Treble!?
The meaning of this name cannot be expressed simply in words. This treble can be said to be an adorable item for any club. A treble club victory is only completed when they achieve 3 trophies in a single season. A club will be a treble only if it wins the UEFA Champions League, the national league, and the national cup at the same time in one season. It is quite difficult to win 3 trophies in one season. That is why any club needs to play well throughout the season. A single mistake can destroy Treble’s dream.
However, seven clubs have made this impossible possible, in which only Barcelona and Bayern have won the treble twice. As always, two teams have a chance to win Treble. Let’s take a look at the seven clubs that have won the treble in history.
Celtic FC – (1966-1967)
Scottish club Celtic F.C. won the Treble for the first time in soccer history. With famed coach Jock Stein, Celtic won three league titles in the 1966-67 season. In April of the season, Celtic won the Scottish Cup by defeating Aberdeen. On the other hand, after a fierce battle with rival Rangers F.C., Celtic won the league title with Jock Stein.
On the other hand, for the first time, Celtic played in an elite competition like the European Cup. Although new to the competition, no club can beat Celtic. The team completed its Agudos mission by beating Inter Milan 2-1 in the final. Not only these three titles, but Celtic also won the Scottish Cup and the Glasgow Cup. The team surprised everyone by winning all five titles.
In addition to winning the title, the club also achieved a few different records. In that season, all Celtic players were from Scotland. No club has been so successful playing with all the players from the same country. Even Celtic became the first British club to win the European Cup. The club has scored a record 196 goals throughout the season.
AFC Ajax – (1971-1972)
Ajax has won the lovable treble in the 1971-72 season while having another chance in 2018-2019. But sadly they ended up doubling, not tripling. However, the current ajax is not the same as the old ajax. This Dutch club was one of the best in Europe at that time. They won the European Cup in three consecutive seasons from 1970 to 1972. But they won the treble only in the middle of the year.
Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, and Piet Keizer were spending their golden days at Ajax. Ajax had a golden opportunity to get the treble by winning a European club after winning the cup and the national league on May 11, 1972. Ajax was not wrong to seize that opportunity. The Dutch club Ajax achieved the treble for the first time by defeating Inter Milan with a pair of goals from Cruyff.
Editors Pick :
- Juventus F.C. – New Era League Winners (2019-20)
- Europe’s Top 5 Football League Champions in 2020
- Ansu Fati starts his International career with a goal – Spain vs Ukraine – UEFA Nations League 2020 – An aggressive legend in the making!
PSV Eindhoven – (1987-1988)
Another Dutch club, PSV Eindhoven, had a chance to win the treble after Ajax. PSV Eindhoven got the treble 16 years later, the triple victory of their eternal rival, Ajax. Under the leadership of legendary coach Guus Hiddink and with the help of iconic Ronald Koeman player Edward Linskens, Dutch club PSV Eindhoven claimed all three titles that season.
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Following the league title with a difference of nine points, PSV beat Roda JC Kerkrade with a 3-2 goals. In that league, PSV Eindhoven’s ball touched the opposing team’s goal line 117 times. On the other hand, in the European Cup, they defeat Galatasaray S.K., First Vienna F.C., F.C. Girondins de Bordeaux, and Real Madrid and faced S.L. Benfica in the final. In that match in Stuttgart (Mercedes-Benz Arena), neither team could score a goal in the first 120 minutes and the match ended in a tiebreaker. PSV won the European Cup for the first time by defeating Benfica 6-5 in the tiebreaker. Furthermore, it is the only European Cup that PSV Eindhoven has won.
Manchester United F.C. – (1998-99)
Manchester United F.C. is the only English club to win the Premier League, F.A. Cup, and Champions League in one season. Manchester United failed to win any titles in the previous season, reaching the Champions League as an underdog. Sir Alex Ferguson’s players won the Premier League title by one point on the final day in a fierce battle with Arsenal throughout the season. On the other hand, in the F.A. Cup ManU defeated big clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, etc.
Manchester United gave a legendary performance in that Champions League. Until minute 40, they were 3-1 behind in the semi-final of the second leg against Juventus. After winning the match 4-3, they were left with their real surprise for the final. Bayern Munich led 1-0 in that match, but the Red Devils won the match with the goal in the 91st and 93rd minutes. And they confirmed their treble title.
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FC Barcelona – (2008-2009 and 2014-15)
Barcelona is one of the only 2 clubs that has won the treble twice. Barça won for the first time with Pep Guardiola. The tremendous performance of Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta brought this great success to the club. Barcelona is considered by many to be the best club team of all time but the reality is always different!
Six years later, the Catalans won the Treble again. This time, with the help of the trio Messi, Neymar, and Suárez, Barcelona won the three great titles. They won the League by two points and beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in the Copa del Rey final. On the other hand, they won the Champions League final against Juventus with a 3-1 goal. And that is the second time that Barcelona has won the treble.
Inter Milan – (2009-10)
The world saw a new club win treble after Barcelona’s first treble win. On this occasion, the Italian club Inter Milan won this honor. With José Mourinho, the Nerazzurri won the Scudetto with two points more than A.S. Roma. Inter Milan beat the same rival 1-0 in the Coppa Italia.
To win the Champions League, Inter Milan had to face one of the best clubs of the time, Barcelona, in the semi-final. But with Mourinho’s tactic, Inter Milan went on to the final, winning that match 3-2. Diego Milito’s pair of goals helped Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich and win the treble.
F.C. Bayern Munich – (2012-13 and 2019-2020)
In the previous season, the Bavarians lost to Chelsea in a playoff in front of their fans at the Allianz Arena. But Bayern Munich came back the following season with great force and won the treble. In the Bundesliga, Jupp Heynckes’ side beat all opponents and scored 25 more points than Dortmund. In the DFB-Pokal final, Robben-Ribéry’s team beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-2.
In the semi-final of the Champions League, Bayern Munich beat Barcelona with a total of 7-0 goals in the first leg and the second leg. Then Bayern faced another German club, Dortmund, in the final. With Arjen Robben’s goal at the last minute, they won the final 2-1 which made Bayern Munich the seventh treble-winning club.
The 2019-2020 season with the Coronavirus pandemic has created no difference to the Bavarians. FC Barcelona were thrashed by Bayern on their Quarter-final clash with humiliation to Barca as they lost 8-2. PSG looked to the two great superstars Neymar and Mbappe to spearhead their assault on the trophy they crave most after such lavish investment.
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But they were unable to break down the Bayern Munich barrier. Bayern’s status as European champion has been to win every game of the tournament this season, not only to defeat Barcelona 8–2 in the quarter-finals and PSG’s ability to put up such spectacular performances in the final. This is a developing team and Bayern’s future looks bright under Flick.
Also read Double Treble as attacking FC Bayern clinch yet another UCL – 2020
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