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The Treble
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The Treble is a term in football that refers to a club winning their country's top tier league, primary domestic cup and continental level cup competition in the same season. In general, these may be referred to as the European Treble (often referred to as The Treble) - for a UEFA confederation team winning their domestic league, primary domestic cup and European Cup (UEFA Champions League since 1992) in the same season, the Continental Treble - the equivalent of the European Treble for a different confederation and often over a calendar year and the Domestic Treble - consisting of domestic league and two domestic cup wins.
The FA Community Shield (or other similar minor trophies), the one-off UEFA Super Cup or those from other confederations), domestic Super Cups (such as the Supercoppa Italiana, Supercopa de España), Intercontinental Cup, or FIFA Club World Cup are rarely counted as part of any treble.
It is possible to win more than three top tier trophies in a single season - in most countries, the maximum possible is four or The Quadruple.
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Encyclopedia
The Treble is a term in football that refers to a club winning their country's top tier league, primary domestic cup and continental level cup competition in the same season. In general, these may be referred to as the European Treble (often referred to as The Treble) - for a UEFA confederation team winning their domestic league, primary domestic cup and European Cup (UEFA Champions League since 1992) in the same season, the Continental Treble - the equivalent of the European Treble for a different confederation and often over a calendar year and the Domestic Treble - consisting of domestic league and two domestic cup wins.
The FA Community Shield (or other similar minor trophies), the one-off UEFA Super Cup or those from other confederations), domestic Super Cups (such as the Supercoppa Italiana, Supercopa de España), Intercontinental Cup, or FIFA Club World Cup are rarely counted as part of any treble.
It is possible to win more than three top tier trophies in a single season - in most countries, the maximum possible is four or The Quadruple. This has been achieved only once - by Celtic in 1967, and is considered a superior achievement to The Treble.
A distinct Treble is the International Treble, consisting of major international level continental cup (for UEFA, the European Championships), the FIFA World Cup and the Confederations Cup. It differs from other trebles in that it is impossible to win in a single season or calendar year; a nation achieving the International treble is considered to be the holder of all three trophies at the same time.
It is possible to win three other trophies in a single season, notably in Europe due to the presence of the lower level UEFA Cup (and formerly, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup) and two domestic cup competitions in some countries (in England, the FA Cup and League Cup). This has led to controversy, particularly in English football, with regards to the use of the term 'The Treble' or 'Treble' as a proper noun. The naming controversy has primarily arisen due to the rivalry between 1999 European Treble winners Manchester United and Liverpool, winners of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Football League Cup in 2001. However, there is little evidence that Liverpool, its players or local press ever referred to the victory by the proper noun "The Treble": instead they descriptively referred to Liverpool's 2002 victories solely as "the treble", distinguishing from Manchester United's greater achievement. Manchester United fans derided Liverpool's combination as a Mickey Mouse Treble in comparison to their 1999 European Treble.
In general, a consensus view within English football is that winning three trophies in a season is sometimes referred to as a treble or treble as a common noun, with The Treble or Treble as a proper noun referring to the more prestigious European Treble, or in some cases the Continental, Domestic and International Treble variants.
The European Treble - 'The Treble'
The most high profile type of treble is the European Treble called simply The Treble. It consists of a club winning their country's top tier league, the country's major domestic cup competition, and the continental championship, the European Cup/Champions League, all within a single season.
Only four teams have achieved this rare distinction:
- ¹ - Celtic F.C. achieved their Treble as part of their Quadruple.
Due to the difficulty of achievement, the European Treble is yet to be defended. PSV Eindhoven completed The Double in the 1988-89 season, yet lost to Real Madrid in the quarter finals of the European Cup. Manchester United chose, under pressure from the English FA, not to enter the FA Cup in 1999-00, instead contesting the FIFA World Club Championships. Celtic FC were knocked out in the first round of the 1967-68 European cup by FC Dynamo Kyiv. AFC Ajax have come the closest, retaining the Dutch Eredivisie and European Cup in 1973, but failing to win the KNVB Cup.
