Manchester City's class of 2022-23 added their name into the annals of footballing immortals in Istanbul last weekend, winning a first-ever Champions League trophy to join an elite group of teams to have claimed the European treble.
Pep Guardiola's men became only the 10th team - and the eighth different club - to achieve the historic feat of winning their country's top-flight title and main cup competition as well as the European Cup/Champions League in the same season.
A 1-0 triumph over Inter Milan - themselves treble winners in 2010 - sealed the deal for the Citizens, having already bested Arsenal in the Premier League title race and Manchester United - another of the former treble winners - in the FA Cup final.
In doing so, City became only the second English club to manage the clean sweep of the three biggest trophies available to them, while Guardiola became the first manager to win the treble twice, having also done so with Barcelona in 2008-09.
However, Man City's legends of 2022-23 come up against some world-class competition compared to their treble-winning predecessors - a list of luminaries which include some of the greatest players in history.
Here, Sports Mole has taken on the enjoyable - if near-impossible - task of selecting the greatest combined XI from the 10 previous teams to have lifted the European treble.
For the avoidance of doubt, those teams are:
- Celtic 1966-67
- Ajax 1971-72
- PSV Eindhoven 1987-88
- Manchester United 1998-99
- Barcelona 2008-09
- Inter Milan 2009-10
- Bayern Munich 2012-13
- Barcelona 2014-15
- Bayern Munich 2019-20
- Manchester City 2022-23
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
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A hugely difficult call straight off the bat, with two of the greatest goalkeepers of all time - Peter Schmeichel and Manuel Neuer - headlining the candidates for the gloves in this XI.
In the end, we have gone with Neuer by virtue of him featuring heavily in two separate treble-winning teams - lifting the lot with Bayern in both 2012-13 and 2019-20.
The Germany legend featured in 49 games during the first of those campaigns, and then 51 times seven years later as this time he hoisted the silverware aloft as captain.
Neuer's contributions in both seasons were recognised on an individual level too, with the shot-stopper being named the IFFHS World Goalkeeper of the Year for both campaigns, as well as being named in the UEFA Team of the Year for both.
Indeed, he was awarded man of the match for the 2013 final and the Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season for 2020, a year he also claimed The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award.
Schmeichel's enormous contributions to Man United's 1998-99 campaign cannot be overlooked, but the Great Dane has to play second fiddle to Neuer between the sticks in this ultimate team.
Honourable mentions: Peter Schmeichel, Victor Valdes, Julio Cesar, Ederson
Right-back: Dani Alves
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Judging by the long list of honourable mentions, the secret to a treble-winning campaign is to have a great right-back, with some of the best-ever in their position missing out on a place in this XI.
Dani Alves deserves to be in that conversation of best-ever right-backs too, though, and like Neuer the deciding factor for him to get the nod ahead of others was that he is a two-time treble-winner as well.
The Brazilian was Barcelona's first-choice right-back in 2008-09 and 2014-15, making an incredible 100 appearances across the two campaigns combined.
Alves was a constant source of attacking threat as well as performing his defensive duties too, earning him places in the UEFA Team of the Year and FIFA World XI in both treble-winning seasons, although he did miss the 2009 Champions League final due to suspension.
Alves was, however, named the outright La Liga Defender of the Season in 2008-09 - his first year at Barcelona - and was named in the La Liga Team of the Year in 2014-15 too.
Honourable mentions: Wim Suurbier, Gary Neville, Maicon, Javier Zanetti, Philipp Lahm, Benjamin Pavard, Kyle Walker
Centre-backs: Gerard Pique, Ronald Koeman
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Two more players with deep Barcelona connections form our centre-back partnership, with Gerard Pique joining the Catalan club in the same summer as Alves and helping them to a treble in his first season back.
Indeed, Pique arrived having just been part of the Man United squad that won the 2008 Champions League, making it back-to-back European titles for him personally when Barca beat his former club in the final one year later.
Pique played 45 times across all competitions in that 2008-09 campaign, with his performances earning him the La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year award, but his contribution was even greater six years later, despite playing one match fewer.
En route to the 2014-15 treble, the former Spain international was named in the Team of the Season for La Liga and the Champions League, as well as being named in the UEFA Team of the Year for 2015.
Pique also enjoyed his joint-best scoring season that year with seven goals, although that pales in comparison to his centre-back partner in this XI, with the notoriously goal-hungry defender Ronald Koeman racking up a staggering 26 goals from 46 games in all competitions for PSV Eindhoven in 1987-88.
Koeman is that PSV team's only representative in this XI, and he was undoubtedly their star man with his career-best figures before going on to enjoy Euro '88 glory with Netherlands too - making him one of only five European players to win a club treble and an international trophy in the same year.
