Ranking the last 5 continental treble-winning teams
Winning a continental treble has proven to be a tough task in European football and there have only been eight teams to achieve the feat. These are the teams that won their domestic league title, a domestic cup competition and the European Cup (or Champions League) in Europe.
Celtic was the first European team to achieve this feat in the 1966-67 season. They won the Scottish League, the Scottish Cup and the European Cup. Ajax followed in the 1971-72 season winning the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup. Only two sides have completed the continental treble twice in their history - Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Manchester City joined this illustrious group after beating Inter 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League final to secure their third trophy of the season. Below, we must look at the last five teams to accomplish this feat, ranking them based on how good each team was.
#5 Bayern Munich (2012-13 season)
Bayern narrowly lost to Chelsea in the Champions League final in front of their home fans at the Allianz Arena in the 2011-12 season. However, the Bavarians were able to go one step further in the 2012-13 season by besting Borussia Dortmund to the crown in a 2-1 victory in the final at Wembley Stadium.
They also finished above Dortmund to regain the Bundesliga crown after losing out to their rivals for two seasons in a row. Jupp Heynckes' men also took home the DFB-Pokal trophy after defeating VfB Stuttgart 3-2 in the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Their performances were highlighted by a 7-0 aggregate demolition of FC Barcelona over two legs in the semi-finals of the Champions League that season.
#4 Inter Milan (2009-10 season)
José Mourinho had won the Scudetto in his first season in charge of Inter Milan during the 2008-09 campaign. They finished 10 points ahead of Juventus. They went on to create history the very season as they achieved the first treble in Italian football history.
Diego Milito scored the winning goal in the Copa Italia final against Roma to secure the side's first silverware of the season. The Argentine would prove to be clutch once more against Roma as he scored Inter's only goal in a 1-0 over Siena to clinch the league title.
Milito delivered once more when Inter had to take on Bayern Munich in the 2010 Champions League final. Inter's no. 22 scored twice on the night to secure the Italian side's first treble in the club's history.
#3 Barcelona (2014-15 season)
The 2014-15 Barcelona team were the second side in the club's history to achieve the continental treble. Headlined by its star trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez, Luis Enrique's men were unstoppable that season.
The Catalan side narrowly clinched La Liga, finishing only two points above their bitter rivals Real Madrid. Lionel Messi scored a brace in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Club to secure the domestic double for the Blaugrana.
Goals from Ivan Rakitić, Luis Suárez and Neymar saw the Spanish side complete the treble as they defeated Juventus 3-1. This iconic side was the last Barcelona team to win the UEFA Champions League.
#2 Bayern Munich (2019-20 season)
This Bayern side had a shaky start to the season under Niko Kovac. A mid-season shift to Hansi Flick saw this team elevate to a different level. A comfortable 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen saw this side pick up the DFB-Pokal trophy.
Their form in the Bundesliga under Kovac was truly remarkable. The Bavarians finished 13 points ahead of second-placed Dortmund, scoring 100 goals and finishing with the best defensive record, only conceding 32 goals.
The Champions League campaign was just as dominant as they stunningly dispatched all their opponents. Dominant victories over Chelsea, Barcelona and Lyon in the knockouts saw them reach the final with relative ease. A goal from Kingsley Coman in the final clinched the treble for the Munich side, their second in the club's history.
#1 Manchester City (2022-23 season)
Pep Guardiola's men are the newest members of the continental treble club. Based on their performances, Manchester City are also the most impressive of the last five treble winners.
The Cityzens completed the feat by winning their first Champions League in club history, with Rodri scoring the winning goal. They triumphed over Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League and FA Cup respectively.
A result that highlighted their dominance was the 4-0 victory over then defending champions Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg. Guardiola's utterly dominated them, along with others, on their way to history.