The treble is an exceptionally rare achievement in English football, so much so that prior to the 1999 Champions League final, Sir Alex Ferguson compared it to a journey to the moon when addressing his players at Camp Nou.
After Manchester United had clinched the Premier League trophy and the FA Cup in the preceding 10 days, positioning themselves to become the first English team to secure a treble, Sir Alex Ferguson’s inspiring words couldn’t negate the weariness of a long and demanding season. The Champions League final against Bayern Munich proved to be a daunting challenge, as the German side outperformed United for the majority of the match. However, in a thrilling turn of events during three minutes of stoppage time, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the crucial goals that etched Manchester United’s name in football history. It has been almost 25 years since Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United to a historic treble, and now Pep Guardiola and Manchester City find themselves in a similar position. With the Premier League title already secured, City has two crucial games standing between them and the treble: the FA Cup final against Manchester United on 3 June and the Champions League final against Inter Milan a week later on 10 June.
There is no denying that Manchester City’s run-in this season has been significantly smoother compared to Machester United’s experience in 1999. Under Guardiola’s guidance, City embarked on an impressive streak of 12 consecutive league victories, surpassing Arsenal to claim the top spot in the table. They also secured a convincing 3-0 victory against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semifinal and dominated Real Madrid with a resounding 4-0 win in the Champions League semifinal second leg.
In contrast, United faced more challenges during their treble-winning season. They encountered four draws in their last eight league games and had to secure a victory against Tottenham Hotspur on the final day to clinch the Premier League title. Their FA Cup semifinal against Arsenal required a replay, which saw Roy Keane being sent off and Peter Schmeichel saving a Dennis Bergkamp penalty. Additionally, United found themselves trailing 2-0 within the first 10 minutes of their Champions League semifinal second leg against Juventus.