66 years since playing the first European Cup of Basketball
Real Madrid is the most successful team in the competition with 11 trophies.
Real Madrid began its legacy in the European Cup of Basketball on 12 March 1958, making our debut in this competition with a visit to Portuguese side Barreirense, who we beat 51-68. The second leg was played on 20 April, with another win for Real Madrid by 86-40. In that first campaign, Real Madrid also knocked out Belgian side Royal IV in the quarter-finals, and did not play the semi-final against ASK Riga for political reasons.
66 years on from their European Cup debut, Real Madrid dominate the honours list with 11 trophies. The first came in 1964, with Joaquín Hernández as coach. A golden decade saw Real Madrid lift the continental trophy again in 1965, 1967, 1968 and 1974, all four with Pedro Ferrándiz on the bench. The Sixth and the Seventh (1978 and 1980) came under another legendary coach, Lolo Sainz.
The legacy continues
The next triumph in this competition came in 1995, with Sabonis dominating European basketball and Obradovic leading from the sidelines. Further successful years came in 2015 and 2018, with legendary squads led by Pablo Laso. Last year, the eleventh, was with Chus Mateo in an unforgettable final with a decisive shot by Llull in the last seconds of the game.