The Double
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 |
[edit] 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 May 27, 2009.
[edit] History of The Double
[edit] Denmark
Only four teams have won the Danish Double (The Danish Superliga and the Danish Cup):
- Aarhus GF in 1955, 1957 and 1960
- Vejle Boldklub in 1958 and 1972
- Brøndby IF in 1998 and 2005
- FC Copenhagen in 2004 and 2009
[edit] 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:
- Preston North End in 1889
- Aston Villa in 1897
- Tottenham Hotspur in 1961
- Arsenal in 1971, 1998 and 2002
- Liverpool in 1986
- Manchester United in 1994, 1996 and 1999 (as part of The Treble)
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 the League Cup with Didier Drogba scoring two goals to see off Arsenal in the final. Drogba also found the back of the net in the FA Cup final as his finish beat Edwin van der Sar to make Chelsea the first FA Cup winners at the new Wembley.
[edit] 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, including in 2003, when Arsenal successfully defended their FA Cup crown, but finished as runners-up in the Premier League.
[edit] 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).
[edit] 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 |
|
1947, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1973, 1975, 1981, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| Panathinaikos |
|
1969, 1977, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1995, 2004 |
| AEK Athens |
|
1939, 1978 |
[edit] Italy
Six times an Italian club won both Serie A and Coppa Italia(Italian Cup) in the same season.
Due to the perceived low importance of the domestic cup in Italy, fans generally do not regard this achievement as a double or "doppietta".[citation needed]
[edit] 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 |
[edit] Netherlands
| Club | Number | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Ajax |
|
1966/1967, 1969/1970, 1971/1972, 1978/1979, 1982/1983, 1997/1998, 2001/2002 |
| PSV |
|
1975/1976, 1987/1988, 1988/1989, 2004/2005 |
| Feyenoord |
|
1964/1965, 1968/1969, 1983/1984 |
| AZ (then AZ '67) |
|
1980/1981 |
| HVV |
|
1902/1903 |
| RAP |
|
1898/1899 |
[edit] 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 and 2006).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Benfica |
|
1943 , 1955 , 1957 , 1964 , 1969 , 1972, 19811, 19831, 1987 |
| Sporting |
|
1941 , 1948 , 1954 , 19741 , 1982 , 2002 |
| F.C. Porto |
|
1956 , 1988 , 1998 , 2003 , 2006, 2009 |
1In 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.
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.
[edit] Republic of Ireland
In Ireland, The Double is achieved by winning the FAI League of Ireland Premier Division and FAI Cup. A clean sweep can be achieved by also winning the FAI League Cup and the Setanta Cup. Although no team yet to do this, Bohemian F.C. 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 FAI League Cup.
| Club | Number | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Shamrock Rovers |
|
1925 , 1932 , 1964 , 1985 , 1986 , 1987 |
| Bohemians |
|
1928 , 2001 , 2008 |
| Dundalk |
|
1979 , 1988 |
| St James's Gate |
|
1922 |
| Cork United |
|
1942 |
| Cork Athletic |
|
1951 |
| Derry City |
|
1989 |
| Shelbourne |
|
2000 |
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
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.
[edit] Domestic Cup Double
A Domestic Cup Double consists of winning both domestic cup competitions in a single season or calendar year. Examples include:
- Arsenal became the first club to win both the League Cup and the FA Cup in the same season, beating Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 in both finals.
- Paris Saint-Germain FC in 1998.
- Liverpool in 2001, winning the FA Cup and League Cup trophies along with the UEFA Cup.
- Chelsea won both the League Cup and the FA Cup in 2007.
[edit] 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid |  Spain |
2 | 1957, 1958 |
| Benfica |  Portugal |
1 | 1961 |
| Inter Milan |  Italy |
1 | 1965 |
| Celtic |  Scotland |
1 | 1967 (as part of The Quadruple) |
| Ajax Amsterdam |  Netherlands |
3 | 1972 (as part of The Treble), 1973, 1995 |
| Bayern Munich |  Germany |
2 | 1974, 2001 |
| Liverpool F.C. |  England |
2 | 1977, 1984 (As part of The Treble) |
| Hamburger SV | Germany |
1 | 1983 |
| FC Steaua Bucureşti |  Romania |
1 | 1986 |
| PSV Eindhoven | Netherlands |
1 | 1988 (as part of The Treble) |
| Red Star Belgrade |  Serbia |
1 | 1991 |
| FC Barcelona | Spain |
3 | 1992, 2006, 2009 (as part of The Treble) |
| AC Milan | Italy |
1 | 1994 |
| Manchester United | England |
2 | 1999 (as part of The Treble), 2008 |
| F.C. Porto | Portugal |
1 | 2004 |
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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
- Manchester United in 1968, to Manchester City
- Liverpool FC in 1978, to Nottingham Forest
- Nottingham Forest in 1979, to Liverpool FC
European Cup final – losing side
- Juventus FC in 1997, to Borussia Dortmund
- Juventus FC in 1998, to Real Madrid
- Juventus FC in 2003, to AC Milan
- Bayern Munich in 1999, to Manchester United
- Manchester United in 2009, to FC Barcelona
Both
- Liverpool FC in 1985, to Everton and Juventus FC
- Bayer Leverkusen in 2002, to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid
- Chelsea FC in 2008, both to Manchester United
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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:
- FC Barcelona's 1960 team won both La Liga and the Fairs Cup.
