Millossobek's Master League Written Stories!

@kibaxx7 Thanks bro! Yeah, it was a real challenge, especially in a tough edition like FIFA 15. I've thoroughly enjoyed it!

It was my first season in a FIFA Manager Mode and it was a blast! I love to switch off between PES and FIFA! Two different games, two different personalities, but the immersion in both is really awesome! :)

In fact, I haven't dediced whether to continue on with Benitez's story or go back to Comizzo's (or Werder), as I'm enjoying all three stories so much! Here's what I do know for sure: They are all ongoing and will continue indefinitely! :TU:
 
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Holland said:
Which one will be the winner? :THINK::LMAO:
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It's difficult to say, my friend!! I enjoy both PES and FIFA a lot, they have completely different personalities and characters! It all depends on feeling. :TU:
Holland said:
:YES::APPLAUD::LOVE:
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Heheheh Comizzo and his gang will be back very soon, Sensei!! I consider it my main story, and with your gameplay mods for PES 2021!! :YES: :APPLAUD:
 
Hey man, just wanting to say that i have enjoyed your master league stories ever since I discovered them and it's been fun reading them, hope the stories never end dude!
 
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UNHA CIDADE CONTIGO!! THANK YOU RAFA!! (FIFA 15)
SUPER DEPOR SEASON 2: A WHOLE CITY STANDS BEHIND BENITEZ!​

38 Matches Played
13 wins, 15 draws, 10 losses
8th in Spanish La Liga!

Sometimes I ask myself: What is success in football? Is it only defined by trophies, league titles, international competitions? If that were the case, then 99 percent of all clubs in the world would be abject failures, as most haven't won titles or haven't done so in many years, or haven't even qualified for international cups.. Is success only the shimmering glitter of the trophy as the players douse each other in champagne in multi-million stadiums, in front of ESPN or Sky Sports Cameras, under the complete gaze of the Sports World? Is this success, is this the only measure of it? Of course not. Success is completely relative to the team, to its particular and ever-changing circumstances, like a reflection that changes its shape in the water when a pebble is thrown, waves and circles transforming reality, transforming the way we see it, creating different expectations. In football, like in life, everything is subject to perception.

Rafa Benitez's second season with Deportivo La Coruña (affectionately known as Super Depor) was a resounding success. In his first season, he earned the management's respect. In his second season, he earned the fans' love. Did we win any trophies? No. Did we qualify for Europe? Think again. But this was a beautiful season, one that Depor's fans will cherish for a long time, a season of struggle, of poetry, motion, and most importantly, of humility.

Coming into our second season, Depor was faced with an immense challenge. Eleven players (a crazy number! many of them were starters), had departed the team due to their loanee status, going back to their original squads. This left us quite depleted, and faced with what seemed like an insurmountable hurdle: Would we be able to repeat our historic first season campaign? If you remember, in our first year we were tasked with a very straightforward mission: Avoid relegation. And not only did we do this, but we for sure over-achieved, finishing 11th in the league with a record of 14-7-17. The Depor board, more than satisfied with this outcome, rewarded Rafa with a second season contract, but this time, with a different task: Reach the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey, and much more importantly, finish midtable in La Liga! Would we be able to repeat our feat with such a depleted squad? To some it might seem unfair that the board would expect so much of Benitez and the players, especially after the departure of so many of our key contributors from last season.

With only 10 million euros to spend in the offseason transfer market (man, the board has been stingy as hell!) we had a difficult mission: Replenish our team and try to field a respectable squad and one that could compete for midtable.. This seemed like a colossal task, especially given the fact that we were a weaker team than the year before, at least in terms of raw talent. But we soldiered on: Led by first year stalwarts Helder Postiga, Haris Medunjanin, and Juan Dominguez, we soon picked up Kim Seung-Dae from the K-League to reinforce our frontline, a speedy yet unproven player at a bargain price. But lo-and-behold, little did we know, that he would join the other established 3 players to form a quartet which would lead us to a memorable season!

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Yet there's an important point that I think is important to stress: None of this was known at the start of the season. Kim was an unproven quantity, Postiga was an efficient and charismatic striker, but was aging, and the dual center midfield combo of Medunjanin and Dominguez, while talented, didn't exactly strike fear in 2016 La Liga. Complemented with a group of role players, would Depor be able to achieve the board's lofty goal with a less talented overall squad? All Benitez knew is that we had to approach this season with an immense lack of vanity, knowing that probably in each match, we would be facing more talented squads, many of which would triple us in budget if not more. But, and this I must repeat: This was the challenge that Rafa was looking for. We had to keep our heads down, knowing in the depth of our hearts that we belonged in first division, and try to prove all naysayers wrong!

Surprisingly enough, we held our own in the first quarter of the season, as we went 3-2-4 in our first ten games. After going 1-1-2 in our first four, (Against Athletic 1-1, followed by a 1-0 away to loss to Villarreal, then our first victory 1-0 vs Betis at our stadium and losing 3-1 vs Valencia in fixture 4), we achieved a significant win against Espanyol in fixture 5. This match was worthy of attention, as our two forwards, Helder Postiga and newly acquired Kim Seung-Dae, scored an effective one-two punch against the Catalan side, the seeds of a striker collaboration which would bear fruits throughout the season, as you will see! The Espanyol match was followed by a 2-0 away loss to Valladolid, yet we rebounded well in Fixture 7 with a 2-1 win against Eibar in our grounds. These two aforementioned victories (fixtures 5 and 7) were significant in the sense that they represented a true coming out party for Kim, scoring two goals which proved decisive and creating a true on-field rapport with Postiga (Our Portuguese star coolly scored a penalty vs Eibar to seal the win)! And even though fixtures 8, 9 and 10 were a bit more mixed (a 4-1 loss against a very in-form Barca, a 0-0 draw against Sporting Gijón and a 1-1 away result vs Málaga), we were doing much better than expected with one quarter of the season down.

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What came next was incredible: We improved upon this unexpected form all the way up until the midseason break, going 4-3-2 in our following 9 matches and moving up in the standings in totally unforeseen and grueling fashion! Fixtures 11-15 were particularly positive for us, as we were unbeaten (with a 1-0 victory against Granada, followed by a 0-0 draw against Atlético Madrid, a 3-2 win against Elche at home, an impressive 0-1 away victory against Sevilla in fixture 14, and a 1-1 draw against Getafe in the following match. This represented a wonderful run for us, especially given the circumstances). Despite the fact that fixtures 16-19 were a bit more mixed (a 4-1 loss against Real, an always important 1-2 win in our Galician Derby against Celta de Vigo, and a couple of 1-1 draws against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad in fixtures 18 and 19), we closed out the first half of the season strongly, riding on the heels of an astonishing run which was above and beyond all predictions at the start of the season (more on that later)! A side note: We also reached the R16 in the Copa de Rey in this span, decisively beating Malaga in the R32 before bowing out to Celta in the R16. (It is important to note that Benitez decided to prioritize La Liga over the Domestic Cup, and often fielded our second team filled with former free agents and bargain players).