Crowned Dutch Footballer of the Year ahead of the likes of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard that year, Koeman went on to enjoy huge success with Barcelona too, but 1987-88 remained arguably the greatest season of his career and earned him a place in this team ahead of legendary centre-backs like Billy McNeill, Jaap Stam and Carles Puyol.
There was even an option for yet another double treble-winner to join Pique in defence, with Jerome Boateng having achieved the clean sweep twice at Bayern, but he becomes the first two-time winner to miss out from this XI.
Honourable mentions: Billy McNeill, Jaap Stam, Carles Puyol, Lucio, Jerome Boateng, Javier Mascherano, Ruben Dias
Left-back: Ruud Krol
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To Koeman's left in this XI is another legendary Dutch defender - Ruud Krol.
A true 'Total Footballer', Krol was adept at playing anywhere in defence or midfield but forged his main reputation at left-back, where he helped the wonderful Ajax team of the early 1970s win three successive European Cups.
Having missed the 1971 final due to a broken leg, Krol was very much a key figure of the triumph over Inter Milan that sealed treble glory one year later.
Krol featured 47 times across all competitions, scoring three goals as Ajax only lost one match in all competitions throughout the entire campaign, earning his place in this team ahead of some of the best left-backs of their respective generations.
Honourable mentions: Tommy Gemmell, Denis Irwin, Eric Abidal, David Alaba, Jordi Alba, Alphonso Davies
Holding midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Xavi
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Two Barcelona stalwarts anchor our midfield in what was a highly competitive battle for the deep-lying roles, with some all-time greats missing out on selection.
Xavi and Sergio Busquets are both very much in the conversation for the greatest to ever play in their respective positions, though, and both have the added benefit of being two-time treble winners as well.
For Busquets, the 2008-09 treble-winning season was his breakthrough campaign at Barcelona, competing with Yaya Toure for a midfield spot but still making 41 appearances across all competitions - including a start in the Champions League final victory over Manchester United - and winning La Liga's Breakthrough Player award.
There was no question about Busquets's role as the main defensive midfielder six years later when Barcelona scooped the three major trophies once again, making 47 appearances en route to joining the exclusive group of double treble winners.
Xavi is also in that elite club, and played a major role of both triumphs - not least 2008-09 when he scored in the Copa del Rey final and assisted in the Champions League final.
The Spaniard made 54 appearances in all competitions that year, scoring 10 goals and assisting 29 more, including an unrivalled 20 in La Liga - four of which came in one memorable 6-2 Clasico win over Real Madrid - and a competition-high seven in the Champions League.
Those figures saw Xavi named the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year, IFFHS World's Best Playmaker and La Liga Midfielder of the Year, as well as being named in the FIFA and UEFA Teams of the Year and finishing third in the Ballon d'Or voting.
Six years later, Xavi signed off his legendary Barcelona career in perfect fashion with another treble - this time as club captain - making 44 appearances across the season.
Honourable mentions: Roy Keane, Yaya Toure, Esteban Cambiasso, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thiago Alcantara, Joshua Kimmich, Toni Kroos, Rodri
Right winger: Lionel Messi
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Despite some legendary competition for this position, the presence of Lionel Messi - the greatest player of all time - means it was the easiest spot to fill in the entire team.
Messi's career achievements are far too long and wide-ranging to list, and even condensing them down to 'just' his two treble-winning seasons with Barcelona leaves us with a CV which any other player would dream of having.
The iconic number 10 enjoyed his first un-injury-interrupted season in 2008-09 and responded with 38 goals in 51 games, including an unrivalled nine in the Champions League - the last of which was a soaring header in the final against Manchester United.
Messi won the first of his seven Ballons d'Or that year, in addition to being named FIFA World Player of the Year, UEFA Men's Player of the Year and La Liga's Best Player.
It almost goes without saying that the Argentine scooped all of those individual prizes again during the second treble-winning season six years later, while his personal scoring record dwarfed his 2008-09 figures.
Messi netted 58 times in just 57 games in 2014-15, including an incredible 43 in La Liga and 10 in the Champions League - both competition highs. Among his most memorable of those goals was the Copa del Rey final solo effort against Athletic Bilbao and his Champions League semi-final goal against Bayern Munich.
That season also saw Messi become the highest scorer and assister in La Liga history, as well as the player with the most hat-tricks.
Honourable mentions: Jimmy Johnstone, Johnny Rep, David Beckham, Franck Ribery, Serge Gnabry
Attacking midfielder: Johan Cruyff
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As painful as it is to leave out legends like Johan Neeskens, Paul Scholes, Thomas Muller and Kevin De Bruyne, those four players are among the best of their own generations, whereas Johan Cruyff is among the best of any generation.
