Successful a single league title or cup competitors is an achievement for any supervisor, however guiding a group to a treble – lifting three main trophies in a single season – requires tactical mastery, squad concord, and relentless drive.
The treble represents the top of home and European success, requiring not solely distinctive squad depth however the skill to maintain morale up for a gruelling marketing campaign and handle a number of competitions concurrently.
Luis Enrique’s beautiful 5-0 victory over Inter Milan with Paris Saint-Germain within the 2025 Champions League ultimate accomplished some of the spectacular trebles in latest occasions.
The Spanish tactician’s PSG facet had already secured Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France, making this their first continental treble and putting Enrique in probably the most unique of teaching golf equipment. What made this triumph much more exceptional was that it got here throughout the inaugural season of the competitors’s revolutionary new format, as PSG navigated uncharted waters and went towards free wager odds to say European glory.
The 2024-25 Champions League was the primary version to characteristic the unconventional “Swiss Mannequin” format, increasing from 32 to 36 groups and changing conventional teams with one huge league, creating unprecedented selection and unpredictable matchups all through the competitors which made a free wager on soccer all of the extra attention-grabbing.
Solely a choose few managers have managed to coordinate such demanding campaigns, making them legends of the sport. On this article, we mirror on among the finest to have graced the technical space.
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola, who’s the one different supervisor to ship the three largest trophies on provide in a single season for 2 totally different golf equipment (at Barcelona in 2008-09 and Manchester Metropolis in 2022-23), stays the benchmark for contemporary tactical innovation.
His Barcelona treble revolutionised soccer with their tiki-taka method, while his Manchester Metropolis triumph showcased his skill to adapt his strategies to English soccer’s distinctive calls for.
The Catalan’s affect extends past trophies, as his tactical improvements have formed numerous coaches worldwide.
Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson grew to become the primary modern-day coach to attain the feat at Manchester United in 1998-99, orchestrating one among soccer’s most dramatic conclusions.
The Scottish supervisor’s treble-winning marketing campaign epitomised his never-say-die mentality, with late objectives from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finishing a exceptional Champions League ultimate comeback towards Bayern Munich.
Ferguson’s United mixed youth with expertise, that includes the fabled Class of ’92 alongside seasoned professionals like Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel. His achievement got here after years of Champions League heartbreak, proving that persistence and tactical evolution can ultimately yield the final word prize.
The treble marked the height of Ferguson’s home dominance and established Manchester United as a worldwide powerhouse. He got here shut once more in 2009 however simply fell in need of a clear sweep due to Guardiola’s Barca and a penalty shootout with Everton.
Guus Hiddink
Identified extra just lately for his time in England with Chelsea, Guus Hiddink’s PSV achieved a historic treble by profitable the Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and European Cup within the late 80s.
The Dutch facet, that includes the likes of Ronald Koeman and captain Eric Gerets, relied on defensive organisation and scientific counter-attacks to prevail in Europe, with Hiddink’s shrewd tactical administration guiding PSV previous Benfica in a tense penalty shootout within the ultimate.
Hansi Flick
Hansi Flick achieved immortality at Bayern Munich in 2019-20, with the German’s achievement proving significantly spectacular given the abbreviated nature of the 2020 season because of the pandemic.
A mere 10 months into the job and Bayern Munich supervisor Hansi Flick guided his facet to a historic Champions League treble, changing into solely the sixth supervisor to take action.
His Bayern facet mixed devastating counter-attacking soccer with scientific ending, culminating in an 8-2 demolition of Barcelona within the Champions League quarter-finals.
Flick received 33 of his 36 video games in cost and underneath his administration, Bayern scored a whopping 116 objectives whereas conceding simply 26, lifting the trophy behind closed doorways with a 1-0 win over PSG in Lisbon.
