Double (association football)

The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season. It can also mean beating a team both home and away in the same league season, a feat often noted as doing the double over a particular side.

Contents

List of Doubles in Europe

The list includes clubs from England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. These are the top five in UEFA coefficient as of 24 May 2010

Country Football Club Year League Cup Notes
 ENG Preston North End 1889 Football League FA Cup
 ENG Aston Villa 1897 Football League FA Cup
 ENG Tottenham Hotspur 1961 Football League FA Cup
 ENG Arsenal (1) 1971 Football League FA Cup
 ENG Liverpool 1986 Football League FA Cup
 ENG Manchester United (1) 1994 Premier League FA Cup
 ENG Manchester United (2) 1996 Premier League FA Cup
 ENG Arsenal (2) 1998 Premier League FA Cup
 ENG Manchester United (3) 1999 Premier League FA Cup
 ENG Arsenal (3) 2002 Premier League FA Cup
 ENG Chelsea 2010 Premier League FA Cup
 ESP Athletic Bilbao (1) 1930 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Athletic Bilbao (2) 1931 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Athletic Bilbao (3) 1943 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Barcelona (1) 1952 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Barcelona (2) 1953 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Athletic Bilbao (4) 1956 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Barcelona (3) 1959 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Real Madrid (1) 1962 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Real Madrid (2) 1975 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Real Madrid (3) 1980 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Athletic Bilbao (5) 1984 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Real Madrid (4) 1989 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Atlético Madrid 1996 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Barcelona (4) 1998 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ESP Barcelona (5) 2009 Primera División Copa del Rey
 ITA Torino 1943 Serie A Coppa Italia
 ITA Juventus (1) 1960 Serie A Coppa Italia
 ITA Napoli 1987 Serie A Coppa Italia
 ITA Juventus (2) 1995 Serie A Coppa Italia
 ITA Lazio 2000 Serie A Coppa Italia
 ITA Internazionale (1) 2006 Serie A Coppa Italia
 ITA Internazionale (2) 2010 Serie A Coppa Italia
 GER Schalke 04 1937 Championship Tschammerpokal
 GER Bayern Munich (1) 1969 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER FC Cologne 1978 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER Bayern Munich (2) 1986 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER Bayern Munich (3) 2000 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER Bayern Munich (4) 2003 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER Werder Bremen 2004 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER Bayern Munich (5) 2005 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER Bayern Munich (6) 2006 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER Bayern Munich (7) 2008 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 GER Bayern Munich (8) 2010 Bundesliga DFB-Pokal
 FRA Sète 1934 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA RCF Paris 1936 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Lille 1946 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Nice 1952 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Stade de Reims 1958 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Monaco 1963 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Saint-Étienne (1) 1968 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Saint-Étienne (2) 1970 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Marseille (1) 1972 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Saint-Étienne (3) 1974 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Saint-Étienne (4) 1975 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Bordeaux 1987 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Marseille (2) 1989 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Auxerre 1996 Ligue 1 Coupe de France
 FRA Lyon 2008 Ligue 1 Coupe de France

List of Doubles in South America

The list includes clubs from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela as of 30 May 2010. The other countries in South America do not have a cup competition and cannot complete a domestic double.

Country Club Year League Cup Notes
 BRA Cruzeiro 1996 Série A Copa do Brasil
 BRA Cruzeiro (2) 2003 Série A Copa do Brasil
 CHI Colo-Colo 1981 Primera División Copa Chile
 CHI Colo-Colo (2) 1989 Primera División Copa Chile
 CHI Colo-Colo (3) 1990 Primera División Copa Chile
 CHI Colo-Colo (4) 1996 Primera División Copa Chile
 CHI Universidad de Chile 2000 Primera División Copa Chile
 COL Millonarios 1952 Primera A Copa Colombia
 COL Millonarios (2) 1953 Primera A Copa Colombia
 COL Millonarios (3) 1963 Primera A Copa Colombia
 BOL Bolivar 2009 La Liga Copa Aerosur
 VEN Deportivo Galicia 1969 Primera División Copa Venezuela
 VEN Marítimo 1986–1987 Primera División Copa Venezuela
 VEN Caracas 1994–1995 Primera División Copa Venezuela
 VEN Caracas (2) 2009–2010 Primera División Copa Venezuela