The Continental Treble
Continental trebles have the same definition as the European Treble but are for teams from other confederations. While perhaps not as prestigious as the European Treble, they are sometimes harder to accomplish as some continental championships run during a calendar year while domestic play runs an autumn-to-spring season, or vice versa. To date, no treble has been won by a South American or Oceania club. South American countries, with the exception of Brazil, have no domestic cup. From 2001 onwards, due to the busy schedule in the first semester in Brazil, teams playing in the Copa Libertadores have not been allowed to participate in the Copa do Brasil in the same year.
| Club | Nation | Continent | Year Won | Titles won for the treble |
|---|
| Englebert | | Africa | 1967 | Linafoot, Coupe du Congo, African Cup of Champions | | AS Vita Club | | Africa | 1973 | Linafoot, Coupe du Congo, African Cup of Champions | | Defence Force | | North America | 1985 | TT Pro League, Trinidad and Tobago Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup | | Al-Sadd | | Asia | 1988 | Qatari League, Emir of Qatar Cup, Asian Clubs Cup | | Thai Farmers Bank | | Asia | 1995 | Thai League, Queen's Cup, Asian Clubs Cup | | Hearts of Oak | | Africa | 2000 | Ghana Premier League, Ghanaian FA Cup, CAF Champions League | | Al-Ahly | | Africa | 2005 and 2006 | Egyptian League, Egyptian Soccer Cup, CAF Champions League |
The Domestic Treble
This type of treble consists of a club winning their country's top tier league as well as the two most highly regarded domestic cup competitions, all during one season.
| Club | Nation | Number of
trebles | Titles won for the treble |
|---|
| Rangers | | 7 | Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup | | South China | | 4 | Hong Kong League, Hong Kong Senior Shield, Hong Kong FA Cup | | Celtic | | 3 | Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup | | Linfield | | 3 | Irish Premier League, Northern Irish Cup, Irish Football League Cup | | Shamrock Rovers | | 3 | League of Ireland, FAI Cup, League of Ireland Shield¹ | | Bayern München | | 2 | Bundesliga, German Cup, DFB Ligapokal | | Kedah | | 2 | Malaysia Cup, Malaysian Super League, Malaysian FA Cup | | Melbourne Victory | | 1 | A-League Challenge Cup, A-League Premiership, A-League Championship | | Cruzeiro | | 1 | Campeonato Mineiro, Copa do Brasil, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | | Sun Hei | | 1 | Hong Kong League, Hong Kong Senior Shield, Hong Kong FA Cup² | | Al-Sadd | | 1 | Qatari League, Emir of Qatar Cup, Qatar Crown Prince Cup | | Fall River Marksmen | | 1 | American Soccer League, U.S. Open Cup, Lewis Cup | | Brookhattan | | 1 | American Soccer League, U.S. Open Cup, Lewis Cup | | Bohemians | | 1 | League of Ireland, FAI Cup, League of Ireland Shield | | Derry City | | 1 | League of Ireland, FAI Cup, FAI League Cup |
- ¹ - The League of Ireland Shield was the forerunner to the FAI League Cup.
- ² - Sun Hei's treble was part of a domestic quadruple. That season they also won the Hong Kong League Cup.
The International Treble
This section lists national teams who have been holders of three trophies at the same time. These Trebles are impossible to achieve in a single season, and generally consist of a team's continental championship, the World Cup and the Confederations Cup.
Career Treble
A career treble can be used to refer to a player or manager having achieved a Treble - winning the national trophies and continental cup making up a Continental Treble or The Treble in their career rather than a single season, either at club level or as an International Treble. Notably, Johan Cruyff has achieved a career treble at club level as both a player for AFC Ajax - consisting of the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup and European Cup, and manager of FC Barcelona winning the Copa del Rey, La Liga and European Cup (now Champions League).
