Tim Vickery on South America

This year's major international tournament, the European Championship, was first disputed in 1960 - which makes it a mere youngster in comparison with the South American version, the Copa America, held as far back as 1916. But in terms of club competitions, rather than national teams, the seniority is reversed. The competition now known as the Champions League, originally the European Cup, first kicked off in 1955. The South American equivalent, the Copa Libertadores, only came to life five years later - and was a conscious attempt to emulate the European competition, so that the champions of football's two traditional continents could fight it out for the world title.