Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side finally broke through on Saturday night, achieving UEFA Champions League glory for the first time with a tense 1-0 win against Inter Milan in Istanbul.
Rodri swept home a loose ball in the 68th minute to send City fans into chaos, securing the treble for the English Premier League and FA Cup champions.
Since the beginning of the UCL era in 1992, only four other clubs have achieved this feat, and today we take a look at the teams to have written themselves into the history books by securing a treble of trophies.
Manchester United – 1998/99
Until Saturday Manchester United were the only English side to win a treble, something they achieved in the most dramatic of circumstances.
During a 33 game unbeaten run, The Red Devils pipped Arsenal to the Premier League title, beat Newcastle United in the FA Cup Final and then produced a legendary comeback to defeat Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp, defeating the Germans with two extra time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United’s team that season was packed full of legendary figures, with David Beckham, Andy Cole, Paul Scholes, Peter Schmeichel, Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane all key men as United did the seemingly impossible.
Barcelona – 2008/09, 2014/15
Barcelona’s 2009 treble-winning side contained football legends wherever you looked. With a midfield of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta behind a frontline of Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o and the GOAT Lionel Messi, Barcelona put 6 goals past Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on their way to the La Liga title, before beating Manchester United 2-0 in Rome for Pep Guardiola’s first European triumph in his first season as a manager.
In 2014/15 Barcelona fielded many of the same stars from their previous treble winning season behind the lethal MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) front three. Luis Enrique’s side were incredible to watch, finishing their season with a 3-1 victory over Juventus to win the Champions League once again after beating Real Madrid to La Liga by just two points. Lionel Messi scored one of the greatest solo goals ever to secure their Copa del Rey triumph against Athletic Bilbao.
Inter Milan – 2009/10
In 2010 Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan did what their side from Saturday failed to do, and upset the odds to win the treble despite being heavy underdogs in their run to the UEFA Champions League Final. Diego Milito’s double in a 2-0 win against Bayern Munich crowned a superb season for the Italians, but for many the defining moment in their season was their victory over Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi in the semi-finals, where a brilliant counter attacking display over two legs saw them reach the final.
Bayern Munich – 2012/13, 2019/20
After finishing runners-up in both the UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga in the 2011/12 season, Bayern Munich went one better in 2013 and beat Borussia Dortmund to both titles, along with victory over VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup Final. Under the management of Jupp Heynckes and with the iconic winger pairing of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, the German giants lifted the European cup at Wembley to banish the demons of the previous year.
In 2020, Hansi Flick’s Bayern side dominated all comers as they lifted the UEFA Champions League as part of their treble winning season. Beating Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter finals set the tone in the competition before they edged out Paris Saint Germain 1-0 in the final thanks to a Kingsley Coman header.
Which of these sides do you think are the best treble winning team? Get involved in the debate on our social media channels!
