Millossobek's Master League Written Stories!

[millossobek]

⭐⭐⭐ Welcome to the Sixth Edition of the 3-Stars Cup!! (FIFA 14) 🏆🏆🏆
🐬 Can Pescara Bring Home the Trophy?? 🐬
​

Hey guys! Now that I have concluded the third season of my Werder Bremen story, I've decided to go on an interlude, my historic and traditional 3-Stars Cup, a format brought to you by Millossobek's Football Enterprises! This idea came about to me while watching lesser-known European leagues and mid-to-lower table teams. I thought to myself.. Don't medium-rated clubs deserve a place in the spotlight as well? A tournament where they can shine, and showcase their ambitions on the international stage? I wanted to give some of these teams a chance to display their colors and experience the excitement, the glory, and the thrill of Cup Football.

I also thought of AFC and CONMEBOL teams. Asian and South American teams hardly ever get a chance to face European teams, unless they win the Libertadores and face the cream of the crop in Europe. Even though a lot of these teams do play the AFC Champions League and Copa Libertadores/Sudamericana, they rarely (if ever) play European teams! I also wanted to create a scenario where a lot of these teams can face off against Europeans, and also against each other!

These are not necessarily the top teams in Europe, Asia or South America (although some may qualify for this distinction, especially in the AFC), but they are a collection of teams with high history, a passionate and large fanbase. Our message is simple: This Cup isn't about the money. It's not about fame or fortune. It's about telling the stories of teams which might not be world-famous or world-beaters, but have equally as important tales to tell! This is YOUR team, YOUR Cup, Your WORLD. Welcome to the SIXTH edition of the 3-Stars Cup!

⭐⭐⭐ Here's the format! 🏆🏆🏆


- Every group has 4 teams: 2 from Europe, 1 from South America, and 1 from Asia! I've included a team from Africa for this edition as well! Home and Away. The top two teams move on to a two-legged knockout stage. The final will be a single match. The single final in this edition of the Cup will be played at the mythical WEMBLEY STADIUM!

​

- Every single team in the tournament has a global rating of 3 STARS with a few exceptions (a few have 2.5 or 3.5 stars)! This gives the 3-Stars Cup a unique flavor: No super-teams allowed. The purpose, the romance of this Cup is to showcase an even field of medium-rated teams. Our philosophy is: High-rated teams get enough attention as it is. We want to create a NEW WORLD, one where the strength of a football team is not measured by their silverware or fame, but by the fire and desire burning in their fans hearts. This is perhaps the most even and balanced Club Cup in the world!

- Countries represented in this Edition: Italy, Croatia, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Romania, Turkey, Germany, Hungary, France, England, Sweden, Greece, Slovenia, Serbia, Slovakia, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, South Africa, China, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia.

- Past 3-Stars Cup Champions and performance:
1st Edition (PES 2018): Played as Millonarios, reached the QF vs Peñarol, eventual champions: ASTON VILLA
2nd Edition (PES 2021): Played as Millonarios, reached the R16 vs Shenzhen Kaisa, eventual champions: PANATHINAIKOS
3rd Edition (PES 2019): Played as Shimizu S-Pulse, reached the QF vs Valladolid, eventual champions: VALLADOLID
4th Edition (PES 2017): Played as FC Seoul, reached the SF vs Club América, eventual champions: CLUB AMÉRICA
5th Edition (FIFA 16): Played as Zamalek of Egypt, reached the final vs Banfield, eventual champions: ZAMALEK!! (Finally!)

For this Edition of the 3-Stars Cup, I will play with my first European team!! I have chosen none other than Italy's own..

DELFINO PESCARA 1936, also known as
🐬PESCARA CALCIO!!!!🐬 ​

Why Pescara? Well, remember my Reggina Calcio story? I was actually this close to picking Pescara, and it was only a last-minute decision that made me pick the Reggio-Calabria team! But now I'm glad I did, because I can now debut my version of Pescara, which I've wanted to do for a long time! I always thoguht their logo was one of the coolest, and always wanted to play with them! Even though I am playing in the 2017-18 season, I went ahead and made a few modifications to the team, bringing in some players, as well as creating others! IMPORTANT NOTE: Before and AFTER my modifications, the team remained resolutely 3-Star rated, meaning that I did not significantly change the rating of my team at all! Here are some of my key players:

Pereira, Mugosa, Honda, and Fiorillo!
​

- CM Juan Carlos Pereira: Straight from the Millonarios academy, Juan Carlos did really well with Millos before transferring over to Pescara! The young 24 year old midfielder won a League title in Colombia before being offered a starting position with the Italian side! Pereira is a box-to-box midfielder who can do a bit of everything, is hard working, and has a creative and surprisingly incisive game from the Center Midfielder position. Juan Carlos will be looking to replicate the form that made him one of Millonarios' favorite players!