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Naturally, and as a consequence of our league performance, there were several important highlights in this first half. I would say that the most significant match was Fixture 12 against Simeone's Atletico: It was our first point in two years against the Big 3 (no small task, this!), and we withstood an offensive onslaught as they outshot us 13-1.. A great performance by our defense! Fixture 17 was also a great result: The Galician Derby against Celta. We were looking for comeuppance for our Cup elimination, and this victory had extra spicy condiments: We got one back against our eternal rivals, and the match featured an outstanding performance by our backup striker, soon to be retired ex-Panathinaikos José Toché, who WILLED our team with a brace. After the first half of the season ended, we were 7-5-6, and get this: We had climbed up all the way to SIXTH PLACE. and suddenly, at the halfway point, BENITEZ HAD STEERED DEPOR INTO EUROPA LEAGUE POSITION!! :BSCARF:

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Needless to say, this was an amazing, a truly remarkable feat. Yet, as it is always the case, tough challenges would loom ahead. Would we be able to maintain this torrid pace? Not so fast. In our following 10 matches (fixtures 20-29), we would definitely come back to earth, going 2-4-4. A wakeup call? Maybe. Were we recipients of untimely injuries? Absolutely. But perhaps more realistically, this run brought us back midtable before the final stretch of the season. Malaga stopped our run, handing us a 0-1 defeat in our stadium, and while we were able to rebound against Sporting Gijón with a 0-2 victory in fixture 21, we lost our following match 2-1 on the road against Rayo Vallecano. This would set up yet another edition of the Galician Derby against Celta de Vigo (the fourth time we would meet them this season), and in this time, no differences were created as the final score read 1-1. In fixture 24, the Yellow Submarine of Villarreal showed their difference in quality, beating us 1-2 in a battle for table position, and we finished this stretch with a couple of dramatic draws (1-1 vs Athletic-in a match where Kim had the game winner and was all alone in literally the last play of the match- and yet stealing yet another point 0-0, against Atlético Madrid). Drawing against Simeone's squad was an encouraging sign. Nevertheless ,it was true that our players had hit the proverbial midseason wall and had run a bit out of steam, as this run had brought us back to 10th place, 8 points out of Europa League position and perhaps-realistically speaking-effectively ending European aspirations for this season. Imporantly. injuries yet again played a role in this run of encounters, as two of our four musketeers, Medujanin and Postiga, were injured for long stretches during this period. Had the grind of La Liga exposed our lack of depth? Absolutely. We had performed really well this season, but we were reliant on top-heavy performance. We were a bit unlucky against Bilbao as Kim's shot at the very end could've given us 3 points instead of 1 but despite that, yes.. We were back at midtable! Still overachieving, remarkably, but our lack of depth was a bit evident at this stage.

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Yet, in another twist and turn in this roller-coaster of a season: We would recover near the finish line, going 5-5-2 to close it out and running on a hot streak which propelled us back up in the standings! The next two matches would be momentous for very different reasons: Fixture 27 would feature the return of Helder Postiga after a long injury absence (The Portuguese has been great for us, as both an emotional leader and on the pitch, but he has been very injury prone in the Benitez years). And come back he did, combining his play brilliantly with Kim Seung-Dae (the Korean scored a goal after a VIRTUOSO run using his pace, and found Postiga with a perfect through ball in the second half) to come back from a 1-0 deficit to beat Granada 1-2 in a performance that showcased not only talent, but also a lot of guts, a trademark of Rafa's teams. Fixture 28 was also a STUNNING result, a 0-0 draw against none other than the League Leaders, mighty Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. What was impressive about this draw, in addition to it being against one of the best Madrids in history (BBC, Modric and Kroos and Casemiro, Sergio Ramos, etc), was that we did it with our SECOND TEAM! (Facing a grueling schedule of 3 matches in one week, Benitez chose to field our bench players. Everyone, the press, the fans, everyone and their mother were expecting a drubbing, but nobody saw this 0-0 draw coming, we even had some chances in a brilliant tactical display by Benitez. Overall, a great result. And despite the fact that we lost the next match against Getafe 3-2, we then went on yet another patented run in fixtures 30-32, but this time, with a super-exciting twist: It wasn't just the fact that we won three games in a row! No, that would've been epic enough. It was the WAY that we won them, as our offense remarkably exploded for 10 goals!! (a 2-1 victory against Real Sociedad, a 4-1 drubbing against Valladolid, and a 1-4 goal festival against Espanyol, with amazing performances by Postiga and Kim, scoring a Brace and a Hat-Trick, respectively!) This was a bewildering explosion of goals, to put it mildly!! Up until then, our team had been known for grinding it out, low-scoring games and close encounters.. So this Carnival definitely came as a surprise: Our strikers had woken up and had pulled out all the stops!!


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After the razzle-dazzle of this offensive display, we were facing only 6 fixtures until the end of the season. Fixture 33 would have us visit Barca at Camp Nou. This was a good match, especially given the quality of our opposition, and if it weren't for a brilliant individual play by Neymar Jr., we would've escaped with a point! (Kim even had a chance to equalize at the end like @slamsoze noticed!). Despite the 1-0 loss, this was more than a valiant effort against MSN and a Barcelona which still included Inesta and was one of the best squads ever assembled. A remarkable result in a surprisingly positive season in which we drew Atletico Madrid twice and also drew against Real in the Bernabéu. (I actually think these have been benchmarks in our campaign, as we have stood up to the big 3 and even though we haven't been able to beat them, we have kept our ground). After a rather uneventful 1-1 draw in fixture 34 against Eibar (the waters had to become calm sometime, didn't they?), it was time for the GOAL FESTIVAL to make a comeback, as we played what was undoubtedly the craziest match of the season, an INSANE 4-4 draw at home against Sevilla (or should I say Carlos Bacca? He scored all 4 of their goals!) 8 goals in one match! Absolutely an event that had be seen to be believed (Kim continued on with his torrid pace, scoring another hat trick in an absolutely historic night! If it weren't for costly defensive mistakes and the fact that Bacca was on fire, this could've been our most epic win of the season, instead, it was the craziest!!) This was followed by a great away 1-3 win against Elche, before closing out the season with a couple of draw results against opponents with vastly different realities and at opposite ends of the table: 1-1 vs #3 Valencia and a 0-0 away match against a very inspired Betis (who were in a desperate fight to avoid relegation but we kept them from recording a victory)! Obviously a very consequential match for them, yet we took it very seriously as well as we wanted to finish in the top 8, a symbolic gesture that moreso than the points (we were far from European spots long ago), served as an objective reality: We wanted to be amongst the 8 best teams in Spain, and we did it, with a depleted squad, no less!!


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Circling back at the end of the season, I can confidently state that Rafa Benitez's second year at Super Depor was MASSIVE. So much so, that he earned the complete trust of the board, and much more importantly, total devotion from a city that was nostalgic for relevance! No, we didn't qualify for Europe this season, and even though it would've been a great feat it really doesn't matter at this point. We fought, we streaked, we swooned, but in the end, not only did we persevere, but we brought back first division relevance to La Coruña, in the myriad and mysterious Northwestern state of Spain. Galician lands, colder and completely connected to its martime traditions, dark and cloudy, with a fanbase which usually doesn't bask under the sun but withstands and even enjoys the moody weather, grey clouds, cold Atlantic air and rain.. In matches that at times seem more like they are being played in Scotland than in the sunny Iberian Peninsula.. With the languid and somewhat melancholic sounds of Catalan mixing in with Spanish.. A hero emerged. Rafa Benitez, of Valencia and Liverpool fame, completely cast out from Madrid, remembered fondly at Newcastle, is now seen as a Giant in Deportivo La Coruña.

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Rafa Benitez: "I cannot emphasize enough the importance of humility. It's humilty which enabled us to reach this point. Humility is what grounded us in every single match, in every fight for possession and clearance, in every attempt to tackle and dispossess. Does talent alone guarantee success? Does hard work? Perhaps not one without the other. But when we are not abundant in the first, we must emphasize the second. Yet again, I must once again ask all of you, all of you gathered here. What is success? Do you live your lives, waking up every morning thinking of success in your head? Doesn't this become a bit tiresome after a while? Yes, Football is a Sport, and we all play to win. But maybe, just maybe there's something beyond winning. Maybe, just maybe, what makes us become enamoured with football, and also with life is something that might sound unromantic, but might be the secret to happiness. Maybe football, like life, like love, is not about winning, but about BUILDING."

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:BSCARF::TU: Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Master League Stories! :TU::BSCARF:
Comments are welcome!:YES:
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What I love the most about this thread, it's not just coz' has a focal point to tell stories... but how those are told and exposed in sync with images, videos and in context with the narrative. It's just amazing that every single story feels unique because of the sheer amount of PES/FIFA past games, but also how diverse are picked managers, clubs and nations that from a real life point of view makes sense with a touchable flavor regarding a fantasy & parallel historic perspective... :APPLAUD:

Keep the good work mate !!! :RSCARF:
 
@etb10dmk Yeah man! I always try to make fantasy connect with reality in my stories! For example, if I am playing with a real-life manager, I always try to follow his personality, or at least how I perceive it to be! Comizzo with his fighting temperament, Benitez the hardworking and grounded approach, etc, yet at the same time, leave a lot of space for imagination , storytelling, and emotion! And I agree: There are so many games to choose from, it really is depending on the mood and the time period you want to play! The immersion in football games is fantastic. :)

Thanks a lot for your support and for following the thread, bro! It really is great to hear that you're enjoying the ride!

