IFK Goteborg
  • Since i do not like wall of texts that the wikipedia articles are i just go for the right hand info that usually is on the wikipedia

    Big POD is them getting a ton of money for qualifying or the 2008 CL
    Small POD is them winning the European championship in 1986

    IFK Göteborg
    Swedish champions: 1908, 1910, 1918, 1935, 1942, 1958, 1969, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 2022, 2023
    Swedish cup: 1979, 1982, 1983, 1991, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2020, 2022, 2023
    Supercup: 2008, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2023
    UEFA cup: 1982, 1987
    Europa champions cup: 1986
    Champions league: 1995
    1986:
    IFK Göteborg manages a upset when they get an away goal aginst Barcelona in the semifinal and then goes on to defeat Steua Bucarest in the final with 3-2 were Torbjörn Nilsson score a hattrick and the day after announces his retirement

    1995: IFK score a late goal against Bayern in the second leg in the QF. They then get Ajax who they defeat after penalties. In the final they face AC Milan that they played in the first CL. Milan score the first goal, Mila score the second goal just before half time. In the second half the tide shifts. After 48 minutes Stefan Pettersson makes it 2-1, after 68 minutes young Jesper Blomqvist equalize. In the 91st minute Stefan Pettersson makes a breakaway and score 3-2 to IFK Göteborg.

    2008: Refere dont give Basel a penalty for a suspected foul and IFK manage to win over Basel. They then defeat Vitória Guimarães with 3-2 on aggregate. IFK is then in the same group as Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Sjactar Donetsk. Although they are crushed by Barcelona they win both games against Donetsk and then tie Lisbon in one of the game. They end the group as third. They then play in the UEFA cup where they face Spurs in the 1/16-final. After 1-1 in the first leg in Göteborg Spurs win easy in London with 4-0. The money for the adventure is used on the youth academy and to improve the team

    2008 and 2009 IFK play just as OTL until the last game against AIK in 2009. They have a stronger team and manage to win the final game and beome champions.

    2010: IFK reaches the group stages of the champions league again after beating Jeunesse Esch, FC Rosenborg and FC Köpenhamn. They end up yet again in a group with Barcelona, Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos. IFK Göteborg surprises everyone by beeing second behind Barcelona in that group. They then play Chelsa who they park the bus against and the first game end 0-0, the second game is 0-0 until the 90th minute were IFK manage to get one of the few attacks during the two games and score the winning goal. Unfortunally IFK then faces Manchester United and are utterly crushed by 6-0 in the first game and just 4-0 in the second. Fergusson asked his player at half time in the scond game with 3-0 up that they do not embarass their opponents to much.

    2011: IFK now with even more money is called real iFK Göteborg as they can pick anyone they want. They go the season undefeated in the Allsvenska, lose the Swedish cup final but misses the champions league.

    2023: IFK Göteborg dominates the Allsvenska and combined with the fact that they have been able to reach Champions league group stage three years running and one of the time got to the semi final in the European league after beeing knocked out in the champions league they have almost as much money on hand as the rest of the Allsvenska and Superettan combined. Their academy is top class in Sweden and in the allsvenska there is at least one player in every squad from the academy.
     
    Swedish National football team
  • To continue the IFK Göteborg timeline, but from another angle

    Swedens mens national football team
    World cup apperances: 14
    Best result: Winner(2018)

    European Championship apperances 7(first in 1992)
    Best result: Winner 2021

    As the IFK Göteborg academy started producing good quality players with lots of players getting to play champion league football regulary in IFK Göteborg and then going to bigger clubs in Europe and making a differnce the nationa team was affected. After the retirement of Zlatan Ibrahimovich after the lackluster effort in the Euro 2016 the new head coach Janne Andersson brought new life into the national team. He brought in several players that had went through the academy, added Manchester uniteds Victor Nilsson Lindelöv and some old veterans for the qualifier to 2018 world cup. Mr Andersson stated that the main goal was the world cup in 2022.

    Already in the qualifyers people noticed that Sweden were up to something. Sweden was in the same group as France, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Luxemborg and Bellorussia. Sweden was expected to come in third place, but the tactics used by Janne and the new players made for a big upset. Sweden outplayed both France and the Netherlands at home and tied France away. Sweden won the group one point ahead of the Netherlands. Sweden was then put in a group in the world cup against Mexico, South Korea and Germany. They were expected to compete with Mexico and maybe South Korea for the second spot behind Germany. But Sweden yet again created a upset when they went through the group undefeated.

    In the round of 16 they blew away Switzerland with 4-0.

    In the quarter final they faced England, an England that historically had trouble beating Sweden and it was to be the same old story. A mixture of exellent defence and razor sharp offensive led by the much critizized Marcus Berg that scored two goals on the only two chances Sweden had while the defence held England to one goal ment that Sweden was in the semi final for the first time since 1994. The world cup of 1994 had become legendary in Sweden, but 2018 was something else.

    Croatia vs Sweden in the semi final is by many seen as the best world cup game in that tournament and many saw it as the best world cup game ever. Both teams were offensivly and while the score made it look like the defence was full of holes it was not the whole story as they also stoped quite a bit. Sweden won the game with 5-4 with Marcus Berg scoring the final goal in the 94th minute.

    The final between France and Sweden in Moscow on July 15 and everyone expected to Swedens run to end since they had a few players injured like the veteran defender Andreas Grankvist, but in the end Swedens defence held firm and on July 15 2018 Sweden became the victors in the battle of Moscow with 3-1.


    Euro 2020
    Played in 2021 due to covid Sweden was not expected to win. They were in a group with Spain, Slovakia and Poland. They got 9 points and 9-0 in goal diffence. In the round of 16 they crushed Ukraine with 5-0, then defeated England on penalties only to meet the rivals of Denmark in the semi final. Denmark was crushed with 5-1 and Sweden now had to face Italy in the final. Italy had grown during the tournament, but the Swedish spirit ended that. The forgotten game as it is called since the mood changed at half time when the announcer told the crowd that Queen Elizabeth had passed away. The game was tied in the 91st minute when Sweden got a corner and Victor Nilsson Lindelöv scored.

    Sweden was a favorite to reach the world cup in Qatar, but it was like the air had left the team as nothing worked. They missed the world cup of Qatar and later also the Euro 2024. But in 2021 something else happended. The Swedish U-23 team reached the olympics and in that tournament they got the players they wanted and won the tournament. It was history as it also was the first time the same national team had won both the mens and womens olympic tournament. The IFK Göteborgs women academy starting in 2014 had begun to affect also the woman national team.
     
    Croatian Football League (If WW2 didn't happen, NTF aka Seb's timeline)
  • This is a spin-off from NTF aka Seb's timeline where World War II doesn't happen, and it deals with the Croatian Football League. Seb, I hope you will enjoy this!

    Hrvatska Nogometna Liga - Croatian Football League
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    The Croatian Football League was founded in 1982, during the secession of Croatia from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Despite the ongoing conflict that ensued, the first season of the league was launched on March of 1982 and carried on until July of the same year, with a system of 10 teams in the tournament. Due to the war situation, teams like NK Slavija Osijek, Cibalia Vinkovci, Šibenik, Jug Dubrovnik and Zrinjski Mostar were forced to play outside of their towns. During the 80s, Hajduk Split was the dominant side, carrying on from its golden generation in the 70s and stellar performances in the European Competitions, but the 90s saw the emergence of Građanski Zagreb after a rotten decade, with the Blues from Zagreb becoming the dominant team of the 2010s. Behind the teams from Zagreb and Split, Zrinjski Mostar became the third most successful club in the country, producing players like Luka Modrić and Dejan Lovren. Along with the "Big 3", Slavija Osijek has consistently remained as the fourth strongest side, with HAŠK Zagreb and Concordia Zagreb being the other two champion teams. With the 2020s underway, Hajduk Split and Zrinjski Mostar have emerged as the two strongest sides while Građanski Zagreb fell into an internal crisis of ownership, as the team is facing financial insolvency.

    Derbies:
    Eternal Derby (Hajduk Split vs Građanski Zagreb)
    Slavonian Derby (Slavija Osijek v Cibalia Vinkovci)
    Derby of Saint Domnius (Hajduk Split v RNK Split)
    Littoral Derby (Hajduk Split v Zrinjski Mostar)
    Derby of Zagreb (Građanski vs HAŠK vs Concordia)
    Dalmatian Derby (Hajduk Split v Šibenik v NK Zadar v Jug Dubrovnik)


    Champion Teams:
    HNK Hajduk Split: 16
    HŠK Građanski Zagreb: 15
    HAŠK Zrinjski Mostar: 5
    Varteks Varaždin: 2
    RNK Split: 1
    HAŠK Zagreb: 1
    Concordia Zagreb: 1

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    *Yeah... Second image was apparently "Too big"
     
    TSV 1860 Munich
  • TSV_1860_M%C3%BCnchen.svg

    Name: 1860 Munich
    City: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
    Nicknames: Die Lowen (the lions), Die Seczger (the sixties), Weiss und Blau (white and blue), Die Blauen (the blues)
    Founded: 17th may, 1860
    Homegrounds: Allianz Arena
    Capacity: 75,000
    League: Bundesliga

    HONORS

    German championship/Bundesliga: 1931, 1965-1966, 1966-1967, 1971-1972, 1982-1983, 2017-2018

    DFB Pokal: 1942, 1963-1964, 1997-1998, 2003-2004, 2016-2017

    European Cup/Champions League: 1972-1973

    Cup winners cup: runner-up 1964-1965

    UEFA Cup: best finish runner-up 2020-2021



    The roots of the TSV's founding as a physical fitness and gymnastics association go back to a meeting held 15 July 1848 in a local pub, Buttlesche Brauerei zum Bayerischen Löwen. It was a time of revolutionary foment due to the 1848 Revolutions, and the club was banned in 1849 by the Bavarian monarchy for "republican activities". The club was formally reestablished on 17 May 1860 and after mergers with a number of other local associations in 1862 was known as Turnverein München. A football department was created on 6 March 1872 and played its first matches against other squads three years later.


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    the DFB Pokal final of 1942, where 1860 would defeat Schalke


    Early emergence (1900-1945)

    In its first four decades of existence, 1860 established itself as one of the premier clubs in the Bavarian Gauliga, winning a German national championship in 1931, while consistently staying competitive through the 30s and 40s, where they won their first DFB Pokal in 1942. The top players of the club in that period were forward Ludwig Lachner and defender Max Schafer.

    Period of struggles and build-up to promotion (1946-1963)

    The 50s, however would see 1860 struggle in the top flight Oberliga sud, becoming a yo-yo club going from the Bayernliga to the Oberliga sud for three years. Durign that time, however, the club would put in the pieces of a young and dynamic squad, with players like Rudolf Brunnenheimer, Hans Reich, Hans Kuppers, Otto Luttrop, Wilfired Kohlars and Peter Grosser. Results would improve gradually, with the club playing an attractive kind of football. The missing oiece was acquired in 1962, when BSK Belgrade goalkeeper Petar Radenkovic was signed to a club record fee, and 1860 would win the Oberliga sud in 1962-1963, earning promotion to the first ever Bundesliga.


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    Age of Der Kaiser (1963-1974)

    For their first season in the new top flight of German Football, 1860 finished in a respectable 7th place, but would win their second Pokal that saem year, qualifying for europe for the first time ever. They competed in the 1964-1965 Cup Winners Cup, the year where a young man by the name of Franz Beckenbauer made his debut for the club.

    Already, Beckenbauer showed his talents and commanding presence, and the club would fight for the title and head to the cup winners cup final, where they would lose both the bundesliga to Werder Bremen and the CWC final to West Ham United. Those losses only made the squad stronger, and Beckenbauer would then switch up to Libero, a position where he would pose the basics as 1860 won back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 1966 and 1967, with the most notable achievement being eliminating Atletico Madrid to reach the quarter-finals of the 1967 European Cup, where they would fall prey to Helenio Herrera's Grande Inter 3-0.

    1860's 1960s core would age out or leave, however, and the end of the decade would seee the rise of their fiercest rivals Bayern Munich with two consecutive bundesligas in 1969 and 1970, led by a brilliant generation of talent such as defender Hans-George Schwarzenbech, midfielder Franz Rost, goalkeeper Sepp Maier and Germany's deadly bomber Gerd Muller.

    1860, however, would quickly take the fight to their derby rivals. First, they appointed Germany's assistant coach Udo Lattek as manager, a controversial choice, as Lattek had no managerial experience. Using his knowledge of the National youth teams, he rebuilt the squad by promoting young striker Klaus Fischer as the new starting center forward and signing Germany youth team stars Paul Breitner, Jupp Kappelman and Uli Hoeness to join the veterans Beckenbauer, Hans Reich, Peter Grosser, Otto Luutrop and bernd patzke, with Breitner acting as left back, initially, but then transfering to midfield when Willi Bierofka was promoted to the first team. Finally, the team was completed in 1971 by the signings of Uruguay's goalkeeper Ladislao Maziurkiewicz, Olympique de Marseille's Zoltan Varga in 1972 and the 1973 signing of Austrian left winger Kurt Jara to replace an aging Luttrop.


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    Udo Lattek



    The war for Munich heated up in 1971-1972, where the two clubs were neck-in-neck in the bundesliga title race, with the new young talent brought by Lattek proving the difference as 1860 won their 4th German championship in a deciding game on the penultimate day, where Beckenbauer covered Gerd Muller magnificently and Varga scored the winning goal from a great action by Breitner on the left flank. The following season, they would concede the title to Bayern, but they would make a massive exploit in the european cup quarter finals, where Beckenbauer shut down Johan Cruyff and Klaus Fischer scored the most important goal of his career when he scored the tieing goal that send the away fixture into extra time and later penalties, where 1860 triumphed, going on to defeat Riva and Boninsegna's Cagliari in the final to win Germany's first ever European cup title.

    The peak of the rivalry was reached in the 1973-1974 season. Both clubs, now playing at the Munich Olympiastadion, were neck-in-neck in the bundesliga, with Bayern barely edging it out by 2 points, while both teams would meet in the legendary all-Munich european cup final in Brussels.


    1860 Munich

    Manager: Udo Lattek

    Mazurkiewicz

    Patzke beckenbauer Reich

    Kappellman Breitner Varga Bierofka

    Hoeness Fischer Jara


    Bayern Munich

    Manager: Branko Zebec

    Maier

    Hansen Schwarzenbeck Koppenhoffer Jensen

    Zobel

    Durnberger Rost

    Torstenssen Muller Hoffmann


    The match saw both teams with clear cut chances, but their goalies standing firm against the various assault, forcing extra time. Hoeness rued a missed chance from a pass by Varga, while Schwarzenbeck scores the winning header from a Torstenssen corner kick, ending the historic Munich derby final for die Bayern to complete their double.


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    Uli Hoeness and Paul Breitner



    A glimmer of hope (1974-1983)
    Things would go from bad to worse for 1860 after that final. Paul Breitner, known for his outspoken left wing beliefs and disillusioned with Germany, left for Torino FC, becoming a key figure in that club's back-to-back Scudettos in 1976 and 1977, while coach Udo Lattek had a pay dispute with the board and left for Borussia Monchengladbach, and finally, in 1977, tired of the pressure and staining his relationship with the German FA, Franz Beckenbauer would leave for the ASL, leaving only Hoeness, Kappelman, Fischer, Jara and Bierofka as the only remaining members of the early 70s team.


    Upon retiring in 1979, Uli Hoeness became general manager, and was tasked to keep up with Bayern, who had brought Breitner back to Germany to play with their phenom Karl-Heinz Rummenige and former coach Lattek, as well as the Ernst Happel, Kevin Keegan and Felix Magath-led Hamburg, who became a powerhouse in recent years and just signed Beckenbauer from the US to form a superteam.

    Hoeness, with his first tricks as 1860 GM, proceeded with four major transfers in two years, financed by the sales of Fischer to Koln and Jara to Duisburg, that brought the lions back to prominence: first, in 1979, amidst interest from Bayern, he convinced his brother Dieter to join the club instead, along with acquiring Belgium's goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff.
    Finally, in 1980, Hoeness pulled off a major coup, bringing Greek wizard Vasilis Hatzipanagis by giving Iraklis a world record transfer fee at the time for the number 10's services, while also completing the much more under-the-radar signing of a young man who was lighting up the second division: Rudi Voller.

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    Rudi Voller in his 1860 days


    Finally, with former Bayern coach Branko Zebec onboard, 1860 went back to the top half of the table, with the trio of Hatzi-Voller-Hoeness becoming the most feared trio in the Bundesliga, leading 1860 to its 5th german championship on the back of Voller's 23 goals in 1982-1983.


    Mid-Table purgatory and relegation(1983-1990)

    Alas, the club's less than ideal financial situation meant that they always had to sell their best players to keep it afloat, while Hoeness used his flair to scout good players on the cheap to replace them. Hatzipanagis would leave for Lazio in 1983, replaced by Danish Midfielder Soren Lerby, who himself would be sold in 1986 to Monaco, and Rudi Voller would be sold to Werder Bremen in 1984. The club would then gradually fall down the ladder, while Bayern would win two Buli titles in 1985 and 1987. Finally, relegation followed in 1990, putting an end to the club's golden age for good.

    Ressurgence in the mid-90s and stability in the 2000s (1992-2008)

    Franz Beckenbauer came back as president after his long stay as Germany coach in 1990-1991, keeping Hoeness as general manager and hiring young manager Werner Lorant, who rebuilt the squad with shrewd signings like Olaf Bodden, Harald Cerny and goalkeeper Rainer Berg. Promotion was achieved after 4 long years, and with it came lots of money from the Bundesliga's new TV Deal.


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    Davor Suker
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    Jens Jeremies, club icon of the 90s and 00s, with the most late 90s-early 00s look ever



    Foreign stars like Abedi Pele, Daniel Borimirov, Miroslav Stevic and Davor Suker, along with germans Thomas Hassler, Manfred Schwabl, Manfred Bender and Jens Jeremies, filled up the roster in the team's first two seasons back in the Bundesliga, and 1860 would take part in the crazy 6-horse title race of the 1994-1995 season, won by SC Freiburg, while they would finish in 5th, their highest finish since the early 80s, the following year, allowing them to compete in europe after a long absence. 1996-1997 would see the club falter in the UEFA Cup round of 16 against Arsene Wenger's Monaco, while they would finish in 6th and qualify again for the UEFA Cup after 3rd placed Stuttgart won the Pokal and 2nd placed Borussia Dortmund won the champions League.

