The term treble or Treble is used in association football to refer to a team winning three trophies in a single season. Honours usually considered to constitute a treble are the top tier domestic league competition, domestic cup competitions, and continental tournaments. Trophies which consist of a single match or two-leg competition (e.g. the FA Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup) are generally not counted as part of a treble.[1][2][nb] There are various ways of completing a treble - the more prestigious are sometimes referred to as the 'continental treble'.[3] (top tier league, primary domestic cup and highest level continental competition) and the 'domestic treble' (league and two domestic cups).[4][5] [edit] Continental trebles This kind of treble consists of a club winning their country's top tier league and major domestic cup competition (The Double), in addition to the continental championship, all within a single season. The achievement was first completed in 1967 by Celtic, winning the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup and European Cup, as well as the Scottish League Cup. Since then, four teams have matched the feat in Europe, while four African, two Asian and one North American club have also won the treble. Raja Casablanca's 1999 season has also been called a "continental treble", as they won the CAF Champions League, the CAF Super Cup and the Afro-Asian Club Championship.[6] Egyptian club Al-Ahly are the only side to have won this kind of treble more than once, and they did so in consecutive seasons, completing the feat in 2005 and 2006. Of the European sides, AFC Ajax have come the closest to defending all three titles, retaining the Dutch Eredivisie and European Cup in 1973, but failing to win the KNVB Cup. In winning the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, Barcelona became the fifth club, and first Spanish club, to win a European treble, having already won the La Liga title and Copa del Rey in 2008-09.[7] | Club | Country | Confederation | Year | Titles won | | Celtic |  Scotland | UEFA | 1967[a] | Scottish Football League, Scottish Cup, European Cup | | Ajax |  Netherlands | UEFA | 1972 | Dutch Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, European Cup | | PSV Eindhoven | Netherlands | UEFA | 1988 | Dutch Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, European Cup | | Manchester United |  England | UEFA | 1999 | English Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League | | Barcelona |  Spain | UEFA | 2009 | La Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League | | Defence Force |  Trinidad and Tobago | CONCACAF | 1985 | TT Pro League, Trinidad and Tobago Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup | | Al-Sadd |  Qatar | AFC | 1988 | Qatari League, Emir of Qatar Cup, Asian Clubs Cup | | Thai Farmers Bank |  Thailand | AFC | 1995 | Thai League, Queen's Cup, Asian Clubs Cup | | Englebert |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | CAF | 1967 | Linafoot, Coupe du Congo, African Cup of Champions | | Vita Club |  Zaire | CAF | 1973 | Linafoot, Coupe du Congo, African Cup of Champions | | Hearts of Oak |  Ghana | CAF | 2000 | Ghana Premier League, Ghanaian FA Cup, CAF Champions League | | Al-Ahly |  Egypt | CAF | 2005 | Egyptian League, Egyptian Soccer Cup, CAF Champions League | | Al-Ahly | Egypt | CAF | 2006 | Egyptian League, Egyptian Soccer Cup, CAF Champions League | [edit] Domestic trebles 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 | Country | Number
won | Year(s) won | Titles won | | Rangers | Scotland | 7 | 1949, 1964, 1976, 1978,
