A look at the elite teams who achieved football’s ultimate goal.
A “Treble” in football refers to a situation where a team wins three trophies in a single season. However, for it to be considered a genuine treble, the trophies must be the right ones. Typically comprising a league title, a main National Cup, and a secondary National Cup. This is termed a domestic treble.In England, for example, the domestic treble consists of the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup. The continental treble, on the other hand, includes a continental title such as the Champions League, along with the main National Cup and the league title.
Winning a treble is considered a significant achievement in football. It requires sustained excellence and consistency over an entire season across multiple competitions. In football, things get complicated during a season.
Injuries, match fitness, and player morale need to be in check all the time to get anywhere near a treble. Managers need to change tactics every now and then to compete with so many teams playing with different styles. Also, frequent travelling can take a toll on player fitness.
Let me give you a certain perspective. The football club with the most UEFA Champions League titles is the Spanish side, Real Madrid C.F. They have won the competition a record number of 15 times. While Serie A side AC Milan lurks in at second with seven UCL titles.
But the mighty Los Blancos have never ever won a Continental Treble. This hardship of winning a treble is evident in European football history. Only eight teams have successfully completed a Continental treble.
Now, let’s have a look at the clubs that have successfully achieved this feat in a season.
1966-67: Celtic
Celtic won every other competition they entered that season. Remarkably, the name Lisbon Lions came into acceptance after their historic 2-1 triumph over Inter in the European Cup finals.
Under coach, Jock Stein Scottish club Celtic marked their name on the pages of football history. They became the first club to bring the UCL trophy to Great Britain. The final was played in Lisbon, Portugal, which eventually gave the 1966-67 Celtic batch the name Lisbon Lions.
Many deemed the Italian side, Inter Milan, to be the favourites ahead of the game. The match ended Celtic 2-1 Inter, and opponents Inter Milan were shell-shocked by the final result. Although Inter struck first via a penalty kick. Celtic’s 63′ and 84′ minute efforts were enough to seal the comeback victory.
1971-72: Ajax
In the 1971-72 season, Ajax dominated with their total football style of play. They were only defeated once in the entirety of the season. That season was very different for Ajax.
The newly appointed manager, Ștefan Kovács, replaced their long-serving coach, Rinus Michels. Michels was serving as a manager since 1965. The club was in transition in tactics and approach under the new manager.
Still, they managed to go undefeated almost the entire season. Their only defeat came at the hands of Go Ahead Eagles on 1 April 1972 in the Eredivisie league. Johan Cruyff was the heartbeat of the Dutch side, playing in his prime and leading Ajax to a treble.
In the season 1971-72, Cruyff managed to find the net a total of 25 times while also assisting his teammates 20 times. Kovács led Ajax to win the treble that season, winning the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup.
1987-88: PSV Eindhoven
Several years later, another Dutch side made it to the history books by completing a treble. In the 1987-88 season, PSV Eindhoven won the Eredivisie league, KNVB Cup, and also the prestigious European Cup.
Even the current Netherlands football team manager, Ronald Koeman, was part of that group. Forward Wim Kieft was PSV Eindhoven’s top scorer in all competitions. He found the back of the net on 29 occasions and was instrumental in the PSV team’s attack.
Eindhoven went on to win the European Cup after beating the mighty Los Blancos in the semi-finals.
1998-99: Manchester United
The Red Devils managed to hit the treble in the 1998-99 season. This feat is more mesmerising as they had accumulated no trophies the previous season.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson helped Manchester United to clinch the Premier League title, which was within inches of Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal. Arsenal FC lost the 1998-99 PL title by just one point to Manchester United.
Dwight Yorke ended up as the top scorer, scoring a total of 29 goals. Out of which 18 goals came in the Premier League.
2008-09: Barcelona
In the summer of 2008, FC Barcelona appointed their new manager, Pep Guardiola. Guardiola was so sure about his style of play that he went on to sell several high-profile star players such as Ronaldinho and Deco.
FC Barcelona notably recruited Dani Alves, Seydou Keita, and Gerard Piqué at the start of the season. Lionel Messi was the most prolific star that season. He found the back of the net 38 times in all competitions.
He also helped FC Barcelona seal the Champions League trophy by scoring in the 70th minute. In the Champions League final, Manchester United conceded early due to the efforts of Samuel Eto’o. Eto’o was also their top scorer in LaLiga with 30 goals.Eventually, Pep Guardiola managed to win the treble with FC Barcelona in his first season at the helm.
2009-10: Inter Milan
When Inter Milan signed manager Jose Mourinho in 2008, they had only one thing in mind – the UEFA Champions League. The Nerazzurri weren’t after the Serie A or the Coppa Italia. Although they managed to win them all in the following season.After replacing Roberto Mancini, the special one went on to business as usual. Mourinho won the Serie A by 10 points to edge off second-placed Juventus and also the Supercoppa Italiana. But as mentioned earlier, the UCL title was all Inter fans wanted. Guess what? He delivered.Mourinho sold their top scorer, Zlatan Ibrahimović, to FC Barcelona. He invested the money wisely by recruiting the likes of Diego Milito, Samuel Eto’o, Wesley Sneijder, and several others. Milito went on to score a brace against Bayern Munich in the UCL finals and help seal the treble in style.
2012-13: Bayern München
Under Jupp Heynckes, Bayern Munchen went on to break several records in the German league, Bundesliga. But the ultimate highlight was winning the treble. During the season of 2012-13, FC Bayern won the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, and DFB Pokal, making them the first German club to do so.
The summer of 2012 saw several reinforcements to aid the team. The likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Claudio Pizarro, Dante, Javi Martínez, and Mario Mandzukic were recruited. Bayern Munich won the German league with a record 91 points.
The second-placed Bundesliga team, Borrusia Dortmund managed 66 points on the other hand. Bayern Munich also held an upper hand again as they defeated Dortmund in the Champions League finals.
2014-15: Barcelona
FC Barcelona had already achieved this feat once in 2008-09. After winning the treble in 2014-15 once again, they made history to do it twice.
Having lost just four games in the entirety of the LaLiga campaign, they managed to net 94 points in the table. While domestic rivals Real Madrid secured the second place with 92 points. The trio of MSN – Messi, Suarez, and Neymar became very famous. They combined to score a total of 122 goals in all competitions.The Spanish coach, Luis Enrique, helped manage the team and secure LaLiga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League titles. This made Barca the first team in the 21st century to secure a second treble.
2019-20: Bayern Munich
Although FC Barcelona became the first team to achieve the continental treble twice. FC Bayern Munich weren’t holding back.The German side defeated FC Barcelona 8-2 to progress to the semi-finals and ultimately win the UCL trophy in the 2019-20 season. Although Bayern defeated PSG 1-0 in the Champions League finals, the 8-2 victory in the quarter-finals remains much talked about.
FC Bayern had a change of heart amid the season, as they appointed Hansi Flick as their new manager after deciding to part ways with Niko Kovač.
The change didn’t deter Bayern’s quest for the treble as they went on to bring home all major trophies. This included the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and the UEFA Champions League.
2022-23: Manchester City
Manchester City‘s wait for a UEFA Champions League trophy win ended with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan. This win also made them the second English club to win a treble.
Pep Guardiola’s men even made a comeback to lift the Premier League title. Moreover, they then won the FA Cup against Manchester United by a narrow scoreline of 2-1. In the final match of the season, Manchester City lifted the all-important title and made it to the elite list.
Last updated on 31 May 2025
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