Pep Guardiola led his Manchester City team to Champions League glory in Istanbul on 10th June 2023 and in the process, his side became only the second in English football history to complete the treble. Just to be clear, by “the treble” we mean a team has won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League in the same season. And the only other team to have completed this tortuously difficult feat was City’s near neighbours, Manchester United.
The Red Devils won their historic treble back in the 1998/99 season under the guidance of the great Alex Ferguson. But though the red side of Manchester got in first, it doesn’t mean their achievement was necessarily greater. So let’s take a look at how the two sides won their three competitions and attempt to answer the question: whose treble was better, Man City’s or Man United’s?
The Squads
Before we take a look at the three elements of each side’s treble, let’s first run through the main players in the squads that achieved the feat.
Managers
| Manchester United (1998/99) | Manchester City (2022/23) |
|---|---|
| Alex Ferguson | Pep Guardiola |
Goalkeepers
| Manchester United (1998/99) | Manchester City (2022/23) |
|---|---|
| Peter Schmeichel | Ederson |
| Raimond van der Gouw | Stefan Ortega |
Defenders
| Manchester United (1998/99) | Manchester City (2022/23) |
|---|---|
| Gary Neville | Kyle Walker |
| Denis Irwin | Ruben Dias |
| Jaap Stam | John Stones |
| Phil Neville | Nathan Ake |
| David May | Manuel Akanji |
| Wes Brown | João Cancelo |
| Ronny Johnsen | Aymeric Laporte |
Midfielders
| Manchester United (1998/99) | Manchester City (2022/23) |
|---|---|
| David Beckham | İlkay Gündoğan |
| Nicky Butt | Jack Grealish |
| Ryan Giggs | Rodri |
| Roy Keane | Kevin De Bruyne |
| Paul Scholes | Bernardo Silva |
| Jesper Blomqvist | Phil Foden |
| Kalvin Phillips | |
| Cole Palmer |
Forwards
| Manchester United (1998/99) | Manchester City (2022/23) |
|---|---|
| Andy Cole | Erling Haaland |
| Teddy Sheringham | Julián Álvarez |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjær | Riyad Mahrez |
| Dwight Yorke |
As you can see, both squads were blessed with plenty of talent, but overall you’ve got to say that the options at City’s disposal are almost ludicrously good. Whether that lessens their achievement is a matter of opinion. But it would certainly be a fascinating match to see the 1998/99 Man United side go up against the current crop of Man City stars. Roy Keane would certainly relish the battle against the likes of Grealish and Foden.
Premier League
| Manchester United (1998/99) | Manchester City (2022/23) | |
|---|---|---|
| Played | 38 | 38 |
| Points | 79 | 89 |
| Won | 22 | 28 |
| Drew | 13 | 5 |
| Lost | 3 | 5 |
| Goals Scored | 80 | 94 |
| Goal Difference | +43 | +61 |
| Margin of Victory | 1 point (from Arsenal) | 5 points (from Arsenal) |
On the face of things, Manchester City’s Premier League performance of 2022/23 was more impressive than Manchester United’s of 1998/99. They won significantly more games (28 to 22) and scored 94 goals to United’s 80. The Red Devils did lose fewer games (three to City’s five), but they drew 13 matches and hence earned 10 fewer points than the Citizens.
Of course, how well you perform in a given league campaign is influenced by how good the opposition of the day happens to be. Arsenal had a very good campaign in 2022/23 and amassed an impressive total of 85 points. This compares to a total of just 78 points when they played second fiddle to the Red Devils in 1998/98.
On balance, the teams in the more recent season are better equipped to challenge for the title than some of those United faced in the late 1990s. After all, Leeds United finished fourth in 1998/99 (behind third-placed Chelsea), with West Ham fifth and Aston Villa in sixth. Derby County and Middlesbrough – hardly powerhouses even then – also finished in the top 10.
Fast forward to 2022/23 and Man United, a newly rich Newcastle United and Liverpool finished in third, fourth and fifth. Although, to be fair, relatively small clubs Brighton and Villa finished in the next two positions. Overall though, given the extra money in the game these days, it was probably easier to win the Premier League back in the 1990s, and hence City’s achievement looks more impressive than United’s on the league front.
FA Cup
So the league gives Man City the early advantage, but could that change by looking at the sides’ respective runs to FA Cup glory?