History of The Double

Croatia

Two teams have won the Croatian Double (The Prva HNL and the Croatian Cup):

Denmark

Only four teams have won the Danish Double (The Danish Superliga and the Danish Cup):

England

In England winning the Double involves finishing first in the League – Division One prior to 1992, and since then, the Premier League and winning the FA Cup.

List of teams who have won¹ the Double in England:

The Aston Villa team of 1897 that won The Double.

League and League Cup Double

A rarer, and less coveted, double in English domestic football is that of winning the league championship and the League Cup. This feat was first achieved in 1978 by Nottingham Forest. Liverpool achieved this double three times in succession (1982, 1983 and 1984 in the latter case with the European Cup, a unique Treble). The latest team to achieve it were Manchester United in 2009, the second occasion this has been achieved in the Premier League era, after Chelsea in 2005.

FA Cup and League Cup Double

Again rarer and less coveted, this 'Cup Double' has been achieved three times. In 1993 Arsenal won both major English domestic cup finals (defeating Sheffield Wednesday in each). In 2001 Liverpool won both and also won the UEFA Cup. Most recently, in 2007 Chelsea won both cups.

Double Double

The Double Double is a term describing the defence of The Double (winning back to back Doubles) in the subsequent season. It is yet to be achieved, but there have been teams that have come close. In 1962, Tottenham Hotspur came close when they followed the first Double of the modern era, which they won in 1961, by retaining the FA Cup and coming third in Division One of The Football League, in 1995, Manchester United fell at the last hurdle when they followed up their 1994 Double by coming runners-up in both the Premier League and the FA Cup. In 2003, Arsenal successfully defended their FA Cup crown, but finished as runners-up in the Premier League.

France

Several clubs have realised the French Double : FC Sète (1934), RC Paris (1936), Lille (1946), OGC Nice (1952), Stade de Reims (1958), AS Monaco (1963), Saint-Étienne (1968, 1970, 1974, 1975), Marseille (1972, 1989), Girondins de Bordeaux (1987), Auxerre (1996) and Lyon (2008).

The League and League Cup Double has been achieved two times, in 2009 by Girondins de Bordeaux and in 2010 by Olympique de Marseille.

Paris Saint-Germain F.C. won the French Cup and the League Cup in 1995 and in 1998.

Greece

In Greece, only the big three of Athens have managed to win The Double, meaning Super League Greece and the Greek Cup.

Club Number Years
Olympiacos
14
 1947, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959*, 1973, 1975, 1981, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009
Panathinaikos
8
 1969, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1995, 2004, 2010
AEK Athens
2
 1939, 1978

Italy

Seven times an Italian club won both Serie A and Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) in the same season.

Luxembourg

In Luxembourgian football, the Double is a single club's victory in both the National Division and the Luxembourg Cup in the same season. As there are no other senior football competitions in Luxembourg, and Luxembourgian clubs have never come close to winning any European tournament, the Double is the ultimate achievement for a Luxembourgian club in one season.

It has been accomplished twenty-three times in the eighty-four years in which the Luxembourg Cup has been contested (and, therefore, the Double has been possible). By far the most successful club in terms of winning Doubles has been Jeunesse Esch, who have completed eight of the twenty-two Doubles.

