 The trophy given to champions | |
| Organizing body | CONMEBOL |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| Abolished | 1997; 28 years ago (1997) |
| Region | South America |
| Number of teams | 16 (1997) |
| Related competitions | Copa Libertadores |
| Last champion(s) |  River Plate (1st title) |
| Most successful club(s) |
|
TheSupercopa Libertadores (English:Libertadores Supercup), also known as theSupercopa Sudamericana,Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange,Supercopa João Havelange or simplySupercopa, was afootball club competition contested annually between 1988 and 1997 by the past winners of theCopa Libertadores. The tournament is one of the many South American club competitions that have been organized byCONMEBOL.[1]
As through the successive editions of this cup were added new champions from the Copa Libertadores, in 1997 the CONMEBOL decided that the last teams of each group would descend to reduce the number of teams to disputed it. That year descended Velez Sarsfield, Racing Club and Boca Juniors (all teams from Argentina) and Gremio (Brazil).
The competition was discontinued to make way for theCopa Mercosur andCopa Merconorte in 1998, which also grew in importance after the final season of theCopa CONMEBOL in 1999. These tournaments were also discontinued in favor of theCopa Sudamericana which allowed the revival of theRecopa Sudamericana.
Prior to its abolition, the Supercopa Libertadores was regarded as the second most prestigious South American club competition out of the three major tournaments, behind theCopa Libertadores and ahead of theCopa CONMEBOL. The winner of the tournament played the winner of the Copa Libertadores in theRecopa Sudamericana. Since the abolition of the Supercopa, the Recopa Sudamericana place previously reserved for the Supercopa winner has been taken by the winner of the Copa Sudamericana.[2]
The last champion of the competition wasRiver Plate, whileCruzeiro andIndependiente are the most successful clubs in the cup history, having won the tournament two times each. The cup has been won by eight different clubs and won consecutively by Cruzeiro and Independiente.
The format for the Supercopa Libertadores underwent changes nearly every season. The most common reason behind it was the addition of a new Copa Libertadores winner. The only way to participate in the Supercopa was being a past winner of the Copa Libertadores.Vasco da Gama was later admitted into the competition as winners of the Copa Libertadores' predecessor, theCampeonato Sudamericano de Campeones. The tournament has been predominantly asingle-elimination tournament with several stages.
Every round of the competition was contested over atwo-legged tie. The teams accumulate points as per the results of the match (3 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss). The team with more points after both legs advanced to the next round. Unlike European club competitions, South America did not useextra time to decide a tie that was level on aggregate. Ties in points would be broken first by goal difference, and ultimately by apenalty shootout after the culmination of the second leg.
| Year | Winners | 1st. leg | 2nd. leg | Playoff/ Agg. | Runners-up | Venue (1st leg) | City (1st leg) | Venue (2nd leg) | City (2nd leg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Racing | 2–1 | 1–1 | – |  Cruzeiro | El Cilindro | Avellaneda | Mineirão | Belo Horizonte |
| 1989 | Boca Juniors | 0–0 | 0–0 | 5–3 (p) | Independiente | La Bombonera | Buenos Aires | La Doble Visera | Avellaneda |
| 1990 |  Olimpia | 3–0 | 3–3 | – |  Nacional | Centenario | Montevideo | Defensores del Chaco | Asunción |
| 1991 |  Cruzeiro | 0–2 | 3–0 | – | River Plate | Monumental | Buenos Aires | Mineirão | Belo Horizonte |
| 1992 | Cruzeiro | 4–0 | 0–1 | – | Racing | Mineirão | Belo Horizonte | El Cilindro | Avellaneda |
| 1993 | São Paulo | 2–2 | 2–2 | 5–3 (p) | Flamengo | Maracanã | Rio de Janeiro | Morumbi | São Paulo |
| 1994 | Independiente | 1–1 | 2–1 | – | Boca Juniors | La Bombonera | Buenos Aires | La Doble Visera | Avellaneda |
| 1995 | Independiente | 2–0 | 0–1 | – | Flamengo | La Doble Visera | Avellaneda | Maracanã | Rio de Janeiro |
| 1996 | Vélez Sarsfield | 1–0 | 2–0 | – | Cruzeiro | Mineirão | Belo Horizonte | José Amalfitani | Buenos Aires |
| 1997 | River Plate | 0–0 | 2–1 | – | São Paulo | Morumbi | São Paulo | Monumental | Buenos Aires |
| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruzeiro | 2 | 2 | 1991,1992 | 1988,1996 |
| Independiente | 2 | 1 | 1994,1995 | 1989 |
| Racing | 1 | 1 | 1988 | 1992 |
| Boca Juniors | 1 | 1 | 1989 | 1994 |
| São Paulo | 1 | 1 | 1993 | 1997 |
| River Plate | 1 | 1 | 1997 | 1991 |
 Olimpia | 1 | 0 | 1990 | — |
| Vélez Sársfield | 1 | 0 | 1996 | — |
| Flamengo | 0 | 2 | — | 1993,1995 |
| Nacional | 0 | 1 | — | 1990 |
| Year | Player (team) | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Antonio Alzamendi(River Plate)Sergio Olivera(Nacional) | 4 |
| 1989 | Mauro Airez(Argentinos Juniors)Rubén Darío Insúa(Independiente) John Jairo Tréllez(Atlético Nacional) | 3 |
| 1990 | Raúl Amarilla(Olimpia) | 7 |
| 1991 | Juan José Borrelli(River Plate)Charles(Cruzeiro)Gaúcho(Flamengo)Sergio Martínez(Peñarol) | 3 |
| 1992 | Renato Gaúcho(Cruzeiro) | 6 |
| 1993 | Ronaldo(Cruzeiro) | 8 |
| 1994 | Sebastián Rambert(Independiente) | 5 |
| 1995 | Enzo Francescoli(River Plate) | 7 |
| 1996 | Patricio Camps(Vélez Sarsfield) | 4 |
| 1997 |  Ivo Basay(Colo-Colo) | 8 |