    1997-1998 would see 1860 go out in the second round against Rapid Vienna, while in the league, they would finish 8th, but finally win their first piece of silverware since the 1983 bundesliga title by winning the 1998 DFB Pokal, overcoming a 2-1 deficit to Hannover in the second round, defeating Carl-Zeiss Jena on penalties, then defeating Duisburg and Eintracht Trier before defeating their eternal rivals Bayern in a memorable Munich derby on penalties.

    1998-1999 sees 1860 participate in the cup winners cup and even lead the table in the first months of the season, but alas, things would go wrong quickly, for they would be stunned by a young Samuel Eto'o and Mallorca in the second round of the CWC and falter to 9th position, thus not participating in europe.

    Since then, the club focused more on stabilising themselves financially and in the bundesliga as the new millenium arrived, with constant top 8 finishes and a Pokal win in 2004 beign the most notable results. Stars of the team during that period of stability included Jeremies, Cerny, Borimirov, Alexander Zickler, Benjamin Lauth, Martin Max, Andreas Gorlitz, Marcel Schafer, Martin Demichelis, Roque Santa Cruz and Daniel Bierofka.



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    the Bender twins, Lars and Sven, who were key parts of 1860 youth teams's dominance in the mid-00s


    Modern era: Die Jung Lowen and return to glory (2008-present)

    During that period, the 1860 youth teams proved very successful, winning the german U-19 cup in 2000 and then winning both the U-17 cup in 2006 and another U-19 cup in 2007. Four members of that squad, namely the brothers Sven and Lars Bender, american full back Fabian Johnson and Julian Baumgartlinger, made their debut in 2007-2008, promoted by the new coach, former Schalke and Hannover coach Ralf Ragnick, along with a youth movement coming in, with the likes of Vedad Ibisevic, Luiz Gustavo, Chinedu Obasi and Demba Ba all joining the club in 2007-2008.



    Now boasting the youngest squad in the Bundesliga in 2008-2009, with the exception being Demichelis, Bierofka and new goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt, the young Lions took the bundesliga by storm by topping the table for much of the season before a late collapse saw the club finishing in 3rd behind Wolfsburg and champions Berlin. Over the coming years, 1860 further established themselves as a future powerhouse, with the money gained from the sales of Ba to Stoke City, Obasi to Schalke, Ibisevic to Stuttgart and Gustavo to Wolfsburg for big money allowed the club to stock up their finances and reinvest in the youth facilities and also on some under-the-radar signings that helped the club stay competitive and qualify for european competitions, such as swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer, Yugoslav veteran striker Ivica Olic, midfielder Sebastian Rudy from Stuttgart, Senegalese winger Sadio Mané and Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino.

    The emergence of youth products Julian Weigl, Marius Wolf and Kevin Volland made 1860 even deadlier, and they would finish third 4 years in a row from 2014-2017, the trio of Mané-Firmino-Volland becoming one of the deadliest in Europe, carried by Ragnick's gegenpressing, which influenced modern german coaches like Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and, ironically enough, Ragnick's assistant coach Julian Nagelsmann, who replaced Ragnick after he joined Stuttgart.


    Nagelsmann was a coach in the image of this 1860 squad: young, energetic, and fearless. A DFB Pokal win in 2017, featuring highlights such as an epic 3-2 win over the enemy Bayern and a close final won 2-1 against Frankfurt, was followed by an intense 2017-2018 title race in one of the most competitive Bundesliga seasons ever, where 1860, at long last, finally lifted the Meisterschalle.
    1860 is finally back where it belongs, among the top clubs in the Bundesliga. While european success continues to elude them in the modern era, bar a close call in the 2021 UEFA Cup final against Unai Emery's Villareal, the club is in very good hands, with Nagelsmann as manager, the deadly trio up front, Weigl now joined by Florian Neuhaus and Konrad Laimer and the defense being revamped with Marius Wolf, his fellow youth product Josip Stanisic, captain Willi Orban and recent signings David Raum and Kim Min-Jae, 1860 are set to contend for the next few years.


    1860 Munich Lineup 2023-2024

    Sommer

    Wolf Stanisic Orban Raum

    Weigl

    Neuhaus Laimer

    Volland Firmino Mané


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    In memory of Der Kaiser, Franz Beckenbauer
    1945-2024


    Ruhe in Frieden
     
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    French Ligue 1 (Kinnikuniverse)
  • ligue-1-logo.png

    History of the French Football Top Flight

    The early days (1894-1932)


    French Football before ttheadvent of the Ligue 1 started in 1894, the year the first USFSA championship was held, featuring exclusively clubs from the Paris region. Soon after, football spread with the foundings of regional leagues across France, with the most notable being the northern league, featuring the all-dominant Le Havre AC, who dominated the league and constantly wanted to challenge the Paris clubs for the right to be called national champions, to no avail out of fear. Finally, as the 20th century arrived, the much awaited match between Le Havre and Paris champions Club Français arrived, and the former club uttelry battered the Paris club, announcing the arrival of provincial clubs and leagues on the scene.


    There were many tentatives to unify all the regional leagues together, most notably the Trophée de France in 1907, but all those attempts were cut short by the great war. Once it was over, the leagues lost a lot of its prestige and reputation, and the newly created Coupe de France became the de facto national championship. Another factor in the decline of the regional leagues was that French Football was still amateur, with the federation clinging on to the idealistic beliefs of amateurism, which led to many scandals surrounding under-the-table payments of players, which led to the suspensions of Olympique Lillois president Henri Jooris and the departure of french internationals to professional foreign clubs, mainly Italy and England, as exemplified by France and Red Star Paris goalkeeper Pierre Chayriguès leaving for Tottenham.


    Birth of professionalism and the National League system (1932-1946)


    French Football finally became professional with the founding of the Union of Professional Clubs, which would be followed soon after by the creation of the national league system, with 2 professional divisions and 1 amateur division before dwindling down into the regional leagues. The first ever top flight champions in France were Olympique Lillois, Olympique de Marseille, Sochaux and RC Paris. Marseille would become the first prominent club in the new era of french football, with its stars like Brazilian goalkeeper Jaguare, French-Italian-Algerian striker Mario Zatelli and the black pearl of Morroco, Larbi Ben Barek. The club would win three in a row from 1937 to 1939, before making way for another dynasty in the famed war machine of Olympique Lillois, which would win 3 league titles in 5 years.

    First period of success (1946-1959)

    those period of dominance would be followed by 5 different winners in the next 5 years. Roubaix-Tourcoing would win its second title in 1947, then Larbi Ben Barek would lead Marseille to the 1948 championship, before thre young clubs would win their first of many titles: the exciting and revolutionary Stade de Reims in 1949, the Girondins of Bordeaux in 1950 and the internationally-flavoured Nice going back to back in 1951 and 1952 amd win athird title in 1959. The 1951-1952 season would be a historic one for the beach club, for they would become the first club to achieve a treble by winning the league, the coupe and the Latin Cup final against Kubala's Barcelona.

    Stade de Reims, with its squad full of France national team players like Kopa, Fontaine and Hidalgo, would becoem the team of the decade, however, wimning a three-peat from 1953 to 1955, then win two more titles in 1958 and 1960. Reims would also take part in the final of the first ever European cup, where they would almost score the upset ina 4-3 loss to Di Stefano and Herrera's Barcelona, but they would bounce back by winning the 4th ever European cup in 1959 against Atletico Madrid.

    Other notable league winners were Marseille in the crazy 7-horse title race of the 1955-1956 season, led by Swede Gunnar Andersson and local hero Roger Scotti, and thr stunning RC Lens in 1956-1957, whiel the French National team would reach the semifinals of the 1958 world cup on the back of a legendary performance by Just Fontaine.

    Six different champions in six year sand the national team in the downdrums (1960-1966)

    the 60s, however, would see the end of both Stade de Reim's dominance and the national team's competence, with les bleus not even qualifying for a world cup in that time period. Meanwhile, on the national scene, we saw an unprecedented 6 different league champions in 6 years. Pierre Pibarot's spectacular RC Paris side won a close 1960-1961 title race against Monaco, while Nimes Olympique would make history in the 1961-1962 season as the first european league champion led by an Arab coach in Abdelkader Firoud.

    Underdogs Sedan would win the 1963 title, while newly promoted Saint-Étienne, fielding the youngest squad in the first division, would stun France by winning the 1963-1964 first division title. Finally, Valenciennes would win its only league title in 1965 and FC Nantes, with its young team and jeu a la nantaise, would win the league in 1966.

    Rise and dominance of Saint-Étienne and the second european cup (1966-1976)

    In the middle of the 60s, young, ambitious presidents such as Marcel Leclerc in Marseille, Roger Loeillet in Nice, Louis Fonteneau in Nantes and Roger Rocher in Saint-Étienne would bring french football to new heights. Those four clubs would become the main title cojtenders in the 70s, with Marseille and Nice fielding star-studded lineups qith the like sof Josip Skoblar, Roger Magnusson, Jairzinho, Dik van Dijk, Mario Kempes and Salif Keita, while Nantes and Saint-Étienne prioritised their youth development programs.

    Saint-Étienne would strike first, winning three league titles in 4 years from 1967 to 1970, with Bordeaux winning in 1969. Marseille would go back to back in 71 and 72, while Nantes snatched the 73 title before les verts would dominate in their back-to-back doubles in 74 and 75 before embarking on a journey to winning France's second european cup in 1976 against Leeds United, while Nice would win the league title that same year.

    Endless Scandals and the big three era (1976-1988)

    while the french national team, with a new generation led by Michel Platini, would finally bring France back among the top national teams in the world in the late 70s and early 80s, the club scene would be hit with an endless wave of financial scandals and momey laundering schemes that brought an end to the big clubs's dominance, and the country's best players were starting to leave for Italy and other foreign countries, as exemplified by Platini levaing for Inter Milan in 1978 and Didier Six going to Aston Villa in 1979. A few clubs took advantage of the chaos to win the leagye, sucha s AS Monaco, led by Jean-Luc Ettori and Delio Onnis, in 1977, the back-to-back by Strasbourg and Carlos Bianchi in 78 and 79 and the Sochaux golden generation led by goalie Joel Bats in 1980.

    the 80s would ve marked by both the french national team winning their first silverware and the rise of three clubs who stood out above the rest: FC Nantes, the only survivors of the 70s financial scandals, Claude Bez's Bordeaux fielding the likes of Marius Trésor, Gernot Rohr, Alain Giresse, Jean Tigana and Dieter Muller, and finally, RC Paris, with former european cup winning coach Tomislav Ivic and the trio of Rabah Madjer, Safet Susic and former Saint-étienne star Dominique Rocheteau.


    Nantes would win 81 and 83, with Saint-Étienne winning their last title in a long while in 82 before Bordeaux went back to back in 84 and 85. Ivic's Paris would dominate 1986 before the surrpising Toulouse led by Argentine Tarantini and france striker Yannick Stoppyra would snatch the title in 87 from Bordeaux, while Monaco, led by Glen Hoddle, a young african striker named George Weah and a promising young manager in Arsene Wenger, would win 1988.

    Canal + arrives: the golden age of french football (1988-1998)

    French Football was changed forever with the arrival of TV newcomers Canal + with a very lucrative deal to gain the exclusice rights to the top flight. The huge ampunt of momey was spread around the league in a revenue sharing system so that the clubs would not only prevent the exodus of talent to Italy or Spain, but also compete with those leagues for top foreign names.

    As such, The 90s would see French football graudally rising to become the second best league in europe after the Italian league. Established Clubs like Marseille, RC Paris, Monaco, Bordeaux and Nantes, along with newcomers Lyon, Mpntpellier, Auxerre and Strasbourg, would all boast strong squads full of players coming from the massive investments by the french govenrment into the various youth facilities and academies across the country, along with excellent foreign players. This would culminate int.he banner year 1993, where France would complete the clean sweep of the main three european competitions. First, Wenger's Moanco would win the Cup Winners Cup agaisnt Antwerp, while RC Paris would eliminate Real Madrid and Juventus on the way to winning the UEFA Cup against Baggio and Batistuta's Fiorentina, while the crowning achievement came when Marseille, who won an unprecedented 5 league titles in a row, a record that still stands, won the champions league against the mighty Milan to become the third french club to win the CL.

    After Marseille's 5th consecutive league title in 1993, Paris, Nantes, Auxerre, and Monaco were the next league winners, while France almost did the complete sweep of europe in 1995-1996, with Auxerre winning the Intertoto cup (now conference league), Paris winning the cup winners cup, Zidane's Bordeaux winning the UEFA Cup against Slavia Praha, but Nantes would falter in the Champions League final agaisnt reigning champions Ajax. Finally, France won its first world cup at home in 1998.

    Wenger's invincibles and the new millenium (1998-2007)

    The increased foreign player limit to 5, as well as the arrival of free agency, meant that the top stars once again left for foreign clubs. Bordeaux won a close race against Marseille in 98-99, while Wenger's Monaco would become the dominant team of the turn of the millenium, winning three league titles in 5 years from 2000 to the invincibles season in 2003-2004, where Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Viera and cohorts went almost the entire season unbeaten, with their only defeat being in the champions league final against Mourinho's FC Porto.

    In the mid-00s, three contenders emerged to challenge Wenger's dominance: Ronaldinho's Paris, Didier Drogba's Marseille and Juninho's Lyon. Ronaldinho and Paris would win 2005, while Lyon would go back to back in 2006 and 2007.


    Five different champiosn in 6 years (2008-2013)

    Ligue 1 showed its competitiveness once again in the late 00s and early 10s, for the league would have no less than 5 different winners in 6 years. It all started in 2007-2008, where Bordeaux, led by Laurent Blanc and number 10 Yoann Gourcuff, won the league against Lyon, Marseille and the surprising Nancy-Lorraine. Then, Drogba and Marseille went back to back in 09 and 10 amidst tense duels with Bordeaux, while Lille, carried by a young belgian named Eden Hazard, would surprise france in 2011, followed by Montpellier's cinderella run to the title in 2012.

    Finally, a ressurgent Paris, led by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and paul pogba, clinched the next two league titles.

    Modern era: the most competitive league in europe (2014-present)

    today, Ligue 1 is considered the most competitive league in the world alongside Spain and Germany. With most of the top french stars competing in the league along with quality foreigners and an excellent TV deal, new stadiums and increased viewership across the french-speaking world, Ligue 1 boasts not only institutions like Marseille, Monaco, Paris, Saint-Étienne and Lyon, but also newcomers like 2020 league champions Stade Rennais, 2021 champions Lille and 2023 champions Lens, along with cult favorite darkhorses like Toulouse, Nice and Nantes.

    In europe, Lyon, led by league all-time top scorer Karim Benzema, became the standard bearer of France, winning the UEFA Cup in an all-french 2018 final against Marseille, the 2021 cup winners cups and, finally, becoming the fourth french club to win the champions league in 2022.


    LIST OF CHAMPIONS

    1933: lille (1)
    1934: Marseille (1)
    1935: sochaux (1)
    1936: RC Paris (1)
    1937: marseille (2)
    1938: marseille (3)
    1939: marseille (4)
    1940: lille (2)
    1941: RC Paris (2)
    1942: Lille (3)
    1943: Roubaix-Tourcoing (1)
    1944: saint-etienne (1)
    1945: Lille (4)
    1946: Lille (5)
    1947: roubaix-tourcoing (2)
    1948: marseille (5)
    1949: stade de reims (1)
    1950: bordeaux (1)
    1951: Nice (1)
    1952: OGC nice (2)
    1953: stade de reims (2)
    1954: Stade de Reims (3)
    1955: stade de reims (4)
    1956: marseille (6)
    1957: RC lens (1)
    1958: stade de reims (5)
    1959: nice (3)
    1960: stade de reims (5)
    1961: RC Paris (3)
    1962: Nimes (1)
    1963: sedan (1)
    1964: saint-etienne (2)
    1965: valenciennes (1)
    1966: FC Nantes (1)
    1967: saint-etienne (3)
    1968: saint-etienne (4)
    1969: bordeaux (2)
    1970: saint-etienne (5)
    1971: marseille (7)
    1972: marseille (8)
    1973: FC Nantes (2)
    1974: saint-etienne (6)
    1975: saint-etienne (7)
    1976: OGC Nice (4)
    1977: Monaco (1)
    1978: Strasbourg (1)
    1979: strasbourg (2)
    1980: Sochaux (2)
    1981: FC Nantes (3)
    1982: Saint-Étienne (8)
    1983: FC Nantes (4)
    1984: bordeaux (3)
    1985: Bordeaux (4)
    1986: Paris (4)
    1987: Toulouse (2)
    1988: Monaco (2)
    1989: marseille (9)
    1990: marseille (10)
    1991: marseille (11)
    1992: marseille (12)
    1993: marseille (13)
    1994: Paris (5)
    1995: FC Nantes (5)
    1996: AJ Auxerre (1)
    1997: Monaco (3)
    1998: Monaco (4)
    1999: Bordeaux (5)
    2000: Monaco (4)
    2001: FC Nantes (6)
    2002: Lens (2)
    2003: Monaco (5)
    2004: Monaco (6)
    2005: Paris (6)
    2006: Lyon (1)
    2007: lyon (2)
    2008: Bordeaux (6)
    2009: marseille (14)
    2010: marseille (15)
    2011: lille (6)
    2012: montpellier (2)
    2013: Paris (7)
    2014: Paris (8)
    2015: Marseille (16)
    2016: Lyon (3)
    2017: Saint-Étienne (9)
    2018: Monaco (7)
    2019: Paris (9)
    2020: stade rennais (1)
    2021: Lille (7)
    2022: Lyon (4)
    2023: Lens (3)
     
    Last edited:
    Savoyard Serie A (Mildtryth)
  • So, a example of the Savoyard Serie A on the universe of the TL i'm writing:

    Savoy.png
     
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    West Ham United redux
  • Author's note: This is a remake of my first ever post on this thread, now with more expansive information akin to my most recent posts

    1200px-West_Ham_United_FC_logo.svg.png


    Name: West Ham United
    Year of birth: 29 june, 1895 (as Thames Ironworks)
    Ground: Boleyn Ground
    Capacity: 42,000
    Nicknames: the hammers, the irons
    League: Football League First Division

    HONORS

    DOMESTIC

    First Division: 1985-1986, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2009-2010, 2012-2013

    FA Cup: 1963-1964, 1974-1975, 1988-1989, 2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2007, 2009-2010, 2011-2012

    League Cup: 1965-1966, 1986-1987, 1989-1990, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2012-2013, 2014-2015

    EUROPEAN

    Champions League: 2006-2007


    UEFA Cup: best finish quarter-finals 2008-2009 and 2011-2012

    Cup Winners Cup: 1964-1965, 2003-2004, 2012-2013

    Intertoto Cup: 1998-1999



    West Ham United, based on the west side of the river Thames, in London, was founded as the works team of Thames Ironwork in 1895, itself a succession of clubs Castle Swifts and Old St. Lukes. The club was founded on the principles of reconciliation between the management and the workers of Thames Ironworks following a series of strikes.


