Hola everyone!
Sorry for not posting when I said but we have been having some house problems, thankfully everything is now fixed and I can get onto my PC to post.
When I last left you I decided to leave the nightmare league setup in Mexico, having just claimed my third champions league of five. Next up the Copa Libertadores if you hadnt guessed by the name! Sao Paulo a massive club in Brazil and hopefully one I can turn into champions league winners.
So again this will be a whole season post but bear in mind I joined them sort of halfway through their season, they do have two leagues! But believe me, this is no way near as confusing as Mexico infact the first league is sort of pointless but I will explain later.
So lets get on with it!
— Cheonan (July 2010 – January 2013)
Nothing won.
— South China (June 2013 – June 2016)
Hong Kong League Title : 2014, 2015, 2016
Senior Shield : 2013, 2016
League Cup : 2014, 2015, 2016
Asian Confederation Cup : 2014, 2016
— F.C.A.K (December 2016 – November 2019)
South African First Division : 2018, 2019
South African First Divison Cup : 2019
— Moroko Swallows (November 2019 – January 2023)
South African FA Cup : 2020, 2021
South African Premier League : 2021, 2022
South African Charity Cup : 2020
South African Knockout Cup : 2021
South African Super Eight : 2021
African Champions League : 2022
— FC Seoul (February 2023 – February 2026)
The K-League : 2023, 2024, 2025
The Korean League Cup : 2023, 2024
The Pan-Pacific Championship : 2024, 2025
The Korean FA Cup : 2024
Asian Champions League : 2025
— St Gallen (October 2026 – July 2027)
Nothing won.
— Veracruz (July 2027 – June 2031)
Mexican Opening Stage : 2029
Superliga : 2030
Champions Cup : 2030
North America Champions League : 2031
— Sao Paulo (June 2031 — Present)
Nothing Yet
International Teams :
— Morocco (Febraury 2015 – December 2016)
Nothing won.
— Senegal (November 2021 – February 2023)
African Cup Of Nations : 2023
— Egypt (October 2025 – February 2027)
Nothing Won.
— Mexico (September 2028 – September 2029)
The Gold Cup : 2029
So RED means we won something last post and PINK shows a champions league win, only two to go! :)
———————————————
So I have a decent transfer budget and a decent wage budget but the club must have been ran very well as the finances are very good.
We have about £30 million pounds in the bank but I was given only a fraction of that, and only three foreign players (foreign being non-Brazilian) but seeing as Brazil produce so many amazing players I dont mind too much!
A pretty good club in all honesty with a decent team, I wont post them all! That would take forever, instead I will post our best player so here he is :
Marcelo
:) Not too bad! Only 21 and already has amazing stats for a striker. Quick, strong and good technique he has it all so I will build my entire team around him as he has a long four year contract.
Hopefully he can fulfill his amazing potential.
Transfer Window
So I made a couple of new additions, most of them for the future as Nikao, Tiago, Gilson were all 15 years of age and Willian and Maringa 18. My main signing was Duda and due to the league rules he cant play for us until next season, so a hopeless transfer window and not a great start!! But here is his profile :
Duda
A centre forward who should be a good partner for Marcelo next season!
Results Before I Took Over
Results After I Took Over
So the previous manager was sacked after a couple of shacky results and I made the worst possible start! Losing three one at home to Vitoria but we did react well and I was very pleased with the first half of the season but Cruzeiro have an amazing squad hence why they are miles ahead of everyone!!
Results And Table Second Half Of The Season
Wow! Cruzeiro have just won their sixth title in a row and believe me it will take some stopping them. They have one player valued at £35 million! And two at £20+ million infact the whole squad is just full of quality.
This league is more or less what you would see in Europe like England or Spain, top four qualify for the Copa Lib the rest for the Copa Sudamericana like the Europa league.
We did qualify for the Copa Lib but guess who are the holders?
Yes, Cruzeiro who will easily win it again next season. It will be difficult to top them.
Final Player Ratings Of The Season
Star Man — Marcelo
So no surprise that my tip at the start was our player of the season, 39 goals in 44 games says everything really but my squad was not as good as I hoped. Infact its quite old with many players at 30 or over so if I want to topple Cruzeiro I must build for the future.