I am still debating whether I'm going to continue with my PES 2021 Peruvian Master League or my FIFA 15 Career mode in Spain. These are my two main stories at the moment, and I really want to continue both. In anycase, stay tuned for more updates! :BSCARF:
 
millossobek said:
@etb10dmk Yeah man! I always try to make fantasy connect with reality in my stories! For example, if I am playing with a real-life manager, I always try to follow his personality, or at least how I perceive it to be! Comizzo with his fighting temperament, Benitez the hardworking and grounded approach, etc, yet at the same time, leave a lot of space for imagination , storytelling, and emotion! And I agree: There are so many games to choose from, it really is depending on the mood and the time period you want to play! The immersion in football games is fantastic. :)

Thanks a lot for your support and for following the thread, bro! It really is great to hear that you're enjoying the ride!

I am still debating whether I'm going to continue with my PES 2021 Peruvian Master League or my FIFA 15 Career mode in Spain. These are my two main stories at the moment, and I really want to continue both. In anycase, stay tuned for more updates! :BSCARF:
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My vote for FIFA 15. It feels more fresh to me. Additionally i would like to see some FIFA14 Story, as it has gathered a lot of praise and I've not seen enough gameplay footage.
 
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THE WERDERANER!!!!! (PES 2009, Season 3)

Özil, Ono, Appiah, and Pizarro Lead Werder Bremen to the Champions League!!
(My First Ever Champions League in my ML Stories!!)

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:GSCARF: Stay Tuned, my Friends!! :GSCARF:
:TU: - Millossobek - :TU: ​
 
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Get ready for Midfield Battles and Tenacious Mentality..

Introducing.. My Official Werder Bremen FIFTH MUSKETEER.. Joining Pizarro, Ozil, Appiah, and Ono..

Star Defensive Midfielder..

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:GSCARF: BLAISE MATUIDI!!!!! :GSCARF:
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Manager Millossobek: "Adding a player of Blaise's quality will pay immediate dividents for our team. He will be the anchor of our midfield, completing our midfield revolution that I envisioned 3 years ago, and his tenacious defensive skills will be complemented with a very well balanced all around game. I don't see him as a Defensive Midfielder only, but a complete, dynamic multi-faceted modern player, one that will defend, attack, build up play, help in everything. I am not usually one to sing praises after the transfer window, but I can't contain my excitement at Blaise's arrival. He also happens to be a great person, with a humble and easygoing yet strong personality. This is a win-win for the Werderaner."

Matuidi: "It's an honor to wear this shirt.. Growing up in Fontenay-sous-Bois, I grew up admiring Jay-Jay Okocha, so I appreciate a little flair. But as my footballing career has progressed, I have developed my own identity as a player. My main love is defending and tackling, but I also love distributing the ball, and helping in the attack as well. But moreso than talking so much about tactics, I will assure you that I will bring a mentality that will complement the existing Four Musketeers. I am not looking to shine individually. I am not looking for personal glory. What I am looking for is team glory, give this mythical shirt the respect and love it deserves, to get along well with my teammates, and to let my game speak for itself. I cannot wait to play my first Champions League Match!!"

:GSCARF: More Coming Up Soon!! :GSCARF:
:TU: - Millossobek - :TU:​
 
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Four Musketeers Riding High in the Night Sky..
From Four Different Corners of the Globe,
Bringing Opportunity, Fantasy, Tenaciousness, Wanderlust,
Giving an Entire City Pride, Blanketing it with Poetry,
Painting the Grounds with their Hopes,
Defending their Title,
Representing Modern Germany,
Its Different Cultures, Proud and Smiling Under One Flag..

:GSCARF: Stay Tuned to the Exciting Conclusion of My Werder Bremen Story. :GSCARF:
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OUT OF MANY, WE BECOME ONE!! THE WERDER BREMEN CHRONICLES (PES 2009)
We Climb Our Highest Peaks in Our Third Season, Going on a MASSIVE Campaign!!
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38 League Matches Played
(+7 CEF Pokal and 8 CL Matches)
25 wins, 8 draws, 5 losses
1st in Central Europe Federation
CEF League and Pokal Champions!!

Werder Bremen. A Central European Powerhouse. Who would've thought that these words would materialize in only three short years? Nobody, absolutely no one in the footballing universe could've ever predicted this incredible and joyful ride. Indeed, one of the most amazing stories ever to grace European Football, Manager Millossobek's Midfield Revolution took hold and elevated the Werderaner from the doldrums of second division to the heights of League and Cup competitions in only three seasons. Was it magic? I wouldn't say so. Magic is defined as something supernatural, something that defies our physical existence and goes beyond our understanding. This is reality. This story, my friends, represented the new face of German Football, united in diversity, forging strength from different origins. This team was humble yet devastating. International yet rooted in local traditions, with charisma pouring out of every move. This adventure, in fact, was a brotherhood of one. Let me tell you how it came about.

This generation of the Werderaner has its roots in different corners of the globe, which, quite unexpectedly and spotaneously, came together under Northern Germanic skies. While it is true that Manager Millossobek knew that he had something special brewing in his first season, his Four Musketeers soared to previously unimaginable, heights that seemed almost impossible when this story began. And we did it in our own way. Building young talent and mixing it with veteran leadership, we assembled a truly international roster who, even if they were not considered superstars, created something together that not only stood the test of time, but transcended football, created an identity that an entire city (and indeed, a country) could rally behind: Claudio Pizarro. The grizzled Peruvian striker, "El Bombardero de los Andes" who had toiled away for years at Werder, was joined in our first season by three incredibly promising youngsters, some of which were just realizing their potential, others entering their prime: Mesut Ozil, A young, 20 year old German of Turkish origin, an on-ball magician with amazing field vision and a knack for making the right pass at the right time, an artist painting a canvas on the pitch.. Shinji Ono, the Japanese Jack of all Trades, a complete player bringing a sense of calmness, coolness, opportunity and charisma and always playing with a wisdom belying his years, and Stephen Appiah, The Ghanaian Warrior, the engine of our team, tireless and our emotional leader driving the midfield, temperamental and mercurial but always inspiring. Driven by this midfield revolution accompanying our Peruvian striker, the "Four Musketeers" steered Werder to promotion in their first season, against a tough Central Europe Federation made up of German, French, and some Dutch and Swiss teams. We were back in the top flight in the first year of our adventure! :GSCARF:

Even though The Werderaner had returned in first division, back to their rightful place amongst Central Europe's teams, nobody could've expected what would happen in our second season, the outcome of which was incredibly more surprising than the first. Our Four Musketeers were strengthened by a good amount of role players, and even though nobody in our team could rightfully be called a superstar, we were playing as a cohesive unit, one that believed in each other and had rapidly found an identity under Manager Millossobek: A talented midfield being the engine of the team, with veteran leadership up front and role players humbly doing their part. Earning promotion was hard but now, a much tougher challenge awaited. The Top Flight featured the cream of the crop of Central Europe, Bayern, Olympique Lyon, Ajax, Dortmund, Marseille, PSV Eindhoven, Schalke and many others! Would we be able to compete against this massive group? This question would be rapidly answered! We actually went beyond competing, and in fact had what I can only describe as a campaign right out of a storybook. Coming racing out of the gates, we had an awesome and surprising first half of the season (going 12-5-2), as the rest of the campaign would take on a suspenseful nature, namely a tit-for-tat league race against archrivals Bayern Munich. This was an incredible achievement, given that we had not had any big-name signings in the offseason.. You see, it was just a question of us staying together and believing in each other, as the synergy between Pizarro, Ozil, Appiah, and Ono was undeniable and seemed to grow stronger as each match progressed. In the end, even though we crashed out of the Central European Federation Pokal Cup, and Bayern injured 4 of our players during the title race, fueling more fire to the rivalry late in the campaign, we ended up winning the league by a comfortable margin, in an astounding turn of events, going from bottom dwellers to winners of the top flight in only two spellbinding years! 🏆

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Now, our third season would beckon. What new experiences would wait us? An amazing ride had preceded us, but would we have the firepower, and more importantly, the mettle and the spirit to repeat our performance? Our meteoric ascent to the top of the Central Europe Federation had definitely put a target on our backs, as the other teams (especially Bayern)! were eager to dethrone us and prove to the world that our team of upstarts and rag-tag wildcards were nothing more than that, a lucky strike from the Footballing Gods, a one-time deal. Everyone was out there to prove us wrong, and like the popular adage says, and which in this case was totally applicable.. There's nothing harder than being a Defending Champion. Manager Millossobek was not counting his chips though, as he knew deep down that we had a chance to not only perform well, but to stun the Central European Federation if we kept our head down, humbly played every game one at a time, displayed the same intensity and heart, and gave our best effort while still playing with the unison and joy that characterized us our first two seasons!

