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, Supercopa de España, the Recopa Sudamericana, UEFA Super Cup) or 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]
Continental Treble
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.
Since then, seven 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.
In 2013, Bayern Munich became the seventh European team and first German team to win the treble after winning the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and DFB-Pokal.
- a Santos also won the Intercontinental Cup at the end of that year, which already belongs to the season afterwards.
- b Celtic F.C. also won the Scottish League Cup and Glasgow Cup that season.
- c Bayern Munich also won the DFL Supercup that season.
Quadruple
The quadruple is a special trophy haul reserved for European clubs that win the top continental trophy, the top-tier domestic league competition, the top domestic cup and a secondary domestic cup all in one season. So far, two clubs have achieved this: Celtic in 1966/1967 and Bayern Munich in 2012/2013.
| Club | Country | Confederation | Year(s) | Titles won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic |  Scotland
|
UEFA | 1966–67[a] | Scottish Football League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup, European Cup |
| Bayern Munich |  Germany
|
UEFA | 2012–13 | Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, DFL-Supercup, UEFA Champions League |
- a Celtic F.C. also won the Glasgow Cup that season.
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 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
References
- ^ 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