
Manchester City play Manchester United in today’s FA Cup final with more than just the iconic trophy on the line.
Victory for Pep Guardiola‘s side at Wembley will see them move one step closer to clinching an historic treble this season.
And Manchester United will have their very own personal reasons for wanting to deny their fierce rivals a place in the history books.
But what exactly is the treble in English football and how many teams have won it in the past?
What is the treble in English football?
In English football, winning the treble is when one team wins the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.
Manchester City have already won this season’s Premier League title and they play Inter Milan in the Champions League final next weekend.
How many teams have won the treble in England?
Manchester United became the first, and to date the only team, to win a treble in English football back in 1998/99 under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson.
United pipped Arsenal to the Premier League title by a sole point to lift their first trophy that year on May 16.
The Red Devils then beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the FA Cup final on May 22 with goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes.
And then just four days later, United sealed the treble with victory in one of the most iconic Champions League finals in history.
Their showdown against Bayern Munich in Barcelona had started badly, with Mario Basler firing the German giants ahead after just six minutes.
It would take United until second-half injury time to find an equaliser through Sheringham in the 91st minute.
And United would famously not have to wait long for the winner, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer popping up with a goal two minutes later to fire Ferguson’s men into the history books.
How many teams have won the treble around Europe?
Including Manchester United, seven clubs have won their domestic league, main cup and Champions League in the same season.
If City do indeed win the treble it would not be the first time Guardiola has won one in his career, with the Spanish tactician having claimed La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League with Barcelona in 2008/09.
Barcelona won the treble for a second time in 2014/15, whilst Bayern Munich also won trebles in 2012/13 and 2019/20 respectively.
Celtic were the first British team to win the treble in 1966/67, whilst Ajax (1971/72), PSV (1987/88) and Inter Milan (2009/10) have also completed the extraordinary feat.
Manchester City secured the first domestic treble in English football in 2018/19 with victories in the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.
MORE : Manchester United open talks with Chelsea to seal move for Mason Mount
MORE : How many times have Manchester City won the FA Cup and when did they last win it?
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Share your views in the comments below
First appear at What is the treble in football and how many English teams have won it?