1955 Small Club World Cup
The 1955 Small Club World Cup was the fourth edition of the Small Club World Cup, a tournament held in Venezuela between 1952 and 1957, and in 1963 and in 1965. It was played by four participants, half from Europe and half from South America in double round robin format and featured players like Mario Coluna, José Águas, goalkeeper Costa Pereira for Benfica, Dino Sani, Nílton de Sordi for Sao Paulo, Dutch Faas Wilkes and Pasieguito for Valencia.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Venezuela |
| Dates | 7 July – 4 August |
| Teams | 4 (from 2 associations) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} São Paulo (1st title) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 12 |
| Goals scored | 40 (3.33 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Rubén Padín (10 goals) |
As Milan and Real Madrid declined to participate,[1] they were replaced by Spanish club Valencia and local team La Salle. On the other hand, Brazilian club São Paulo's participation was part of a tour that also included Colombia and Mexico, while Valencia became the third Spanish team to visit Venezuela, after Real Madrid and Barcelona.[2]
The tournament was organised by Spanish entrepreneurs Damián Gaubeka and Pedro Reyes, and named "Copa General de Brigada Marcos Pérez Jiménez" by the press, which never mentioned it as "Pequeña Copa del Mundo". Argentine striker Rubén Padín of La Salle (who had been loaned from Cúcuta Deportivo to play this tournament exclusively) was the topscorer with 10 goals.[2]
Participants
| Team | Quelification |
|---|---|
 Benfica | Champions of 1954–55 Primeira Divisão |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Valencia | 5th. in 1954–55 La Liga |
| São Paulo | 4th. in 1954 Campeonato Paulista |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} La Salle | Champions of Venezuelan Primera División |
Matches
| Valencia | 4–3 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
Buque  3' Pasieguito 43'Wilkes 52' Fuertes 69' |
Report | Arsenio 30' Aguas 46', 80' |
| La Salle | 1–4 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Padín 25' |
Report | Arsenio 60' Salvador 66'Chano 65' (o.g.) Calado 81' |
| São Paulo | 4–2 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Dino Sani 23', 50' Maurinho 55'Teixeira 83' |
Report | Salvador 62' Caiado 87' |
| Valencia | 4–3 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Fuertes 4' Pasieguito Wilkes 53'Fuertes 67' |
Report | Coluna 21' Zezini 46'Aguas 80' |
| La Salle | 1–4 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Padín 25' |
Report | Arsenio 60' Salvador 66'Chano 65' (o.g.) Calado 81' |
| São Paulo | 4–2 | Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Dino Sani 23', 50' Maurinho 55'Teixeira 83' |
Report | Salvador 62' Caiado 87' |
| La Salle | 1–3 | São Paulo |
|---|---|---|
| Padín 87' |
Report | Lanzoni 40' Gino 57' Dino Sani 62' |
Champion
| 1955 Small Club World Cup |
|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} São Paulo 1st. title |
References
- on Mundo Deportivo, 24 Apr 1955
- 1955: 4ta. Pequeña Copa del Mundo by Elizier Pérez on Fútbol de Venezuela (archived, 8 Dec 2013)
- Pequeña Copa del Mundo 1955 on the RSSSF