Treble (association football)
The Treble is a term in football that refers to a team winning three competitions, which is limited to the following four types:
- The European Treble (known simply as The Treble), consisting of a UEFA confederation team winning their domestic league, primary domestic cup and European Cup/UEFA Champions League in the same season,
- The Continental Treble, a European Treble equivalent, consisting of the similar corresponding competitions in other continents.
- The Domestic Treble, consisting of a domestic league and two domestic cup wins in the same season.
- The International Treble, consisting of the FIFA World Cup, the Confederations Cup and the major international level continental cup (e.g. for UEFA, the European Championships).
The first three types may not be achievable for some clubs, usually due to a lack of a domestic cup competition. The International Treble is the only Treble which is not competed for at club-level and the only one which is impossible to win in a single season.
The term "The Treble" or "Treble" as a proper noun is used only to refer to the four types above. However, other types of treble are possible which consist of winning the secondary trophy of a level of competition (e.g. the UEFA Cup or a League Cup). These variants are referred to as "a treble" or "treble", using the common noun. However, trophies comprising a single match or two-leg competition (e.g. the FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup) are generally not counted as part of a treble.
Celtic completed both the European and Domestic Trebles in 1967, winning four trophies, which is known as The Quadruple.
The European Treble
The most high profile type of treble is the European Treble, often simply called 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:
| Club | Nation | Year won | Titles won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic F.C.[a] |  Scotland
|
1967 | Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup, European Cup |
| AFC Ajax |  Netherlands
|
1972 | Dutch Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, European Cup |
| PSV Eindhoven | Netherlands
|
1988 | Dutch Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, European Cup |
| Manchester United F.C. |  England
|
1999 | English Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League |
- a - Celtic F.C. achieved a Domestic Treble along with their European Treble, completing their Quadruple.
Due to the difficulty of achievement, the European Treble is yet to be defended. AFC Ajax have come the closest, retaining the Dutch Eredivisie and European Cup in 1973, but failing to win the KNVB Cup. PSV Eindhoven completed The Double in 1989, yet lost to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the European Cup. Following pressure from the English FA and British government, Manchester United chose not to enter the FA Cup in 1999–00, instead contesting the FIFA World Club Championships.[1] Celtic FC were knocked out in the first round of the 1967–68 European Cup by FC Dynamo Kyiv.
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. South American countries, with the exception of Brazil, have no domestic cup and thus the achievement is not possible. However, from 2001 onwards teams playing in the Copa Libertadores have not been allowed to participate in the Copa do Brasil in the same year due to time constraints, making the achievement also impossible for Brazilian clubs. To date, no Oceanian club has completed the Continental Treble.
| Club | Nation | Continent | Year(s) won | Titles won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Englebert |  DR Congo
|
Africa | 1967 | Linafoot, Coupe du Congo, African Cup of Champions |
| AS Vita Club |  Zaire
|
Africa | 1973 | Linafoot, Coupe du Congo, African Cup of Champions |
| Defence Force |  Trinidad and Tobago
|
North America | 1985 | TT Pro League, Trinidad and Tobago Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup |
| Al-Sadd |  Qatar
|
Asia | 1988 | Qatari League, Emir of Qatar Cup, Asian Clubs Cup |
| Thai Farmers Bank |  Thailand
|
Asia | 1995 | Thai League, Queen's Cup, Asian Clubs Cup |
| Hearts of Oak |  Ghana
|
Africa | 2000 | Ghana Premier League, Ghanaian FA Cup, CAF Champions League |
| Al-Ahly |  Egypt
|
Africa | 2005 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. This achievement is not possible in a number of countries due to the lack of a second domestic cup competition.
- b - The League of Ireland Shield was the forerunner to the FAI League Cup.
- c - 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 consist of a continental championship, the World Cup and the Confederations Cup.
| Nation | Year completed | Titles won |
|---|---|---|
 Brazil
|
1997[d] | 1994 FIFA World Cup, Copa America 1997, 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup |
 France
|
2001 | 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| Brazil
|
2005 | 2002 FIFA World Cup, Copa America 2004, 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |
- d Although Brazil held the three trophies simultaneously, they did not win them consecutively (having lost the Copa America 1995 to Uruguay).
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.
- Internazionale Milano – 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.
- Liverpool – The 1977 team won the English League and the European Cup, but lost to Manchester United 1–2 in the FA Cup final.
- Juventus – The 1983 team won the Coppa Italia but finished as runner-up in the European Cup and Serie A.
- Steaua Bucureşti – The 1986 team won the Romanian league and the European Cup, but lost to eternal rival Dinamo Bucureşti 0–1 in the Romanian cup.