Club Doubles Years
Jeunesse Esch 8 1937, 1954, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1988, 1997, 1999
FA Red Boys Differdange 3 1926, 1931, 1979
FC Avenir Beggen 3 1984, 1993, 1994
F91 Dudelange 3 2006, 2007, 2009
CS Fola Esch 1 1923
CA Spora Luxembourg 1 1928
Stade Dudelange 1 1948
FC Progrès Niedercorn 1 1978
Union Luxembourg 1 1991
CS Grevenmacher 1 2003

Netherlands

Club Number Years
Ajax
7
 1966/1967, 1969/1970, 1971/1972, 1978/1979, 1982/1983, 1997/1998, 2001/2002
PSV
4
 1975/1976, 1987/1988, 1988/1989, 2004/2005
Feyenoord
3
 1964/1965, 1968/1969, 1983/1984
AZ (then AZ '67)
1
 1980/1981
HVV
1
 1902/1903
RAP Amsterdam
1
 1898/1899

Portugal

In Portugal, the Double is called "Dobradinha" and is achieved by winning the top tier league and the Portuguese Cup. Without surprise, only the Big Three have done it since the nationwide round-robin league competition was introduced in 1934.

On account of the League Cup having been introduced in 2007 only, a Treble has been considered since the Super Cup was introduced in 1979. Winning it after achieving the Double (contested between the League champion and the Cup runner-up when Doubles happen) was attained only by Sporting (1982 and 2002) and F.C. Porto (1998, 2003, 2006 and 2009).

Two Quadruples are considered for F.C. Porto in 2003 when José Mourinho lead them to win the domestic Treble and the Uefa Cup and in 2004 when they won the domestic League, the Champions League, the domestic Supercup and the Intercontinental Cup.

Sporting was the first side to achieve the Double (1941) as well as the first domestic Treble (1982). Benfica never achieved any type of Treble, but holds the record for Doubles (9).

Club Number Years
Benfica1
9
 1943, 1955, 1957, 1964, 1969, 1972, 1981, 1983, 1987
Sporting2
6
 1941, 1948, 1954, 1974, 1982, 2002
F.C. Porto
6
 1956, 1988, 1998, 2003, 2006, 2009

1Benfica also Doubled F.C. Porto in 1981 and 1983, and could have made it Treble, since the Supercup was already existent (since 1979): Porto not only saved a triple horror by winning the 1981 and 1983 Supercups, but filling the slot for European Cup Winners' Cup 1983–84 as 1983 Portuguese Cup runners-up, they even managed to reach the final, failing their first Quadruple in 1984 by a close margin.

2In 1974, Sporting was the first team to win the Double over the same team, making Benfica running up in both League and Cup. Almost winning a European Treble, Sporting saw 1. FC Magdeburg win 1974 Cup Winners' Cup after being eliminated by them in the semi-finals by one goal and after a series of misfortunes (two injuries, an own-goal at home, a missed penalty and a shot on the post). That year, Hector Yazalde established a record of goals scored in one Portuguese football season which still lasts to this day.

Republic of Ireland

In Ireland, The Double is achieved by winning the League of Ireland and FAI Cup. A clean sweep can be achieved by also winning the League of Ireland Cup and the Setanta Cup. Although no team yet to do this, Bohemians managed a similar feat in 1927/28 season by winning the League, FAI Cup, the League of Ireland Shield and Leinster Senior Cup (both now defunct). Derry City FC completed 'The Treble' in 1988/'89 by also winning the League of Ireland Cup.

Club Number Years
Shamrock Rovers
6
 1925 , 1932 , 1964 , 1985 , 1986 , 1987
Bohemians
3
 1928 , 2001 , 2008
Dundalk
2
 1979 , 1988
St James's Gate
1
 1922
Cork United
1
 1942
Cork Athletic
1
 1951
Derry City
1
 1989
Shelbourne
1
 2000

Romania

In Romania, The Double is named "Event" and can be achieved by winning the Liga I and the Cupa României. The team that won most doubles until now is Steaua Bucureşti, with nine wins, followed by their city rivals, Dinamo Bucureşti with six wins. In the recent times, CFR Cluj won The Double twice, being the fourth non-Bucharest team to do so, after Universitatea Craiova, UT Arad and, the now defunct team, Ripensia Timişoara.

