THERE could still be some history made for Manchester United with Europa League success this season.
Jose Mourinho admitted the club are, obviously, disappointed to be missing out on the Champions League — but keen to win “the one trophy they have never won.”
Victory in the final in Stockholm, would make United only the fifth side to win the European Cup, Uefa Cup/Europa League and the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup — which the Red Devils won in 1991.
Only four teams have managed to win all three, and one is English.
The likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool will never be able to complete the feat as they never won the Cup Winners’ Cup, while for Manchester City, Tottenham, West Ham, Everton and even Aberdeen the possibility still exists.
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Juventus
The Italian giants were the first to win all three trophies when they beat Liverpool in the 1985 European Cup final.
Juve’s first continental honour was the Uefa Cup won in 1977 — and they then won the trophy again in 1990 and 1993.
Their sole Cup Winners’ Cup success came the year before they won the European Cup.
Remarkably, Giovanni Trapattoni was manager for four of the five successes.
Dino Zoff was in charge for the 1990 Uefa Cup victory, while the former Republic of Ireland boss won the trophy the following year with Inter Milan.
Under Trapattoni, they also claimed the 1984 Uefa European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in 1985.
Even more remarkably, they won the Intertoto Cup under Carlo Ancelotti in 1999.
Marcello Lippi was in charge for the Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup successes of 1996.
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Ajax
The inventors of Total Football were the next team to achieve it when Louis van Gaal’s men won the Uefa Cup in 1992.
Ajax revolutionised the game in the 1970s when, under first Rinus Michels and then Setfan Kovacs, they developed a system where every player was comfortable in every position — and they won the European Cup for three years running from 1971-1973.
The undoubted star was the legendary Johan Cruyff.
And he was the manager when the Amsterdam giants beat Lokomotive Leipzig to win the 1987 Cup Winners’ Cup.
Van Gaal won the 1995 Champions League as Ajax boss with one of the greatest group of youngsters to grace the game — they went on to win the Uefa Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup that year.
While they also won the latter in 1974 and the former in 1972.
Bayern Munich
Franz Beckenbauer completed their trio in 1996 as he led the Bavarians to Uefa Cup victory over Bordeaux.
While the German legend also started it with Cup Winners’ Cup final victory over Rangers in 1967.
And Beckenbauer was also captain of the Bayern sides which won the three European Cups immediately after Ajax.
Ottmar Hitzfeld returned the glory days to the club with Champions League victory in 2001, before Jupp Heynckes’ side won it for a fifth time in 2013.
Pep Guardiola brought them their first Uefa Super Cup that same year.
They have been crowned world champions in 1976, 2001 and 2013.
Chelsea
Rafa Benitez is the unpopular man to complete this feat.
Dave Sexton led the Blues to a memorable Cup Winners’ Cup victory over Real Madrid in 1971 before Gianfranco Zola’s goal a minute after coming off the bench repeated the trick 27 years later.
Major success seemed a distant dream for the Blues until Roman Abramovich arrived with his billions in 2003.
And it took Chelsea nine years to achieve the Russian’s Champions League desire.
Roberto Di Matteo was the man at the helm when a fifth different English named was carved onto the old trophy.
He was sacked just seven months later, however, after elimination in the group stage.
But replacement, Benitez, took advantage of the blip to lead the club to Europa League glory in 2013.