    250px-Thames_ironw_1896_cup.jpg
    Thames Ironworks, circa 1896


    History as Thames Ironworks (1895-1900)

    Starting out in the London League and playing notable friendlies under the first examples of playing with Floodlights at their first home of Hermit road against notable London clubs Woolwich Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion, the team turned pro when they intergrated the southern league second division in 1898. Two successive promotions followed, leading to access to the Football League's top division, and a subsequent renaming of the club to its current name, in 1900. Despite the shift in name, the club's fans still refer to the team as the hammers or the irons, and they have quickly developed a working class image that still exists to this day, playing friendlies against other working class clubs across the UK and the world.



    The new club played at the memorial grounds in Plaidstow, which was owned by Arnold Hills, a major shareholder in the club. Initially doing well in their first years in the top flight, the club saw its finances increasingly disappearing due to the locals feeling estranged from.the team, and a feud between the board and Hills meant that the club were forced toove to their current home, the Boleyn Ground. Receiving funding from sponsors, community initiatives and brewries, the stadium that would inherit the name Boleyn Ground would come to life in 1904, starting as a 20,000 spectators stadium, a far cry to the 40,000+ seater that it is today.

    Their first game at their new stadium was a 3-0 victory over their fierce rivals Millwall. Their intertwined histories saw West Ham being promoted instead of the latter. While Millwall, frustrated by the FA's decision and fueled by animosity towards West Ham after the former's fans refused to support a strike involving West Ham fans, refused promotion to the league while West Ham qould go on to the top division and an FA Cup final in 1923 at the first final held at the newly constructed Wembley Stadium, albeit losing to Bolton Wanderers 2-0.

    The West Ham side of the 1920s was an attractive, attacking side coached by Syd King and featuring skilled forwards like Vic Watson, Jimmy Ruffel and Syd Puddefoot amd england international Ted Hufton.


    bolton-wanderers-v-west-ham-fa-cup-final-1923-21584086.jpg.webp
    West Ham vs Bolton in the first FA Cup final at Wembley, in 1923



    1932-1950: Rusty hammers

    As the lost decade of the 30s arrived, however, West Ham would be struck by the death of manager Syd King, who took his own life following an alcohol-fueled depression in 1932. Combined with a losing streak late in the season, the club would be relegated to division 2 at the end of the season, and would not see the top flight for a long while.

    During those bleak years, Charlie Paynter, King's assitant manager, took over and spent those times rebuilding the entire club from the ground up, investing heavily into a youth facility in Romford, a school that would later rise to fame as the academy of football.


    paynter306c.jpg
    Charlie Paynter, saviour of West Ham.


    THE FENTON-GREENWOOD ERA (1950-1976)

    Ted Fenton, taking over from his mentor Paynter at the latter's retirement, further modernised West Ham and increased funding for the academy, implementing fresh new tactics inspired by the Hungarian golden team that famously battered England and opening the now club trademark Café Cassettari, a place where club players could eat good food and discuss and do activities together.

    Key to West Ham's arrival in modernity, however, was center back and trainer Malcom Allison, who became a tough, but fair mentor to many legends of the club, instauring extensive training programs that made West Ham players into some of the fittest and most tactically astute in the game. All those efforts paid off in 1958, where John dick's goals and the emergence of future club and england captain Bobby Moore in defense.

    Ron Greenwood, former Arsenal assistant manager, took over in 1962 and guided west ham to its first major trophy in the FA Cup in 1964. With Moore imperial in defense, Martin Peters dazzling fans and opponents in midfield and Geoff Hurst banging in the goals, supported by veterans John Bond and Ken Brown and the club's first black player in fullback John Charles, West Ham would become a constant threat in cup competitions, the summit being reached the following season, where they won their first european trophy in 1965 against 1860 Munich and a young Franz Beckenbauer.


    MHP726.jpg
    The academy's world cup heroes


    Over the next few years, more graduates like Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking and Frank Lampard, along with goalkeeper signing Bobby Ferguson, West Ham and Greenwood would remain competitive in the 70s, winning the league cup for tbe first time ever in 1966, their second FA Cup in 1975 and reaching the 1976 Cup Winners cup final, losing badly to Rob Rensenbrink's Anderlecht 4-2.


    JOHN LYALL ERA: THE BOYS OF 86 AND FIRST GOLDEN AGE (1976-1990)

    After the failure to clinch the cup winners cup, John Lyall, a former player of the club, took over as manager. While they would be stunned by relegation to the second divsion in 1978, west ham would be back soon enough in the top flight once the 80s turned around. The likes of Alvin Martin, Tony Gale, Alan Dickens and Tony Cottee made their debut and helped the club go back up.


    TC726_3.jpg
    Tony Cottee


    English and european football in the 80s was dominated by the great Liverpool side of Bob Paisley, with their merseyside rivals Everton and Gary Lineker rising up as their only potential challengers. As such, entering the 1985-1986 season, West Ham were simply expected to at best qualify for the UEFA Cup, at worst finishing in mid-table. However, Tony Cottee's insane goalscoring form and Liverpool and Everton's unexpected dip in form mid-season meant that West Ham found themselves as unexpected dark horses for the league title. The hammers would then go unbeaten for the entire second half of the season, forcing a three-way showdown for the title on the final matchday against Liverpool and Everton.

    The reds would shockingly draw with Chelsea following Dabid Speedie's wonder goal for the blues, while West Ham did everything they could to prevent everton from scoring until the last minute, where Gary Lineker received a cross from Adrian Heath...only to stunningly send it over the crossbar, thus ending the match on a 0-0 draw, giving the league title to West Ham in one of the most stunning upsets in english football history.


    squad1985.jpg
    the boys of 86


    When you are champion, you can do two things: either get even stronger, or ride it out with the same team, with the risk of never repeating the same success. Feeling motivated by the cash injection of Champions Cup football, John Lyall opted for the former, strategically strengthening key positions with both long term signings and youth graduates. The likes of George Parris at Left back, Paul Ince in midfield and Steve Potts at both right back and center back joins their fellow graduates Cottee and Dickens, surrounded by the arrivals of Birmingham City's goalkeeper David Seaman and AC Milan's departing Englishmen Mark Hateley and Ray Wilkins. The latter, being in the best shape of his life at Milan, would become a key mentor for Ince and Dickens in midfield, while Hateley and Cottee would form an electrifying partnership up front and Seaman would save the club multiple times with his spectacular saves, especially against Liverpool in the 1987 League Cup final, won 2-0 thanks to Cottee and Mark Ward.

    John Lyall would also proceed with signing the club's first ever foreign player in 1988-1989, as he brought in swedish winger/number 10 Anders Limpar to Essex for a club record fee of $1 million after his stellar performances for Sweden at the 1986 world cup and the 1988 Euros. That season would see Ince, Parris and Potts further solidify their presence in the starting 11, while Cottee and Hateley scored a total of 30 goals combined with Limpar adding a fresh dynamism in the 3-man trident formed with the former 2 up front in a 4-4-2 diamond formation. They would finish a very distant 3rd behins Liverpool and Arsenal in the league, but would compensate with a dramatic and heartstopping FA Cup final agaisnt the merseyside reds, with David Seaman again being the hero of the day at Wembley, stopping Michael Laudrup, John Barnes and Ian Rush from scoring in a dazzling display of goalkeeping to force a penalty shootout, where he was once again majestic, stopping every shot coming his way as the veteran Wilkins calmly slotted in his penalty to give West Ham its third FA cup.


    West Ham 1988-1989 FA Cup Winners

    Seaman

    Potts Martin (C) Gayle Parris

    Wilkins (regista)

    Ince (box-to-box) Dickens (Mezzala)

    Limpar (free-roamer)

    Hateley Cottee

    Finally, the 1989-1990 season sees West Ham, now reverting back to 4-4-2 with Wilkins leaving for QPR and George Parris moving to left wing to make way for new signing Julian Dicks at left back (with Limpar subsequently moving to the right), finish in 5th, but winning the league cup after defeating Derby County and Southampton on penalties and Paul Ince scoring and providing the game winning goal to Cottee in the final against Brian Clough and Nottingham Forrest.

    This first golden age wasn't fruitful for West Ham in europe, however. In the 86-87 european cup, they lost in the second round to Brondby, while in the cup winners cup, they would be eliminated twice by Sampdoria, in the second round in 88-89 and, more heart-breakingly, in the 89-90 semi-finals, with a tackle by Ince on Vialli in the first leg at Boleyn Ground leading to a tough oenalty call that many Hammers faithful accuses of being unfair, as they argue that Vialli was outside the box. The 1990-1991 CWC would see the club falter against a much stronger Milan side in the second round.

    BILLY BONDS ERA: UPS AND DOWNS IN THE FIRST DIVISION AND REBUILDING (1990-1997)

    John Lyall let his contract expire at the end of the 1989-1990 season, prompting the club to hire his assistant and yet another old club player, billy bonds.

    The 1990 off-season would see West Ham lose David Seaman to Arsenal and Paul Ince to Bobby Robson's Manchester United. Russian goalkeeper Dmitri Kharine signed on to replace Seaman, and West Ham would finish in the upper half of the table in 1990-1991 and 1991-1992, but the following years would see the gradual departures of many of the club's best players. George Parris would leave for Birmingham city in 93, alan dickens to Chelsea that same year, Anders Limpard to Everton in 1994 and, finally, Tony Cottee would leave for Leicester City as a free agent in 1996

    REDKNAPP ERA: THE RESSURGENCE (1997-2004)

    Harry Redknapp, taking over from the assitant job, maintained the club in the first division amidst tough seasons from 1996 to 1998. Redknapp's tenure would see the gradual intergration of players that formed the extremely successful West Ham youth teams in the mid-90s, with Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Frank Lampard Jr all becoming first team regulars by 1999, the year where they unexpectedly won the intertoto cup, qualifying for the champions league thanks to the expansion of the tournament to include the previous season's european cups winners.

    As the new millenium arrived, more and more graduates from the academy amde their way through the team. Joe Cole, Jermaine Defoe and Glen Johnson joined Ferdinand, Terry and Lampard, while West Ham would also boast cult heroes the likes of trevor Sinclair, John Hartson, Frederic Kanouté and the ever enigmatic Italian Paolo Di Canio.


    images
    Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand in their early days


    In an era dominated by the big 3 of Manchester United, Leeds United and Arsenal, West Ham under Redknapp would would nonetheless consistently qualify for the UEFA Cup spots, earning the young graduates valuable experience against some of the best clubs in the world. Such experience would end up being crucial, for West Ham would win their 4th FA Cup in 2003 against Johan Cruyff's Arsenal, having survived an incredible game against Manchester United in the fourth round which ended 4-3.

    2003-2004 would confirm this golden generation's huge potential. Michael Carrick brings some much needed solidity as a defensive midfielder, and the signing of Wayne Bridge at left back proved fruitful. Defoe, Cole and Lampard had their first great season as West Ham finoshed way behind the dominant Arsenal in 2nd place, while in the cup winners cup, they defeated the likes of Auxerre, Spartak Moscow and Leeds United before defeating Michael Ballack's Bayer Leverkusen in the final to win their third european trophy.

    GOLDEN GENERATION (2004-2015)

    Despite the players loving Redknapp, the West Ham board felt that this team needed the kind of coach that will take them to the next level and finally take the fight to the big clubs in england. So out went Redknapp and in came none other than overnight sensation, FC Porto's champions league winning coach José Mourinho. breaking from tradition for both West Ham and English Football, the special one, as he called himself at his introductary press conference, would switch to a 4-3-3, implement his revolutionary psychological and physical training methods from Porto and, sensing the team's first squad was very strong but lacking in depth, proceeded to sign several continental players such as Braga's talismanic midfielder Tiago Mendes, Cameroonian Utility man Geremi from Real Madrid, Jiri Jolesik from Sparta Praha and czech goalkeeper Petr Czech from french side Stade Rennais alongside the domestic signing of Damian Duff from Blackburn Rovers and the promotion of the likes of midfielders Nigel Reo-Coker and Mark Noble, Rio Ferdinand's younger brother Anton, left winger Kieran Richardson and striker Dean Ashton.

    Mourinho's innovative counter-attacking tactics and the golden generation hitting their prime resulted in an unprecedented two seasons of utter dominance in the first division. The message was sent on the very first day, where West Ham hosted Manchester United in the season opener at Boleyn ground. The class of 92 and Sven-Goran Eriksson couldn't do anything against the tactics of Mourinho and the brilliance of Lampard, Carrick, Defoe and Joe Cole. One by one, Leeds, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Tottenham, all the usual title contenders of the past few years crumbled before the new lords of the english game as West Ham would trounce to their second ever league title and their 5th FA cup in 2004-2005, while 2005-2006 would be even better, losing only 3 games in the league to retain their first division title and winning the league cup, with their hopes of a treble being dashed by the stunning upset loss to Villareal in the 2005-2006 champions league semi-final.

    All the focus was on the champions league in 2006-2007, leading to the club conceding the first division to Man Utd. However, it wouldn't matter, for they would achieve a cup treble, winning both domestic cups in dominant fashion before finally conquering europe, shutting out Lyon 2-0 in the champions League final.

    The Mourinho era would end in the same way as it began: with a bang. The players were getting increasingly tired of Mourinho's abrasivness, and it would lead to them not winning the league or the domestic cups in 2007-2008. In the champions league, however, they would go all the way to the final, with a lineup, aside from Oetr Cech, entirely composed of academy players.

    2007-2008 West Ham champions League final lineup

    Cech

    Johnson Anton Rio Terry Richardson

    Carrick Noble

    Lampard

    Defoe Cole

    However, as great of a story as it was, they simply couldn't score agaisnt a spirited Manchester United side of Eriksson, the last great years of the class of 92 and Van Der Sarr and Wayne Rooney in his prime. In the dying minutss of the game, David Beckham scored a signature curled free kick to end the match 1-0 in Man Utd's favour, leading to the sacking of Mourinho.

    Thankfully, another world class coach was available after ending his own dynasty in Milan: Carlo Ancelotti joins the club for the 2008-2009 season, and the club would finish 3rd behind Liverpool and a ressurgent Fergie and Leeds United in 2008-2009 before winning a league-FA Cup double in 2009-2010. Ancelotti led West Ham once again to the champions league final in 2011, but sadly, they faced a peak Barcelona and Messi under Guardiola, and were soundly beaten 3-0. An FA Cup in 2011-2012 was followed by a treble of league, league cup and cup winners cup in 2012-2013.

    Ancelotti would then take over Real Madrid, with Mourinho going the other way for his second stint. It would be far less successful, however, with the club only winning the 2014-2015 league cup as the golden genration aged out, with West Ham finoshing in a disastrous 15th palce in 2015-2016.

    Falling back to earth (2016-2021)

    As with that, the golden generation ends in a wimper. During the subsequent rebuilding years, West Ham would become an upper-mid tier side, finishing comfortably mid-table with occasional top 8 finishes under both Slaven Bilic and club icon Frank Lampard. Players like Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic, Michal Antonio, Winston Reid, Lukas Fabianski and Aaron Cresswell starred for the side, and while they are fairly good by themselves, it was a far cry from the generation prior.

    RESSURGENCE UNDER DAVID MOYES (2021-Present)

    The academy of football still produced top tier talents, with the likes of Reece Oxford, Reece Burke, Declan Rice and Ben Johnson quickly becoming first-team regulars under new coach and former Everton and Leeds United manager David Moyes. Boosted by shrewd signings like Slavia Praha's Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek, relegated Southampton's James Ward-Prowse, Hull City's Jarrod Bowen and the january signing of River Plate's Julian Alvarez, West Ham would finish 2021-2022 in 7th, qualifying for the Intertoto cup the next year. They would reach the final of 2022-2023 Intertoto Cup, losing to FC Basel on Penalties in heartbreaking fashion. Nonetheless, West Ham has shown signs of growth under Moyes, and things are looking up for the future.


    IRON+MAIDEN+STEVE+HARRIS+N.jpg

    UP THE IRONS!!
     
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    HNK Hajduk Split (ArupinumMaivista)
  • 328812.svg

    Name: Hrvatski Nogometni Klub Hajduk Split (Croatian football club Hajduk Split)
    Nicknames: White Boys, Master from the Sea
    City: Split/Spalato, Republic of Croatia (Confederation of Yugoslavia)
    Ground: Stadion Poljud
    Capacity: 40,000

    Founded: 13th February 1911

    Honours:

    Domestic (37)


    Yugoslav Telemach superliga (17):
    1927, 1929, 1950, 1952, 1952/53, 1954/55, 1970/71, 1974/75, 1975/76, 1978/79, 1980/81, 1984/85, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95, 2000/01, 2008/09

    Yugoslav Cup (18):
    1966/67, 1971/72, 1973, 1974, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1983/84, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1992/93, 1994/95, 1999/2000, 2002/03, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2012/13, 2017/18, 2021/22

    Yugoslav SuperCup (2):
    1994, 2022

    Continental (5)
    European Cup/Champions League (1):
    1979/80
    European Cup Winners' Cup/Eurocup (1):
    1977/78
    UEFA Cup/Europa League (1):
    1983/84
    European Super Cup (1):
    1980
    Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup (1):
    1980
    Mitropa Cup:

    Semi-finals (1959)
    Intertoto Cup:
    Group C4 (3rd): 1963/64

    Foundation to the Great War (1911-1918)
    HNK Hajduk Split (Croatian football club) was founded in the centuries-old pub "U Fleku" in Prague by 1910, by a group of students from Split: Fabjan Kaliterna, Lucijan Stella, Ivan Šakić and Vjekoslav Ivanišević. They went to the pub following a match between AC Sparta and SK Slavia and decided it was time their own town founded a professional club. That same day, the students bought a football which they blessed with Wine. The club was officially registered with the authorities on 13 February 1911.