Season #3 could not start any better, starting out with with a couple of 0-2 away wins against Brugge and Toulouse to get us off on the right foot, followed by a 5-0 thrashing of Lyon and a 1-0 victory against Dortmund which enlarged our confidence! Four straight victories: A crackin' start to the season, one in which no one player shined but one in which we were absolutely playing as a team, all together displaying the same qualities that had driven us to the title the previous season, brandishing our swords of defending champions with pride! This hopeful and encouraging start was followed by a 2-2 draw against Frankfurt in Fixture 5 (in which we uncharacteristically gave up a 2 goal lead in the second half), and a few mixed results: (our first loss of the season, 1-0 to Stuttgart, in a match where it was abundantly clear that they were playing with a huge chip on their shoulders, as their rabid fanbase egged them on passionately against the unexpected Defending Champions), followed by a trip to Belgium where we drew 0-0 against Standard Liege, on a very cold evening in the Wallonia, French-speaking area of the country. Thankfully, in true Werderaner fashion, we rebounded quite well from this mini-slump, and went on a tear, winning 4 out of our next 5 matches! (Fixture 8 saw us beating the always tough Ajax 2-1, followed by the only loss of this stretch against Bordeaux, and then reeling off 3 straight wins: 2-1 vs Anderlecht, 1-2 in a road win against LOSC Lille, and a 3-1 victory against recently promoted Zurich in Fixture 12!). This run of positive football, in which we were 8-2-2, was a first quarter of the season that truly went above and beyond what anyone was expecting. Yes we were defending champions, but we were playing with a poise and a togetherness which was made the more surprising being that other teams saw us as targets. With 25% of the season in the bag, we were sitting in first place, a point ahead of Girondins, and spearheading us 4 points clear of third place! :GSCARF:

The CFE Pokal would come next. As we were League Champions, we were given a be in the first round, so therefore a 2nd Round matchup against a familiar foe (should I say top nemesis) awaited: Bayern Munich. I gotta say, facing Bayern this early in the Cup was a bit of a surreal experience, (I would've expected to have faced them much later on, but that, in a sense, was the luck of the draw)! In the first leg, played at the Weserstadion, we weren't able to prevail, as a late goal by Bayern lifted them to a 1-2 victory in our grounds, freshly reminding us that even if we were doing really well in the league, the Cup was a completely different creature and that Bayern would not take anything for granted. In actuality, I have to say that I was a bit frustrated after this match, because not only were we facing our toughest rivals (who gave us a nail-bitingly epic title race last season down the stretch), but we were also facing an insane schedule, the lines of which we hadn't seen before in this campaign: 16 matches over 8 weeks! It was really crazy, to say the least, trying to balance out 3 competitions at once, but it was a challenge that we were looking forward to facing, being that we had reinforced our team quite well during the previous offseasons, adding depth the our bench roster.

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Back in the League, and after a great away win in Fixture 13 against PSV (in which we played a large squad comprised of mainly second team players due to scheduling fatigue and in a game where we managed to play really well, with our little-used defender Hyka contributing 3 assists), we were ready for a new challenge. For the first time in many years, Werder Bremen would be playing the Champions League, a privilege granted to us due to being Central Europe Federation Champions the year before. Our group would face us off against tough rivals: Valencia, Tottenham and PSV Eindhoven, a very balanced group with no clear favorite. Yet the most resounding question would linger: After a great first third of the season where we had surprisingly cemented our place atop our league, would we be posed to face off against the European best? Would we be ready? Our first Champions League match would be at the Weserstadion, facing Tottenham (and a very young Luka Modric I might add)! Groupstage 1 was an interesting match. Even though our starting eleven was rested, we finished 1-1 against the English side, as our master playmaker Ozil found Di Gennaro for a goal but unfortunately we couldn't hold on for the win. Not the ideal result, but we had managed a point in our first CL fixture, a decent result in our international Cup debut.

As we continued to juggle our lineup, it was time to go back to the League as we faced the Farfán-led Schalke in Fixture 14, drawing against them (2-2). Then it was time for groupstage of the Champions League, once again playing at home but this time against grizzled veterans Valencia. In reverse fashion to what had happened earlier in the season, this time we came back from an 0-2 deficit to equalize with a goal by Pizarro and a penalty kick by Di Gennaro (who came in to replace a tired Mame Diouf in the second half, the Italian was a key role player), and we were once again able to salvage a point. Although we had only managed 2 points in our first couple of games, Manager Millossobek saw this as a moral victory of sorts, being that we were able to come back in the darkest periods of Groupstage 2. This was followed by another tie back in the League, 1-1 vs Leverkusen before our most important match of the Champions League Stage so far, an away encounter against PSV Eindhoven in the third groupstage. And let me tell you guys, this was a crazy, crazy match. and one that set the tone for the rest of the groupstage: PSV scored first to the delight of their rabid fans, and Shinji Ono equalized to make it 1-1 in minute 34. Only four minutes later, PSV would take the lead again to make it 1-2, which was a disheartening turn of events heading into halftime. Changing tactics was important, and we did, as just as the second half started, Mame Diouf equalized again (on a rebound after the PSV keeper stopped Pizarro's shot), and everything was tied again (2-2). The match went on.. Were we destined to play to another draw, only managing to rescue a point, or would we do something to separate ourselves from the pack? Out of nowhere though in minute 57, PSV went scored again.. it was 2-3 and things weren't looking good... We were fighting so hard, not only against PSV but also facing increasingly loud supporters.. Would we be able to rescue a point? Reisinger came in for an exhausted Pizarro and, out of nowhere, in minute 72, was recklessly fouled in the box by a PSV defender!! What a mistake by PSV! Mame Diouf steps through and we equalize!! The roller-coaster continues.. a couple of minutes later.. It's Fredheim Holm, our youngster from the bench who came in for Ozil with the winning goal, we take the lead, this time for good as we manage to hold on in the most exciting match of the Groupstage! Final score: PSV 3-4 Werder! An insane match that had Manager Millossobek sweating all throughout, yet we showed the quality and depth of our squad! Shinji had an absolutely monster game, the architect of our midfield and of our comeback. The key was this: No matter how many times PSV scored on us, we always had a response.. and at the halfway mark of the Groupstage, we had 5 points and were second in our group, only trailing Valencia! A remarkable turn of events!

