The 1958–59 European Cup was the fourth season of the European Cup, Europe's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Real Madrid for the fourth time in a row, who beat Stade Reims 2–0 in the final at Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, on 3 June 1959. The two finalists also competed in the final of the first European Cup in 1956.

Note: Real Madrid, Wolverhampton Wanderers, CDNA Sofia and HPS received byes.

¹ Olympiacos withdrew due to political issues.

² Manchester United had been invited to enter the competition by UEFA after their campaign in the previous year's tournament was damaged by the Munich air disaster. However the FA refused Manchester United permission to compete, arguing only the reigning English champions should be represented.

³ IFK Göteborg beat Jeunesse Esch 5–1 in a play-off to qualify for the first round.

⁴ Wismut Karl Marx Stadt beat Petrolul Ploieşti 4–0 in a play-off to qualify for the first round.

⁵ Schalke 04 beat KB 3–1 in a play-off to qualify for the first round.

The UEFA Champions League /juːˈeɪfə ˈtʃæmpiənz ˈliːɡ/ known simply as the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football. The final of the competition is the most watched annual sporting event worldwide, drawing over 300 million television viewers.

Prior to 1992, the tournament was officially called the "European Champion Clubs' Cup," but was usually referred to simply as the "European Cup." The competition was initially a straight knockout competition open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s, the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating a round-robin group phase and more teams. Europe's strongest national leagues now provide up to four teams each for the competition. The UEFA Champions League should not be confused with the UEFA Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup.

Ferenc Puskás (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈfɛrɛnt͡s ˈpuʃkaːʃ]; born Ferenc Purczeld; 1 April 1927 – 17 November 2006) was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954. He won three European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), 10 national championships (5 Hungarian & 5 Spanish Primera División) and 8 top individual scoring honors. He is regarded as the best Hungarian football player ever and one of the best football players of all time.

Puskás started his career in Hungary playing for Kispest and Budapest Honvéd. He was top scorer in the Hungarian League on four occasions, and in 1948, he was the top goal scorer in Europe. During the 1950s, he was both a prominent member and captain of the Hungarian national team, known as the Mighty Magyars. In 1958, two years after the Hungarian Revolution, he emigrated to Spain where he played for Real Madrid.

Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season. His manager records and longevity at the helm of Manchester United are only surpassed by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Before going into management, Busby was a player for two of Manchester United's greatest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool. During his time at City, Busby played in two FA Cup Finals, winning one of them. After his playing career was interrupted by the Second World War, Busby was offered the job of assistant coach at Liverpool, but they were unwilling to give him the control over the team that he wanted and he took the vacant manager's job at Manchester United instead.

Born to Alexander and Nellie Busby in a two-roomed pitman's cottage in the mining village of Orbiston, Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Busby was raised a practising Roman Catholic of Lithuanian ancestry. When he was born, Busby's mother was told by the doctor "A footballer has come into this house today". Busby's father – a miner – was killed by a German sniper during the First World War at the Battle of the Somme, while three of his uncles were killed in France with the Cameron Highlanders.

Peter Barker Howard May, CBE (31 December 1929 – 27 December 1994) was an English amateur cricketer, who played for Surrey, Cambridge University and England. On 9 July 2009, May was posthumously inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Born in Reading, Berkshire, he was educated at Charterhouse and Pembroke College, Cambridge, and at both he was regarded as a batting prodigy. Across the 1950s, he was the most consistent and prolific English batsman in both county (representing Surrey) and Test cricket. He made his Test match debut against the South Africans at Headingley in 1951, scoring 138, and was then a regular England player until forced out by illness at the end of the 1950s. May was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1952. May was the natural successor to Leonard Hutton as England captain after the successful defence of the Ashes on the 1954/55 tour of Australia.