Pep Guardiola sets managerial history with Man City treble
His Manchester City side completed their haul of trophies for the 2022/23 season with a 1-0 victory against Inter in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday night, with Rodri scoring the winning goal.
Man City managed to topple Arsenal to wrestle back top spot in the Premier League this term, with the Gunners surrendering the title having been top for 248 days – a record for a team that did not finish first.
They then ousted rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final last week. A brace from Ilkay Gundogan either side of a Bruno Fernandes penalty saw the Citizens win at Wembley.
The Citizens’ exploits this term mean that Guardiola stands alone in history as the only manager to have won the treble on two different occasions and with two different teams.
Managers to have won the treble
Jock Stein became the first manager to win the treble when his Celtic side conquered all fronts back in 1966/67.
Two Dutch sides then followed in Stein and Celtic’s wake with Stefan Kovacs achieving the feat with Ajax in 1971/72 and Guus Hiddink with PSV in 1987/88.
Just over a decade after Hiddink’s success came Sir Alex Ferguson‘s triumph with Manchester United in 1998/99.
Guardiola won his first treble in 2008/09 during his first season in charge of Barcelona, fittingly beating Ferguson’s Red Devils in the Champions League final.
His career rival, Jose Mourinho, was next to complete the treble, with his Inter charges eliminating Barça from the Champions League on their way to glory the very next season.
Having finished as runners-up in three competitions in 2011/12, Bayern Munich completed a memorable treble under Jupp Heynckes in 2012/13.
Luis Enrique guided Barcelona to their second treble in 2014/15, with La Blaugrana headlined by a fearsome front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
Hansi Flick took charge of Bayern Munich midway through the 2019/20 season but managed to guide them to success in the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League.
And Guardiola’s Man City have now become the latest side to etch their name into storied history.
