CELTIC were the first to do it in 1967.
Manchester United matched it in 1999. And three years ago Internazionale were the last club to do so. This evening in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, Bayern Munich will try to add their name to that illustrious company by becoming the first German club – and only eighth club in total – to complete the treble of European Cup, league title and domestic cup in a single season.
The first two trophies are already in the bag. After playing second fiddle to Borussia Dortmund in the previous two seasons, Bayern coasted to this season's Bundesliga championship, setting various records along the way. They clinched the title earlier than any other, and eventually finished a massive 25 points ahead of runners-up Dortmund.
Their tally of 91 points beat the previous record total by 10 and there were other notable achievements: most away wins, most points accrued after the winter break, fewest goals conceded (just 18, only seven of which came away from home), best start to a season (eight consecutive wins), and most consecutive away wins. It was a truly stellar season.
On the European front, Bayern proved to be no slouches either. Smarting from their Champions League final loss to Chelsea a year ago, Jupp Heynckes' side made amends in the best way possible by lifting the trophy 12 months later. They topped their group, losing just once in six games, then embarked on a devastating run to reach the final again, beating Arsenal, Juventus, and, most impressively, Barcelona along the way. Their 2-1 victory over Dortmund in last weekend's final meant they were crowned European champions for a fifth time in their history. Only Real Madrid and Milan have won it more.
Now there is a chance for Bayern to create further history in tonight's German Cup final. In Heynckes' last match before he steps aside for Pep Guardiola, victory over VfB Stuttgart will place this Bayern side among the pantheon of greats. It has already prompted debate as to whether this may even be the greatest German team of all time, although those who recall the Bayern team that won three successive European Cups in the mid-1970s may argue otherwise.
"This team has already entered the history books, but they can make themselves immortal now," said Karl-Heinz Rummenige, the Bayern chief executive and no slouch as a player himself back in the day. "Even the most successful Bayern team of all time – the generation including Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Mueller and Sepp Meier in the 1970s – never managed to win the lot."
Stuttgart have been almost forgotten amid the rush to heap praise on Heynckes and his side, which will be without Dante and Luis Gustavo for tonight's game with the pair on international duty. Bruno Labaddia's team enter the final after a fairly humdrum Bundesliga campaign in which they finished 12th with the third-lowest goals tally – even relegated Fortuna Duesseldorf scored more – but the Stuttgart coach is not without hope.
"Anything is possible in a single game," he said. "And I think that two trophies in a season is enough for one team . . ."
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