    While trying to come up with a name for the club, the students went to their old teacher Josip Barač for advice after enthusiastically storming into his office (Uninvited, like a bunch of Hajduk bandits), he told them to take the name "Hajduk" which symbolized "that which is best in our people: bravery, humanity, friendship, love of freedom, defiance to powers, and protection of the weak. May the club bear the name of Hajduk! Be worthy of that great name". The founders subsequently designed the club's emblem, and a group of Catholic nuns from a monastery in Split created copies which were distributed to fans. Both the name and the checkerboard on the crest were found provocative by the Monarchy, but it eventually allowed them having been convinced that a football club is a good way to train soldiers.

    Hajduk gathered the pro-Croat party of citizens of Split, Croat unionists or puntari. That is why the club specifically has the name "Hrvatski nogometni klub" ("Croatian football club") and has the Croatian coat-of-arms in its crest. The club itself was against the Austrian-Hungarian government's policy of not allowing the unification of the Croatian provinces and keeping them separated. Hajduk's first opponent were Calcio Spalato, the club of an autonomist party from Split, and the match ended with a 9–0 victory for Hajduk. The first to score for Hajduk was Šime Raunig, legend has it – with his knee.

    For the entirety of its early history, Hajduk operated by playing friendly matches, with its first international match against an eminent opponent being held in 1913 against Czech club Slavia Prague, which at that time were one of the strongest squads in Europe. Hajduk ended up losing the match 1–13, with goalkeeper Luka Kaliterna (brother of Fabjan) claiming "The players doesn't score, but the game itself!". In 1914, the First World War began, and the club had to seize its operations for the next four years, as its players went to fight in the trenches.

    The founders of Hajduk
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    Interbellum and the "Master from the sea" (1918-1941)
    After the formation of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, Hajduk first entered the Yugoslav league in 1923 for its inaugural season, losing their first and only match that season against SAŠK Sarajevo. However, that same year while on tour in North Africa, Hajduk defeated Olympique Marseille 3–2 in their first international match, sparking mass celebrations in Split. The next year, the squad was considered so strong that 10 out of the 11 players which played an international friendly for Yugoslavia against Czechoslovakia were contracted to Hajduk (only exception being the goalkeeper, as Hajduk had an Italian goalkeeper at the time). One of the club's most famous players of the post-war period was Nikola "Rico" (Curly) Gazdić, who became Hajduk's first ever player to score over 100 goals. His most famous match was in 1921 against HAŠK Građanski, where he scored two goals to help Hajduk win the match, Only to pass away a few days after due to his months long battle with Tuberculosis. With his death came the myth of players dying for Hajduk.

    Nikola "Rico" Gazdić - the boy that died for Hajduk
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    In 1926, in honour of the club's 15th birthday, composer Ivo Tijardović dedicated an operetta "Queen of football" to the club, making it the only football club in the world to have its own operetta. Apart from the national championship, from 1920 to 1936 Hajduk continuously competed in the Dalmatian Championship. Hajduk reached their first period of glory in the late 1920s, when they won their first two Yugoslav championships (1927 and 1929), which earned them a slot in the Central European Cup, along with garnering the nickname "Master from the Sea" by the press.

    This marked the club's debut in an official European competition, in which they lost 9-1 on aggregate against Rapid Vienna. In the 1929 iteration of the Mitropa Cup, Hajduk met with Slavia Prague in the Semi-finals of the Mitropa Cup. The first match in Prague ended 4-0 for Slavia, and the Czech team was awaited by the furious Split crowd for the returning match, which quickly became physical when the fans started throwing rotten eggs, tomatoes and stones and Slavia's players. Once Slavia's goalkeeper František Plánička was injured, the Czech players agreed to leave the match, and so did Hajduk's players in solidarity, prompting the fans to invade the pitch. The match ended 2-0 for Hajduk, but it was then annulled by the organizers, and Hajduk was thrown out of the competition.

    Some of the best players in that period were Leo Lemešić and Vladimir Kragić, with Ljubo Benčić managed to become the best goalscorer of the 1927 season. Long-lasting coach of the team was one of clubs greats, Luka Kaliterna. During the 6 January Dictatorship the adjective "Croatian" in "Croatian Football Club" was forcibly replaced by the adjective "Yugoslav" to the dismay of the team. Furthermore, the 1930s proved disastrous for Hajduk, as they won no tournaments or championships, recording only a few successes in international match tours and an occasional cameo in the Mitropa Cup.

    In 1941, as a Croatian champion the club was about the play the playoffs for Yugoslav championship, but with World War II emerging, the championship was never finished. During this time, Hajduk could have had a fantastic generation lead by young Frane Matošić, Ratko Kacijan, as well as prominent Czech international Jiří Sobotka.

    Hajduk's 1927 squad
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    World War II and Bari (1941-1945)
    In April 1941, Yugoslavia was invaded, occupied and carved-up by the Axis powers, with Split being annexed directly into Italy. Residents and players were both opposed to the assimilation to Italy, thus the club ceased to compete in defiance throughout the occupation of Split, declining an offer to join the Italian first division under the name "AC Spalato". Instead, Benito Mussolini founded Societa Calcio Spalato, and renamed the club's home ground after his son's name. After the capitulation of Italy in 1943, the Partisans temporarily liberated Split and disarmed the Italian garrison, but the German Army quickly re-occupied the city and granted it to the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) they had installed in Zagreb back in 1941. The attitude of the club did not change when the NDH authorities attempted to include Hajduk in the Independent State of Croatia Cup, as NDH earned resentment in Split for allying and partitioning them to Italy. With the Allies invading southern Italy and controlling the Mediterranean, the Adriatic islands became a haven for the resistance.

    The club's players then joined the Partisan general headquarters on the island of Vis in the Adriatic. On 7 May 1944, on the Feast of Saint Domnius, the patron saint of Split, in presence of Partisan leader Josip Broz Tito's and British officers (one of them being Randolph Churchill) Hajduk began playing as the official football team of the Yugoslav resistance. They competed with Allied service football teams from across the Adriatic in Italy, where they famously played the British Army in a friendly match in Bari on 23rd of September, in front at least 40,000 spectators, losing 2–9. The match was one of the most attended football games during the war years, with a rematch in liberated Split few years after (Hajduk won 1–0). At this time, the club leadership adopted the Partisans' red star as the badge on the white-and-blue club dress. During 1945, Hajduk embarked on a tour through Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Malta. Traveling roughly 30,000 kilometers, and playing over 90 matches, the club won 74 of them, while at the same time Allied airplanes dropped fliers all over Europe prompting other football clubs to follow Hajduk example. While in Beirut, Charles de Gaulle gave Hajduk the title of honorary team of Free France, the trophy being treasured ever since.

    With its proficiency and its "unique Dalmatian spirit", the club reportedly impressed Tito, who frequently attended matches. After the war, he invited Hajduk to move to the Yugoslav capital Belgrade and become the official Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) team, but the club refused, wanting to continue to play in their hometown of Split. One of their biggest future rivals, FK Partizan, were founded instead. Unlike a lot of the clubs in Yugoslavia, Hajduk became one of the few Yugoslav football clubs (and the only prominent one) not to be disbanded after the war by the communist government (as was the case with a number of other clubs, especially prominent ones such as BSK, Građanski, Ilirija, Jugoslavija, Concordia, HAŠK, SAŠK and Slavija).

    The day Hajduk played in Bari
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    The iconic 50s (1946-1956)
    After World War II, Hajduk continued to play in the Yugoslav championship and its cup. In 1948–49, Hajduk visited Australia and became the first team to play on all continents. The club won the 1950 Yugoslav championship without a single loss, setting a record that no one managed to accomplish thus far. On 28 October 1950, a day before a decisive match against one of its biggest rivals Red Star Belgrade (a 2–1 win), the official fan organization Torcida was founded. It was created by engineering student Vjenceslav Žuvela, who chose the name after the enthusiastic Brazilian fans, and Torcida became the first organized group of supporters in Europe, with the match with Red Star seeing an incident where the fans stole church bells from the church of Saint Domnius and rang them next to the hotel Red Star's players stayed at for the whole night. The following year, reconstruction of "Stari Plac" stadium was finished, and it homed the club for more than three decades.

    However, Torcida was viewed as a hostile organization by the communist authorities, which posed a risk to the national consciousness of the new Yugoslavian state. Hajduk's leadership was sanctioned, the team's captain expelled from the communist party, and Vjenceslav Žuvela imprisoned. Still, the consequent seasons saw Hajduk Supremacy, with The White Boys winning the league three times (1952, 1952/53, 1954/55), and On 3 April 1955 in Zagreb, Hajduk defeated Dinamo 6–0, recording its biggest win in the derby between the two largest Croatian clubs, and later won the championship. With the introduction of the European Cup, Hajduk made its debut in what is now considered the Champions League, where the club finished in the quarter finals after being beaten on aggregate by Spanish side Barcelona. That said, their triumph against Belenenses in the Round of 16 and the subsequent 3-2 win in Stari Plac against Barcelona brought great pride to the fans. The 1950s also saw a memorable South American tour, organized by Argentine president Juan Peron. There, Hajduk played against Belgrano (2-0), the Chilean national football team (1-0) and Boca Juniors (1-1) under the lights of La Bombonera.

    During the early 1950s, the club had one of its most iconic generations of players, winning five Yugoslav championships. Two such players – goalkeeper Vladimir Beara and Zagreb-born midfielder Bernard Vukas (called "Bajdo") – were called to represent Team Europe in friendly matches against Great Britain. In one of the matches, Vukas scored a hat-trick. Apart from them, Frane Matošić scored his 729 goals in 739 games, setting a club record likely never to be broken. Other famous players included Božo Broketa, Ljubomir Kokeza, Slavko Luštica and Lenko Grčić. Led by Luka Kaliterna and later by Jiri Sobotka, Hajduk won 4 domestic league titles from 1950 to 1955.

    "We'll remember the glory days of Matošić Frane"
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    Mižerija - The misery (1956-1969)
    The Generation of 1950s broke down after the 1955 title, with Matošić retiring and Vukas moving to Italian club Bologna. The following seasons saw a steady decline in form, with Hajduk's best result being a second in 1959. The 1960s were remembered as some of the hardest times in Hajduk's history. In four seasons (1963 to 1966), the club finished no better than tenth and no better than fourth in the next half of the decade. By 1963, following the defection of Ante Žanetić to Barcelona, Hajduk was in the middle of a relegation battle where in one game, a brawl ensued between the fans and police, while Hajduk’s coach Frane Matošić was involved in a fist fight with a Partisan Player. The following five home matches saw Hajduk’s Stari Plac stadium being sold out every single time, as Hajduk won all of its remaining home games, yet still needing a win away in Zagreb to stay in the first league. Just before the match, Dinamo Zagreb’s president Ivan Šibl entered the dressing room of Hajduk, remarking “Gentlemen Dalmatians, football shall be played in the second league”. Despite that, Hajduk managed to win 2-1 against Dinamo, courtesy to Ivica Hlevnjak, a war child from the refugees of the Second World War.

    Prominent players of the time included Ante Žanetić (member of 1960 World Soccer Team of the Year), Ivica Hlevnjak, Vinko Cuzzi, Andrija Anković and Petar "Pele from Split" Nadoveza who was the club's highest goalscorer during this arduous era. Despite the hardship, Hajduk did manage to recover and win its first cup in 1967 against national champions FK Sarajevo.

    The iconic Stari Plac ("Old Place") stadium
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    The Golden Generation (1971-1986)
    1971 saw a surprisingly good form helped Hajduk battle out with Željezničar Sarajevo and FK Vojvodina for the title, but there was controversy when Hajduk played against OFK Belgrade in Split when the FSJ gave the victory to OFK due to the referee being supposedly injured by having a bat thrown at his head. Outraged, the fans invaded the pitch and subsequently pushed every Car with a Serbian license plate to the sea. Despite the Controversy, after a 16-year wait, Hajduk won the title after a memorable 4–3 away win over Partizan in a decisive match where Hajduk was at one time behind 0–3. This unexpected success was achieved with a team of youngsters, and Nadoveza as a league top scorer yet another time. After winning their first out of five consecutive domestic cups in 1972, the team achieved further major international success, playing in the semi-finals of next year's Cup Winners' Cup against Leeds United. The team's manager at the time was one of Croatia's finest, Branko Zebec. After Zebec left the club, he was replaced by the young and talented Tomislav Ivić, who would later become the club's coaching legend and one of the most successful managers in Europe.

    The years under Ivić saw Hajduk win 7 domestic trophies. From 1972 to 1976, the club won 5 consecutive cups, along with two consecutive league titles. The 1975/76 season in particular saw Hajduk demolish direct title rivals Partisan 6-1 in Belgrade, and then narrowly winning the title by one point. 1978 saw Hajduk beat Anderlecht in the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup, after first beating Austria Vienna in the penalties. Other memorable wins of this era include a comeback against Aberdeen (2-4, 3-0), Saint-Etienne (4-1, 1-1), PSV Eindhoven (2-0) CWC champions Slovan Bratislava (2-0, 0-0) and Olympique Marseille (3-0, 0-1).
    Notable Hajduk and Yugoslav international players included goalkeepers Ivan Katalinić and Radomir Vukčević; defenders Ivan Buljan (1975 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year), Zoran Vujović, Dragan Holcer, Vilson Xhoni, Luka Peruzović and Vedran Rožić; midfielders Jurica Jerković, Dražen Mužinić (1975 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year), Branko Oblak (1974 Ballon d'Or candidate); and strikers Ivica Šurjak (1976 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year) and Slaviša Žungul.

    Hajduk's Golden Generation, led by the great Tomislav Ivić
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    In 1979, Hajduk moved to the newly designed stadium at Poljud, built to host the 1979 Mediterranean Games. For the next three years, Hajduk would participate in the European Cup and reach the quarter finals twice, along with winning the 1979/80 European Cup at Santiago Bernabeu against Nottingham Forest, where the Whites won 2-1 against the English side, with Slaviša Žungul scoring two goals in the final. The European triumph coincided with the death of Josip Broz Tito, who's death occurred three weeks before the final. At newly built Poljud, 70 Thousand people could've been heard crying over the death of Yugoslavia's dictator when the derby with Red Star Belgrade was stopped following the news.

    1980 ended with Ivić leaving for Anderlecht, with Ante Mladinič leading Hajduk for the next two years, followed by Petar Nadoveza, with whom the Whites won the 1983/84 Cup, along with achieving the unique double by Winning the domestic cup and the UEFA Cup. Also in 1980, Hajduk won the European Super Cup against Spanish Side Valência. Following a 1-3 Defeat in Spain, Hajduk performed a dramatic 4-1 win against Valência, where Ivan Gudelj performed a hattrick to help the Whites win the prestigious trophy, thus Qualifying for the International Cup where they won against Uruguayan side Nacional.

    The club's 5th season at Poljud saw Hajduk's most iconic official international match: the 1983-84 UEFA Cup finals against Nottingham Forest, where they won the penalty shootout against the English side and won the UEFA Cup in front of 60 Thousand supporters. Later years saw Hajduk achieve memorable home wins against Braga (6-0), Steaua Bucharest, Everton (3-1), Anderlecht (1-0) and a demolishing against Manchester United (6–0), considered to be United's biggest loss outside England. The 1986 European Cup saw another near-miss, as Hajduk played against English Champions Everton. Hajduk won 4-1, with Blaž Slišković scoring a memorable 30m free kick, but Everton went through thanks to the away goals rule. Yet, by the late 80s, many of Hajduk's all-conquering generation left, and Hajduk was left to rebuild in the late 80s and early 90s.

    Prominent players of the time included goalkeepers Ivan Pudar and Zoran Simović (1983 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year); defenders Boro Primorac, Branko Miljuš and Jerko Tipurić; midfielders Blaž Slišković (1985 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year), Ivan Gudelj (1982 Yugoslav Footballer of the Year), Zoran Vulić, Aljoša Asanović, Stipe Andrijašević, Dragutin Čelić; and striker Zlatko Vujović (1981 Ballon d'Or candidate). By the end of the 1980s, a young generation of future 1998 FIFA World Cup Golden medalists began playing for the club. These included Igor Štimac, Robert Jarni, Alen Bokšić, Slaven Bilić, Niša Saveljić and Predrag Mijatović .

    Hajduk's greatest fighter and future Real Madrid player - Ivan Gudelj
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    The political 90s

    The political situation within Yugoslavia was growing worse and worse as the 90s rolled in, with communism crumbling in Europe. Nationalism was becoming more prominent, as was the violence between fans as football clubs were becoming toys for politicians. Hajduk was no different, as the club from Split changed its crest back into the Croatian chequered board after 45 years of bearing the Red Star. Nonetheless, Hajduk enjoyed a period of success in the early 90s, with the new generation (led by Stanko Poklepović) playing total football and carrying the Master from the Sea to three consecutive domestic league titles and four cups with a mix of young and experienced players.
    However, even though the team was performing well, the club was financially poorly managed, accumulating a massive financial loss and a debt of 4 million €.
    The next few years saw Hajduk lagging behind their main Rivals of the Big 4, along with newcomers Maribor, and even Adriatic rivals Rijeka. Luka Bonačić, who was named the Yugoslav Manager of the year in 1996 after taking Varteks to the top 6 was Hajduk's manager from 1996 to 2000. Further disaster took place in 1999, when Hajduk lost against Levski Sofia in the first round of the UEFA Cup, and a Championship collapse in the 1998/99 season, where Hajduk came closest to winning the title. But, a poor start to the 1999-2000 Season saw Bonačić getting sacked and replaced by Club Legend Petar Nadoveza, and then Zoran Vulić. Between 1995 and 2000, the club won zero trophies. After continuous domestic failures, Hajduk fans began to seek the dismissal of administration officials and circulated the story about the possible privatization of the club, which at that time did not happen. Dissatisfaction among the fans grew so much that some broke into the club premises, causing a change in leadership and promises of new beginnings.

