Tottenham eye rare European clean sweep

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Only five sides have lifted all three major club trophies – Tottenham could make it six.

Two down, one to go

Two down, one to go ©Getty Images

Tottenham won't lack incentive when they face Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid on 1 June, but did you know that victory would put them in an elite band of teams to win all three of UEFA's major club competitions?

Only five sides have lifted each of the European Champion Clubs' Cup, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League and European Cup Winners' Cup. Spurs could make it six.

Juventus

European Cup: 1985 , 1996
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League: 1977 , 1990 , 1993
Cup Winners' Cup: 1984

The first club to claim all three titles, Juve's name was first engraved on a European trophy in 1977 and within the decade they had completed the set.

Ajax

European Cup:1971 , 1972 , 1973 , 1995
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League:1992
Cup Winners' Cup: 1987

Inspired by Johan Cruyff, Ajax's brand of 'total football' brought European Cup in the 1970s and Cruyff was at the helm when the Amsterdam outfit ticked off the Cup Winners' Cup in 1987. Louis van Gaal steered Ajax to the UEFA Cup title in 1992.

Bayern München

European Cup:1974 , 1975 , 1976 , 2001 , 2013
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League:1996
Cup Winners' Cup: 1967

Cup Winners' Cup victors in 1967, Bayern carried on from where Ajax left off with a hat-trick of European Cups in the 1970s cementing their place among continental football aristocracy. A two-legged defeat of Bordeaux in 1996 completed the set.

Chelsea

European Cup:2012
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League:2013
Cup Winners' Cup: 1971, 1998

Chelsea’s 2012 penalty glory

Chelsea clinched their treble by winning the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in back-to-back seasons earlier this decade.

Manchester United

European Cup:1968 , 1999, 2008
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League: 2017
Cup Winners' Cup: 1991

Highlights: Manchester United's European set

The latest members of the club, 49 years separated United's first European title and the UEFA Europa League trophy that completed the set. The Cup Winners' Cup victory over Barcelona came pretty much slap bang in between.

Tottenham

European Cup: -
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League: 1972, 1984
Cup Winners' Cup: 1963

Spurs were early adopters in Europe, the first to inscribe their names on the UEFA Cup trophy and the third to lift the Cup Winners' Cup. A first stab at the UEFA Champions League final has been a long time coming, though.