Manchester City created history yesterday as they won their maiden Champions League title to complete a historic treble-winning campaign.
Manchester City’s 1-0 UCL final victory over Inter Milan yesterday secured the club their first-ever UCL title. Rodri secured the win with a thunderbolt shot from a loose ball. Inter had many good chances but failed to convert them.
It was also manager Pep Guardiola’s third UCL title after last winning it in 2011 with Barcelona. He is the first manager to win the treble with two different teams and also the first manager to actually win two trebles.
The UCL win also completed a historic treble for the club, becoming only the second English team to do so. The first one to do so is actually their fierce city rivals Manchester United. The treble win now means that City is in an exclusive list of clubs that have won the highly coveted treble win in football history.
What exactly is the Treble?
A domestic treble is when you win three trophies in a single season. But it is not an exclusive list as many teams have done so before. Also, many leagues do not have three trophies to win in their football pyramid such as Spain and Germany.
The ‘true’ treble is a term used in soccer when a club wins all three major trophies in a single season. It usually consists of the league title, the major cup competition in the country of the club, and the major continental competition. For example, Manchester City won the Premier League, the FA Cup which is the premier cup competition in England, and now the Champions League.
Some include the Europa League as a replacement for the Champions League, though it is widely not recognized as it is not the best continental competition in Europe.
But City isn’t the first team to achieve this feat. Before City, only seven teams managed to achieve this remarkable feat. Considering the difficulty of winning all the trophies in a single season, it makes sense why the list is very small.
All the teams who have achieved the remarkable feat
According to GOAL, only eight teams have managed to win the treble in Europe. The list includes Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Manchester United, Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Celtic, and now Manchester City.
The first-ever treble in soccer was achieved by Scottish club Celtic in 1967. In that year they won the Scottish League, Scottish Cup, and the European Cup which is their only UCL title.
The next was Dutch giants Ajax who won the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup in 1972. Their fierce rivals PSV Eindhoven achieved the same feat in 1988.
Manchester United became the first English team to complete a historic treble in 1999. The Class of 1992 included modern greats like David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Peter Schmeichel. They were managed by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. This team was also the first to win the treble in the UCL era.
The next team to win the treble came in 2009 when Barcelona won La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and the UCL. Including stars like Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, and Carles Puyol among others, this team is widely regarded as one of the best in history.
This team was managed at the time by Pep Guardiola in just his debut managerial season. Barcelona went on to complete a historic sextuple that year, winning all six possible trophies.
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The very next year, Jose Mourinho led Inter Milan to become the first Italian side to achieve the treble. They won the Seria A, Coppa Italia, and the UCL. Forward Samuel Eto was the first player to win a treble with two different teams.
Barcelona then again won the treble in 2015, but this time under manager Luis Enrique. They were the first to win two trebles and are also widely remembered for the MSN frontline trio consisting of Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar Jr.
Bayern Munich achieved it in 2013 when they won the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and the Champions League. They became the second team to win two trebles and the second to win a sextuple in 2020.
And now Manchester City is the latest entry to this list and as such, we should appreciate the achievement of these teams as a treble is no easy task to achieve.
The past two decades have seen more treble winners than the previous century. It is highly possible another team wins the treble in the next few years.
S0 who do you think will be that team? Let us know in the comments down below!