    Hajduk and Ajax in 1995
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    Financial breakdown and Slaven Bilić tenure (2000-2012)
    After lifting the 2000 cup against bitter rivals Dinamo Zagreb, And the appointment of Branko Grgić as president, who announced a crusade on Hajduk's dire finances, Hajduk signed Nino Bule, Ivan Bošnjak, along with seeing the emergence of future National team players Darijo Srna, Defender Igor Tudor, midfielder Ivan Leko and Goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa. The emergence of a new generation, combined with the appointment of Zoran Vulić as manager brought Hajduk its first domestic title in 6 years, when 2001 saw Hajduk become champions once more after a memorable 4–2 win against Varteks in Varaždin, a match attended by far more Hajduk fans than locals. While domestic results were relatively average, European success was once again here, as the White Boys managed to reach the quarter-finals of the 2002-03 UEFA Cup and semi-finals of the 2003-04 Cup Winners' Cup. Hajduk won the domestic league once and the cup twice, and managed to sign young Dinamo Captain Niko Kranjčar along with Coaching legend Miroslav Blažević, leading to Dinamo's eventual relegation in 2005.

    But this proved to be too much, and the club's results broke down along with its finances in the 2005/06 season, where Hajduk fought for relegation, lost 1-5 to Hapoel Tel Aviv in the first round of the UEFA Cup, and switched four coaches, among which Luka Bonačić was physically assaulted by the disgruntled fans. The club did not go down though, and it would sign Sebastjan Cimirotić, along with bringing in Ivan Rakitić from Dinamo Vinkovci. The 2006/07 season saw the return of Zoran Vulić as the club's coach, and Hajduk managed to reach the Yugoslav Cup final for the first time since 2003, but Red Star Belgrade won that match on penalties, further continuing Hajduk's misery as it continued to struggle throughout the rest of the decade. In 2008, Alen Bokšić, Goran Vučević and Igor Štimac donated their own money to help the club stay alive, and the very same year saw the emergence of "Our Hajduk" - a fan led organisation that helped make Hajduk the first club in Yugoslavia to be run by the fans, much like in Germany and Sweden. The very same year, Hajduk brought Slaven Bilić to coach the club, along with bringing in Zadar Goalkeeper and forward Danijel Subašić and Marin Tomasov, and seeing academy graduates Senijad Ibričić, Nikola Kalinić, Lovre Kalinić, Duje Čop, Ante Vukušić, Marko Livaja and Ivan Perišić.

    The 2008/09 season saw a fierce duel for the Double with dominant force Partisan Belgrade, in which Hajduk beat the Steamroller twice (1-0 at home, 2-0 away), and finally a 3-0 demolishing in the Cup Final, in which the Masters from the Sea lifted their first double since the 90s. The very same year saw Hajduk record its greatest win against Red Star Belgrade, when the white boys battered the Stars 5-2 in Split. The resurgence of Hajduk was further capped off when in 2011, a spectacular ceremony took place for the Club's 100th anniversary, followed by them reaching the Quarter-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup. However, behind the scenes, Hajduk was in dept of 20 Million €, and the club was only one meeting away from bankrutcy. Even more miraculously though, Hajduk never went bankrupt, all thanks to the intervention of the fans, who had enough of politics within the club.

    Nikola Kalinić - Hajduk's top scorer of the late 00s and early 2010s
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    Resurgence (2013-present)

    2013 saw the end of this Generation as many of the club's best players parted ways, but not before lifting the Yugoslav Cup against Vojvodina in a thrilling 3-2 match. The next few years saw Hajduk regressing into a mid-table team, where Qualifying for Europe was considered a success. While the results weren't ideal, the club was going through a Financial recovery in which its debts were being slowly cleared. Notable players in this period are Toma Bašić, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Mijo Caktaš, Andrija Balić, Stipe Perica, Josip Radošević, Josip Juranović, Dario Melnjak, Filip Krovinović, Jan Mlakar and Marko Livaja, who became Hajduk's third greatest goalscorer.

    2018 saw Hajduk fight for the league title for the first time in almost a decade, and a header by Goalkeeper Karlo Letica against Red Star Belgrade, in the final seconds of the game brought Hajduk to the top of the table for the first time since 2010, but a Championship collapse against Velež Mostar by the end of the season saw them finish only 3rd. Nonetheless, a cup win showed some progress, along with a Group Stage appearance in the Europa League after a 6 year absence.

    Steady progress followed in 2019 with the team fighting in the top 5, but the appointment of former Juventus Manager Igor Tudor halted all the progress created by Željko Kopić, with whom the White Boys were comfortably cruising in 3rd that season. Tudor's appointment saw the club fall from 3rd to 8th, and the next season saw Hajduk wallowing in 12th until his eventual sacking. The reorganization in Hajduk brought in Lukša Jakobušić as president and Valdas Dambrauskas as manager. 2021/22 saw Hajduk battle for the title for the first time in 5 years, where it finished 2nd and lifted the Yugoslav Cup once more. In 2023, Hajduk reached 100 thousand members, making it the 15th biggest club membership-wise, along with achieving record profit within Yugoslavia. With the return of Ivan Perišić, Nikola Kalinić, and appointments of Josip Brekalo and promising defender Mihael Žaper, Hajduk is looking to compete for the 1st position once more in the 2023/24 season...

    The Poljud stadium
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    You don't support Hajduk - you live for it...
     
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    European Cup (Kinnikuniverse)
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    Champions league Finals history

    1956: Barcelona (1) 4-3 Stade de Reims

    In the first ever European Cup final, Alfredo Di Stefano and Laszlo Kubala's Barcelona, coached by Hellenio Herrera, played a very back and forth game against the home favorites Stade De Reims, with Jjst Fontiane, Raymond Kopa and Michel Hidalgo scoring for Reims. It would be defender Josep Seguer thatbwould prove the difference for the catalans, scoring the game winning header to win if 4-3


    1957: Barcelona (2) 3-0 over Fiorentina

    Di Stefano and Herrera confirms their dominance of the continent by easily winning a second consecutive title against Fluvio Bernardini's Fiorentina.


    1958: Real Madrid (1) 2 -1 Manchester United

    In the biggest game in the tournament's history, Santiago Bernabeu, frustrated at seeing his target Di Stefano slipping out of his hands and being overshadowed by Barcelona, goes on an aggressive shopping spree, signing Raymond Kopa from 1956 european cup runner up Reims and Hungary's crown jewel Ferenc Puskas as Real Madrid took the fight to Barcelona in an epic classico in the semi-final. Jose Santamaria locked down Di Stefano while Puskas, Kopa and Gento all scored to go to the final, where they faced the Busby Babes of Manchester United, dominant in England and beating the likes of Norkopping and AC Milan. Duncan Edwards opened the scoring, but Puskas would score a brace to win the trophy for Madrid.

    1959: Stade de Reims (1) 4-1 Atletico Madrid

    Real's celebrations wouldn't last long, however, for their crosstown rivals Atletico defeated them on away goals from a screamer by brazilian Vava in the semi-finals. Stade de Reims, with a Just Fontaine at the peak of his powers, would avenge the 1956 final loss, defeating los colchoneros 4-1 to win France's first ever European cup

    1960: Barca (3) 7-3 Frankfurt

    Herrera and Di Stefano's Barcelona were at the peak of their powers, with Herrera switching to a 4-2-4 inspired by Brazil's world cup winning squad of 1958 and the arrivals of Sandor Kocksis and Zoltan Czibor, made possible by Kubala obtaining Spanish citizenship. They destroyed everything in their path, defeating Manchester United with ease in the semis before dispatching Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 with Di Stefano scoring a hat trick.


    1961: Benfica (1) 3-2 Barca

    finally, the first great upset in champions league history. The upstart Benfica, led by Eusebio, defeated the Catalan giants to win their first european cup.



    1962: benfica (2) 5-2 Juventus


    Benfica repeats, almost losing to Tottenham before trouncing Juventus 5-2

    1963: Dynamo Moscow (1) over Benfica

    Eusebio's wuest for a three-peat is stopped by the legendary Lev Yashin, who singlehandedly carried Dynamo Moscow to extra time, where Igor Chispenko scored the winner to give eastern europe its first european champion

    1964: Inter (1) over Dynamo Moscow

    Helenio Herrera came back with a vengeance, as his now famous Catenaccio took Inter to the european cup, the first Italian team to win the competition. Sandro Mazzola, Giacinto Facchetti and Brazillian superstar Pelé all scored against Yashin and Dynamo in the final.

    1965: Inter (2) over Benfica

    in the battle of Pelé vs Eusebio, the superior depth of Inter proved the difference, as the Nerrazzuri defended their crown and became the first team to win a quadruple.


    1966: Inter (3) over Sparta Praha

    The Inter steamroller continued, defeating Sparta Praha.

    1967: Celtic (1) over Inter

    In the most shocking upset in european history, Jock Stein's Lisbon Lions stunned the world, winning 2-1 against the Grande Inter.


    1968: Manchester united (1) over Inter

    with Benfica losing the primera in 1967 to the upstart Academica, Inter Milan looked to avenge their shocking loss last season. Alas, they stumbled upon a roaring manchester united side led by the big 4 of denis law, Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton and George Best, who showed that Catenaccio is now a thing of the past.


    1969: AC Milan (1) over Ajax


    Inter Milan will not be part of the competition for once, leaving the way for their eternal rivals Milan to thrive. Gianni Rivera and Georgi Asparuhov led the way for Nereo Rocco's modernisation plan to come to fruitition, facing off against a very promising Ajax side that ultimately lacked the experience and killer instinct needed, which Rivera and Asparuhov provided to win Milan its first ever european cup.


    1970: Feyenoord (1) over panathinaikos

    same as OTL

    1971: ajax (1) over panathinaikos


    Same as OTL

    1972: ajax (2) over cagliari

    The mighty Cagliari of Gigi Riva and Roberto Boninsegna was sadly no match for Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff's Total Football

    1973: 1860 Munich (1) over Derby County

    Two miracle teams arrived inthe final. 1860 munich, motivated by franz beckenbauer, Paul Breitner and Uli Hoeness, put a stop to Ajax, while Brian Clough's Derby County, who stunned england by signing Geroge Best and winning the league, almost stunned europe, but der kaiser and 1860 Munich proved too much for them.

    1974: Bayern munich (1) over 1860 Munich

    The first all-munich final sees Franz Rost score the winner to keep the trophy in Bavaria.

    1975: Leeds united (1) over Bayern Munich

    After the initial referee couldn't be present due to a gastro, the assigned assistant referee became the main ref of the match. Don Revie, after dominating england, finally conquers europe by defeating the reigning champions.

    1976: Saint Etienne (1) over Leeds United

    Saint-Étienne and its golden generation aren't scared in the slightest by Ibrox stadium's square posts, besting Revie's retooling Leeds United to become France's second ever european champion.

    1977: Dynamo Kiev (1) over Saint-Étienne

    Space age football takes over as Dynamo Kiev's revolutionary play overwhelms saint-etienne.


    1978: Club Brugge (1) over Dresdner SC


    In a tournament with no clear favorites, two surprising figures in Club Brugge of Belgium and Dresden makes the final, with the belgians making history

    1979: Nottingham forrest (1) over Malmo

    brian clough doesn't miss his second chance at the european cup, with John Robertson mesmerising europe with his skills and archie gemill scoring the winning goal.


    1980: Hajduk Split (1) over Nottingham Forrest


    Tomislav Ivic's innovative gegenpressing overwhelms the english as Hajduk Split, on the back of a brace by Slavisa Zungul, becomes Yugoslavia's first ever european champion

    1981: Liverpool (1) over real sociedad

    Bob Paisley finally brings Liverpool to the top of the world against a really good Real Sociedad side.

    1982: Aston Villa (1) over Bayern Munich

    Same as OTL

    1983: Aberdeen (1) over Wizdew Lodz


    Aberdeen and Wizdew Lodz stuns europe by beating sides such as Ajax, Real Sociedad, Hamburg, Rapid Wien, Ipswich Town and Fiorentina to reach the final. Alex Ferguson would lead his men to scotland's first european cup win since 1967.

    1984: Roma (1) over Liverpool

    The penalty shootout goes the other way as Roma completes the treble.

    1985: IFK Gotenborg (1) over Bordeaux

    without Liverpool and Juventus, not only do English Clubs compete in european competitions, but IFK Gotenborg profits, going through Sven-Goran Eriksson's Benfica and Raymond Goethals's Bordeaux to win Sweden's only European Cup.

    1986: Everton (1) over Uniea Tricolor Bucharesti

    Gary Lineker finally gets his european glory as Everton beats the Romanian champions Uniea Tricolor

    1987: FC Porto (1) over Everton

    Rabah Madjer delivers the greatest goal in champions league history with his backheel as FC Porto and Vasillis Hatzipanagis stuns the european champions.

    1988: Uniea Tricolor Bucharesti (1) over PSV Eindhoven

    Georghe Hagi reveals himself to the world, leading Uniea Tricolor past Everton in the semi-finals before winning the big one against PSV Eindhoven.

    1989: Liverpool (2) over Napoli

    in a showdown for the ages, Liverpool and Michael Laudrup overcomes Diego Maradona's Napoli thanks to the reds's superior defense.

    1990: Liverpool (3) over Benfica

    in a highly defensive game, Laudrup manages to find Steve McMahon with a killer low cross to win it for Liverpool.

    1991: SK Jugoslavia (1) over marseille

    Same as OTL, with Dragan Stojkovic scoring the winning penalty for Jugoslavia

    1992: Sampdoria (1) over Barcelona

    Atillo Lombardo's cross finds Gianluca Vialli, who plants it past Zubizaretta as Sampdoria stuns Johan Cruyff's dream team.

    1993: Marseille (1) over AC Milan

    same as OTL, with the difference here being that Bernard Tapie simply decided to send the B team against Valenciennes.


    1994: AC Milan (2) over Barcelona

    same as OTL

    1995: Ajax (3) over AC Milan


    Same as OTL

    1996: Ajax (4) over Nantes

    FC Nantes makes the final after beating Torino FC in the semis, only to lose to Ajax.

    1997: Borussia dortmund (1) over Fiorentina

    same as OTL, except against Fiorentina.


    Modern Era: UEFA Cup, cup winner's cup and Intertoto winners admitted to champions league


    1998: Parma (1) over Real Madrid


    Parma and their superior defense Stops Jupp Heynckes's surprising Real Madrid side from winning a cinderella champions league. Luis Figo scores two for Parma.


    1999: Dynamo Kiev (2) over Monaco

    In a stunning upset, Andriy Shevchenko scores a hat trick in both the semi-final against Johan Cruyff's Arsenal and against Arsene Wenger's stacked Monaco team, with Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet's goals not proving enough.

    Seriously, look at how stacked that Monaco team was:

    Porato

    Sagnol Desailly Christanval Dos Santos

    Giuly Viera Petit Djorkaeff

    Trezeguet Henry



    2000: Manchester United (2) over Bayern Munich

    The rematch of the epic 1999 UEFA Cup final sees Bobby Robson and the class of 92 once again triumph over the Bavarians.

    2001: Leeds United (2) over Bayer Leverkusen

    In a stacked field featuring the likes of Man Utd, Lazio, Valencia, Fatih Terim's Galatasaray and Arsene Wenger's Monaco, it would be Leeds United and Bayer Leverkusen making it to the final. Leverkusen eliminated Anderlecht, Galatasaray and Manchester United to reach the final, while Leeds had a much more impressive run, defeatign heavy favorites Monaco, Lazio and Valencia. Alex Ferguson's side spend the entire match on the defensive, with 1999 free agent signing Peter Schmeichel holding the fort brilliantly against the attacking quartet of Ballack, Schneider, Neuville and Kirsten, while Jonathan Woodgate, Alf-Inge Haaland, David Batty and Lee Bowyer won the physical battles. In the end, Henrik Larsson and Mark Viduka would score their penalties in the shootout to give Leeds its second european cup

    2002: Real Madrid (2) over Roma

    The Galacticos, put together by Florentino Perez, brought Real Madrid back to prominence at last. Eliminating cup winners cup champions Bayern, then Leeds United in the semi-finals, Real, with its star-studded squad featuring Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Guti, Roberto Carlos, Claude Makelele and Raul, would have a tough time against a prime Roma side bolstered by Gianluigi Buffon in net. Unexpectedly enough, the star of the show was young Iker Casillas, the goalkeeper delivering a star-making performance as he stopped Totti, Montella and Batistuta from scoring, while Roberto Carlos's cross under pressure was struck by Zidane with a marvelous volley past Buffon to end Spanish Football's european curse. Alas, the Galacticos policy would prove costly, as underachievements followed soon after, and Florentino Perez would subsequently be banned from presiding over a football club for life.



    2003: Valencia (1) over Bayer Leverkusen

    Rafa Benitez's Valencia, the best team in La Liga in the 2000s, received their crowning glory as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen in a tough, defensive-heavy match, with Vicente proving the difference as he crossed it low to Gaizka Mendieta, whose light touch found Claudio Lopez's foot for the easy tap in.

    2004: FC Porto (1) over Monaco

    Same as OTL, though Arsene Wenger's Monaco at the peak of their powers were going for an unbeaten season across all competitions

    2005: PSV Eindhoven (1) over CSKA Moscow

    also known as the year hell froze over. PSV eliminated Monaco, Werder Bremen and AC Milan, while CSKA Moscow, the youngest team in the competition, stuns Arsenal, 2004 CWC champions West Ham and 2004 Intertoto cup winners Juventus to reach the final. Arjen Robben would score the only goal of the game from a signature cut inside curled shot to give PSV its first ever european trophy.

    2006: Villareal (1) over Paris

    For the 50th anniversary of the champions League, the parc des princes was fully behind Ronaldinho's RC Paris against the unlikely underdogs and 2005 Intertoto cup winners Villareal. It would be the yellow submarine who would open the scoring with a fantasista goal by Juan Roman Riquelme right before half-time. In the second half, eto'o would equalise for Paris with a tap in past Pepe Reina, but substitute Juliano Belletti would save the day with a header from a rebound to win it for Villareal.

    2007: West Ham (1) over Lyon

    the consecration for the West Ham golden generation undr José Mourinho. Jermaine Defoe and Frank Lampard would score in a tough 2-1 final against a spirited and very talented Lyon team led by Gerard Houllier.

    2008: Man Utd (3) over West Ham

    west ham's academy-filled lineup fought hard against the aging but still very good Man Utd under Sven-Goran Eriksson all the way to the very end, where David Beckham would score a marvelous free kick to win it 1-0 for the red devils.

    2009: Roma (2) over Bordeaux

    Francesco Totti immortalises his legacy with two sensational goals as Roma shuts out a game and spectacular Bordeaux side 2-0 to win its second european trophy.