- Milan in 1990 won the European Cup - the last team to win it in consecutive seasons o date, but lost the Coppa Italia and finished second in Serie A.
- Olympique Marseille – The 1991 team won the Ligue 1 title, but lost in the finals of both the European Cup, to Red Star Belgrade on penalties, and the French Cup, to Monaco.
- Red Star Belgrade – The 1991 team won the Yugoslav First League and the European Cup, but lost 0–1 to Hajduk Split in the Yugoslav Cup final.
- Ajax – The 1995 team won the European Cup and the Eredivisie unbeaten, but failed to win the Dutch Cup.
- 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.
- Porto – The 2004 team won the Portuguese League and the UEFA Champions League, but lost to Benfica in the final of the Cup of Portugal.
Near Domestic Trebles
- Aberdeen – In 1989–90 they won the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup but finished second in the Scottish Premier League to Rangers F.C.
- 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.
- Derry City – The 2006 team won the FAI Cup and the FAI League Cup but lost out on winning the FAI League of Ireland on goal difference on the last day of the League
- Chelsea – The 2007 team coached by José Mourinho won the FA Cup and the League Cup but finished second in the Premier League to Manchester United.
Other
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":[2][3][4] instead they descriptively referred to Liverpool's 2001 victories solely as "the treble", distinguishing from Manchester United's greater achievement.[5][6] Manchester United fans derided Liverpool's combination as a Mickey Mouse Treble in comparison to their 1999 European Treble.[7] 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:
- 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).
- Liverpool - The 1984 team became the first English club to win the league and two cup competitions in the same season when they won the League Championship, the League Cup and the European Cup.
- Galatasaray - The 2000 team won the Turkish Premier Super League, Turkish Football Cup, UEFA Cup.
- Liverpool - The 2001 team won three trophies; the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.
- Porto - The 2003 team won the Portuguese SuperLiga, Cup of Portugal, and UEFA Cup.
- CSKA Moscow - The 2005 team became the first Russian club to win a major European Competition, the UEFA Cup. They also won the Russian Premier League and the Russian Cup.
- Pachuca - The 2007 team won the Copa Sudamericana, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and the Mexican Clausura. They also finished the overall 2006-07 Mexican League (Apertura and Clausura), in first place, but in Mexico there is no trophy for such an achievement. In winning both the Copa Sudamericana, they have became the only team in the world to have ever won a continental trophy from another continent, and one of very few teams to have won trophies in more than one continent. In addition, the club won the 2007 SuperLiga, which along with the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and the Mexican Clausura would be considered a calendar year treble.
Other near trebles
- Aberdeen – The 1983 team beat Real Madrid to win the European Cup Winner's Cup in Gothenburg and one week later added the Scottish Cup to the trophy cabinet, however they lost the Scottish Premier League title on the last day of the season to rivals Dundee United.
- Everton – The 1985 team won the English League and European Cup Winners Cup, but lost 1–0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup.
- Juventus – The 1995 team won the Serie A and the Italian Cup, but lost to Parma F.C. in the UEFA Cup final.
- Internacional – The 2006 team won Copa Libertadores but finished second in both the Campeonato Brasileiro and the Rio Grande do Sul state championship.
- Sevilla won both the 2007 UEFA Cup and Copa del Rey, but missed out on La Liga only on the final day of the season.
- Rangers – The 2008 team won Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup, but finished runners-up to Celtic in the Scottish Premier League and lost UEFA Cup final to Zenit St. Petersburg.
Treble Horror
A Treble Horror occurs when a team finishes as a runner up in all the competitions needed to complete a Treble.
The European Treble Horror has only occurred once; 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.
Aberdeen FC suffered a Domestic Treble Horror in 1992–93, finishing as runners up in the Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup and Scottish Premier League.
Other treble horrors
A treble horror occurred for Chelsea in 2007–2008. The team lost the League Cup final, came runners-up in the Premier League and lost the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final after a penalty shootout against Manchester United. Michael Ballack who played for Chelsea in 2007–08 also played for Bayer Leverkusen in 2001–02.
Outside Europe in the 2008–09 season Adelaide United suffered a 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.
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).
See also
References
- ^ Football: United prepare to pull out of FA Cup. The Independent (1999-06-29). Retrieved on 2009-03-24.
- ^ "LFC Story 2001". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ Platt, Mark (2007-01). "Jamie Carragher: The Big Interview". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Rogers, Ken (2002-04-02). "Positive thinking". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Rice, Jimmy (2008-01-15). "Carra Uncovered: Teammates Talk". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ Bascombe, Chris (2002-01-11). "Reds need to feel the quality". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Winter, Henry (2002-01-22). "Liverpool's spirits lifted by Murphy". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
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