Club Number Years
Steaua Bucureşti
9
 1951, 1952, 1976, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1996, 1997
Dinamo Bucureşti
6
 1964, 1982, 1984, 1990, 2000, 2004
CFR Cluj
2
 2008, 2010
Universitatea Craiova
2
 1981, 1991
UT Arad
1
 1948
Ripensia Timişoara
1
 1936

Soviet Union and Russia

Six teams achieved the Double in the Soviet Union and Russia championships.

Dinamo Moscow was the first ever Double winner, in 1937.

Spartak Moscow won the Double six times (1938, 1939, 1958, 1992, 1994, 1998), a number unrivaled by any other Soviet/Russian club. The Double Double feat of late 30s was only recently repeated by CSKA Moscow. The 1992 Double was unique because Spartak Moscow won the 1992 Russian Championship and the 1991/1992 USSR Cup, competitions technically belonging to different countries.

CSKA Moscow won the Double five times: as CDKA Moscow in 1948, as CDSA Moscow in 1951 and as CSKA Moscow in 1991 (winning the last ever USSR Championship) and in 2005–2006.

Torpedo Moscow won the Double in 1960.

Dynamo Kyiv won the Soviet Double four times: in 1966, 1974, 1985 and 1990.

Ararat Yerevan won the Double in 1973, with Nikita Simonian at the helm.

Wales

In Wales, The Double is achieved by winning the Welsh Premier League and Welsh Cup. Achieveing this and also winning the Welsh League Cup would achieve 'The Treble'. To date only two teams have achieved The Treble and only three have achieved The Double.

Club Number Years
Barry Town
4
 1997 , 2001 , 2002 , 2003
Rhyl
1
 2004
The New Saints
1
 2005

Other countries

One notable double-winning team in 2006 was Bayern Munich in Germany, which became the first team in the country's history to successfully defend a double. Inter Milan in Italy earned the double in an unusual manner in the same season, being awarded the Serie A title to go along with their on-field win in the Coppa Italia after initial league champions Juventus were stripped of the title in the aftermath of the 2006 Serie A scandal.

In Japan, Urawa Red Diamonds won the J. League and the Emperor's Cup in 2006, and Kashima Antlers won in 2007. Of the 11 clubs that have been league champions (including the Japan Soccer League days), 9 have achieved doubles (the exceptions are Júbilo Iwata and Gamba Osaka).

In the United States, the double consists of winning the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. D.C. United accomplished this in 1996, followed by the Chicago Fire in 1998 and the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2005.

In 1999, Icelandic club KR Reykjavik men's and women's teams won both league and cup, and the club celebrated its centenary year with a double-double.

In 2007 and 2008, Singapore club Singapore Armed Forces Football Club (SAFFC) won a double-double through winning the S-league and Singapore Cup consecutively. Tampines Rovers and Home United have also won doubles.

The all-time leader for domestic doubles is Linfield, from Northern Ireland, United Kingdom — with 20 as of May 2008, after completing an unprecedented Treble Double.

Domestic Cup Double

A Domestic Cup Double consists of winning both domestic cup competitions in a single season or calendar year. Examples include:

European Double

In the same spirit as the European Treble, the European Double consists of winning the top tier European tournament (currently the UEFA Champions League) and domestic league title in a single season or calendar year. This has been achieved on 23 occasions by 15 clubs from 54 European competitions. Ajax Amsterdam and FC Barcelona have achieved this on the most number of occasions (3). Ajax Amsterdam and Real Madrid are the only teams that have successfully defended a European Double.