    2010: Genoa (1) over Barca

    jose Mourinho proves once again why he is the special one, Becoming the first manager to win the champions league with three different teams. Diego Milito scores a brace as Genoa shocks the world.


    2011: Barca (4) over West Ham United

    Pep guardiola and leo messi would get their revenge the next year, defeating west ham with ease 3-0.

    2012: Barcelona (5) over Dortmund

    Jurgen klopp amd borussia dortmund gave barca a scare, but messi performed his magic, while cesc fabregas becomes an unlikely hero with his 20-yard screamer. Barcelona becomes the winningest team in the coompetition's history

    2013: Dortmund (2) over Bayern

    same as OTL, Except the results are inverted. Dortmund wins their second european cup against CWC champions Bayern.


    2014: Bayern Munich (2) over Borussia Dortmund

    Same as the OTL 2013 Final. Jupp heynckes finally wins the champions league


    2015: Atletico Madrid (1) over Juventus

    Diego Simeone and Atletico wins the champions league against Antonio Conte's Juventus, with Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa scoring each in a 2-1 win

    2016: Real Madrid (3) over Atletico

    Same as OTL, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winning penalty.

    2017: Atletico Madrid (2) over Lyon

    Simeone and Atletico are back on top of the world, beating Benzema's Lyon in yet another penalty shootout.

    2018: Real Madrid (4) over Tottenham

    The Cristiano Ronaldo era in Real Madrid ends with a 4th european cup. This time, against a game, but overmatched Tottemham.

    2019: Ajax (5) over Tottenham

    Ajax equalises Barcelona's tally with this legendary run to the final. Erik Ten Hag's young team overcomes Pocchetino and Harry Kane's spurs.

    2020: Dortmund (3) over Paris

    Dortmund, considered an outsider in this edition, got extremely hot with the january arrival of Erling Haaland, and they would storm to the final, where they faced a strong Paris squad led by Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, Moussa Dembelé, Kingsley Coman and 2018's prized free agent signing Neymar. Dortmund's defense held the fort, and Haaland would score a hat trick to win it 3-0 for Dortmund

    2021: Liverpool (4) over Schalke
    the schalke golden generation, with Lewandowski and Guardiola leading the charge, found themselves stopped by a brickwall known as Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. The dominant english champions would win their 4th champions league title in a tense 1-0 win, with the hero being Raheem Sterling's run down the wing to score a fantastic goal.

    2022: Lyon (1) over Villareal

    finally, Jean-Michel Aulas's dream came true, as Karim Benzema would deliver a ballon d'or winning season to carry Lyon to the title, becoming the 4th french club to win the competition, defeating 2021 UEFA Cup champions Unai Emery's Villareal

    2023: AC Milan (4) over Dortmund


    With young players like Alessio Romagnoli, Gigi Donnaruma, Davide Calabria, Antonio Barreca, Sandro Tonali, Patrick Cutrone and Manuel Locatelli along with judicious signings like Andre Silva, Rafael Leao, Hakan Calhanoglu, Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen, AC Milan, under Mauricio Pocchetino, finally returned to.the top of europe where they belong, defeating Borussia Dortmund 4-2 in the final.
     
    Last edited:
    UEFA Cup (Kinnikuniverse)
  • a681c8131dabce0eb1d23df26871452f.jpg


    UEFA CUP Final history

    Inter-cities Fairs Cup era
    1960: birmingham city (1) over SK Yugoslavia Belgrade
    1961: Roma (1) over birmingham city
    1962: Valencia (1) over barcelona
    1963: Valencia (2) over Gradanski Zagreb
    1964: FC Koln (1) over RCF Liege
    1965: Ferencvaros (1) over Juventus


    despite the presence of Garrincha, Juventus loses to Hungarian powerhouses Ferencvaros


    1966: Zaragosa (1) over Dynamo Moscow

    Real Zaragosa, led y argentine coach Roque Olsen, upsets Lev Yashin and Dynamo Moscow, 1963 European champions.

    1967: Gradanski zagreb (1) over leeds united

    Branko Zebec reveals himself as one of the most promising coaches in the world, taking Gradanski Zagreb to the fairs cup against Don Revie and Leeds United.

    1968: leeds united (1) over Bologna

    Leeds United gets their revenge, defeating Bologna and Fulvio Bernardini.

    1969: Newcastle united (1) over ujpesti dozsa

    1970: Anderlecht (1) over arsenal

    1971: AC Milan (1) over Liverpool

    Bill Shankly's young liverpool side competes in their first european final, but the vastly mor experienced Milan of Nereo Rocco showed what it took to be an elite club.

    UEFA Cup Era
    1972: Wolves (1) over AC Milan


    in a big upset, Wolverhampton stuns Milan tonwin their only european trophy


    1973: Liverpool (1) over borussia monchengladbach

    Kevin Keegan and John Toshack leads the reds to their first european trophy against Monchengladbach

    1974: AC Milan (2) over Stuttgart
    Rocco, Rivera and Milan strikes back, winning their 4th european trophy in 6 years.

    1975: BMG (1) over Twente

    Udo Lattek and Monchengladbach wins it, proving that Lattek can win outside of Bayern

    1976: Liverpool (2) Club Brugge
    1977: Liverpool (3) over Juventus
    1978: Liverpool (4) over PSV Eindhoven

    Liverpool puts the basis of their 80s european dominance in those three consecutive UEFA Cup wins.

    1979: SK Yugoslavia Belgrade (1) over BMG


    1980: eintracht frankfurt (1) over Liverpool

    in a big upset, Cha Bum Kun of South Korea scores a brace as Frankfurt defeats Liverpool

    1981: Ipswich town (1) over AZ

    Bobby Robson and his Dutch trio of Thijssen, Muhren and Johnny Rep carries them to the club's only european trophy

    1982: Aberdeen (1) over IFK gotenborg

    Alex Ferguson arrives on the continental scene with Aberdeen.

    1983: Liverpool (5) over Barcelona

    in the highly publicised duel between Kenny Dalglish vs Diego Maradona, Bruce Grobelaar played the hero, destabilising Barcelona's players with his oenalty shootout antics as Ronnie Whelan wins it with his penalty.

    1984: Nottingham Forrest (1) over Hajduk Split brian clough avenges the 1980 european cup defeat against Hajduk, with John Metgod saving Forrest with a thunderous free kick.

    1985: Real Madrid (1) over Arsenal
    1986: Real Madrid (2) over Arsenal

    desPite the efforts of Ruud Gullit, Real Madrid and its quinta del buitre had simply too much depth for Barry Highes's Arsenal to match.

    1987: Dundee United (1) over IFK Gotenborg

    Dundee United's crowning achievement in europe, overcoming a crucial second leg 2-goal deficit to win it in extra time.

    1988: Liverpool (6) over Bayer Leverkusen

    revamped by the arrivals of John Barnes and Steve McMahon, Ian Rush and Michael Laudrup tore the competition down in both england and the UEFA Cup.

    1989: Dresden (1) over AC Milan

    Germany's perennial underdogs from the east Dresdner SC wins their only european trophy against Niels Liedholm and a Milan side who, despite a strong defense, didn't really have much firepower outside Marco Van Basten.

    1990: Fiorentina (1) over Juventus

    A freefalling Juventus somehow managed to reach the final, but they would be dealt with by Roberto Baggio and Fiorentina

    1991: Inter Milan (1) over Roma

    same as OTL


    1992: Torino (1) over Genoa

    Torino finally wins a european trophy, with Gianluigi Lentini showcasing his talents as he scorse the only goal of the gane against the underdogs Genoa.

    1993: RC Paris (1) over Fiorentina

    after shockingly eliminating Real Madrid and Juventus, RC Paris would defeat Baggio and Batistuta's Fiorentina thanks to George Weah heading in a cross by David Ginola.

    1994: Karlsruher (1) over Cagliari - two outsiders make the final, with Carlo Mazzone offering a masterclass in coaching as he guided 92-93 podium finishers Cagliari to the final, only to be stopped by the imperial Oliver Khan on penalties as lowly Karlsruher wisn their only european trophy

    1995: Parma (1) over napoli - In an all-itlaian final, Gianfranco Zola solidifies his status as Maradona's successor at Napoli, surrounded by a strong supporting cast in Fonseca, Cannavaro, Ayala and Boghossian. However, Parma's depth proved too strong, with Thomas Brokin and Faustino Asprilla scoring.

    1996: Bordeaux (1) over Slavia Praha - Two maestros emerged as superstars in that tournament: Slavia's Vladimir Smicer and Bordeaux's Zinedine Zidane. After dispatching Milan, Bordeaux used its superior defense led by Brazilian keeper Claudio Taffarel and defenders Bixente Lizarazu, Alain Roche and Andre Cruz as well as the firepower provided by Zidane, Christophe Dugarry and Predrag Mijatovic to win the cup.

    1997: Schalke (1) over inter

    Same as OTL


    1998: Inter (1) over Lazio

    same as OTL

    1999: Manchester United (1) over Bayern Munich

    The OTL champions league final now happens in the UEFA Cup

    2000: Galatasaray (1) over Real Madrid

    similar to OTL

    2001: Alaves (1) over Liverpool

    Alaves ends up scoring the golden goal in extra time

    2002: Feyenoord (1) over Milan

    rLilles exploits sees Milan reach the final in Ancelotti's firdt season in charge, but they would lose to a spirited Feyenoord side

    2003: Milan (4) over Juventus

    OTL Champions League final now happens in the UEFA Cup

    2004: Marseille (1) over Real Madrid

    DDidierDeschamps's halftime soeech and Drogba's brace led Marseille to a 5-4 comeback win to earn the club's first trophy since 1993.


    2005: Sporting CP (1) over Parma


    Cristiano Ronaldo and Quaresma emerges as future superstars with that win over the much fancied Parma.


    2006: Sevilla (1) over Middlesbrough

    same as OTL

    2007: Milan (5) over Liverpool

    OTL's Champions League final now takes place in the UEFA Cup

    2008: rangers (1) over getafe


    Michael Laudrup does miracles coaching Getafe to the final, but alas, Rangers wins Scotland's first european trophy since Dundee United won the UEFA Cup in 1987

    2009: Barcelona (1) over West Ham United

    Guardiola and Messi arrives on the grand stage, defeating the best team in europe at the time to claim the torch.


    2010: Shaktar Donestk (1) over Fulham


    Same as OTL

    2011: Braga (1) over Villareal

    Braga upsets 2006 european champions Villareal with a great performance by captain Tiago Mendes and striker Jonas

    2012: Athletic Bilbao (1) over atletico madrid

    Marcelo Bielsa's Athletic squad stuns Aguero and Atletico Madrid as Fernando Llorente and Iker Munian scores.


    2013: FC Basel (1) over Benfica

    and in the UEFA Cup equivalent of the year hell froze over, Benfica, with David Luiz, Angel Di Maria and Fabio Coentrao, reached the final after defeating Barcelona, while FC Basel, the unexpected underdogs, pulls off the major upset, beating Benfica on penalties to become switzerland's first major european winner

    2014: Sevilla (2) over Dnipro

    unai Emery's Sevilla makes short work of the surprising Dnipro led by Andriy Yarmolenko and Yeven Konoplyanka

    2015: Barcelona (2) over Dortmund


    Messi and Neymar ran roughsod over Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund as Barca completes the treble

    2016: Sevilla (3) over Dortmund

    similar to OTL, with Dortmund instead and Luis Alberto establishing hinself as Sevilla's crown jewel

    2017: Besiktas (1) over Celta Vigo

    Besiktas becomes turkey's second ever european champion, upsetting Ajax and Manchester United to face off against Celta Vigo. Nuri Sahin and Demba Ba scores for the Turkish side.

    2018: Lyon (1) over Marseille

    in the first ever all-french european final held a lt Lyon's home at Stade Gerland, Benzema, Lacazette and Nabil Fekir obliterated Rudi Garcia's Marseille 3-0.

    2019: Slavia Praha (1) over Stade Rennais

    One of the msot stunning upsets in european history. Slavia Praha completes the quadruple with a victory over the equally surprising Stade Rennais.


    2020: sevilla (4) over Inter

    same and OTL, with Luis Alberto leading Lopetegui's Sevilla to victory

    2021: Villareal (1) over 1860 Munich

    similar to OTL, with Unai Emery provign he still got it as he and Villareal defeats the hevaily favorited 1860 of Julian Nagelsmann

    2022: Rangers (2) over Eintracht Frankfurt

    The penalty shootout goes the other way as Rangers complete their incredibel ressurgence from bankruptcy

    2023: Sevilla (5) over Roma

    same as OTL.
     
    Cup Winners' Cup (Kinnikuniverse)
  • Cup_Winners_Cup.png
    Any chance of a list of Cup Winners' Cup Finals?


    UEFA CUP WINNERS CUP finals history


    1961: Fiorentina (1) over rangers
    1962: Fiorentina (2) over atletico madrid


    The firdt editions of the cup winners cup were won by the great Fiorentina side of Nandor Hidegkuti, with players like Aurelio Milani, Miguel Montuori and Kurt Hamrin leading the attack for La Viola as they defeated Rangers and Atletico Madrid.

    1963: tottenham (1) over Hamburg
    1964: man Utd (1) over MTK Budapest
    1965: west ham (1) over 1860 munich
    1966: Chelsea (1) over Dortmund

    an extensive peripd of english and german presence in the final soon followed, with only MTK Budapest breaking the norm. Alas, none of the german sides or Budapest could stop the mighty english squads of that period, with the Man Utd squad of sir matt busby, Bobby Charlton and Duncan Edwards showing their potential that would be fulfilled later with england in the world cup and the 1968 european cup win.

    1967: Rangers (1) over Bayern


    1967 was the year of the old firm, with Celtic upsetting the triple european champiosn Inter Milan and Rangers also upsetting the upstart Bayern Munich of Maier and Gerd Muller.

    1968: AC Milan (1) over Cardiff City

    Nereo Rocco and Gianni Rivera's AC Milan completes the Serie A-CWC double, with Georgi Asparuhov scoring a brace against Welsh Cup champions Cardiff City.

    1969: Dumferline Athletic (1) over Koln

    in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history, Dumferline Athletic wins their only european trophy against a strong Koln squad.

    1970: Manchester City (1) over Gornik Zabrze

    The great city side of the late 60s wins its sole european trophy.


    1971: Leeds United (1) over Valencia
    Leeds United and Don Revie accomplishes a historic treble, as Peter Lorimer and Billy Bremner scores with Mick Jones scoring a brace as they overcome the great double winning Valencia coached by Alfredo Di Stefano in a 4-3 thriller


    1972: rangers (1) over Dresdner SC

    The young Dresden side was tough and talented, but their lack of experience proved fatal against an experienced Rangers side that retained many players from the 1967 triumph.

    1973: AC Milan (2) over leeds united

    The controversial match as OTL.

    1974: Leeds United (2) over BMG
    Leeds would have their reveng the following year, with the youngster Gordon McQueen and Norman Hunter shuttign down Jupp Heynckes and Gunther Nietze and Lorimer feeding Joe Jordan for the only goal in the game.


    1975: Dynamo Kiev (1) over Ferencvaros


    A surprise eastern europe final sees Lobokhin's Dynamo Kiev show off their space age football against a hopeless Ferencvaros

    1976: anderlecht (1) over West Ham

    Rob Rensenbrick and Morten Olsen are the heroes for Anderlecht, as Olsen contained Trevor Brooking in his pocket while Rensenbrinck ate Frank Lampard Sr. For breakfast, scoring a goal and providing another for a statement 4-2 ein over West Ham

    1977: Dresdner SC (1) over Anderlecht

    The now more battle hardened Dresdner SC completes a historic bundesliga-CWC double defesting the reigning champions Anderlecht, with Jurgen Dorner and Jurgen Kreische scoring the two goals in a 2-0 shutout.

    1978: Hajduk Split (1) over Anderlecht

    Tomislav Ivic and his Hajduk showed their potential, with Slavisa Zungul, nicknamed Steve Jungle by the american media after his exploits against the US in Yugoslavia's 2-0 comeback win at that year's world cup, showing the extend of his talent with a hat trick, including a brilliant feint that made Morten Olsen fall on his ass on the second goal.

    1979: Ipsiwch Town (1) over Fortuna Dusseldorf

    Bobby Robson and Ipswich Town wins againsd the surprising Fortuna Dusseldorf

    1980: Valencia (1) over Swansea City

    defeating Ron Atkinsson's West Brom in the semis, Valencia wins the cup winners cup for the first time, with the duo of Mario Kempes and Johnny Rep ending Alfredo Di Stefano's decade-long stint at Mesatlla with a high, the argentine Barcona legend going on to coach both River Plate and Real Madrid and their succesful Quinta Del Buitre in the 80s, which brnaded him a traitor by Boca Juniors and Barcelona faithfuls.


    1981: Sporting Gijon (1) over roma


    Vujadin Boskov, high on achieving a la liga title in his first season with Gijon in 1978-1979, proceeds with the signing of Allan Simonsen to partner club icon Quini up front, while Radomir Antic, a revelation in defense in that 78-79 season, leading the defense as Gijon proceeded with a hat trick of copa del reys from 1980 to 1982, always reaching the final 4 of that tournament during Boskov's stay. The crowning achievement of that squad is here, in 1981. Defeating Don Revie's rebuild Leeds United in the semis, EuroSporting faced the reigning double winners of Serie A FC Roma, looking for an historic treble. In a dmvery defensive game that ended in extra time, Quini managed to flick it to Simonsen who cmacored the winning goal past Tancredi.

    1982: Swansea City (1) over Standard de Liege

    In a massive year of upsets, John Toshack brings home Wales's only european trophy as they defeated Standard de Liege.

    1983: Tottenham (2) over Sporting Gijon

    Terry Venables, who bult a strong Spurs side with the like sof goalkeeper Ray Clemence, midfield maestro Glenn Hoddle, forwards John Falco and Steve Archibald and the argentine trio of Alberto Tarantini, Ricky Villa and Osvaldo Ardilles, defeats Boskov's eurosporting to win the club's 2nd european trophy, 20 years after their first CWC triumph

    1984: Barcelona (1) over Porto

    Diego Maradona bring shome Barcelona's firdt european trophy since the 1960 european cup. However, his rocky relationshipw ith Josep Nunez and the catalan media led to a move to Napoli in 1984.

    1985: everton (1) over rapid wien

    Everton confirms their european ambitions with that CWC win

    1986: dynamo Kiev (2) over Bayer Uerdingen

    Dynamo Kiev comes back with a vengeance.