So I will look to sell of a huge amount of players but keep Marcelo, and hopefully get some better players around him. The club is in a mess with high wages for poor players and the previous manager payed almost £5 million in those loan players and they are not even that good.
But I will do my best to turn this club around as it has massive potential.
So thats it! A fairly short-ish post compared to my others but the fun begins next time as I try to explain this ‘other’ league! But like I said earlier its means nothing, the main league is the one I posted which is set-up like the European leagues so its very easy to understand.
We have qualified for the Copa Libertadores which is set-up like the Uefa champions league so again will be easy to follow and understand!
I am not confident in winning it, as Cruzeiro’s side is way too stong, I mean look how far they finished ahead of the rest of us and thats been like that for the past 5-6 years.
So until next time wish me luck (this time I will need it!) and my next post will be sooner than this one, so thanks for reading and bye for now!!
LTN
24 мая, 2011 at 18:11
Hi Ana!
You had a really good season, next year you will definetely win some silverware with Sao Paolo in Brazil. You made a great choice, you are bound to win the Copa Libertadores!
One question, though. Brazil do not have a cup competition?
Looking forward to your next post.
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:19
Hello!!
Thanks, Sao Paulo isnt a bad club it just has been managed badly there is massive potential here.
Coba Lib will be tricky but with a few additions and a Cruzeiro collapse then who knows!
To answer your question, no they dont but they have something called a state championship which I will badly explain next post! :)
Am pretty hopeless at explaining stuff but will do my best!!
Excessive
24 мая, 2011 at 18:29
Wasn’t my guess, but good choice with Sao Paulo Ana. You have some great quality as you have shown over the season and Marcelo looks class!
Curziero are unfortunately showing their class, which is unfortunate. I hope that you can steal top spot through you gaining talent, or them loosing theirs which is pretty likely in the Brazilian league ;)
Anyway, good luck in the champions league! Hoping for another sharpish! :D
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:21
Hi Jake,
I agree Marcelo is amazing definatly the future of our club!
Honestly you wont believe how good Cruzeiro are, and I am not just saying that! They have an amazing squad probably one of the best I have ever seen.
Me too! I cant wait to head back to Europe! :)
Darren Smith
24 мая, 2011 at 18:41
This will be very interesting Ana, I like the idea of you finally managing in a big league. Sao Paulo are a great club to land in despite Cruzeiro’s dominance. You have an amazing striker and I’ve no doubt you can improve the club greatly.
Its weird to see the Brazilian league grow so much in power. You’d never usually see their players worth more than £10 million…thats the beauty of FM 2011, the leagues are realistic in that they change with time.
All I can say is Cruzeiro only need to lose one big match in the Copa Lib. and they lost 4 in the league this year, so maybe you’ll get lucky for a change ;)
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:24
Thanks Darren,
Its nice to be at a big club! Cruzeiro have really done well over the past few years so they will take some stopping.
Agreed, infact the Brazilian league is just full of amazing players. Unfortunatly most at Cruzeiro! ;)
I hope so! My luck has to change soon even if I am the most unluckiest person in the world!! :)
Sea
24 мая, 2011 at 19:28
Marcelo is unreal..future captain maybe anyway unlucky Cruizero must be good Six in a row.
Good Luck with next season you could challenge for the Copa Libertores and the League with a few good signings.
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:27
Thankyou!
Agreed, Marcelo is amazing a good signing by the previous manager!
Cruzeiro are amazing I honestly cant explain how good that sqaud is, they will be very hard to beat.
Teams from Brazil generally do well in the Copa Lib so I agree, a few good signings and a bit of luck is all we need!
Kevin
24 мая, 2011 at 19:35
Hi Ana
Love your choice though I’m a Palmeiras fan myself simply because one of my staff is from the Sao Paulo area. She is a huge Palmeiras fan and is getting a shirt for me from Brazil :)
Back to your story…LOL. Great first season and I’m sure you will over take Cruziero soon enough and do well in the Copa de Liberdatores. Is there a Campeanato Paulista league to play in as well?
