By Adegboyega Adeleye

The treble is an iconic mark in football that notes a club’s feat of winning three major trophies in a single season. A continental treble involves winning the club’s top-level domestic league competition, main domestic cup competition, and main continental trophy.

Only eight teams in Europe have won the continental treble (incorporating only the European Cup or Champions League). They are: Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Celtic, Inter, Manchester United, Manchester City and PSV.

Basically, a treble in football occurs when a team wins three trophies. However, in order to be considered a genuine treble, they must be the ‘right’ trophies and in this context, we refer to a domestic league, domestic cup and European Cup treble.

Although this article focuses on European teams but there are, of course, more examples of treble-winning teams across the world.

1. Celtic (1966/67)

Celtic competed for five trophies in the 1966–67 season and the club won all of them: the Scottish League, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, the Glasgow Cup, and the European Cup, and completed the only ever European Quintuple (five-titles).

Celtic’s Lisbon Lions – in 1966/67 – are the only team to have lifted a quadruple of European Cup, domestic league, domestic cup and domestic league cup in the same season.

The team from this season are commonly known as the Lisbon Lions, because the European Cup final, which they won 2-1 against Inter Milan, was held in Lisbon. Celtic, led by manager, Jock Stein, scored a world record 196 goals in the major competitions they took part in.

2. Ajax (1971-72)

In the 1971-72 season, AFC Ajax achieved a continental treble, winning the Eredivisie (Dutch League), the KNVB Cup, and the European Cup (now the Champions League). They also won the Intercontinental Cup that same year, becoming one of only four teams to accomplish this feat.

The 1971-72 season was a historic one for Ajax, as they won all three major titles in their respective competitions. Also, in the 1971–72 season, Ajax lost just one game. They were unbeaten at home in both domestic and European competitions. Internationally, they clinched the European Cup, defeating Inter Milan 2-0 in the final.

This team, coached by Rinus Michels and led by Johan Cruyff, is renowned for its innovative “Total Football” style, which revolutionised the sport and is regarded as one of the greatest European Champions of all time.

3. PSV Eindhoven (1987-88)

In the 1987-88 season, PSV Eindhoven achieved a memorable treble by winning the Eredivisie (Dutch League), the KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup), and the European Cup. This feat, led by coach Guus Hiddink and players like Ronald Koeman, Hans van Breukelen, and Wim Kieft, contributed significantly to the success.

In the European Cup final, PSV won 6–5 on penalties after a goalless draw after extra time.

4. Manchester United (1998-99)

During the 1998-99 season, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side emerged winners of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, and became the first English side to do so.

After finishing the previous season without winning any titles, substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s goal sealed the Treble for Manchester United, who were crowned European champions for the first time since 1968.

With the Premier League and FA Cup already secured, United completed a then-unprecedented Treble, with a hard-fought and deserved 2-1 win (a famous comeback) over German giants Bayern Munich in the Champions League final at the Nou Camp.

5. Barcelona (2008-09, 2014-15)

Barcelona accomplished the genuine treble in 2008-09 and 2014-15, under the management of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, respectively.

Barcelona achieved their first treble (winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League) in the 2008-09 season under Pep Guardiola, becoming the first Spanish team to do so. They then replicated this feat in the 2014-15 season, under Luis Enrique, becoming the first club to achieve the treble twice.

In 2008, Barcelona won the Champions League final, beating Manchester United 2-0, while in 2015, the Catalans beat Juventus in the Champions League final 3-1. Players like Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Piqué, Busquets, and Dani Alves were instrumental in both treble-winning teams.

6. Inter Milan (2009-10)

In the 2009-10 campaign, the Nerazzurri, led by Jose Mourinho, won the European Treble. This consisted of the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia, and the Champions League.

The final against Bayern Munich was a masterclass, with Diego Milito’s brace securing a historic 2-0 victory to complete the treble, a feat never before achieved by any team from Italy.

The 2009-10 season was the greatest in their history, winning the Serie A for the fifth consecutive season on the final matchday, the Coppa Italia, and the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 45 years to complete a historic treble. Inter became the sixth European club to complete a treble, and the first and only Italian club to achieve this feat to date

7 Bayern München (2012-13, 2019-20)

Bayern Munich achieved a treble (Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League) in both the 2012-13 and 2019-20 seasons. In 2013, they were led by Jupp Heynckes and in 2020, they were led by Hansi Flick, becoming the second club (after Barcelona) to win the treble twice.

In 2013, Bayern Munich won the Champions League final, beating Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley, while in 2020, the German giants defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final. The win made Bayern become the first team in the history of the most important club competition in Europe to win every game of the campaign on the way to the title.

8. Manchester City (2022-23)

In the 2022-23 season, Manchester City became the eighth club and the second English side after Manchester United to win the treble, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in the same season.

Rodri’s 68th-minute winner saw The Citizens defeat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final, having already beaten rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup and lifted the Premier League title with three games to spare.

The win made Pep Guardiola the first manager to win two trebles in European football, with Barcelona in 2008-09 and Man City in 2022-23.

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