Ranking the top 5 teams to win the treble in the 21st century
Winning the treble is without a doubt one of the most impressive feats in modern football.
Winning a league title is an incredible achievement which shows a team's endurance and consistency. Winning the Champions League or a domestic cup shows the team's mental strength as well as their ability to perform in do-or-die situations. Even winning two out of these three trophies is a phenomenal achievement for any club.
But winning all three of them in a single season is truly a historic achievement in club football and is arguably the most impressive thing a team can do.
The incredible Manchester United side of the 1998-99 season were the first team since the Champions League was reformed in 1992 to win the treble. Since then, only three clubs have gone on to achieve this feat in the 21st century, with two of them managing to do it twice.
Considering their performance and statistics, we rank these five treble winning teams in the 21st century:
#5 Inter Milan (2009-10)
Just over a decade ago, Inter Milan had one of the most historic seasons in Italian football. The Nerazzurri, under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, achieved what no other Italian team had done before. The Serie A giants won Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League, becoming the first and only Italian team so far to achieve the treble.
Mourinho took over the team in 2008 and guided them to the Serie A title in his debut season. That wasn't enough for Inter fans given the club had been dominating Serie A back then but had failed to show any progress in the Champions League.
So the following summer, Mourinho ripped up the squad and set about assembling his own personal troop of soldiers. Luis Figo retired, Adriano, Julio Cruz and Hernan Crespo all left the club, and were quickly replaced by Thiago Motta, Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder. Even Zlatan Ibrahimovic departed the San Siro in a player-plus cash deal with Barcelona, who sent Samuel Eto'o the other way.
The Portuguese boss built a squad with experience and grit, but it was also laced with star talent and match-winning capabilities. Inter's robust, counter-attacking play, built on a strong defensive shape, took Serie A by storm. They edged out Roma by two points to lift the title for a second consecutive season.
New striker Milito had a fantastic debut season for the club and the Argentine striker went on to bag 22 goals, including some vital strikes in the Champions League.
On this day, in 2010, Inter Milan won their first Champions League since 1965, beating Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The trophy sealed a historic treble for Inter that season, which is still, arguably, José Mourinho's greatest ever year in management. 🏆 https://t.co/tR5ca6QxtT
Inter also defeated Roma in the Coppa Italia final thanks to a goal from Milito, securing an excellent domestic double.
Inter were pitted alongside Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in the group stage of their Champions League campaign. While the Nerazzurri managed to earn a draw at home against the Catalan giants, they were easily beaten in the reverse leg. It was perceived as a wake-up call for their dream of European success.
They did, however, manage to reach the knockout stages, finishing second behind Guardiola's side.
Inter managed to get past Mourinho's former side Chelsea in the last 16 before easing past CSKA Moscow, winning both legs with a solitary goal to nil. It set-up a juicy semi-final tie with Barcelona once again.
It looked like Mourinho had learned from his earlier defeat to Barcelona as the Italian giants managed to earn a 3-1 win at San Siro. The second-leg was one of the most dramatic and memorable moments in Champions League history. Inter managed to concede just one goal at the Camp Nou despite playing with 10 men for well over an hour to earn an aggregate win over Barcelona and reach the final.
Inter ran out 2-0 winners against Bayern Munich in the final thanks to a brace from Milito as the Nerazzurri etched their names into footballing history.
#4 Bayern Munich (2012-13)
Bayern Munich had a disappointing end to the 2011-12 season as the Bavarians finished second in the Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund and lost the Champions League final against Chelsea.
The subsequent season, however, saw Jupp Heynckes' men rise from the ashes as the Bavarians lost just one game in the Bundesliga to be crowned new champions. They managed to finish the season with 91 points, a staggering 25 points clear of second-placed Dortmund.
The two teams faced each other in the DFB-Pokal final, and goals from Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Muller saw Bayern thwart Dortmund to complete a domestic double.
In 2012/13 Jupp Heynckes lead Bayern Munich to the treble, the first German team in history to achieve such a feat. http://t.co/njINdu55Fi
Both sides crossed paths once again, this time in an all-German UEFA Champions League final in May 2013 at Wembley. Mandzukic once again opened the scoring for Bayern but this time Dortmund managed to find an equalizer through Ikay Gundogan.
However, Dortmund's hearts would be broken in the dying moments of the game. Winger Arjen Robben showcased a brilliant moment of magic to clinch the title for Bayern and complete the first ever treble in the club's history.