Back in the league, we would draw 2-2 vs Marseille in Fixture 16 (once again fielding a largely second team) before heading out to London to face Tottenham Hotspur in CL groupstage 4. And even though we were close to replicating the comeback against PSV, in this case we played to another goalfest, a 3-3 result to draw once again. Seen in retrospect, this was an extremely valuable point as it retained our second place moving forward. Yet the insane, 2 game a week scheduling would continue: After a very convincing win 4-1 win against Hoffenheim in the League, it was time to go back to the CEF Pokal, where, reminder time, we were trailing 1-2 against Bayern. Yet, Comebacks were becoming a staple of our Werderaner, as we beat them in Allianz Stadium 2-4 (for a global of 4-5), with late goals by Pizarro and Ozil to seal the deal and advance to the next round against our rivals! :GSCARF: After coming back and drawing 1-1 in Fixture 18 (once again against Bayern, this time with a second team), it was Champions League time once more, as we would head out to Spain, where we would face group leaders Valencia (the toughest match of our group, on paper). This was a "moment of truth" game, since a win against the leaders would give us a very nice position for Champions League qualification, and.. We stepped up to the challenge! Responding with a resounding away 1-3 win at Estadio de Mestalla!! Pizarro, Diouf and Ozil scored some beautiful goals and we signed the exclamation point and came back with the most important CL win of our groupstage. These 3 points were definitely worth their weight in gold, as we overtook Valencia and led the table with 9 points, with Valencia having 8 and PSV 7. This convincing result meant that a draw in the next match would see us through to the next round!

Two League matches beckoned after our CL trip, as we handily beat Wolfsburg 2-0 and lost one of the few matches this season so far, 0-1 at home vs Belgian powerhouse Club Brugge. in Fixture 20 (once gain fielding a secondary squad due to scheduling constraints). As we went back to face groupstage 6 in the CL against PSV, we knew that a draw would be enough, so we played a bit more conservatively than usual. However. as the Footballing Gods would have it, we would end up winning the game 1-0, courtesy of an early game dispossession by Stephen Appiah which led to a furious run that beat the entire Dutch defense for the score (minute 7)! A good defensive performance would follow for the rest of the match, as we hung on for the 3 points and finished the group stage at the top of the table! Remarkably, we had won our group after drawing our first two matches by winning 4 of the next 5 groupstages! It could now be said that we had shocked not only German writers but also Europe, as we weren't favored to win the group, proving on the way that we belonged in the International Stage against some of the toughest squads in the continent, a group in which Valencia had led most of the way and Tottenham largely disappointed, and PSV always chipping at the heels. But we had overtaken them all!

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Champions League qualification would be a huge boost for us, both in our confidence as well as in terms of recognition both in the CEF as well as the continent at large! We would ride on the coattails of this momentum in several high-scoring matches, both in the League and back at the CEF Pokal Cup. A 4-2 goal festival in Fixture 21 of the League vs Toulouse (in which Ozil scored an insane shot from outside the box in the first half, and recently signed Kazim-Kazim shined with two second half goals) was followed by yet another 4-2 result in the Pokal Cup quarters against Ajax (a Masterful performance by Pizarro, with yet another brace added to his collection). Fixture 22 was a rare 4-2 defeat against Lyon, as Manager Millossobek decided to rest most of our starters, yet we would recover back at the CEF Pokal, showing resiliency in drawing 2-2 in Amsterdam in the return match (6-4 global score), and in the process eliminating Ajax and advancing to the Pokal Semifinal! :GSCARF: An interesting point is that the Pokal semi wasn't scheduled for another 11 weeks, which meant that our immediate goals were twofold at the moment: continue our torrid pace in the league, and focusing on our CL quarterfinal, which would be against none other than Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry and Zlatan's Barcelona, a strange turn of events and a stiff challenge indeed as they finished second in their group. We were looking forward to the challenge!

Before facing Barca, though, first we had to take care of a few matches back at the League. Fixture 23 would feature another historically great match, one of several that would remain etched in memory, against the massive Yellow Wall of Dortmund, Signal Iduna Park, perhaps the toughest place to play in all of Central Europe was awaiting, with their 81,000+ passionate, standing-only supporters. Yet, in true Werderaner fashion, we wouldn't let this, or anything intimidate us this season, as we faced the yellow wall and the Dortmund faithful and walked away with a dominating 0-3 win, in a game that featured 2 goals from our "Bombardero de los Andes" Pizarro, who dazzled a still unbelieving Dortmund Crowd! Importantly, this encounter also featured the emergence of our Fifth Musketeer, Defensive Midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who assisted one of the goals and perhaps more importantly, played tenacious defense, harassing the Dortmund midfielders and forwards during the entire 90 minutes and enabled us to play with freedom to score our goals! This was an impressive win, indeed, perhaps the most impressive win of our league season so far. Yet Fixture 24 would be very different, as we lost our most lopsided game of the season, a 4-1 defeat against Frankfurt. It is important to note however, that we played all of our reserves, even some of our youngsters, due to the fact that in the same week, we would play our Champions League quarterfinals against perhaps the most lauded team in the world, Barcelona!

Going up against THIS superstar-filled Barca was always going to be a challenge, we knew that. But there was no fear whatsoever. We played a hard-fought match at the Wederstadion for the first leg, and played really well. In fact, I would say that we outplayed Barcelona through most of the match, with clear chances by Pizarro, Appiah, Ono, and Diouf all throughout. Unfortunately though, a screamer from Bojan Krkic in minute 64 was just enough to seal Barca's 0-1 victory, which was a bit frustrating. In fact, during the last 5-10 minutes of the match, we were literally all over them, pressing them and creating a lot of chances (almost an equalizer by Diouf which sailed just wide just before the match ended)! So, although we lost a frustrating match, we weren't feeling discouraged because we had played them really well, generating many chances.. We knew we had a chance at Camp Nou. (Following the insane scheduling of the Central European Federation though, we had another midweek game against Stuttgart- Fixture 25, but in this case, we did much better, edging them 1-0 with once again our reserve team).. A few days later, we would go to Catalunya to try to revert the first leg result, and this match was a bit different, as Barca played better than us and ended up winning 2-1 (3-1 aggregate score)., featuring goals by Zlatan and Seydou Keita (both assisted by Henry). Even though Mame Diouf had gotten us closer with an equalizer, we were still behind on the global, and Keita's 84 minute score sealed the deal. As the final whistle blew, we were out of the Champions League, as Barca would advance to the semifinals against Inter, while Real would face Man U in the other semi.. Was I disappointed? Sure, a bit, but also having fought against this team with so many high-paying superstars (and who probably quadrupled us in terms of budget and salaries), and having battled them well, we had a great European Cup and could leave with our heads held high. In a way, I was also relieved, because the insane League-CL-Pokal schedule was really draining on my players. With the Champions League over, now we could fully focus on the League and the CEF Cup! :)

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And guess what.. We came back.. With a vengeance!! Winning our next 4 League matches in SPECTACULAR fashion, we were DEFINITELY peaking after our CL exit. In all of these four victories (4-1 against Liege, 3-4 against Ajax, 3-2 against Bordeaux, and 0-4 against Anderlecht), we scored a total of 15 goals, averaging almost 4 goals a game as once again our story turned!! :GSCARF: Our minds were truly concentrated and set: This was a complete goal carnival that really showed our talent back in the League. Many players shined in this winning streak, for example, the emergence of Kazim-Kazim (aka Kazim Richards) was key in this surge, an essential offseason pickup from England. Even though he was mostly a bench player (substituting for Mame Diouf), Kazim came through in several of these games and scored very important goals. He really shined. Ozil was also on fire, assisting and threading the needle in the midfield masterfully, as well as scoring a beautiful angled free kick against Ajax (this game was an epic comeback, since we came down from a 3-1 deficit to score three more goals, including two scores by Pizarro in the last 15 minutes), and playing beautiful overall football. Continuing on with the Musketeers, Stephen Appiah scored two goals against Bordeaux, as it seemed like he was EVERYWHERE in this game. In addition, the match Anderlecht was also a clinic, with a Pizarro brace, a score by Kazim, and an absolutely beautiful play by Ozil, slaloming the Belgian defenders and leaving them stranded in the box before a spectacular finish. We were definitely riding high, and expanding our league in the standings! (After Fixture 29, we had a commanding 6 point lead in the table, over second place Lyon, and 8 clear of 3rd place Bayern and PSV!). Yes, we were focusing on the League, and in commanding fashion, this was an insane run!! :ROCK:

Fixture 30 would be a draw, 3-3 at home vs LOSC Lille (continuing on our high goalscoring ways),. We would rest some players in this match, however, because.. After an 11 week absence, it was Pokal Cup time again, facing PSV at the Weserstadion. Yet even though our players were well rested, something was a little off in this match, as PSV was able to beat us 1-2 in our grounds. We had once again lost the first leg in the Pokal, but hopes were still high, because if there's anything that Werder had proven this year, is that we had a lot of fight in us and a comeback was absolutely not out of the question.. But once again, we had League business to take care of: We would continue our hot streak, visiting Zurich and winning 1-2 (in what was Mame Diouf's night, a brace!), followed by yet another goalscoring 4-3 festival against PSV, in an encounter that featured a bit of everything! (an own goal by PSV in the very first play, a goal by our side back Mamadou Dabo, THREE goals by PSV to level the score before halftime, and Kazim-Kazim setting up Mame Diouf for the winning 4-3 goal, another roller coaster of a match in a campaign filled with them!) We would continue on with our winning League ways, beating Schalke 0-2 at their stadium in Fixture 33, in a match that featured two goals in five minutes to seal the victory. We were really firing on all cylinders, which was really important, as it also gave us confidence to make a comeback at the Pokal. Our League lead was 4 points with 6 matches to go, and despite the fact that everything was up in the air still, this run of positive results bided really well.