    1987: ajax (1) over Liverpool

    Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp and Marco Van Basten stuns the great Liverpool with a total football lesson

    1988: Real Sociedad (1) over Ajax
    1989: Real Sociedad (2) over Sampdoria


    John Toshack's sublime Real Sociedad side, With a mic of homegrown talents like Bakero, Beguiristain, Goikotxea and Lopez Rekarte, the controversial transfer of Bilabo striker Julio Salinas and the club's first ever foreing signings in John Aldridge and Kevin Richardson, would dominate the competition in the late 80s and early 90s, winnig three out of four.

    1990: Sampdoria (1) over Anderlecht

    same as OTL

    1991: Real Sociedad (3) over Montpellier


    Despite the brilliance of Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc and Carlos Valderama, Montpellier couldn't stop Tocshack and Real Sociedad's dominance of the competition.

    1992: Nottingham Forrest (1) over Club Brugges

    Brian Clough finally wins every single trophy imaginable, with Teddy Sheringham and Roy Keane revealing themselves as future stars.

    1993: AS Monaco (1) over royal antwerp

    Arsene Wenger and Monaco plays their part in france's clean sweep of the three major european competitions

    1994: Parma (1) over RC Paris

    Parma, only a few years removed from being promoted into Serie A, reaches a whole newwwith this cup win over RC Paris, with Asprilla and Dino Baggio scoring.


    1995: Real Zaragosa (1) over Arsenal

    same as OTL.


    1996: Paris (1) over Liverpool

    Same as OTL

    1997: Paris (2) over Barcelona

    Paris gets their revenge the next year, upsetting Ronaldo and Barcelona.


    1998: Napoli (1) over Stuttgart


    Gianfranco Zola, with his late goal, achieves what Maradona couldn't with Napoli: win a european trophy. This Napoli squad of Marcello Lippi was supremely talented, sadly lost in the stacked peak Serie A of the 90s.

    Taglialatella

    ferrara Cannavaro Ayala

    stanic Boghossian Pechia Tarantino

    Rincon

    Zola Fonseca

    1999: Lazio (1) over Mallorca

    The surprising Mallorca may have won the hearts of the neutrals, but Sven-Goran Eriksson's Lazio was simply way too strong.

    2000: Valencia (2) over Monaco

    Hector Cuper's Valencia, led by Baraja, Albelda, Claudio Lopez and Gaizka Mendieta, wins their secodn european cup, 20 years after their first, against Wenger's great Monaco.

    2001: Bayern (1) over Rangers

    Oliver Khan delivers the performance of his life against Guus Hiddink's Rangers.

    2002: Liverpool (1) over RC Paris

    Ronaldinho may have been the star of this tournament, but Jupp Heynckes's Liverpool, carried by a young core of Carragher, Gerrard and Michael Owen, brings the club its first european trophy since the back to back european cups of 89 and 90.

    2003: Deportivo La Coruna (1) over Leeds United

    Super Depor, led by Fran, Roy Makaay and Rivaldo, upsets Fergie's Leeds to win their only european title

    2004: West Ham United (2) over Bayer Leverkusen

    The West Ham golden generation means business, defeatign Ballack and Bayer Leverkusen, the 2001 champions league finalists.

    2005: sochaux (1) over middlesbrough

    French club Sochaux and its brilliant golden generation, featuring the likes of Jéremy Matthieu, Mickael Pagis, Souleymane Diawara and goalie Teddy Rochert, defeats Middlesbrough to win their only european trophy

    2006: Arsenal (1) over Udinese

    Johan Cruyff finally wins a european trophyw ith Arsenal. Robin Van Persie, Sol Campbell and David Bentley were the heroes as they defeated Di Natale's Udinese. Considering the near misses in many euroepan competitions in the past, especially in the champions league, Cruyff's managerial career could be considered a big what if.

    2007: Manchester United (2) over Marseille

    Boosted by the arrivals of Wayne Rooney and the argentines Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano and the bench warriorsPark Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher, Man Utd and its class of 92 defeats Deschamps, Galas, Van Buyten, Flamini, Ribery and Drogba's strong Marseille squad

    2008: Marseille (1) over tottenham

    Marseille would bounce back the next year, with Ribery and youth graduate Samir Nasri mesmerising the Tottenham defense.

    2009: Valencia (3) over Lyon

    Rafa Benitez's Valencia, the best team in la liga during the 2000s, gets their crowning moment. David Silva, David Villa and Juan Mata shows why they are one of the best trios in europe, while the defense of Marchena, Raul Albiol, Arbeloa and Fabio Aurelio held down Lyon's potent attack of Govou, Ben Arfa and Benzema.

    2010: Bordeaux (1) over Everton

    Laurent Blanc and Yoan Gourcuff's spectacular Bordeaux side wins agaisnt David Moyes's Everton.

    2011: FC Porto (1) over Ajax

    Andre-Villas Boas, a young man with no footballing experience, shocks europe by taking Porto to their first european cup since the legendary Mourinho champions league win against Ajax.

    2012: Bayern Munich (2) over Real Madrid

    Bayern and Jupp Heynckes outsmart Mourinho's record-breaking Real Madrid

    2013: West Ham (3) over Lyon

    the golden gwneration of West Ham wisn its last european trophy as Carlo Ancelotti brings West Ham to a treble


    2014: Atletico Madrid (2) over Spartak


    Diego Simeone and Atletico's dominance starts right here, with Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa running roughsod against an overmatched Spartak Moscow

    2015: Real Madrid (1) over Lyon

    Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez brign the trophy to Madrid for the first time ever despite Karim Benzema and Lacazette's efforts.

    2016: Athletic Bilbao (1) over Saint-Étienne

    Marcelo Bielsa's great Bilbao side manages to defeat Aubameyang's Saint-Étienne. Fernando Llorente scores a brace.


    2017: Stoke City (1) over Dortmund

    On cold, rainy nights, Mark Hughes's Stoke City, nicknamed Stokelona, cause a big schock by outright winning the Cup Winners Cup

    2018: Southampton (1) over Paris

    Ronald Koeman, with the kepd of a great team filled with players like Virgik Van Dijk, Fraser Forster, Luke Shaw, Nathaniel Clyne, James-Ward Prowse, Lallana, Oxlade Chamberlain and Gareth Bale, overcomes the odds and defeats Paris in the final to win Osuthampton's only european trophy

    2019: Eintracht Frankfurt (1) over Aberdeen

    Carried by Sebastien Haller and Luka Jovic, Frankfurt wisn their first euroepan trophy since 1980 against a strong Aberdeen.

    2020: Stade Rennais (1) over Fiorentina

    Carried by their midfield generals Abdoulaye Doucouré, the wing threats Raphael Guerreiro and Moussa Dembelé, goalie Rui Patricio and the attacking duo of Ben Arfa and Vincent Aboubakar, Stande Rennais wins their sole europeam trophy ti date, defeating Stefano Pioli, Bernardeschi and Chieda's Fiorentina.

    2021: Lyon (1) over Chelsea

    With its deepest squad ever full of academy players, Benzema and Lyon thrashes the young Chelsea squad of Eddie Howe and pucnh their ticket to their eventual 2022 champions league triumph

    2022: Dortmund (1) over Leicester City

    Erling Haaland is his usual superhero self, while Illay Gundogan has his best game as Dortmund overcomes a spirited Leicester

    2023: Chelsea (2) over FC Nantes

    Chelsea and its fiery youngsters comes back to win the Cup Winners Cup, only the club's second ever wuropean trophy, against Patrick Vieira's young Nantes squad
     
    Last edited:
    Aragon La Liga (Mildtryth)
  • Now, for Aragon, on the same TL:

    Aragon.png


    The thing about the semifinalists is because while Aragon, Castille and Navarra all have their own "national" leagues, their clubs all compete in the same cup tournament, and for Cup Winners' Cup qualification purposes, the best team from each nation is chosen.
     
    2022-23 German Reichsliga (Mildryth)
  • Alright, now, for Germany (the Reichsliga i mentioned in Chapter 43, though on a more recent edition), complete with second level:

    Germany.png
     
    Last edited:
    English First Division, FA Cup, League Cup (Kinnikuniverse)
  • @kinnikuniverse Any chance we can see your champions in the English league and FA Cup?
    Yup

    English first divsion

    1889: preston north end (1)
    1890: everton (1)
    1891: Everton (2)
    1892: sunderland (1)
    1893: sunderland (2)
    1894: aston villa (1)
    1895: sunderland (3)
    1896: Aston Villa (2)
    1897: aston villa (3)
    1898: sheffield united (1)
    1899: liverpool (1)
    1900: sheffield united (2)
    1901: sunderland (4)
    1902: everton (3)
    1903: sheffield wednesday (1)
    1904: manchester city (1)
    1905: newcastle united (1)
    1906: liverpool (2)
    1907: bristol city (1)
    1908: manchester united (1)
    1909: newcastle united (2)
    1910: aston villa (4)
    1911: manchester united (2)
    1912: blackburn (1)
    1913: sunderland (5)
    1914: blackburn (2)
    1915: oldham (1)
    1920: west brom (1)
    1921: burnley (1)
    1922: liverpool (3)
    1923: liverpool (4)
    1924: huddersfield (1)
    1925: bolton (1)
    1926: huddersfield (2)
    1927: newcastle (3)
    1928: everton (4)
    1929: leicester city (1)
    1930: sheffield wednesday (2)
    1931: arsenal (1)
    1932: everton (5)
    1933: arsenal (2)
    1934: huddersfield (3)
    1935: arsenal (3)
    1936: sunderland (6)
    1937: charlton (1)
    1938: arsenal (4)
    1939: everton (6)
    1940: arsenal (5)
    1941: preston north end (2)
    1942: arsenal (6)
    1943: arsenal (7)
    1944: brentford (1)
    1945: tottenham (1)
    1946: aston villa (5)
    1947: stoke city (1)
    1948: arsenal (8)
    1949: portsmouth (1)
    1950: sunderland (7)
    1951: tottenham (2)
    1952: arsenal (9)
    1953: preston north end (3)
    1954: wolves (1)
    1955: chelsea (1)
    1956: manchester united (3)
    1957: manchester united (4)
    1958: manchester united (5)
    1959: Manchester united (6)
    1960: burnley (2)
    1961: tottenham (3)
    1962: ipswich town (1)
    1963: everton (7)
    1964: liverpool (5)
    1965: leeds united (1)
    1966: liverpool (6)
    1967: manchester united (7)
    1968: Manchester city (2)
    1969: leeds united (2)
    1970: everton (8)
    1971: leeds united (3)
    1972: derby county (2)
    1973: liverpool (7)
    1974: leeds united (4)
    1975: Derby County (3)
    1976: QPR (1)
    1977: manchester city (3)
    1978: Nottingham Forrest (1)
    1979: Leeds United (5)
    1980: liverpool (8)
    1981: Aston villa (6)
    1982: ipswich town (2)
    1983: Liverpool (9)
    1984: Southampton (1)
    1985: everton (9)
    1986: West Ham United (1)
    1987: everton (10)
    1988: liverpool (10)
    1989: arsenal (10)
    1990: Liverpool (11)
    1991: arsenal (11)
    1992: leeds united (6)
    1993: norwich city (1)
    1994: manchester united (8)
    1995: Southampton (2)
    1996: newcastle (4)
    1997: manchester united (9)
    1998: arsenal (12)
    1999: Chelsea (2)
    2000: leeds united (7)
    2001: Manchester United (10)
    2002: Arsenal (13)
    2003: Leeds united (8)
    2004: arsenal (14)
    2005: west ham united (2)
    2006: west ham united (3)
    2007: Manchester United (11)
    2008: Everton (11)
    2009: Leeds United (9)
    2010: West ham united (4)
    2011: Aston villa (7)
    2012: Manchester city (4)
    2013: West Ham United (5)
    2014: Man City (5)
    2015: Southampton (3)
    2016: leicester city (2)
    2017: tottenham (4)
    2018: Tottenham (5)
    2019: Liverpool (12)
    2020: Liverpool (13)
    2021: Liverpool (14)
    2022: Liverpool (15)
    2023: Arsenal (15)


    FA CUP
    1872: Wanderers (1)
    1873: Wanderers (2)
    1874: clapham rovers (1)
    1875: royal engineers (1)
    1876: wanderers (3)
    1877: Oxford university (1)
    1878: Wanderers (4)
    1879: Nottingham Forrest (1)
    1880: Nottingham Forest (2)
    1881: old carthusians (1)
    1882: blackburn rovers (1)
    1883: Notts county (1)
    1884: blackburn rovers (2)
    1885: Blackburn rovers (3)
    1886: west brom (1)
    1887: aston villa (1)
    1888: west brom (2)
    1889: preston north end (1)
    1890: balckburn rovers (4)
    1891: balckbufn rovers (5)
    1892: Aston Villa (2)
    1893: wolves (1)
    1894: Bolton (1)
    1895: aston villa (3)
    1896: sheffield wednesday (1)
    1897: Aston Villa (4)
    1898: Southampton (1)
    1899: Derby County (1)
    1900: Bury (1)
    1901: tottenham (1)
    1902: southampton (2)
    1903: bury (1)
    1904: man city (1)
    1905: newcastle united (1)
    1906: everton (1)
    1907: Arsenal (1)
    1908: wolves (2)
    1909: manchester united (1)
    1910: barnsley (1)
    1911: bradford city (1)
    1912: barnsley (2)
    1913: aston villa (5)
    1914: burnley (1)
    1915: sheffield united (1)
    1920: huddersfield town (1)
    1921: tottenham (2)
    1922: huddersfield (2)
    1923: bolton (2)
    1924: newcastle (2)
    1925: sheffield united (2)
    1926: bolton (3)
    1927: arsenal (2)
    1928: balckburn rovers (6)
    1929: bolton (4)
    1930: arsenal (3)
    1931: west brom (3)
    1932: arsenal (3)
    1933: everton (2)
    1934: Arsenal (4)
    1935: Arsenal (5)
    1936: Arsenal (6)
    1937: sunderland (1)
    1938: arsenal (7)
    1939: portsmouth (1)
    1940: arsenal (8)
    1941: sunderland (2)
    1942: brentford (1)
    1943: manchester united (2)
    1944: arsenal (9)
    1945: everton (3)
    1946: derby county (2)
    1947: liverpool (1)
    1948: manchester united (3)
    1949: wolves (3)
    1950: chelsea (1)
    1951: newcastle (3)
    1952: newcastle (4)
    1953: blackpool (1)
    1954: west brom (4)
    1955: newcastle (5)
    1956: man city (2)
    1957: manchester united (4)
    1958: manchester united (5)
    1959: nottingham forrest (3)
    1960: wolves (4)
    1961: tottenham (3)
    1962: tottenham (4)
    1963: manchester united (6)
    1964: west ham united (1)
    1965: liverpool (2)
    1966: everton (4)
    1967: tottenham (5)
    1968: leeds united (1)
    1969: man city (3)
    1970: Leeds United (2)
    1971: Arsenal (10)
    1972: leeds united (3)
    1973: Leeds United (4)
    1974: liverpool (3)
    1975: west ham (2)
    1976: leeds (5)
    1977: Leeds (6)
    1978: ipswich town (1)
    1979: Nottingham Forrest (4)
    1980: West Brom (5)
    1981: sheffield united (3)
    1982: tottenham (6)
    1983: Brighton (1)
    1984: everton (5)
    1985: Liverpool (5)
    1986: liverpool (6)
    1987: coventry city (1)
    1988: wimbledon (1)
    1989: West Ham (3)
    1990: crystal palace (1)
    1991: nottingham forrest (5)
    1992: Manchester United (7)
    1993: sheffield Wednesday (2)
    1994: Chelsea (2)
    1995: everton (6)
    1996: manchester united (8)
    1997: middlesbrough (1)
    1998: arsenal (11)
    1999: manchester united (9)
    2000: Leeds United (7)
    2001: Liverpool (8)
    2002: leeds united (8)
    2003: West Ham United (4)
    2004: arsenal (12)
    2005: arsenal (13)
    2006: West ham united (4)
    2007: West Ham United (5)
    2008: portsmouth (3)
    2009: everton (7)
    2010: west ham (6)
    2011: Man City (4)
    2012: west ham (7)
    2013: wigan (1)
    2014: hull city (1)
    2015: arsenal (14)
    2016: crystal palace (2)
    2017: Tottenham (7)
    2018: Southampton (1)
    2019: Brighton (2)
    2020: Chelsea (3)
    2021: leicester city (1)
    2022: Chelsea (4)
    2023: Brentford (2)


    LEAGUE CUP
    1961: rotherham united (1)
    1962: norwich city (1)
    1963: birmingham city (1)
    1964: leicester city (1)
    1965: chelsea (1)
    1966: west ham (1)
    1967: QPR (1)
    1968: leeds united (1)
    1969: swindon town (1)
    1970: manchester city (1)
    1971: tottenham (1)
    1972: stoke city (1)
    1973: tottenham (2)
    1974: wolves (1)
    1975: norwich (2)
    1976: man city (2)
    1977: liverpool (1)
    1978: nottingham forrest (1)
    1979: leeds united (2)
    1980: leeds united (3)
    1981: liverpool (2)
    1982: Tottenham (2)
    1983: liverpool (4)
    1984: leeds united (4)
    1985: norwich city (3)
    1986: oxford united (1)
    1987: West Ham (2)
    1988: luton town (1)
    1989: nottingham forrest (2)
    1990: West Ham (3)
    1991: sheffield wednesday (1)
    1992: manchester united (1)
    1993: Sheffield Wednesday (2)
    1994: arsenal (1)
    1995: liverpool (5)
    1996: aston villa (1)
    1997: middlesbrough (1)
    1998: Leeds United (5)
    1999: leeds united (6)
    2000: Tranmere Rovers (1)
    2001: Birmingham City (2)
    2002: blackburn rovers (1)
    2003: leeds united (7)
    2004: middlesbrough (2)
    2005: west ham united (4)
    2006: manchester united (2)
    2007: west ham united (5)
    2008: tottenham (3)
    2009: Tottenham (4)
    2010: Aston Villa (2)
    2011: birmingham city (3)
    2012: crystal Palace (1)
    2013: west ham (6)
    2014: Manchester City (3)
    2015: west ham (7)
    2016: stoke city (1)
    2017: southampton (1)
    2018: leicester city (2)
    2019: tottenham (4)
    2020: manchester city (4)
    2021: Tottenham (5)
    2022: Liverpool (7)
    2023: Manchester United (3)
     
    Reichspokal (Mildtryth)
  • Alright, now for the way teams go into the Reichspokal - i think i may have said it before, but Austria, Swabia and Pomerania hold independent leagues, but still participate in the Reichspokal:

    Reichspokal.png
     
    Last edited:
    SSC Napoli (ArupinumMaivista)
  • Here is something I have been working on for the past month, including plenty of research, self-debates and studying, as prior to this post, I had next to no knowledge about Napoli. With that said, I firmly believe this is my best work yet. The finished article was already sitting ready for the past few days until I had food poisoning last saturday, though I am slowly recovering from that. With that said, here is the least likely club that I'd ever cover that isn't French. I hope you'll enjoy.