1993, 1999, 2003[8] | Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup | | Celtic | Scotland | 3 | 1967, 1969, 2001[9] | Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup | | Bayern München |  Germany | 3 | 2000, 2005, 2008[10] | Bundesliga, German Cup, DFB Ligapokal | | Linfield |  Northern Ireland | 3 | 1994, 2006, 2008[citation needed] | Irish Premier League, Northern Irish Cup, Irish Football League Cup | | Shamrock Rovers |  Republic of Ireland | 3 | 1925, 1932, 1964[11] | League of Ireland, FAI Cup, League of Ireland Shield[c] | | South China |  Hong Kong | 3 | 1988, 1991, 2007[citation needed] | Hong Kong League, Hong Kong Senior Shield, Hong Kong FA Cup | | Nissan Motors F.C. |  Japan | 2 | 1988, 1989[citation needed] | Japan Soccer League, Emperor's Cup, JSL Cup | | Kedah |  Malaysia | 2 | 2007, 2008[citation needed] | Malaysian Super League, Malaysia Cup, Malaysian FA Cup | | Al-Sadd | Qatar | 1 | 2007[12] | Qatari League, Emir of Qatar Cup, Qatar Crown Prince Cup | | Mitsubishi Motors F.C. | Japan | 1 | 1978 | Japan Soccer League, Emperor's Cup, JSL Cup | | Bohemians | Republic of Ireland | 1 | 1928[13] | League of Ireland, FAI Cup, League of Ireland Shield[c] | | Brookhattan |  USA | 1 | 1945[citation needed] | American Soccer League, U.S. Open Cup, Lewis Cup | | Cruzeiro |  Brazil | 1 | 2003[14] | Campeonato Mineiro, Copa do Brasil, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | | Derry City | Republic of Ireland | 1 | 1989[15] | League of Ireland, FAI Cup, League of Ireland Cup | | Fall River Marksmen | USA | 1 | 1930[16] | American Soccer League, U.S. Open Cup, Lewis Cup | | Melbourne Victory |  Australia | 1 | 2008–09[17] | A-League Challenge Cup, A-League Premiership, A-League Championship | | Melbourne Knights | Australia | 1 | 1994-95[18] | NSL Cup, NSL Minor Premiership, NSL Grand Final | | Kashima Antlers | Japan | 1 | 2000[citation needed] | J. League, Emperor's Cup, Yamazaki Nabisco Cup | | Toronto Croatia |  Canada | 1 | 1971[19] | NSL Cup, NSL Regular Season Champion, NSL Playoff Champion | | Sun Hei | Hong Kong | 1 | 2005[citation needed][d] | Hong Kong League, Hong Kong Senior Shield, Hong Kong FA Cup | [edit] Other trebles It is possible to win three different trophies in a single season due to the presence of lower level continental competitions such as the Europa League, lower level domestic competitions such as the English League Cup, and intercontinental competitions such as the FIFA Club World Cup and its predecessor. | Club | Country | Season won | Titles won | | IFK Göteborg |  Sweden | 1981-82[e] | Swedish Championship, Svenska Cupen, UEFA Cup | | Liverpool | England | 1983-84[f] | Football League First Division, League Cup, European Cup | | Galatasaray |  Turkey | 1999-2000 | Turkish Premier Super League, Turkish Football Cup, UEFA Cup | | Liverpool | England | 2000-01 | FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup | | Bayern Munich | Germany | 2000-01 | Bundesliga, DFB-Ligapokal, UEFA Champions League | | FC Porto |  Portugal | 2002-03 | Portuguese SuperLiga, Cup of Portugal, UEFA Cup | | CSKA Moscow |  Russia | 2004-05[h] | Russian Premier League, Russian Cup, UEFA Cup | | C.F. Pachuca |  Mexico | 2006-07[i] | Copa Sudamericana, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, Mexican Clausura | | Manchester United | England | 2008-09[f] | Premier League, League Cup, FIFA Club World Cup | [edit] Near trebles There have been several instances of teams narrowly missing out on winning 3 trophies. | Key: | | Competition winner | | | Competition runner-up | | [edit] Near continental trebles - k Celtic also won the Scottish League Cup that year.
- l Milan's European Cup victory was the last time the competition was successfully defended.
- m Bayern Munich also won the German League Cup that year.
- n Bayer Leverkusen are the only European team to end a season as league runners-up and finalists of the domestic cup and the UEFA Champions League, but finish with no honours.[citation needed]
[edit] Near domestic trebles - o This also meant that Rangers missed out on back-to-back domestic trebles, having already completed a domestic treble in 1993.
- p Rangers also lost 2–0 to Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Cup Final that season.
[edit] Other near trebles [edit] See also - nb Note how the following source does not count Santos' league/continental double and Intercontinental Cup win as a treble. Similarly, the Community Shield and the European Super Cup are separated from Liverpool's 2001 treble.[2]
[edit] References [edit] External links |
