European club competitions represent the elite of world football. The best players on the planet compete in them and every team dreams of taking part. The Champions League is the ultimate goal: winning it is extremely difficult and, for many clubs, simply participating is already a major achievement.

The Europa League, although sometimes perceived differently, is also a very complicated competition. The level among teams is often more balanced, which makes matches especially competitive. And then there is the most recent of the competitions, the Conference League, which also presents its own challenges, with clubs capable of producing surprises and stadiums that are often very demanding venues.

A Unique Achievement In European Football

Playing in any of these tournaments is already difficult. In addition, if a team regularly competes in the Champions League, it is unlikely that it will play in the Conference League. However, a bad season for a club accustomed to competing at the highest level can see it drop into the third European tournament, where the opportunity to win that title appears.

Most elite clubs try to avoid falling into this competition, which is why seeing Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or PSG in the Conference League seems almost impossible.

In the entire history of competitions organized by UEFA, only one club has managed to lift all three continental trophies. A truly extraordinary achievement: Chelsea.

The European Nights Of Chelsea

They won the Champions League in the historic 2012 final in Munich, when Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich in their own stadium after a dramatic penalty shootout. Didier Drogba was the great symbol of that campaign.

The second title came in 2021, when Chelsea defeated Manchester City led by Pep Guardiola with a solitary goal from Kai Havertz. On both occasions, the London side entered the final as underdogs and ended up being crowned champions of Europe.

Europa League And Conference: The Continental Treble

The Europa League was added to Chelsea’s trophy cabinet for the first time in 2013, when they defeated Benfica with a late goal from Branislav Ivanović in the final played in Amsterdam. They lifted the trophy again in 2019, when they defeated Arsenal in the final held in Baku.

The European treble was completed with the Conference League, won last season in Poland after another convincing victory, this time against Real Betis.

To this impressive list of achievements, another milestone must be added: Chelsea are also FIFA Club World Cup champions, after winning the tournament held in the United States.

Thus, in addition to being the only club to have won the three continental tournaments organized by UEFA, the London side can also boast a world title alongside those trophies. No other club in Europe has them.

As a curious fact, during the 2012–2013 season Chelsea played the Europa League final while being the reigning Champions League champion, something that had never happened before. For ten days, the London club simultaneously held both European titles.

To this must be added the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup titles in 1970–71 and 1997–98, as well as the UEFA Super Cup victories in 1998 and 2021.

Another argument for many fans: Chelsea, the true king of Europe.

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