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:29
Hi Kevin,
Thats sweet! Palmeiras are also a very good side so hopefully they wont beat me!
There is a state championship to play in which begins the season, then it goes into the ‘main’ season I will try to explain next post!
:)
Laxeyman
24 мая, 2011 at 19:36
Sao Paulo looks like a very interesting challenge for you Ana, and you’ve had a good first season. Cruzerio will be hard to topple, but I reckon you can do it in time, although it will of course be difficult. Hopefully you can go along way in the Copa Libertadores as well, good luck!
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:32
Thanks Laxeyman,
I dont want to sound too pesimistic but toppling Cruzeiro will be a challenge in itself!
Hopefully they will collapse!!
Thanks for the luck I will need it! :)
George Dobson
24 мая, 2011 at 19:59
great story hope you win the champiomns league but Cruziero sound great
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:32
Thanks George!
:)
Vinners
24 мая, 2011 at 21:38
Haha finally! Been waiting for your new team for so long :P Ah Marcelo looks really good, but very strange as I have a very similar looking player whos Brazilian with the same name but a regen so must be a massive coincendence! Anyway good luck next season!
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:34
Thanks Vinners,
Sorry had house problems so couldnt post it as early as I wanted!
Marcelo is amazing, a bit spooky maybe he has a clone?? :)
Thanks for the luck!
Johnny Karp
24 мая, 2011 at 22:25
You did very well to finish second on your first season, that’s a very good achievement. I feel that there will be a fierce rivalry between you and Cruzeiro building up, I’m looking forward to that! :) Maybe their best players will be bought by European clubs and you’ll beat them easily next season… ;)
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:38
Thanks Johnny,
The problem is they are buying all the top players back from Europe! I dont know their finances but they seem to be able to offer massive wages up to around £100k a week!
They are a massive club, maybe they had a rich tycoon invest in them. I might check that out as they have spent quiet alot on players also.
Johnny Karp
25 мая, 2011 at 22:43
Well, then I guess there’s only one way to challenge their supremacy: bring in the youngsters!
Ana Garcia
26 мая, 2011 at 21:15
Whoops! I didnt see this comment last night.
Its a good idea especially as Brazil produce an amazing amount of young players!
CsAtlantis
25 мая, 2011 at 00:03
Ah yes Ana, doesn’t the Brazil league have some sort of State championship in January? Where a bunch of small teams and a few big teams compete in a league for a trophy
Looks like Cruzeiro’s squad is pretty strong, hopefully your youth academy can turn out some world class players, luckily you have a modest transfer budget to purchase some more prospects too, oh yeah do you mind posting the 35 million worth player in Cruzeiro? Would be interesting to see his stats………….
Good luck in the Copa Libertadores next season, who knows maybe River or Boca could knock Cruzeiro out……..:P
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:43
Thats right! Infact thats a pretty good explanation also, I may use that in my next post. Its wierd as it dosnt really gain you anything and most of the teams are really poor so am not sure of the point of it.
Cruzeiro’s squad is very good, my youth acadamy is state of the art and we have one or two really promising players so fingers crossed for a Pele or a Rivaldo! :)
I will do, his name is simply Tony but I will post his profile next time.
Ha! Fun fact the manager at River is Javier Mascherano and he has been their for the past 12 years!
:)
vikingmarius
25 мая, 2011 at 11:33
You have done amazingly to get the job at a pretty high-profile club considering where you began, Marcelo looks amazing, you should get him when you move to Europe :)
You did very well in the league and look forward to how you do in the champions league :)
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:45
Thanks!
Ageed, seems like an eternity ago since I started this challenge at Cheonan a long time coming as they say!
Yeah, hopefully no-one will pinch Marcelo off me! :)
Stromson
25 мая, 2011 at 13:44
Looking great Ana, and that’s a pretty impressive turnaround! How are you doing in the State Competition? I’ve heard that if you bomb out of the state level that you can actually lose your spot in the international league, regardless of results, and I was wondering if there was any truth to that.
Good luck in the Copa Lib, and I can’t wait to see how you do!