Club Country Number
won		 Year(s) won
Ajax  Netherlands
3
 1972 (as part of The Treble), 1973, 1995
Barcelona  Spain
3
 1992, 2006, 2009 (as part of The Treble)
Real Madrid  Spain
2
 1957, 1958
Internazionale  Italy
2
 1965, 2010 (as part of The Treble)
Liverpool  England
2
 1977, 1984 (as part of The Treble)
Bayern Munich  Germany
2
 1974, 2001
Manchester United  England
2
 1999 (as part of The Treble), 2008
Benfica  Portugal
1
 1961
Celtic  Scotland
1
 1967 (as part of The Quadruple)
Hamburger SV  Germany
1
 1983
Steaua Bucharest  Romania
1
 1986
PSV Eindhoven  Netherlands
1
 1988 (as part of The Treble)
Red Star Belgrade  Serbia
1
 1991
Milan  Italy
1
 1994
Porto  Portugal
1
 2004

The Unbeaten Double

In 1994–95, Louis Van Gaal's Ajax succeeded an unbeaten double, wining the Dutch Eredivisie with a 27–7–0 record, and the UEFA Champions League with a 7–4–0 record. Van Gaal's dream team was the only club to achieve a European Double with no defeat.

Near European Doubles

Defined as clubs who came runners-up in the domestic league and won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, won the domestic league title but lost the European Cup final or both:

League runners-up

European Cup final – losing side

Both

Continental Double

A Continental Double is identical to the European Double, but for sides outside the UEFA confederation winning the primary continental cup competition and the domestic league title. For example, the Copa Libertadores and top tier domestic league title in the CONMEBOL confederation would form a Continental Double. The Continental Double may be won in a calendar year, rather than a single season.

Other

A combination of domestic league or cup and a lesser domestic or continental trophy, usually the UEFA Cup or former UEFA Cup Winners' Cup may be won in the same season or calendar year. Examples include:

International Double

A national team cannot usually win a FIFA World Cup and their continental championship in the same year because they are usually not held in the same year (except for the Africa Cup of Nations), but one which wins both titles consecutively could be said to have "done the double". (Also see international treble.)

Near International Doubles

A national team may be finalists in consecutive editions of FIFA World Cup and their continental championship, losing at least one final.

Near Domestic Doubles

England

Many sides have come close to winning the English league and FA Cup double but have either finished second in the league, lost the FA Cup final or both (an occurrence sometimes referred to as Double Horror).

Near Domestic Doubles

<please add to section on teams who were further - but still fairly close - to winning doubles than the teams listed in the table>
Club Year League Cup
Manchester City 1904 Runners up Winners
Newcastle United 1905 Winners Runners up
Sunderland 1913 Winners Runners up
Aston Villa 1913 Runners up Winners
Huddersfield Town 1928 Runners up Winners
Arsenal 1932 Runners up Runners up
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1939 Runners up Runners up
West Bromwich Albion 1954 Runners up Winners
Manchester United 1957 Winners Runners up
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1960 Runners up Winners
Burnley 1962 Runners up Runners up
Leeds United 1965 Runners up Runners up
Leeds United 1970 Runners up Runners up
Leeds United 1972 Runners up Winners
Liverpool 1974 Runners up Winners
Liverpool 1977 Winners Runners up
Everton 1985 Winners Runners up
Everton 1986 Runners up Runners up
Liverpool 1988 Winners Runners up
Liverpool 1989 Runners up Winners
Manchester United 1995 Runners up Runners up
Arsenal 2001 Runners up Runners up
Arsenal 2003 Runners up Winners
Arsenal 2005 Runners up Winners
Chelsea 2007 Runners up Winners
Manchester United 2007 Winners Runners up
Key:
Competition winner
Competition runner-up

Other teams who have come close to winning a double but finished outside the top two and/or suffered defeat in the final or semi-finals of either or both of the cup competitions include –

1966: Manchester United finished fourth in the First Division and lost in the FA Cup semi-finals.

1967: Tottenham Hotspur finished third in the First Division and won the FA Cup.

1970: Chelsea finished third in the First Division and won the FA Cup.

1972: Arsenal finished fifth in the First Division and lost the FA Cup final, while Stoke City were League Cup winners and FA Cup semi-finalists.