    SSC_Napoli_1985_%28gold%29.svg

    Full Name: Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli
    Short Name: SSC Napoli
    Nicknames: I Blucelesti (The blue-and-sky blues), The Parthenopes, the Little Donkeys, The Foals
    Founded: December 10th 1904 (As Naples Foot-ball and Cricket club)
    City: Naples, Italy
    Home Ground: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
    Capacity: 54,725

    League: Serie A

    Honours:

    National (17):

    Prima divizione/Serie A (8): 1927/28, 1974/75, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1989/90, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2022/23

    Prima Categoria: Runners-up (1912/13)

    Coppa Italia (7): 1961/62, 1975/76, 1986/87, 1996/97, 2011/12, 2013/14, 2016/17

    Supercoppa Italiana (2): 1990, 2014


    Europe (2):

    European Cup/Champions League:
    Round of 16 (1975/76, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1990/91)

    European Cup Winners Cup (2):
    Winners (1997/98, 2014/15)

    UEFA Cup/Europa League:
    Quarter-finals (1969/70)

    European Super-cup:
    Runners-up (1998, 2015)


    Regional (3):

    Divisione Nazionale Sud (1): 1945/46

    Lipton Challenge Cup (2): 1909, 1911

    Football club Naples (1904-1914)

    Early days

    The original crest of FBC Naples
    1200px-Naples_FBC.svg.png

    Napoli’s history as a football club began in the end of 1904 as the “Foot-ball and Cricket club Naples”, when the club was founded by Italian engineer Amadeo Salsi and English sailor William Poths, along with the help of fellow engineer Emilio Anatra and Hector Bayon. It was the football section of the Royal rowing club of Naples, though the “Cricket” part of the name was soon dropped, leading to it simply becoming Foot-ball Club Naples.

    In 1906, the club became the first from the Italian south to join the FIF (Precursor to the FIGC), but the travel expenses it brought made it difficult for Naples to compete in any sort of national league. Thus, Naples would compete in the southern competitions for the initial years of its history. Most notably, it competed in the Lipton Challenge Cup - a cup championship set in the Italian South. Naples won that competition twice, both times against the dominant side of that region - Palermo.

    Slowly, Naples became the strongest club in its city, beating the local clubs of the city and establishing itself as one of the most competitive in the region. In 1912 the Valvassori-Faroppa project revolutionized the Italian league system, allowing teams from southern and central Italy to compete for the Prima Categoria title for the first time. This year coincided with the team moving to a new stadium, the Campo del Poligano. In line with the club moving to a new venue, Naples managed to take the top of the Prima Categoria Sud, beating out Lazio to reach the national final. Unfortunately, the Blucelesti ran into the greatest Italian club of the decade - Pro Vercelli. The lions went on to beat the horses 6-0.

    The following season saw Naples reach the semi-finals of the Prima Categoria, but they were bashed 9-0 on aggregate by Lazio. This would be the Parthenopes’ greatest successes by this point, before the Great War took over Europe and Italy.

    The Lipton Cup-winning squad of 1909
    Naples_Coppa_Lipton_1909.png

    Fascist era and birth of “Associazione Calcio Napoli” (1919-1945)

    After the war, Naples was one of many clubs in the country that were financially devastated, and thus entered a period of recovery during the 1920. It was in this period when the Fascist Party of Italy, led by Benito Mussolini, took over the kingdom, leading to a push by the fascists to “Italianize” the clubs, and forcing others to merge (Andrea Doria and Sambenedettese as examples). Naples was among these. On the 25th of August 1926, FBC Naples was renamed to “Associazione Calcio Napoli”, and was readmitted to the Divisione Nazionale, Italy’s top flight during this period.

    Despite a bad start, in which the club just barely avoided relegation in its inaugural season at the top flight of Italy, the following season saw the Napolitans push for an unexpected title challenge, finishing third in the qualifying round of the championship behind Torino and Genoa to qualify for the national play-offs. Despite battling the far stronger team of Torino, Napoli slowly carved its way match to match, lifting a heavy draw with Casale, before managing to pull off a surprising 4-3 win at Stadio Filadelfia to overtake the reigning champions Torino. This was enough for Napoli to become the champions of Italy, with combined 50 goals scored by Giovanni Ferrari and Paraguayan talisman Attila Sallustro. The duo, consisting of a striker and midfielder, made for one of the deadliest attacks in Italy during this period. Sallustro in particular was the darling of the fans, as the talented scorer never wanted any money from the club, deciding to in return give all his love to the club via his uncanny ability to score goals.

    Atilla Sallustro - Napoli's talismanic goalscorer
    151847576-b239e9eb-1e03-4d4a-b317-ab02315fe36c.jpg

    This was enough for them to qualify for the brand new Serie A, and the club started out strong, finishing 3rd in the first season of the league. 1930 though coincided with Ferrari’s famous departure for Juventus, in which the great midfielder began the Torinese clubs’ Five years period as one of their greatest men. In return though, Napoli brought in the Croatian duo from the Istrian region that had become part of Italy after the war - Antonio Vojak and Marcelo Mihalić. Under the leadership of William Garbutt, Napoli continued to be a strong side in Serie A, though constantly lagging behind the far richer northern clubs like Ambrosiana-Inter and Juventus, which dominated the country. Nevertheless, Napoli was an established part of the then big clubs of Italy, even bringing in Argentine World Cup star Guillermo Stabile.

    The Neapolitan club was set to go into a decline in the years leading up to World War II, with up and down results in Serie A. They flirted with relegation in 1937 and again in 1940, where they stayed up on a goal difference of four over Liguria. Just one season before this, they had finished in fifth. 1942 saw Napoli finally going down to Serie B, just four points separating them from the next six teams. Down in Serie B, in 1943 Napoli missed out on a promotion straight back up by two points, finishing in third place just behind Brescia. At the end of the season, left their Stadio Giorgio Ascarelli stadium and moved into the Campo Vomero, following the former’s destruction during bombing of the city.

    The Giorgio Ascarelli stadium
    stadio-ascarelli.jpg

    Post-War Napoli (1945-1963)

    When the championship was contested on a regional basis for the 1946 season, Napoli proved themselves the best team in the Centro-Sud region, and it ensured the Neapolitans a place in Serie A the following year.
    However, Napoli entered a period in the 50s where it became a yo-yo club, constantly jumping from division to division, which did not help when the club switched to the massive San Paolo Stadium. During the remainder of the 1950s, their league finishes were up and down: two lower key seasons were followed by a fourth-place finish in 1957–58, thanks to the goalscoring magic of Luis Vinicio, who would become one of the club’s greatest icons. The Brazilian, while never playing for his national team, was characteristically flamboyant, and made a name for himself as a highly-efficient goalscorer, earning the nickname O Leone.

    Nevertheless, Napoli’s period in the 1960s was relatively average, continuing the club’s mediocrity, bar a surprise 1962 Coppa Italia triumph, which signaled the club’s first opportunity to play in Europe. Napoli would reach the round of 16 in the Cup Winners’ Cup of that year, only to be knocked out by Yugoslav minnows OFK Belgrade.

    Rise to prominence and “Total Football” (1964-1984)

    Following the renaming to “Societa Sportiva Calcio Napoli” in 1964, the club would begin its steady rise by coming back to Serie A in 1964, now led by Bruno Pesaola. The following years saw Napoli challenge for the league title for the first time in almost 30 years, led by defender Antonio Juliano, striker duo Jose Alfatini and Giorgio Chinaglia, and the unbreakable goalkeeper Dino Zoff.

    Dino Zoff, Antonio Juliano and Kurt Hamrin
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    Then in 1973, Luis Vinicio became the Foals’ new coach, having led minnows Brindisi to Serie B a year prior. Under the management of their iconic player, the Brazilian established a style of play not yet seen within Serie A - Total football. Inspired by the successes of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord, which were dominating the continent during the 1970s, Napoli became the most exciting footballing team in the league known for its highly-defensive nature. Ruud Krol also became one of the club’s greatest foreign players once coming in 1974, and the Blucelesti entered a mad dash for the Scudetto in the 1974-75 season, battling with Juventus throughout the season. In the end, with the scoring of “Mad Horse” Giorgio Bragila and Brazilian trio Sergio Clerici, Rivellino and Jose Alfatini, Napoli became Italian champions by outscoring Juventus by one point, thus bringing the scudetto to Naples for the first time in over 40 years.

    Napoli did not go far in the European Cup though, only reaching the round of 16 before being soundly beaten by Borussia Monchengladbach. The very same season though, Napoli won the Coppa Italia, thus qualifying for the Cup Winners’ Cup once again. This time, Napoli breezed through the early stages, before reaching the semi-finals. There, Napoli would face off against reigning champions Anderlecht, beating the Belgian team 1-0 on Stadio San Paolo, before conceding to them in Brussels. It would remain Napoli’s most successful run in Europe for some time. In 1980, O Leone Vinicio was leaving as manager, having become the Blucelesti’s greatest leader and creating a strong and highly-entertaining side in Serie A. Then in 1984, the news echoed like a volcano, as the world was rocked by the single greatest transfer in footballing history.

    Luis Vinicio's Napoli
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    Maradona - O Re (1984-1994)

    On a sunny 5th of July in 1984, 75 thousand people gathered on the San Paolo stadium to await a phenomenon that had just left Barcelona, before greeting the temperamental citizens of South Italy - “Buona Sera, Napolitani!”. The crowd roared in ecstasy - Maradona-Mania had arrived. Diego Armando Maradona, who had just come from a turbulent period in a struggling Barcelona, was entering Napoli as an unlikely hero, to a club that had just a season prior barely avoided relegation. Despite offers from the biggest clubs in Italy, Maradona chose the working class city in the south as his home, and he was welcomed as a Messiah. Nevertheless, the initial few years with Maradona did not see major success. The club, having spent a record fee to bring in their star, entered a financial crisis, and the results were still mediocre. Even then, Maradona was their glimmer of hope, with moments like his flick from the far left side of the pitch against Lazio standing as one of his greatest goals, in a match that saw Maradona play against his European counterpart - Vasillis Hatzipanagis (more on him some other day).

    The arrival of Diego Maradona
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    Finally, 1986-87 was Napoli’s year. Under the leadership of Ottavio Biancho, Napoli outran Juventus once again to become champions of Italy for the third time, along with achieving a double by lifting the Coppa Italia by demolishing Atalanta. With this success, Napoli qualified for the European Cup, where the first round saw the Blucelesti face off against Maradona’s former club - Barcelona. Tensions were high, as both matches finished 1-1 thanks to Fernando de Napoli’s own goal. However, the subsequent penalty shootout saw Napoli prevail, thus entering the round of 16 once again. However, Vasillis Hatzipanagis would have his last laugh, as he inspired the reigning Portuguese champions Porto to knock the Parthenopes out of the European Cup. Another round of 16 exit occurred a year later, this time by the eventual runners-up Red Star Belgrade. Following two consecutive scudettos in the late 80s, 1990s began with Napoli crashing out of the UEFA Cup after being slammed 8-3 on aggregate by Werder Bremen, but winning the Serie A once again. Third time was not the charm though. Napoli came close to finally going past the round of 16 once reaching penalties against Spartak Moscow, but the latter prevailed. Nevertheless, 1990 would see another piece of glory for Napoli, as they demolished the freefalling Juventus side 5-1 in the Italian Supercup. The 90s saw departures of Daniel Fonseca, Careca, Alemao, Andrea Silenzi and Massimo Crippa, leaving Maradona as the sole leader of Napoli in the 1993-94 season of Serie A. Another round of 16 exit occurred, this time in the UEFA Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt, and it coincided with the departure of Diego Maradona. The great Argentine left the city as a hero, having given the club its most successful period after Vinicio’s tenure.

    Diego Maradona - Napoli's king
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    Cup Winners’ Cup success and decline (1994-2004)

    Following the exit of Maradona, Napoli brought in great Yugoslav coach Vujadin Boškov to lead the Foals for the rest of the decade, with players like Freddy Rincon, Paolo di Canio, Daniel Fonseca and Roberto Ayala. Napoli’s initial seasons without Maradona were difficult, with the club barely escaping relegation in 1996, but the Blucelesti recovered to win the 1997 Coppa Italia against Vicenza. With that, Napoli entered the Cup Winners’ Cup. After scraping past Boavista in the round of 16, they ran into Red Star Belgrade, some 10 years since their encounter in the European Cup. The Yugoslav side had players like Elvir Bolić, Darko Kovačević, Mitko Stojkovski, Dejan Petković and Ilija Ivić. However, after a 3-2 victory at San Paolo, Napoli had won and carried on to the semis, now meeting Real Betis. In a tight encounter, Napoli won 3-2 on aggregate, thus qualifying for the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup. There, the Neapolitans played against VfB Stuttgart. In a prime example of a catenaccio match, Napoli played defensively throughout the entire final, resisting every attempt by Stuttgart. Then finally, on the 70th minute, Daniel Fonseca volleyed the ball past Franz Wohlfarht to send Napoli 1-0 up on Stuttgart. It would be Napoli’s first ever European triumph, and another on in Vujadin Boškov’s long and incredible career.

    However, Napoli’s CWC achievement was overshadowed by increasingly poor showcases on the pitch. A semi-final in the following years’ CWC saw Napoli exit against Mallorca was followed by Napoli battling relegation season after season. From 1998 to 2001, Dino Zoff was the Naepolitans’ coach, and he helped the club stay up during its most difficult period. 2001 saw some improvement though, as the Foals brought in Brazilian journeyman Edmundo for the next six seasons until his departure in 2006. By this point, Antonio di Natale and Edmundo was the attacking duo that helped Napoli remain a relatively competitive side during the early 2000s, with their best finish being 7th.

    Edmundo during his time in Napoli
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    Resurgence and golden generation (2004-present)

    2005 saw another low-key season by Napoli, as the club only finished 9th. This year would coincide with the club being taken over by successful film producer Aurelio de Laurentiis, who helped clean the clubs from all of its debts.

    From 2005 to 2010, Napoli would be led by Istrian native Edoardo Reja, a lifelong friend of Fabio Capello. The journeyman coach stabilized Napoli, and the bringing of Marek Hamšik as its goalscorer helped the club reach 6th in the 2009-10 season, thus qualifying for Europe for the first time in 12 years. The Blucelesti’s rise continued in the very next season, finishing third under the leadership of Walter Mazzari, with Edinson Cavani proving to be the club’s talismanic scorer. 2012 would finally see Napoli end its trophyless journey, as the Foals beat their bitter rivals Juventus 2-0 to lift the trophy. However, the Naepolitans did not go far, being beaten out by Lokeren in penalties in the round of 16 once again. Cavani’s departure for Valencia was followed by Napoli bringing in Spaniards Gonzalo Higuain, Raul Albiol and Jose Callejon. This saw an immediate effect, as Napoli won the 2014 Coppa Italia, this time against Fiorentina, before beating Roma in the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana.

    Napoli's 2012 squad
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    Also in the 2014-15, Napoli played an inspired campaign to reach the finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, where the Parthenopeans met with Real Madrid in the very final. In a tense game, in which Higuain converted a late penalty, the game went into extra time, and then even to penalties, where Pepe Reina proved to be the hero of the squad, before Jorginho famously “did not forgive” and scored the winning penalty kick, thus making Napoli the European Champions of the Cup Winners’ Cup.

    The very next season, Napoli would enter a tough race with Juventus for the next two scudettos. Led by Maurizio Sarri, the goalscoring trio of Higuain, Hamšik and Lorenzo Insigne accumulated 54 goals out of Napoli’s eventual 80 in the 2015-16 season, but it still wasn’t enough, as Juve outran the foals by 9 points. Then in 2016-17, Napoli was finally able to beat out Juve and Roma to win the Scudetto, ending a 37 year long wait. The Blucelesti, with the magic of Higuain, Hamšik and Insigne helping the club achieve the title with over 90 goals, and repeating that achievement a year later, in spite of Juve being inspired by Luis Suarez.

    During this period, Napoli’s incredible attack was paired with a solid midfield consisting of Jorginho and Arkadiusz Milik, and defenders like Ivan Strinić and Vlad Chiriches. With this, Napoli truly had a strong squad that was capable of achieving great things during the 2010s. The 2020s began with Luciano Spalletti as manager, following underwhelming results by Carlo Ancelotti and Gennaro Gattuso. With him, Napoli brought fresh new players after the bulk of the 2010s generation faded away. Most importantly, the club brought in Khvicha Khvarachelia and Victor Osimhen. With their capabilities and Spalletti’s tactics, Napoli dominated the 2022-23 season, achieving its first scudetto since the death of Diego Maradona , who died in 2020.

    Celebrations as Napoli became champions in 2023
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    England County leagues (Atzyn)
  • Hello all! Just found this thread, lots of really cool stuff in here. I used to make a lot of these but I haven't done any in a while, so here's something I did to get back into the groove.

    What if England was split into 3 countries? What would their football leagues look like? Their borders follow the modern day regions, with Northumbria being Northern England, Mercia being the Midlands and England being Southern England. Mercia's league has 16 teams instead of 20, because clubs from that region aren't as good as the other two (it's the only one where I had to venture down to League Two to complete the table).

    Inspired by @Mildtryth's magnificent posts, there's 1 spot in the European Cup for the champions, 2 in the UEFA Cup for the rest of the podium, and a Cup Winners' Cup (that in this case is above the UEFA Cup in importance). There's also the Internation Cup (not quite satisfied with that name) in which the nations are divided into regions and 4 teams from each league qualify to a regional tournament, where the winner is crowned regional champion and advances to a final stage against the other regional champions, where the winner gets a title equivalent to the Conference League. In this case, these 3 nations participate in their regional tournament along with Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

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