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:47
Thank you!
Well I joined mid season so I missed the state championship, but we did lose the final to Palmerias.
In response to your question, I have no idea! Am still learning how Brazil works so will tell you if I find out.
Thanks for the luck! :)
Sibo
25 мая, 2011 at 13:52
Wow!
Good club to land Ana! I hope you manage to win the Libertadores and break Cruzeiro’s dominance!
Well done and good luck! :D
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:48
Thanks Sibo!!
I will try my best! :)
Martin
25 мая, 2011 at 15:24
Hi Ana
Great to see you back with another post to your amazing story! Love reading this one more than the others (sorry all…its just i’ve seen this season from the very beginning). Nice to see you a big/strong club…its only taken you 21 seasons :P.
Brilliant first season with Sao Paulo, i’ve managed in Brazil before and it took me a while to get settled, but you’ve taken to it like a duck to water. Your striker Marcelo has been unstoppable. It may take a while to unseat Cruziero from the top stop but, does it really matter? Aint you just wanting to win the South American Champions league and move on?
Looking forward to the next installment and good luck in the South American champs league :)
Regards
Martin
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:52
Hi Martin!
Am really glad you like it, but there are some great stories on this site. 21 years!! God, I cant belive it has taken that long!!
I like the set-up in Brazil, and I play quite attacking football which seems to fit perfectly after I tweaked my tactic. Marcelo is the biggest hope I have but what you say is true!
I dont have to beat Cruzeiro in the league just the Copa Lib and then I can move on!
:)
Sears
25 мая, 2011 at 15:35
Cruzerio look immense, however so does Marcelo :-p Well done on a wonderful season Ana, although it may take a few years to stop Cruzerio’s dominance! Good luck!
Ana Garcia
25 мая, 2011 at 22:53
Thanks Sears,
I agree! hopefully I can win the Copa Lib and break Cruzeiro dominace in that also!!
junior
26 мая, 2011 at 11:23
ana i think ur the best fm player ever..no matter what team you go to,how bad their doing,u understand the squad and bring positive results…teams in china,brazil,africa…UR jst good..
Ana Garcia
26 мая, 2011 at 21:19
Thanks Junior,
I believe that you only get out of the game what you put in it, plus I have read alot of great guides (including the one free on this site!) but am still learning new things to improve.
Best ever! I dont think so but its a nice gesture! :)
brazza
27 мая, 2011 at 20:28
Ana, I just wanted to say, your story so far has had a major influence on me, and after I bought my new Laptop (Old one broke, lost all of my Lewes save (2027) :@) I decided to follow your lead and start an Ultimate Challenge!! Only I must confess, I put England in so I could build momentum :/ Only, after half a season I remembered your issues with Mexico and I’m kicking myself now :@ :L
Good Luck, Brazza
Ana Garcia
27 мая, 2011 at 23:34
Thank you Brazza!
Thats the best response a writer can get, I opted out of picking the major European leagues but I do regret that now.
Dont mention Mexico! LoL!!
I hated my time there the only real time I have not enjoyed this challenge. I would love to hear your progress and how you get on so do keep posting letting me know how you are doing, feels quite lonely doing it on my own!
Again thanks for your kind words, and also the best of luck to you.
Sam Pettitt
29 мая, 2011 at 18:36
Hi Ana :]
just want to say that your story has really inspired me and i’ve started my own Ultimate Challenge! At the moment i’m manager of Kaizer Chiefs going for my first champions league!
Well done on your story! Only two to go! Although Cruzerio look good, i’m sure you’ll manage to overcome them! Marcelo looks like a gem of a player!
Good luck,
Sam.
Ana Garcia
29 мая, 2011 at 23:32
Hi Sam :)
Really nice to hear! Am glad I am not alone on this challenge!
How far are you in the game, I presume a few years as Kaizer Chiefs are quite a big club in South Africa but the best of luck!
Once you get one you get the confidence to go for more, yeah only two to go!
I agree on Marcelo he is amazing and young also so a real star, thanks alot for the comment and I would love to hear your progress also!
Thanks for the good luck wish and I also wish you the best of luck! :)