Other
It is possible in many countries to win three other trophies in a single season, or in a calendar year. These are generally not referred to in the same manner as any of The Treble variants, consisting of a trophy or trophies not considered the top tier competition domestically or on a continental level. Most commonly, the three consist of a domestic cup, a second domestic cup or league title and the UEFA Cup although examples exist for other confederations.
Notable examples of clubs winning three trophies in a season include:
- IFK Göteborg - The 1982 team won the Swedish Championship, Svenska Cupen and the UEFA Cup. They also won the domestic league, Allsvenskan, which at the time did not decide the Swedish champions, but only decided which eight teams that would play the play-off for the championship. Note: the UEFA Cup and the Svenska Cupen were played in 1981-1982 (autumn-spring); the Allsvenskan and the Swedish Championship were played in 1982 (spring-autumn).
- C.F. Pachuca - The 2007 team won the Copa Sudamericana, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and the Mexican Clausura. They also finished the Mexican League in first place but in Mexico there is no trophy for such achievement. In winning both the Copa Sudamericana and the Champions Cup, they have become one of the only teams in the world to have ever won a continental trophy from more than one continent. In addition, the club won the 2007 Superliga in August 2007 which along with the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and the Mexican Clausura would be considered a calendar year treble.
Near Trebles
There have been several instances of teams narrowly missing out on The Treble, either having lost a top tier domestic or continental cup final or missed out on the domestic league title. Some of the more notable occurrences include,
Near European Trebles
- Real Madrid – The 1958 team won La Liga, and the European Cup, but lost the Copa del Rey Final 2–0 to Athletic Bilbao.
- Inter – The 1965 side won the Italian League and the European Cup, but were beaten 1–0 by Juventus in the Coppa Italia final.
- Juventus – The 1973 team won the Serie A but finished as runner-up in both the Coppa Italia and European Cup.
- Juventus – The 1983 team won the Coppa Italia but finished as runner-up in the European Cup and Serie A.
- Bayern Munich – The 1999 team won the Bundesliga, but finished runner-up in the German Cup and the Champions League. They lost the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final to Manchester United (who completed The Treble that year) and lost the 1999 German Cup Final against Werder Bremen on penalties. However, they also won the German League Cup.
Near Domestic Trebles
- Manchester United – The 1994 team won the English Premier League and the FA Cup but lost 3–1 to Aston Villa in the League Cup final.
Other near trebles
- Everton – The 1985 team won the English League and European Cup Winners Cup, but lost 1–0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Treble Horror
So named after Bayer Leverkusen's 2001-02 season, the term is reserved for a side that completes a 'runners-up' Treble - being losing finalists in the UEFA Champions League, primary domestic cup and runners-up in the domestic league.
'Treble Horror' has only occurred twice, most notably to Bayer Leverkusen in 2002. In the German Bundesliga the team surrendered a five point lead at the top of the table over the last three games of the season to finish second behind Borussia Dortmund, lost the Champions League final 2–1 to Real Madrid, and lost the German domestic cup final 4–2 to Schalke 04.
In addition, Adelaide United suffered 'Treble Horror', losing the AFC Champions League final to Gamba Osaka, and finished runners up in the A-League Premiership race while losing the A-League Grand Final to Melbourne Victory in the 2008-09 season.
Aberdeen FC completed a domestic 'Treble Horror' in 1992–93 when they were runners up in the Scottish Cup, Scottish League cup and Scottish First Division.
A lesser 'treble horror' occurred for Chelsea in 2007–2008. Chelsea lost the League Cup final to Tottenham Hotspur, came runners-up in the Premier League to Manchester United and lost the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final after a penalty shootout to Manchester United in Moscow on 21 May 2008. Michael Ballack who played for Chelsea in 2007–08 also played for Bayer Leverkusen in 2001–02.
See also
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