First though, it was time to take care of business in the Pokal semifinals. Even though we had lost our first match 1-2 vs PSV at home, and the road ahead seemed long and difficult as we traveled to Amsterdam for the second leg, we once again showed our class and figthing spirit and ONCE again came up with a HUGE comeback, beating them 3-1 for a global score of 4-3! (We were up by halftime before they made it 2-1 and leveled the global score, but an 80th minute goal by little-used Bernd Schuster was the deciding factor!) Once again, with our back up against the ropes, we showed what we were made of, this time with the contributions of an unsung hero, and we moved to the CEF Pokal Cup Final as our exhilarating run continued, where we would meet LOSC Lille! But first, two League matches were in store for us, Fixtures 34 and 35, which we handily won (2-0 vs Leverkusen, featuring goals by our backup CF Reisinger-who was having a great season, and our resident warrior-box to box emotional leader Stephen Appiah, and another spectacular 1-4 win against Marseille in France, with Pizarro and Kazim Kazim doing the honors this time, with a brace each!) And the long-awaited moment after a season of League dominance had arrived: After Fixture 35, we were one step closer to clinching the League title, as one more win in the last 3 matches would ensure us lifting the long-awaited and expected League Trophy! But first, we had some business to take care of.

Pokal final time against Lille.. Werder Bremen's first Cup final in the Millossobek Era, and.. You wouldn't guess it. This final was no contest, just absolute domination by Werder Bremen! It was a single-match final played at the Stadio Olimpico, and we completely outplayed Lille, scoring a Demolishing Penta (Goals by Di Gennaro, Sami Khedira-who we had purchased in the offseason but hadn't had many chances to shine-, our young promise Fredheim Holm, and TWO goals by our newest our Wunderkind Kazim Kazim, once again coming up huge in the clutch moments!!).. After 90 minutes had passed, the final whistle blew, and we could finally say: CEF POKAL CUP CHAMPIONS!!!!! We had won the final in spectacular fashion, and once again reiterated that we might not have been the most talented, or the most hip, or the most expensive team in the CEF, but we were proving to be the best! Final score: Werder Bremen 5-0 Lille, a majestic night for the ages, as the night sky lit up with green and white confetti, we reveled in our victory under Olimpico skies. The first part of our mission was complete, and we needed only one more win in the League to make Central European History.

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Let me tell you though: For all the epicness of our Pokal title, this joy would not compare to what would happen in our next match, Fixture 36 of the Central Europe Federation. Going up against Hoffenheim, we knew that a victory would finally ensure us the league title, our second in a row. Even though we were basking in the CEF Pokal win, we knew that this match would define our legacy, as a win would crown us consecutive CEF League Champions and therefore carried a lot more weight. As we stepped on the pitch and initial whistle blew, we were aware of the importance of our circumstances, and..... only 11 minutes later, we would strike first!!!! Mame Diouf, our secondary striker, the eternal companion to Pizarro on the front line, scored a goal with a great move outside the box to elude the Hoffenheim defenders, juking them out of their shoes, and finishing it off with a lethal strike from outside. It was 1-0 Werder Bremen, and things were going as planned. The match went on, with good chances by both sides, and despite the fact that we were winning, we weren't resting on our laurels, and kept attacking, trying to ensure the win.. Yet this wouldn't be a Millossobek Story without a suspenseful challenge: In minute 37, Demba Ba equalized, and only a few minutes later, as the halftime whistle rang, the game was tied 1-1. We knew that we had a chance and were letting it slip away, would we respond in the second half? We came out aggressively, and even though Hoffenheim was closing spaces well and a tie wasn't a bad result for our title hopes, we wanted to finish everything tonight.. In minute 56, it's Mesut Ozil, eluding defenders, and going on a massive run to put himself in golscoring position... and it's a goal!!!!!! Mesut had broken the deadlock with a patented strike from outside!! Would we be able to clinch the title tonight? Not if Demba Ba had anything to say about it! Once again, His goal at minute 71 tied the game as this was looking like a rollercoaster of emotion once more.. Yet we didn't want to leave anything to chance.. And even though we were not aware of how Lyon (#2 in the CEF standings) were doing in their match, it didn't really matter. It was a matter of pride as well as winning the title NOW.. The time was NOW, and we felt it. We felt it in our heart. And so it was, as destiny would have it, that only 8 minutes later, in minute 79, Ozil receives a pass from Pizarro, goes on a great run, is one on one against the keeper, strikes it, the keeper saves it.... but it's Pizarro, who was trailing Mesut all along, who shoots in the rebound with the sideways bicycle kick.. AND IT'S A GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We would manage to hold on for the last 10 minutes + extra time and in the end, as the whistle blew.. The final score was Hoffenheim 2-3 Werder Bremen and WE HAD FINALLY DONE IT WITH A LEAGUE-WINNING GOAL BY PIZARRO!! YES, YES!!!!!! FINALLY, AFTER WEEKS OF SUSPENSE WHICH SEEMED LIKE FOREVER, WE WERE BACK TO BACK CENTRAL EUROPEAN FEDERATION LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :GSCARF::TU: :APPLAUD: :GSCARF: As soon as the match was over, Manager Millossobek ran onto the field to hug his players in ecstasy, the relief of a long wait to win the title even though he had led most of the way. You could hear a large group of Werder Bremen supporters at the Hoffenheim stadium going absolutely nuts as we had clinched our second League title in a row, and as the champagne and the celebrations ensued, it was real. The fans, the footballing world was witnessing something special: From Second Division to Back to Back Champions in three years.. They knew that they were witnessing an extraordinary adventure, and that they were a huge part of it!! The Four Musketeers hugged each other in celebration, the struggle and the relief, the expectation and the reward had fully arrived.

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The very next day, back in Bremen, hundreds of thousands of fans, in fact the entire city came out for the title winning downtown parade as the Werderaner arrived! The whole city area was completely covered by green, white, and orange confetti, flags with the faces of Pizarro, Ono, Appiah, and Ozil, music and beer to be found all over the place, an entire city held in rapture by this footballing revolution. In only three seasons, Manager Millossobek had managed to do what seemed impossible: Not only rescue the Werderaner from the brink of bankruptcy and second division, but also lead them into a Double Championship (back to back CEF Leagues and a CEF Pokal Cup on top of it!) The celebrations went well into the night, as the entire eyes of not only Germany, but all of Central Europe, were fixed upon the city of Bremen, where for one inspiring moment in time, titles were won not because of a financial takeover, nor a huge injection of money, but by a group of players from different corners of the globe (Germany, Ghana, Peru, Japan, France, England, Turkey, Costa Rica, Italy, Senegal) who came together under one banner, brandished an international style and embraced a Werderaner identity as they played sometimes beautiful, sometmes fighting football! Innumerable flags could be seen on the streets, as immigrants and native Germans mixed together in dance and celebration, faithfully supported a team that represented their aspirations, a new face for Germany, hopes for the future, and reveling in the present. This was one of the largest, most impassioned parades in European history, an entire city embracing their heroes with open arms, and open hearts.