Manchester United 1998/99
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Third | Middlesbrough (H) | 3-1 Win |
| Fourth | Liverpool (H) | 2-1 Win |
| Fifth | Fulham (H) | 1-0 Win |
| Quarter-Final | Chelsea (H) | 0-0 Draw |
| Quarter-Final Replay | Chelsea (A) | 2-0 Win |
| Semi-Final | Arsenal (N) | 0-0 Draw |
| Semi-Final Replay | Arsenal (N) | 2-1 Win (AET) |
| Final | Newcastle United (N) | 2-0 Win |
Manchester City 2022/23
| Round | Manchester United (1998/99) | Manchester City (2022/23) |
|---|---|---|
| Third | Chelsea (H) | 4-0 Win |
| Fourth | Arsenal (H) | 1-0 Win |
| Fifth | Bristol City (A) | 3-0 Win |
| Quarter-Final | Burnley (H) | 6-0 Win |
| Semi-Final | Sheffield United (N) | 3-0 Win |
| Final | Manchester United (N) | 2-1 Win |
Comparing the relevant FA Cup victories of the Manchester clubs is tricky. Both sides faced tough opposition both in the early rounds and in the final itself. Given that Man United had to overcome five Premier League teams to win their cup, compared to City’s three, we would argue that the Red Devils had a slightly trickier run.
Interestingly, both sides beat both Arsenal and Chelsea on their way to lifting the cup. In 1998/99, the London clubs both finished in the top three, but in 2022/23, Chelsea ended the season in the bottom half. On the other hand, City had the tougher final when they faced Man United themselves (who finished third in the Premier League), whereas United faced Newcastle in the 1998/99 final after the Magpies finished down in 13th position in the table. With City scoring more goals in their cup run, we’re going to say this one is slightly too close to call, so it’s a draw.
Champions League
So let’s see if Man City can claim to have completed the better treble, or whether Man United can claw it back.
Manchester United 1998/99
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Qualifying Leg 1 | LKS Lodz (H) | 2-0 Win |
| 2nd Qualifying Leg 2 | LKS Lodz (A) | 0-0 Draw |
| Groups 1 | Barcelona (H) | 3-3 Draw |
| Groups 2 | Bayern Munich (A) | 2-2 Draw |
| Groups 3 | Brondby (A) | 6-2 Win |
| Groups 4 | Brondby (H) | 5-0 Win |
| Groups 5 | Barcelona (A) | 3-3 Draw |
| Groups 6 | Bayern Munich (H) | 1-1 Draw |
| Quarter-Final Leg 1 | Inter Milan (H) | 2-0 Win |
| Quarter-Final Leg 2 | Inter Milan (A) | 1-1 Draw |
| Semi-Final Leg 1 | Juventus (H) | 1-1 Draw |
| Semi-Final Leg 2 | Juventus (A) | 3-2 Win |
| Final | Bayern Munich (N) | 2-1 Win |
Manchester City 2022/23
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Groups 1 | Sevilla (A) | 4-0 Win |
| Groups 2 | Borussia Dortmund (H) | 2-1 Win |
| Groups 3 | Copenhagen (H) | 5-0 Win |
| Groups 4 | Copenhagen (A) | 0-0 Draw |
| Groups 5 | Borussia Dortmund (A) | 0-0 Draw |
| Groups 6 | Sevilla (H) | 3-1 Win |
| Round of 16 Leg 1 | RB Leipzig (A) | 1-1 Draw |
| Round of 16 Leg 2 | RB Leipzig (H) | 7-0 Win |
| Quarter-Final Leg 1 | Bayern Munich (H) | 3-0 Win |
| Quarter-Final Leg 2 | Bayern Munich (A) | 1-1 Draw |
| Semi-Final Leg 1 | Real Madrid (A) | 1-1 Draw |
| Semi-Final Leg 2 | Real Madrid (H) | 4-0 Win |
| Final | Inter Milan (N) | 1-0 Win |
- Manchester United scored 31 goals in 12 games (2.58 per game)
- Manchester City scored 32 goals in 13 games (2.46 per game)
It’s hard not to be impressed by both Manchester clubs when it comes to how they won their Champions Leagues in their treble years. Both overcame former European champions, both hammered in plenty of goals and both went through their whole tournament unbeaten.
Attempting to split these worthy winners by suggesting that either United or City performed better than the other on the way to landing the Champions League is no easy task. But, based on the shear drama of their comeback triumphs against an exceptional Juventus in the semi final second leg and then, of course, the injury time fightback in the final against Bayern Munich, we have to give it Man United and Alex Ferguson.
There is no doubt that Man City were worthy winners of their Champions League, and their demolition of Real Madrid in the semi final second leg in Manchester was sublime. But the final lacked a certain something and although we’re not taking anything away from Guardiola and his team, we think Man United’s road to European glory was, frankly, better.
So, Whose Treble Was Better?
Having looked at the three elements of the trebles won by Manchester United and Manchester City, where do we end up? In other words, whose treble was better? Based on a rather subjective assessment of the league, FA Cup and Champions League triumphs of the two sides, we have to suggest there is very little between them.
City certainly edge it when it comes to their highly impressive Premier League victory. But United’s Champions League campaign contained just that little bit more pizazz in terms of the drama and the enduring narrative. And given there’s little between them on the FA Cup front, we’re tempted to call it a score draw in terms of their relative trebles.