The on-field architect of Ajax's all-conquering 'Total Football' side that won three successive European Cups in the early 1970s, it was the second of those triumphs, in 1972, that sealed the Dutch club their one and only treble.
Cruyff was the leading light in a star-studded team, contributing a team-high 33 goals and 26 assists from his 45 games across all competitions that season.
Indeed, he had a direct hand in 45 goals from just 32 Eredivisie matches, and nine in four cup games, as well as scoring both goals in the 2-0 win over Inter Milan in the European Cup final.
Remarkably, between 1971 and 1974, the treble-winning season of 1972 was the only year in which Cruyff missed out on the Ballon d'Or, but he did end as the top scorer in each of the league, cup and European Cup, as well as winning the Dutch Footballer of the Year award.
Honourable mentions: Johan Neeskens, Paul Scholes, Wesley Sneijder, Thomas Muller, Ivan Rakitic, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan
Left winger: Andres Iniesta
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We could not have Busquets, Xavi and Messi without completing the set with Andres Iniesta, could we?
The Spanish World Cup winner battled with injury during the 2008-09 campaign and even played in the Champions League final while carrying a thigh problem, but that did not prevent him assisting the opening goal in the win over Manchester United.
Iniesta still managed to make 43 appearances across all competitions that year, scoring five goals - the most memorable of which was a last-gasp long-range strike that sent Barca to the Champions League final at Chelsea's expense.
Six years later, Iniesta regularly wore the armband as Barcelona swept all before them again, with his long-time partner in crime Xavi enjoying his final season at the club.
This time around he made 42 appearances across all competitions, saving one of the best until last as he was named man of the match in the Champions League final win over Juventus.
Honourable mentions: Pat Keizer, Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Arjen Robben, Neymar, Pedro, Jack Grealish
Centre-forward: Robert Lewandowski
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The most difficult position to fill, it was Robert Lewandowski's figures from Bayern's 2019-20 treble which earned him the nod ahead of some legendary names.
Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke forged one of the great striking partnership en route to scoring 53 goals between them in 1998-99; Samuel Eto'o is the only player in history to win back-to-back trebles and to win trebles with two different clubs, doing so with Barcelona in 2008-09 and Inter Milan in 2009-10, while scoring a combined 52 goals along the way; Erling Braut Haaland plundered 52 goals in a single campaign to fire Manchester City to treble glory, including a record 36 in the league.
However, Lewandowski can incredibly boast even better figures that all of those from his season, netting 55 times in just 47 games across all competitions as Bayern won the treble behind closed doors in 2020.
The Polish striker scored 34 times in 31 Bundesliga matches and 15 times in just 10 Champions League outings, unsurprisingly finishing as the top scorer in both of those competitions.
Lewandowski's performances earned him The Best FIFA Men's Player and UEFA Men's Player of the Year awards for 2020, as well as being named in the World XI and UEFA Team of the Year.
Honourable mentions: Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Samuel Eto'o, Luis Suarez, Erling Braut Haaland
Manager: Pep Guardiola
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Unsurprisingly, every treble-winning team has had a legendary coach behind them, and some - the likes of Jock Stein, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho - would be in the conversation for the greatest manager of all time.
However, the reins for this team simply had to go to the only two-time treble-winning manager, Pep Guardiola.
While none of his 2022-23 Manchester City team made the cut, plenty from his Barcelona conquerors of 2008-09 did, while he has also worked with Neuer, Koeman, Cruyff and Lewandowski at various stages of his career too, so he is the perfect man to knit this team together.
Not only that, but at the age of only 52 Guardiola continues to underline his credentials as perhaps the best manager we have ever seen, with the 2023 success being the third time he has lifted the Champions League - adding to 11 domestic league titles and six main cup wins.
The Spaniard shows no sign of letting up yet either, and he is well on course to create a dynasty at Manchester City with more glory heavily fancied for next season too.
Guardiola's style of play and constant demand for improvement means that he is unlikely to rest on the laurels of 2022-23's success, and the staggering prospect of back-to-back trebles is one that cannot be ruled out at this stage.
Honourable mentions: Jock Stein, Stefan Kovacs, Guus Hiddink, Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Jupp Heynckes, Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick
SPORTS MOLE'S ULTIMATE TREBLE-WINNING XI
Sports Mole's ultimate treble-winning XI: Neuer; Alves, Pique, Koeman, Krol; Busquets, Xavi; Messi, Cruyff, Iniesta; Lewandowski