- Real Zaragoza won a Fairs Cup and Copa del Rey double in the 1963/64 season.
- Leeds United were the first English team to win a double involving European and domestic trophies. It was in 1968 when Leeds won the Football League Cup and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.[1]
- Liverpool won a League and UEFA Cup double in 1976, one year before winning the European Double in 1977.
- Manchester City (1970) and Chelsea (1998) also did a domestic and European double involving a European trophy, winning the Cup Winners' Cup and the League Cup,
- Everton F.C. have completed a European double in 1985, with the club winning the League title and UEFA Cup Winner's Cup, but losing the FA Cup final just three days later.
- Aberdeen won a European double in season 1982–83 when first off they captured the European Cup Winners Cup by beating Real Madrid 2–1 in Gothenburg, and 10 days later they captured the Scottish Cup with a last gasp 1–0 win over Rangers in the final. Aberdeen also went on to capture the European Super Cup at the end of 1983 to cap an unofficial treble winning year, but not in the same season.
- Juventus won a Serie A and UEFA Cup Winner's Cup double in 1984.
- Real Madrid won both the La Liga title and the UEFA Cup in 1986. This UEFA Cup victory also helped them become the first side to win the trophy in back to back seasons.
- Juventus won a Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup in 1990.
- Valencia CF in 2004 became champions of La Liga and UEFA Cup winners, defeating Marseille in the final.
- FC Zenit won the Russian Premier League in Dec 2007 and the Uefa Cup in May 2008 , thus completing a league and a European cup double in the same footballing season.
- CSKA Moscow won the Uefa Cup in May 2005 and the won the Russian Premier League in Dec 2005; this can be considered as a double even though it was not in the same season, it was in the same calendar year.
- FC Barcelona won the Copa Del Rey and the Uefa Cup Winners Cup in 1997.
- Chicago Fire won the MLS Supporters' Shield and U.S. Open Cup in 2003.
- Sevilla FC in 2007 won the UEFA Cup and Copa del Rey. They also missed out on La Liga on the final day of the season to end hopes of a treble.
[edit] International Double
A country cannot usually win a World Cup and 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 holds both titles simultaneously could be said to have "done the double". These include:
- Uruguay won the 1923 South American Championship, the gold medal at the 1924 Olympics and the 1924 South American Championship (Prior to the World Cup's foundation in 1930, the Olympic champions were considered to be the world champions)
- West Germany won the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup
- Brazil won the 1994 World Cup and the 1997 Copa América
- France won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship
- Brazil won the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Copa América
[edit] Near Domestic Doubles
[edit] 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).
[edit] Near Domestic Doubles
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[edit] France
[edit] League runners-up
- Olympique de Marseille in 1938
[edit] French Cup losing finalists
- Olympique de Marseille in 1991
[edit] Both
- Olympique de Marseille in 1987
- Olympique de Marseille in 2007
[edit] 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":
- They blew a five-point lead in the Bundesliga with three matches to play to finish second behind Borussia Dortmund.
- They were beaten 4–2 by Schalke in the German Cup final.
- They were beaten 2–1 by Real Madrid in the Champions League Final.
[edit] Soviet Union and Russia
[edit] League runners-up
- CSKA Moscow in 1945, 2002 and 2008
- Spartak Moscow in 1963
- Dinamo Moscow in 1967 and 1970
- Dynamo Kyiv in 1978 and 1982
- Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in 1989
- Lokomotiv Moscow in 2000 and 2001
[edit] Soviet Union and Russian Cup losing finalists
- Dinamo Moscow in 1945, 1949 and 1955
- Spartak Moscow in 1952 and 1996
- Zenit Leningrad in 1984
[edit] Both
- Dinamo Moscow in 1950
- Torpedo Moscow in 1961
- Spartak Moscow in 1981
- Spartak Moscow in 2006
[edit] Total Number of Doubles
| Club | Nation | Number of doubles |
|---|---|---|
| Linfield |  Northern Ireland |
20 |
| 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 |
| Red Star Belgrade |  Serbia |
9 |
| Jeunesse Esch |  Luxembourg |
8 |
| AFC Ajax |  Netherlands |
7 |
| Rosenborg BK |  Norway |
7 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Chelsea also won the League Cup and the FA cup in 2007. "Football : Season Details: 1968" krysstal.com (accessed 17 October 2006)