1973: Leeds United finished third in the First Division and lost the FA Cup final.

1975: Ipswich Town finished third in the First Division and reached the FA Cup semi-finals.

1976: Manchester United finished third in the First Division and lost the FA Cup final, while semi-finalists Derby County finished fourth.

1979: Liverpool won the First Division title and were FA Cup semi-finalists.

1980: Liverpool won the First Division title and were FA Cup semi-finalists.

1981: Ipswich Town finished second in the First Division and were FA Cup semi-finalists, but collected silverware by winning the UEFA Cup, meaning that until the final stages of the season they had been contended for a treble.

1983: Manchester United finished third in the First Division and won the FA Cup, their defeat in the League Cup final making them the only team that season to make a serious challenge for three major trophies.

1984: Southampton finished second in the First Division and were FA Cup semi-finalists.

1985: Liverpool finished second in the First Division and were FA Cup semi-finalists, also being on the losing side in the European Cup final – making them (along with league champions and European Cup Winners' Cup winners Everton) one of two teams who challenged for a treble that season.

1987: Tottenham Hotspur finished third in the First Division and were FA Cup runners-up, as well as reaching the League Cup semi-finals and being the only team that season to make a serious challenge for all three major English competitions.

1988: Nottingham Forest finished third in the First Division and were FA Cup semi-finalists.

1989: Norwich City finished fourth in the First Division and were FA Cup semi-finalists.

1990: Liverpool were First Division champions and FA Cup semi-finalists.

1991: Arsenal were First Division champions and FA Cup semi-finalists.

1996: Liverpool finished third in the Premier League and were FA Cup finalists.

1999: Arsenal were Premier League runners-up and FA Cup semi-finalists.

2001: Liverpool finished third in the Premier League and won the FA Cup. Although they missed out on the domestic double, they recorded a treble of major trophies by winning the League Cup and UEFA Cup that year.

2004: Manchester United finished third in the Premier League and won the FA Cup.

2006: Chelsea were Premier League champions but lost the FA Cup semi-finals to third placed Liverpool, who went on to win the trophy.

2009: Premier League champions Manchester United (who also won the League Cup and were European Cup runners-up that season) and fourth placed Arsenal were the losing semi-finalists in the FA Cup.

France

League runners-up

French Cup losing finalists

Both

Germany

In 1999, Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga, but lost 2–1 in the Champions League Final on Manchester United's epic stoppage-time comeback, and lost the German Cup final to Werder Bremen in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw.

In 2002, Bayer Leverkusen had a season that its fans would call the "Treble Horror":

Soviet Union and Russia

League runners-up

Soviet Union and Russian Cup losing finalists

Both

Total Number of Doubles

Club Nation Number of
doubles
Linfield  Northern Ireland 21
Rangers  Scotland 18
Olympiacos  Greece 14
Al-Ahly  Egypt 13
Levski Sofia  Bulgaria 13
Celtic  Scotland 13
HB  Faroe Islands 12
Muharraq Club  Bahrain 12
FK Austria Wien  Austria 10
CSKA Sofia  Bulgaria 10
Dinamo Kyiv  Ukraine 10
Benfica  Portugal  9
Red Star Belgrade  Serbia  9
Steaua Bucureşti  Romania  9
Bayern Munich  Germany  8
Jeunesse Esch  Luxembourg  8
Maccabi Tel Aviv  Israel  7
AFC Ajax  Netherlands  7
Rosenborg BK  Norway  7
Partizani Tirana  Albania  7
Dinamo Bucureşti  Romania  6
Dinamo Zagreb  Croatia  6
Ferencváros  Hungary  6
Shamrock Rovers  Ireland  6
Malmö FF  Sweden  6
Partizan Belgrade  Serbia  4
Hapoel Tel Aviv  Israel  4

See also

References

  1. ↑ Chelsea also won the League Cup and the FA cup in 2007. "Football : Season Details: 1968" krysstal.com (accessed 17 October 2006)