Winning a trophy is the ultimate goal for any European soccer team when the season starts. Whether the team finished in the bottom half of their league last term or was recently promoted from a lower division, they have their eyes on silverware for the fans.

Betters often use an online sportsbook to pick their favorite teams to win a specific tournament as the season gets underway. Top sides usually have the shortest odds, but fans know that upsets can happen, which is why some pick the teams with longer odds.

This season, Manchester City are showing that, in England, they are the team that will pick up most of the relevant honors. They are a game away from winning the Premier League, while they will play in the FA Cup and Champions League finals.

As City chases a treble, rivaling what Manchester United did in 1998–1999, we look at whether any European sides have ever won the quadruple.

What is a quadruple?

Before we explain a quadruple, we will start by assessing the treble. When a team wins the treble, they won their domestic league, main domestic cup, and a European trophy.

The most common and illustrious examples of winning the treble include Manchester United in 1998–99, Barcelona in 2008–09 and 2014–15, and Bayern Munich in 2012–13 and 2019–20. These teams won their domestic leagues, domestic cups, and the UEFA Champions League in the same season.

There are lesser versions of the treble, such as Liverpool winning the FA Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Cup, but those do not have the same prestige.

In that vein, a quadruple refers to a team not only winning the three trophies mentioned above but also winning their secondary domestic cup competition.

Has any team achieved the quadruple?

Right off the bat, no team in a top-five European league has ever won the quadruple. The feat is unmatched at the highest level in the sport’s history. No English, Spanish, Italian, German, or French side has ever achieved that honor.

That does not mean it has never been done, as Scottish giants Glasgow Celtic have won the quadruple once in their history. Celtic won the European Cup, Scottish First Division, Scottish Cup, and Scottish League Cup in a single season in 1966–67.

Their achievement is among the greatest in the sport’s history, even if they did win three of those competitions in a so-called weaker league. Celtic do not have as much competition domestically – aside from their rivals, the Rangers – as compared to teams in the major European leagues.

The difficulty of competing on many fronts

When competing on many fronts, the challenge for any team in a top European league is to keep all their players fresh and healthy. When players do not get a chance to sit out games during a season, they are often fatigued and unable to play their best soccer.

Most teams in history that have tried to achieve this honor usually fall short in one competition or another. For instance, European giants Real Madrid have never won the treble, despite having won 14 European Cups in their history. No team has more European titles, but Real do not always win their domestic league the same season they win the Champions League.

The teams that do manage to win the treble have relied on a lot of fortune. They did not suffer major injuries, they could win tight games where they did not play at their very best, and they may not have had the most intense competition for all those titles.

For instance, when Bayern won their two trebles in the past decade, they could rotate their team in the German Bundesliga, as they had a huge lead in their domestic league. Those wins let them focus on Europe and winning the Champions League, which would have been harder if they were facing more intense competition domestically.

Can City win it all this season?

Manchester City aims to put itself up as one of the greatest teams of all time. The Citizens are set to win three Premier League titles in a row, as they only need to win one of their remaining three matches to seal that title.

In addition, City are now into the Champions League final, having beaten Real Madrid in the semi-finals. They will now take on Internazionale for a chance to become European champions for the first time in their history. In addition, they face Manchester United in the FA Cup final, which will be a tough game against a local rival.

If City can win all these competitions, they would be the second English club after United to win the treble. They would also seal their place as one of the top teams ever to play this sport in Europe.

Has any European soccer team won the quadruple?