1979 in association football

Events

• Copa Libertadores 1979: Won by Olimpia Asunción after defeating Boca Juniors on an aggregate score of 2–0.
• European Cup 1979: Won by Nottingham Forest after defeating Malmö FF 1–0 in the Final.
• Intercontinental Cup 1979: Won by Olimpia Asunción after defeating Malmö FF by an aggregate score of 3–1. This was the last time the Intercontinental Cup was played in two legs.
• May 22 - Ruud Krol becomes Holland's most capped player in history when he plays his 65th match for the Netherlands national football team against Argentina.

  Winners club national championship

Asia

• : Al-Sadd SC

  Europe

• : K.S.K. Beveren
• : PFC Levski Sofia
• : Omonia Nicosia
• : Esbjerg fB
• : Liverpool F.C.
• : RC Strasbourg
• : AEK Athens
• : Újpest FC
• : AC Milan
• :
• *Eredivisie - Ajax Amsterdam
• *Eerste Divisie - Excelsior Rotterdam
• : Ruch Chorzów
• : FC Porto
• : Dundalk F.C.
• : Celtic F.C.
• : Real Madrid
• : Trabzonspor
• : Hamburger SV
• : FC Spartak Moscow

  North and Central America

• : Cruz Azul
• /
• *Vancouver Whitecaps
• *Sacramento Gold

  Oceania

• : Marconi Fairfield

  South America

• *Metropolitano - River Plate
• *Nacional - River Plate
• : Internacional
• : América de Cali
• : Olimpia Asunción

  International tournaments

• 1979 British Home Championship
• Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico
• #
• #
• #
• Copa América
• #
• #
• # and
• World Youth Championship
• #
• #
• #

  Births

• January 2 - Jonathan Greening, English footballer and coach
• January 4 - Shergo Biran, German footballer
• January 12 - Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
• January 15 - Martin Petrov, Bulgarian footballer
• January 26 - Maksym Kalynychenko, Ukrainian footballer
• February 2 - Daniel Bierofka, German footballer
• February 13 - Rafael Márquez, Mexican footballer
• February 19 - Steve Cherundolo, American footballer
• March 2 - Damien Duff, Irish footballer
• March 4 - Vyacheslav Malafeev, Russian footballer
• March 22 - Aldo Duscher, Argentine footballer
• April 5 - Timo Hildebrand, German footballer
• April 12 - Tobias Linderoth, Swedish footballer
• April 20 - Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer
• April 26 - Fereydoon Zandi, Iranian-German footballer
• May 19 - Diego Forlán, Uruguayan footballer
• May 19 - Andrea Pirlo, Italian footballer
• May 29 - Arne Friedrich, German footballer
• May 30 - Fabian Ernst, German footballer
• June 4 - Naohiro Takahara, Japanese footballer
• June 7 - Kevin Hofland, Dutch footballer
• June 19 - José Kleberson, Brazilian footballer
• July 14 - Sergei Ignashevich, Russian footballer
• July 26 - Paul Freier, German footballer
• August 7 - Pablo Salinas, Bolivian footballer
• August 12 - Júnior Izaguirre, Honduran footballer
• September 13 - Julio de León, Honduran footballer
• October 8 - Doyle Vaca, Bolivian footballer
• October 9 - Gonzalo Sorondo, Uruguayan footballer
• October 15 - Paul Robinson, English footballer
• October 18 - Jaroslav Drobny, Czech footballer
• October 23 - Simon Davies, Welsh footballer
• November 5 - Patrick Owomoyela, German footballer
• November 5 - David Suazo, Honduran footballer
• November 15 - Rowan Hendricks, South African footballer
• November 20 - Dmitri Bulykin, Russian footballer
• November 21 - Vincenzo Iaquinta, Italian footballer
• December 7 - Diego Bengolea, Bolivian footballer
• December 14 - Jean-Alain Boumsong, French footballer
• December 14 - Michael Owen, English footballer
• December 20 - Ashley Cole, English footballer
• December 30 - Hernán Boyero, Argentine footballer

  Deaths

February

• February 16 - Henk Steeman, Dutch midfielder, bronze medalist at the 1920 Summer Olympics.

  April

• April 18 – Pedro Arico Suárez, Argentine defender, runner up of the 1930 FIFA World Cup.
• April 19 - August Sackenheim, German forward, capped 4 times for the Germany national football team.
• April 22 – Amedeo Biavati, Italian midfielder, winner of the 1938 FIFA World Cup.
• April 30 - Jaap Bulder, Dutch forward, bronze medalist at the 1920 Summer Olympics.

  July

• July 14 – Santos Urdinarán, Uruguayan striker, winner of the 1930 FIFA World Cup.
• July 31 – José Della Torre, Argentine defender, runner up of the 1930 FIFA World Cup.

  August

• August 21 – Giuseppe Meazza, Italian striker, winner of the 1934 FIFA World Cup and 1938 FIFA World Cup, often seen as the best player of his era, and one of the greatest of all time.

  December

• December 12 - Hans Rohde, German defender, 25 times capped for the Germany national football team.