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The next two matches were a bit of afterthoughts after the title-clinching win (Fixture 37 was a 1-1 draw against heated rivals Bayern in our grounds, a match which was taken professionally but where the fans spent the entire match singing and waving their flags, in a way oblivious to the in-game action.. As the title had been won at Hoffenheim, this match had more of a concert feel, with fans playing Rock, African beats, and there was even a Japanese performer in honor of Shinji Ono in the crowd, this match was taken more as a cleebration of the title! And Fixture 38, a victory in our last game of the season 2-0 vs Wolfsburg at their stadium). Winning two leagues in a row, plus the CEF Pokal was an incredible achievement, but moreso than the achievement itself, it was a celebration of loyalty and love for a team and a city, staying together, and a rags-to-riches stories completely fueled by the mind of Manager Millossobek, who envisioned this Midfield Revolution with his international young roster, led by veteran Claudio Pizarro, the long-serving Werderaner who had witness the bad times, the almost-bankruptcy of the club, and who could now hoist three trophies with the organization! True, the Champions League was eventually won by Real Madrid (beating Inter in the final), but the story that captured the imagination of the football world this year was Werder Bremen's unlikely run, playing a brand of football that millions fell in love with, under an uber-charismatic group of players who, with humility, joy, pride, and persistence, beat much more experienced and expensive teams on their way to glory. The tale of the 2009-2012 Werderaner is now written in Football History, engraved not in gold, but in green, white, and orange, like a chapter, a parenthesis that didn't make any logical sense, but was overtaken by emotion and by the power of belief and brotherhood! I believe that when Footballing historians look back on these three magical seasons, they will not only remember Pizarro's goals, Ozil's playmaking, Ono's inventivenss, and Appiah's tenacity, but moreso their smiles, the sparkling eyes of the players and the fans who, united under one flag, wrote one of Football's most beautiful stories in recent memory!! Lang lebe Werder Bremen! Wir lieben den Werderaner!!!!!

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Manager Millossobek: "Words can't describe what I'm feeling right now.. There are hundreds of things I want to say, hundreds of ways I want to thank this group of players, the hundreds of thousands of Werder Bremen supporters, and this entire organization.. But words fail me at the moment.. The emotion is too pure to be described with precise words, or perhaps the poetic one-liner that the press is looking for. I am overwhelmed by emotion. I can only say that, being as we were in second division three years ago, and on the brink of bankruptcy, of virtually disappearing as a team, it feels incredibly rewarding to have done this the hard way, the right way, bringing in a group of artists and warriors and seeing them grow and win together, was the most rewarding experience of my Footballing life. I felt a joy, an innocence, and pure happiness that I hadn't experienced since I was a child, and I will treasure these memories forever, and I feel so grateful to have been able to create a motivation, and give a direction to the Werderaner.. But the ones that took us there were the players and the fans, who were there for us in every step of our journey, and this moment belongs to them. The happiness I am feeling, I want you guys to know, is the happiness of every fan and every player."

Stephen Appiah: "We have written history! Yes! History! I am sure that the streets of Accra, my hometown in Ghana, are bustling right now. To have witnessed and to have been a part of this experience was an honor, and it makes me think of what Manager Millossobek told me three years ago, as a 22-year old youngster when I first entered the Werderaner: He said.. "Stephen, do you know what a Box to Box Midfielder is? It's a tireless player, a player that when he does not have the ball, he hungers for it, runs everywhere to get it, a player who, when he has the ball, has to be everywhere at the same time, passing, scoring, defending, pressing. He is the engine of the team, the one that revvs it up and keeps the intensity and the beating heart of our squad. You, Stephen, are my Box to Box Midfielder, and it is up to you to be the fuel of our aspirations." I will never forget these words.. And now, three years later, a triple champion, I can say that I have done my job. I can go back to Ghana with my head held high!"

Shinji Ono: "In Japan, we are taught that team comes before the individual. From early childhood, we understand that football, like most things in life, is a team game. Even though the media always touted Claudio, Mesut, Stephen and Me as "The Four Musketeers", the truth is, we couldn't have done this without all of our 30 players.. The steadiness and world-class talents of Blaise Matuidi, the spark plug geniality of Kazim Kazim, the quality of Junior Diaz, the quiet but steady support of Mertesacker and Reisinger, the young talent of Fredheim Holm, the fire and goalscoring talent of Mame Diouf, the contributions of Khedira, Schuster, the list goes on and on.. That being said.. I cannot help but feel an eternal brotherhood with Claudio, Mesut and Stephen. The four of us were here from the very beginning of this adventure, and to have gone through this together, the joy and the accomplishment that we felt, looking into each others eyes, we didn't have to say anything when we lifted the trophy.. We knew what we had lived through, we know how we persevered."

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Mesut Ozil: "I know I am only a young player, coming from the academy and debuting in the team at age 20. But I am 23 now, and I feel like this experience has given me not only immense happiness, but also a maturity that I will hopefully carry for the rest of my career. I still feel like I'm in a beatiful slumber, though, waiting for someone to wake me up. But then I finally realize: Yes, this is reality. I also know that I am amazingly priviliged to be in this position, to have won so much so early in my footballing career, but I hope to have the wisdom and the perspective to realize that this is perhaps a one-in-a-lifetime situation, that by matter of circumstance, I happened to land on a team with a huge amount of heart and with a fire that came from within. Out of many, we are one. You see, I really think that Werder Bremen, representing so many countries, is the new face of Germany.. A way forward to the future. I am the son of Turkish immigrants, but yes, I am also German, and the way that we embraced this team, coming from so many different places, gives me hope and gives me the satisfaction of knowing that we are not only representing the city of Bremen, but also the entire nation!"

Claudio Pizarro: "Three years ago, I had no idea where my career would take me. I had lucrative offers to go back to South America, to play for large Brazilian and Argentinean teams, where I could've finished my career near my home. But I decided to stay, and man.. am I glad I did, because this entire adventure gave me a fire inside of me that I thought was perhaps gone and I was able to rekindle. We were in second division only three years ago, and this rise was nothing short of meteoric. But maybe the part that I can shed some light on is.. This was no accident. This was no miracle. This was the result of having fire in our hearts, playing with passion and friendship, embracing who we were as players. Manager Millossobek told all of us, we are not a system.. We are a collection of individual hopes coming together for a common goal. The goal at first was much more humble, to ascend to first division and recover our rightful place in history.. But we exceeded those expectations, we went above and beyond even what we expected, but I knew it.. I knew it all along, even when we were struggling, that this team was something special. To be a part of this group, of the Werderaner, is to give yourself to the team, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to keep a part in your heart, and to be able to express yourself on the pitch the way you wanted to. Manager Millossobek gave us that freedom. He said: "If you are yourself on the pitch, then we will be better because of it. Play with joy. Play with faith. Play with instinct. Play with love. Trust that your teammates will do the same, and the chips will fall in their place." And I can say now that, three years later, he was right. This is the most beautiful experience of my footballing career. Thank you teammates, thank you boss, thank you fans, thank you Germany and Peru and everyone who believed in us.... No matter where I go from here on out, Ich bin ein Werderaner fürs Leben (I am a Werderaner for Life)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


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And so concludes my Dear Werder Bremen Master League Story. Thanks for following it, my friends!!


:GSCARF::TU: Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Master League Stories! :TU::GSCARF:
Comments are welcome!:YES:​
 
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Broadcasts that will Transcend Time,
Painting the Memories of the Werderaner,
Of Those who were there at the Stadium
And for Those who were there in Spirit,
Here's a repository of our Historic Campaign,
Images and Broadcasts that are now part of Football lore..
:GSCARF: The Magical Airwaves of a Magical Season! :GSCARF:
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Just watched the clips and Mertesacker is a BEAST! Will definitely add him in my Arsenal. Always been a fan.

ryudek said:
These are some great posts, would love if more people would join with their own threads!
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And YES! There's the Master League Adventures thread, but I think millossobek and I are the only ones with our own threads right now. I would love to see more people take an extra step and post!
 
