1972 in association football

Events

• Copa Libertadores 1972: Won by Independiente after defeating Universitario de Deportes on an aggregate score of 2-1.
• May 11 – Ajax Amsterdam claims the Dutch Cup by defeating FC Den Haag: 3-2.
• Ajax Amsterdam wins the national championship, national cup, Euro cup I, World cup and Supercup; no team ever has come close to that record.

Winners club national championship

• Argentina
• * San Lorenzo - Metropolitano
• * San Lorenzo - Nacional
• Brazil: Palmeiras
• Denmark: Vejle BK
• East Germany: 1. FC Magdeburg
• Hungary: Újpest FC
• Netherlands: Ajax Amsterdam
• Spain: Real Madrid
• Turkey: Galatasaray S.K.
• West Germany: Bayern Munich
• England : Derby County

International tournaments

• African Cup of Nations in Cameroon (February 23 – March 5, 1972)
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• 1972 British Home Championship (May 20 – May 27, 1972)

• UEFA European Football Championship in Belgium (June 14 – 18 1972)
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• Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany (August 26 – September 10, 1972)
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Births

• January 1 – Lilian Thuram, French footballer
• January 3 – Manuel Martínez, Mexican footballer
• January 8 – Esteban Valencia, Chilean footballer
• January 11 – Huub Loeffen, Dutch footballer
• January 29 – Joseph Oosting, Dutch footballer
• February 11 – Steve McManaman, English footballer
• March 3 – Karel Poborský, Czech footballer
• March 28 – Péter Lipcsei, Hungarian footballer
• April 28 – Jean-Paul van Gastel, Dutch footballer
• May 8 – José Alberto Guadarrama, Mexican footballer
• August 7 – Goran Vlaović, Croatian footballer
• August 30 – Pavel Nedvěd, Czech footballer
• September 8 – Markus Babbel, German footballer
• September 10 – Mariano Bombarda, Argentine footballer
• November 2 – Derlis Gómez, Paraguayan footballer
• November 11 – Nurmat Mirzabaev, Kazakhstani footballer
• December 29 – Losseni Konaté, Ivorian footballer

Deaths

• September 16 – Jan de Natris (76), Dutch footballer (b. 1895)