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The 2018/19 footballing season is all but over in most of the major European leagues, as players take a well-deserved break to recharge their batteries while others report to camp for international duty.
Trophies are the essence of the game and winning them ranks high on the bucket list of players, as it signifies supremacy over the rest of the competition.
The 2018/19 season offered surprises, throwing upsets which no one foresaw while also offering its own fair share of excitement.
During the course of the season, some clubs recorded new highs, achieving domestic dominance over their rivals by winning everything winnable in their respective leagues.
In most footballing countries, there are different levels on the league pyramid, with the highest level being contested by the top tier teams, while a national cup competition is open to all clubs across the various pyramids. A double is achieved when a club triumphs in both.
A number of clubs made history by winning both their league title and national cup competitions and in this piece, we shall be profiling nine of such clubs who won a double in 2018/2019.
#9 Slavia Prague - Czech First League and Czech Cup
Slavia Prague showed great resilience in topping the Czech league during the regular season and also keeping their form to still top their Championship group after the league table was split into different groups.
They currently hold a five-point gap over Viktoria Plzen with just one matchday remaining while they also defeated Banik Ostrava 2-0 in the final of the Czech Cup played on May 22.
#8 PAOK Thessaloniki - Greek Super League and Greek Cup
There were wild jubilation scenes in Thessaloniki when PAOK performed the incredible feat of winning the Greek league title for the first time in 34 years.
The club had finished second in the league in 2018 during which they grabbed the headlines after their owner Ivan Savvidis stormed the pitch with a gun, but rallied from that to triumph this season, while also retaining their Greek Cup title for the third consecutive season when they defeated AEK Athens 1-0 in the final to complete their double.
#7 Red Bull Salzburg - Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup
Red Bull Salzburg continued their recent dominance of the Austrian Bundesliga, winning the title for the sixth consecutive season and the 13th time in total.
Salzburg led the way for most of the campaign, finishing top in both the regular season and after the split into the Championship group, ending the season with 52 points (their initial tally of 55 points was halved prior to the commencement of the second phase) and a goal difference of +52.
In the Austrian Cup, they defeated Rapid Wien 2-0 in the final on May 1, 2019, to wrestle the title from Sturm Graz.
#6 Shakhtar Donetsk - Ukrainian Premier League and Ukrainian Cup
Shakhtar Donetsk are one of the two traditional teams in Ukraine (alongside Dynamo Kyiv), who account for over 90% of the Ukrainian Premier League titles.
In the just concluded season, The Miners finished 11 points ahead of their bitter rivals Dynamo Kyiv, losing just once to retain their league title for their 12th title win.
In the Ukrainian Cup, they defeated second division side and surprise package Inhulets Petrove to win the competition for the fourth time in succession and Ukrainian double for the third season running.
#5 Galatasaray - Turkish Super Lig and Turkiye Kupasi
Galatasaray are the most successful side in the Turkish football history, having won the Super Liga, Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup record-breaking 22, 18 and 15 times respectively.
They won their most recent league title on the last day on the 2018/19 season, having defeated runners up and recent upstarts Istanbul Basaksehir 2-1 on the penultimate matchday to open up a two-point gap. This was an advantage they maintained with a victory on the last day to retain the league title by two points.
They also triumphed in the Turkiye Kupasi after defeating Akhisarspor 3-1 on May 15, 2019, to complete the double for the seventh time in their history.
#4 Celtic - Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup
Celtic continued their utter dominance of the Scottish Premier League, winning the title for the eighth consecutive season and the 50th time overall.
The Hoops finished nine points ahead of fierce rival Rangers to emerge victorious in the league, while also defeating Hearts FC in the final of the FA Cup to win the double for the third consecutive season. They also triumphed in the Scottish League Cup against Aberdeen to make them domestic treble winners.
#3 Ajax - Eredivisie and KNVB Cup
AFC Ajax gave us one of the biggest fairytale football stories in recent memory as the Dutch outfit defied all expectations to make it to the semifinal of the Champions League, eliminating established sides like Juventus and Real Madrid along the way.
Domestically, the traditional Dutch heavyweights also triumphed in the Eredivisie, finishing three points ahead of rivals PSV Eindhoven to win the league title for the first time in five years and 34th time overall.
In the Dutch Cup, they defeated Willem II in the final 4-0 to win the trophy for the first time since 2010 and complete their first double in 17 years.
Their success was founded on a core of young and vibrant players led by captain Matthijs de Ligt and supported by the likes of Frenkie de Jong, David Neres, Hakim Ziyech but to name a few. And it would not come as a surprise if a number of these players were to be snapped up by bigger sides on the continent.
#2 Bayern Munich - German Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal
Bayern Munich are by far the most successful side in Germany and one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Their utter dominance of the domestic scene in Germany means that it is on the continent where the Bavarians have set their sights on, but their European aspirations once more ended in disappointment following a round-of-16 elimination by Liverpool on home soil.
Domestically, it was business as usual as Bayern overcame a seven-point deficit to Borussia Dortmund, rallying back to win the league title for an unbelievable seventh season in succession and a record-extending 29th time overall.
In the DFB Pokal, they triumphed over RB Leipzig by a 3-0 scoreline with a brace from Robert Lewandowski and a Kingsley Koman goal. This gave their legendary wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben the perfect farewell that they deserve after their stellar contributions to the club.
#1 Manchester City - English Premier League and FA Cup
Manchester City totally tumbled the record books with their stunning displays during the 2017/18 season en route their Premier League triumph. They set a host of records along the way including the most points won, most goals scored, most consecutive victories, largest goal difference but to name a few.
This season, they continued from where they left off, with the only difference being that Liverpool were there to match them each step of the way, as The Reds competed with the Cityzens in what will go down as one of the thrilling title races in history.
Guardiola's men won the title on the last day, just a point above Klopp's army but had shown great resilience in clawing back from a seven-point deficit at the turn of the year to win the title in the most dramatic of fashions.
They also won the FA Cup as well as the League Cup, becoming the first team to win a domestic treble in England and in the process, staking their claim to be considered as the greatest English club side in history. Although a major dent on their claim would be their continued faltering on the continent.
