Treble (association football)
Treble is used in association football to refer to a team winning three trophies in a single season. Honours usually considered to contribute to a treble are the top-tier domestic league competition, domestic cup competitions and continental tournaments; although this depends to some extent on the structure of the football pyramid in a country. Trophy competitions which consist of a single match or a two-leg match (e.g. the FA Community Shield, the Recopa Sudamericana, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup) are generally not counted as part of a treble.
Two phrases sometimes used are a 'continental treble',[1] which involves winning at least one continental trophy, and a 'domestic treble' - usually the domestic league and two secondary tournaments.[2][3]
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Continental Treble [edit]
This kind of treble consists of a club winning their country's top tier league and a major secondary competition (The Double), in addition to the continental championship, all within a single season.[citation needed] This was first achieved in 1962 by Santos, winning the Campeonato Paulista (state league), Taça Brasil (national league) and Copa Libertadores (continental tournament). Santos remain the only South American club to have achieved this treble. Most countries in the region do not have a domestic cup to enable a domestic double.[citation needed]
Since then, six European teams, six African clubs, two oceanian clubs, one Asian club and two North American clubs have equalled the feat. 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.[4] 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 (2005 and 2006). Among 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.
After winning the 2010 Champions League final, Internazionale became the sixth club in Europe, and first Italian club, to win a European treble, having already won the Serie A title and Coppa Italia in the same season.[5] This achievement gave José Mourinho the unique distinction of being the first manager to win two European trebles (one being with the UEFA Cup). It was the second consecutive season that a European treble was achieved. Samuel Eto'o played in the third Champions League final of his career, and with Internazionale's triumph over Bayern Munich became the first player to win two European trebles in consecutive seasons.
- a Santos also won the Intercontinental Cup that season.
- b Celtic F.C. also won the Scottish League Cup and Glasgow Cup that season.
Continental Treble with an alternative cup [edit]
The existence of other competitions in some countries offers a club the chance to win its league, its top continental trophy and another honour. An achievement of similar magnitude to a continental treble, though generally not as coveted. In European football, there are three such examples:
| Club | Country | Year | Titles won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid |  Spain |
1957 | La Liga, European Cup, Latin Cup |
| Liverpool |  England |
1984 | Division One, European Cup, League Cup |
| Bayern Munich |  Germany |
2001 | Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, DFB-Ligapokal |
Whilst the Latin Cup only consisted of two semi-finals, a final and a third place play-off; it was considered the most prestigious club prize prior to the introduction of the European Cup (which subsequently superseded it) as it pitched Champions against Champions. Liverpool's treble win in 1984 is more similar to a standard Continental Treble, as winning the Football League Cup involved playing a similar number of fixtures as winning the FA Cup.
World Treble [edit]
The World Treble, is where a team has won the World Championship (or its equivalent), along with its domestic title and continental cup in one calendar year.
| Club | Country | Domestic Title | Continental Title | World Championship title | Number | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Barcelona | Spain |
La Liga | UEFA Champions League | FIFA Club World Cup | 2 | 2009, 2011 |
| Manchester United | England |
Premier League | UEFA Champions League | Intercontinental Cup/FIFA Club World Cup | 2 | 1999, 2008 |
| F.C. Porto |  Portugal |
Primeira Liga | UEFA Champions League | Intercontinental Cup | 2 | 1987, 2004 |
| Internazionale |  Italy |
Serie A | UEFA Champions League | FIFA Club World Cup | 1 | 2010 |
| Bayern Munich | Germany |
Bundesliga | UEFA Champions League | Intercontinental Cup | 1 | 2001 |
| AFC Ajax |  Netherlands |
Eredivisie | UEFA Champions League | Intercontinental Cup | 1 | 1995 |
| Club Olimpia |  Paraguay |
Paraguayan Primera División | Copa Libertadores | Intercontinental Cup | 1 | 1979 |
Trebles with the Europa League [edit]
A lesser, but nevertheless impressive achievement is to win the continent's secondary club competition and two domestic honours. In Europe's case, that competition is the UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup). Any equivalent treble is yet to be achieved in South America. No club won the now defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup as part of a recognised treble. Since the latter competition was disbanded, winners of the Europa League qualify for the UEFA Super Cup (applicable to all but Göteborg), thus giving them the opportunity to defeat the Champions League winner and add an additional trophy. This treble has been achieved on six separate occasions:
| Club | Country | Domestic Titles won | Year(s) | Domestic Super Cup | UEFA Super Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Göteborg |  Sweden |
Allsvenskan & Svenska Cupen | 1982 | N/A | N/A |
| Galatasaray |  Turkey |
Süper Lig & Türkiye Kupası | 2000 | N/A | Won |
| Liverpool | England |
FA Cup & League Cup | 2001 | Won | Won |
| Porto | Portugal |
Primeira Liga & Taça de Portugal | 2003 | Won | Lost |
| 2011 | Won | Lost | |||
| CSKA Moscow |  Russia |
Russian Premier League & Russian Cup | 2005 | Won (held in 2006) | Lost |
Domestic Treble [edit]
This type of treble consists of a club winning their country's top-tier league as well as the two most highly regarded secondary competitions, all during one season. Many countries do not have a second domestic (league cup) competition, so achieving a domestic treble is impossible. Brazil has an unofficial "Triple Crown", a name given to a team that wins the national league, the national cup, and their state league. In England the domestic Treble has never been achieved.
- b1 b2 - The League of Ireland Shield was the forerunner to the League of Ireland Cup.
- c - Linfield's 2006 treble was part of a domestic quadruple. That season they also won the County Antrim Shield.
- d - Sun Hei's treble was part of a domestic quadruple. That season they also won the Hong Kong League Cup.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Raja aiming high once more. FIFA (2008-06-04). Retrieved on 2009-06-23 - 'continental treble' mentioned in this article.
- ^ Spiers, Graham (2008-01-30). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article3274019.ece Walter Smith demands final push as Rangers target domestic treble. The Times. Retrieved on 2009-03-28.
- ^ Ralston, Gary (2008-09-26). Domestic treble for Rangers will make up for failure in Europe, says Pedro Mendes. Daily Record. Retrieved on 2009-03-28.
- ^ FIFA.com - Raja aiming high once more
- ^ "Inter join exclusive treble club". uefa.com. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ^ Records and Honours. Rangers Official club website. Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
- ^ Roll of Honour. Shamrock Rovers FC. Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
- ^ Celtic Honours. Celtic Official club website. Retrieved on 2009-05-18.
- ^ Germany Enter Euro 2008 Campaign With Confidence. Deutsche Welle (2008-08-06). Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Role of Honour. Bohemian Football Club. Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
- ^ Litterer, Dave (2008-02-17). The Year in American Soccer - 1930. The USA Soccer History Archives. Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
- ^ Croatian National Sports Club history at a glance
- ^ a b "Treble in association football – theory and history", 24 Chasa newspaper, Retrieved on 2010-02-15
- ^ Derry City FC - A Concise History. Derry City Football Club Website (2009-02-08). Retrieved on 2009-03-31.
- ^ Legia.info – Historia
- ^ The Dynasty Begins
- ^ Relação Dos Títulos Oficiais Do Cruzeiro (Portuguese)
- ^ - Rhyl FC - Honours
- ^ Al-Sadd Trophies and awards
External links [edit]
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