Thanks for the support! Yeah, it would be great to see a culture of more individual ML/Career threads here at evo-web! :TU:

There's also a few more forums I've visited which feature Career Adventures: pesteam.it (just discovered this forum recently, and it's bustling with very interesting ML/Career stories as well!) and Operation Sports (which covers tons of different adventures in different sports). A lot of these stories go into a lot of depth, and I didn't know these existed until much later! In termsof evo-web, like @kibaxx7 said, he also has his excellent Arsenal thread which is active, as well as his previous also great and very original Kawasaki Frontale and Independiente stories. :RSCARF:

But we're not the only ones here! @MKC's Brazilian Cup Chronicles and @*aLe's Benfica tale were created a while back. I've enjoyed both a lot as well, top-notch stories! Hopefully these can be continued sometime. :)
 
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millossobek said:
Thanks for the support! Yeah, it would be great to see a culture of more individual ML/Career threads here at evo-web! :TU:

There's also a few more forums I've visited which feature Career Adventures: pesteam.it (just discovered this forum recently, and it's bustling with very interesting ML/Career stories as well!) and Operation Sports (which covers tons of different adventures in different sports). A lot of these stories go into a lot of depth, and I didn't know these existed until much later! In termsof evo-web, like @kibaxx7 said, he also has his excellent Arsenal thread which is active, as well as his previous also great and very original Kawasaki Frontale and Independiente stories. :RSCARF:

But we're not the only ones here! @MKC's Brazilian Cup Chronicles and @*aLe's Benfica tale were created a while back. I've enjoyed both a lot as well, top-notch stories! Hopefully these can be continued sometime. :)
Click to expand...
Hey! It's cool to be reminded and mentioned. I'm still playing PES2021 from time to time, but I guess I lost the inspiration to write for some reason, it's not something that can be forced in my eyes, you need to be in the right mood and, sadly, I've been too lazy to actually do it. Anyways, it's nice to see you do these posts still, and regularly, maybe one day I'll go back to it too, I guess one of the things is that I'm playing less than I did then and I browse Evo-Web much less aswell, just don't feel as excited as before since it feels like there's not much to look forward too as someone who doesn't care for EA FC... or especially eFootball now. Well, maybe one day Konami get it together and I go back to browsing more, and then posting more cool stuff when I fee like it.

Cheers!
 
It turns out I still had all of the clips from the Brazilian Cup on my YouTube channel in private, I thought I had lost these files a few months back when I was cleaning up my HDD, but thankfully it was all there, so it was only a matter taking it from where I left off with my text, and having the videos there for all who might want to watch the matches and how badly I play... though I do win mostly, so maybe I'm good... or maybe I just win because I play on Professional... I think it's more realistic still, so I'm sticking to it, PES2021 just feels nice like this, anytime I experiment with Top Player I get my ass handed to me, I could try writing chronicles while playing on Top Player, but I don't know if dozens of 1st round exits sound all that fun to read in the long run. Anyways, cheers to all!
 
MKC said:
It turns out I still had all of the clips from the Brazilian Cup on my YouTube channel in private, I thought I had lost these files a few months back when I was cleaning up my HDD, but thankfully it was all there, so it was only a matter taking it from where I left off with my text, and having the videos there for all who might want to watch the matches and how badly I play... though I do win mostly, so maybe I'm good... or maybe I just win because I play on Professional... I think it's more realistic still, so I'm sticking to it, PES2021 just feels nice like this, anytime I experiment with Top Player I get my ass handed to me, I could try writing chronicles while playing on Top Player, but I don't know if dozens of 1st round exits sound all that fun to read in the long run. Anyways, cheers to all!
Click to expand...

No matter the early exits -- it's always great to read the adventures of a fellow Master Leaguer! If you decide to return, it would be great!
 
Congratulations on an epic double!
I must say, Werder Bremen always have some amazing kits. And their colours really showcased how awesome the menu's are in PES 2009!

"Stephen Appiah scored two goals against Bordeaux, as it seemed like he was EVERYWHERE in this game" - This guy is no joke.
As a Galatasaray man, the only 2 fener players I was ever worried about scoring on us, were Alex De Souza & APPIAHHH!!
Very underrated (because he chose to play at a smol club like fener :LOL: ) but an absolute machine of a midfielder.

on another note "Bayern injured 4 of our players during the title race, fueling more fire to the rivalry"

:RANT: We must destroy them.

millossobek said:
Manager Millossobek had managed to do what seemed impossible: Not only rescue the Werderaner from the brink of bankruptcy and second division, but also lead them into a Double Championship
Click to expand...

This is the real accomplishment in today's football!
Pep could never ... :NO: Not without his multi-million superstars :LOL:
 
The passion and creativity that goes into these stories are beyond anything I can imagine. What are Manager Millos' plans for the next season? Are the European giants hovering over your squad like vultures, salivating especially over a young Mesut or Kazim Kazim (there's a name I haven't heard in a while!)? Will it be "Champions League or bust?" Is Bayern going to spend into oblivion to halt a rival's run, like they always do?

Sorry to interrupt the victory parade with these questions, pal, but the football calendar never stops 🤣
 
That's a beautiful double mate, and I'm certainly happy to see this save coming to his climax! I have fond nostalgia for Pes 09 and it surely seems it became one of your favourites too.

There are so many players I like in this team, plus I really really love how you infuse with passion the narrative. We definitely want to see Werder in Europe! :GSCARF:
 
Thanks a lot for your encouraging words friends!! I had decided to conclude my Werder Bremen story on a super high note, winning the CEF League and Pokal double, but you guys are making me reconsider. :LOL: Seems like there's a demand to see another Champions League Run next season, so I'm starting to think about it, see how high my Four Musketeers of Pizarro, Ozil, Appiah, and Ono can take this adventure!!

@kibaxx7 Mertesacker was a beast bro!! I really thought it was interesting that both him and Mesut starred in my Werder, and coincidentally, actually moved to Arsenal later on. I feel like Mertesacker was my "unsung hero" in my story, along with Matuidi. He didn't get as much attention as the others, but him and Naldo were stalwarts for me in the back 4. So many crosses headed out! :LOL:

@Joga Absolutely man!! Stephen Appiah was my resident warrior, he was my box-to-box barbarian that fought for every loose ball, defended, attacked, yelled at the referees, got into fights in Bayern, led everyone with his hard-nosed attitude and even took his own way going away from Manager Millossobek's directions at times! I absolutely loved playing with him, he was crazy and my emotional leader 100%!!!! :ROCK:

@Silverdome94 Oh man, now you're making me want to see how Mesut and Kazim-Kazim gel together next season! Even though my starting secondary striker is Mame Diouf, Kazim came up HUGE for me in many stretches of the season! Champions League or bust? Those are lofty goals indeed, dethroning Real Madrid with a prime Ronaldo who beat Inter 4-3 in the final! Will the Werderaner back by popular demand?? hahahah.. :THINK:

@Madmac79 You know bro, I think that, along with Baggio's Reggina, with Lapadula and El-Sherif (who I will always hold dear to my heart) this Werder was perhaps my most charismatic team! I love playing with Four Musketeers, and I feel like the international flavor of this team added a lot to the narrative and the story in general, as well as their contrasting personalities!! I really enjoyed PES 2009 as well bro.. Talk about an underappreciated game!! Things just came together really nicely in this story for me, and I am sure to continue with PES 2009, whether it's with Werder or with another story in the future! :TU:

Man, you guys are making me think about a fourth season! :LMAO:
 
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Friends, Before we go any further,
Get ready for the Sixth Edition of My Favorite Cup:
Where 3-Star Rated Teams
Are Determined to Build their Own Legacies,
Far Away from the Glitz and Glamour,
Standing Closer to the Earth and Mud,
The Sun-Scorched Days and the Rainy Nights,
The Sweeping Tackles and the Chants of Four Continents,
Getting Lost and Mixing with the Rays and the Firmament.
The 3-Stars Cup:
:BSCARF: Your Team, Your Cup, Your World! :BSCARF:

🏆 (FIFA or PES edition to be decided) 🏆
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