7 European clubs to win a treble
Most countries in Europe usually have three major titles which their clubs contest for viz: the national league, the national cup and the continental competition, and a treble is achieved when a club triumphs in all three fronts.
Winning a treble is arguably the highest honour a team can achieve as it shows near invincibility, dominating and conquering all that came before them in every tournament they participated in.
While some clubs might be on course to achieve this unique feat this season, there are still some obstacles in their path before they achieve immortality.
Winning a treble is an extremely rare feat such that only seven teams throughout history have managed to do it. In this piece, we shall be taking a look at the seven European clubs who have won a treble.
#1 Celtic (1966/1967)
The first club to ever win a treble in Europe were Celtic; the Scottish club managed by the legendary Jock Stein decimated all before them in the 1966/1967 season.
They won the Scottish Cup in April 1967, beating Aberdeen in the final, while also triumphing in the Scottish league, despite a tight race with bitter city rivals Rangers.
Despite the fact that The Bhoys were contesting in the European Cup for the first time ever, that did not stop them from going all the way to the final where they came up against the legendary and much more fancied Grande Inter managed by the iconic Helenio Herrera in Lisbon.
Celtic, however, defied expectations by defeating Inter Milan 2-1 to become the first British club to win the European Cup.
They also achieved the unique distinction of being the first club to win the title with all players from the same nation (since matched by Steaua Bucharest of Romania in 1987). In recognition of their efforts, the 1967 treble-winning team is affectionately known as 'The Lisbon Lions'.
What made Celtic's season even more spectacular was the fact that they not only won a treble but all five trophies which they contested as the Scottish League Cup and Glasgow Cup were also added, with the team scoring a whopping world record total of 196 goals in all competitions.