracht Frankfurt of West Germany.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest football matches ever played, Real Madrid won 7âÂÂ3 in front of a record crowd of over 127,000 people. Real Madrid players Alfredo Di Stéfano (3) and Ferenc Puskás (4) both scored hat-tricks in the final.
Until the 2025 UEFA Champions League final, in which Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5âÂÂ0, the match held the record for the largest margin of victory in a European Cup final. This match still has the record of the most goals scored in a European Cup final.
Real Madrid had won the first four editions of the European Cup in 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959.
Eintracht Frankfurt had not played in European competitions before 1959 but a Frankfurt XI, made up of players from the city, competed in the inaugural Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1955âÂÂ58.
The match was initially in doubt as the German Football Association (DFB) had banned their clubs from taking part in matches with any team containing Ferenc Puskás. Following defeat to West Germany in the 1954 FIFA World Cup final, Puskas â who had scored in the match for the defeated Hungary side â alleged that the West German players had used drugs. As a result, Puskás had to make a formal written apology to the DFB before the match could take place.
Real Madrid qualified for the competition as defending champions and they were given a bye in the preliminary round.
In the first round, Real Madrid defeated Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg 7âÂÂ0 at home in the first leg and 5âÂÂ2 away in the second leg to advance 12âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Real Madrid then faced Nice of France in the quarter-finals. After losing the first leg 3âÂÂ2 away from home, Real Madrid won the second leg at home 4âÂÂ0 to advance to the semi-finals 6âÂÂ3 on aggregate.
In the semi-finals, Real Madrid faced rivals Barcelona. After winning the first leg 3âÂÂ1 at home, Real Madrid won the second leg away from home by the same scoreline to advance to the final 6âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Eintracht Frankfurt qualified for the competition after winning the German football championship for the only time in 1959.
In the preliminary round, Eintracht Frankfurt were due to play Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) of Finland but were given a walkover after KuPS withdrew.
Young Boys of Switzerland were Eintracht Frankfurt's opponents in the first round. After winning the first leg 4âÂÂ1 away from home, Eintracht Frankfurt drew the second leg at home 1âÂÂ1 to advance 5âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Eintracht Frankfurt then faced Wiener Sport-Club of Austria in the quarter-finals. After winning the first leg 2âÂÂ1 at home, Eintracht Frankfurt drew the second leg away from home 1âÂÂ1 to advance 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
In the semi-finals, Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Rangers of Scotland 6âÂÂ1 in the first leg at home and 6âÂÂ3 in the second leg away from home to advance to the final 12âÂÂ4 on aggregate.
The match set a record attendance for a European Cup final at over 127,000 while an estimated 70 million people across Europe watched the match on television. It also set a record for the most goals in a European Cup final at 10. As a result, the match is often quoted as one of the greatest football matches ever played.
Real Madrid's four-goal winning margin set a record for the largest margin of victory in a European Cup final. This would not be bettered until decades after the competition was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League. In 1994, AC Milan equaled the record by beating FC Barcelona 4-0. In 2025, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Inter Milan 5âÂÂ0 to break the record.