ThreeMatchBan
Since it was introduced in 1971, the UEFA Cup, now the Europa League, has produced winners from right across the continent. By the spring of 2012 the trophy had been shared between 26 clubs from 11 countries, and that season's final went to Spain, with Atlético Madrid beating Athletic Bilbao 3–0 in Bucharest.
The list of finalists is even broader. Over four decades the final has been reached by giants, by provincial clubs enjoying the season of their lives and, on the odd occasion, by sides whose route to the final raised a few eyebrows about the refereeing along the way.
The competition of midweek nights
The UEFA Cup replaced the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and opened its doors to clubs that had finished just behind the champions in their leagues. That gave it a particular flavour. The big names were often absent, busy in the European Cup, which left room for clubs who had enjoyed one excellent season to test themselves abroad.
The first final, in 1972, was an all-English affair over two legs, with Tottenham Hotspur beating Wolverhampton Wanderers. The origins of the Tottenham cockerel are covered in the Tottenham badge history, and Wolves fans can find their own story in the Wolves badge history. Liverpool won it in 1973 and 1976, and Ipswich Town lifted it in 1981, still one of the great achievements of a provincial English club.
Two-legged finals lasted until 1997. From 1998 the final became a one-off match at a neutral venue, starting with Inter beating Lazio 3–0 in Paris. The rebranding as the Europa League followed in 2009–10, and the first final under the new name went to extra time, with Atlético Madrid beating Fulham 2–1 in Hamburg.
Shirts from a hundred different nights
Because so many different clubs have reached the final, the shirts in this quiz cover a huge range of styles and eras. There are clean cotton designs from the 1970s, the shadow-patterned polyester of the late 1980s and the baggy, overdesigned efforts of the mid-1990s, when kit makers seemed to compete over who could fit the most panels onto one garment.
Some will bring back fond memories of a famous run. Others will need research, especially the shirts of clubs who reached a single final and have rarely been seen in Europe since. Those are the ones that separate the casual viewer from the supporter who used to stay up for the late highlights. The odd sponsor's name survives on the shirt fronts, and for a sharp-eyed viewer it can be the most useful clue of all.
All of the shirts are available from this vast online wardrobe. Anyone tempted to own one of the more obscure designs will find the full range at classicfootballshirts. It can be a costly place to spend an evening.
How to play
Each shirt has an answer box below it. Type the name of the club, and the box turns green as soon as the answer is right while the score counter at the top climbs by one. There is no sign-up, no deadline and no need to answer in order.
Use full club names. Queens Park Rangers would count but QPR would not, so write Tottenham Hotspur rather than Spurs and Wolverhampton Wanderers rather than Wolves. Continental clubs should be entered in the form usually used in English.
Once the finalists are done, the Champions League shirt quiz moves up a level and the European giants quiz sticks to the clubs with the most silverware.
One last nudge: Fulham, beaten in Hamburg in 2010, have never reached another European final, and they are far from the only losing finalist with that story.