- CF Milo Mugosa: Taken straight from my FIFA 19 story, Milo Mugosa is the (invented) younger brother of Stefan Mugosa, who starred in the fifth edition of the 3-Stars Cup, winning the title with Egypt's Zamalek! (My first 3-Stars Cup Win!). His game is a bit different from Stefan's, as the Montenegrin is a bit faster, not as strong, perhaps not as steady, but with more explosiveness! Milo seeks to follow Stefan's footsteps, and bring glory to Pescara, as his throwback rocker personality makes him an old-soul and fan favorite, even though he is only 20 years old!

- CB Piston Honda: Remember Piston Honda from my Japanese story, Gunma United, Champions of the AFC CL? Well, your favorite Japanese ex-boxer, no holds-barred brawling defender is back!! Yes my friends, you heard that right. After part-time boxing in his youth (As Punch Out's very own Piston Honda), our resident badass decided to finally focus solely on football, and after winning the AFC CL with Gunma, Europe came knocking on his door. He finally decided to play for our dear Pescara!

- GK Vincenzo Fiorillo: Team Captain Vincenzo Fiorillo, who has played in several of my teams in different campaigns, is poised to captain Pescara in the 3-Stars Cup! As the longest tenured player on the team, Vincenzo is determined to prove that he is capable of winning Pescara's first silverware ever (besides Serie B titles)! A product of the Juventus academy, Fiorillo never got a chance to play serious minutes behind Buffon at La Vecchia Signora, but has flourished in his Pescara days, and now Manager Millossobek has rewarded him with the Captainship. Will he guide us to the first title in our history??

​

As you guys can see, competition will be FIERCE, as we drew in group A, along with Hungary's Ferencvarosi (the biggest team in the country by far, 28 time Hungarian Champions), Rosario Central from Argentina (one of the most successful teams outside of the Buenos Aires metro area, with 5 local league titles and 7 local cup titles), and Astana FC from Kazakhstan (4 time winners of Kazakh League - newly transferred to the AFC-)! A tough, balanced group which will bring out the best of all teams.. Will it be enough for Pescara to move on to the next round? All I know is this.. The sixth edition of the 3-Stars Cup will not disappoint! There are some slight favorites (Dinamo Zagreb, Hannover, and Brazil's Corinthians look to field strong squads, as they are all 3.5 star teams), possible darkhorses (look out for Guangzhou Evergrande, also 3.5 and coached by legendary Brazilian Luis Felipe Scolari), and real surprises (Kaizer Chiefs from South Africa, and on paper, Uruguay's Defensor Sporting are a small step below the others, as they are a 2-star team. But ask them if they feel that way in their hearts!)..

But in the end, this story will begin, and run its course along with the fate of PESCARA CALCIO, The Dolphins of Italy, representing the Abruzzo city that bears the team's name on the Adriatic Coast, Perennial Serie B participants and Serie A challengers, my first European team that I've chosen for the 3-Stars Cup!! I will see you guys when the groupstage ends. 🐬 FORZA!! FORZA PESCARA!! 🐬

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[Silverdome94]

PISTON HONDA

I just about died 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Batistuta El 'Rey León']

View attachment 280579

⭐⭐⭐ Welcome to the Sixth Edition of the 3-Stars Cup!! (FIFA 14) 🏆🏆🏆
🐬 Can Pescara Bring Home the Trophy?? 🐬
​

Hey guys! Now that I have concluded the third season of my Werder Bremen story, I've decided to go on an interlude, my historic and traditional 3-Stars Cup, a format brought to you by Millossobek's Football Enterprises! This idea came about to me while watching lesser-known European leagues and mid-to-lower table teams. I thought to myself.. Don't medium-rated clubs deserve a place in the spotlight as well? A tournament where they can shine, and showcase their ambitions on the international stage? I wanted to give some of these teams a chance to display their colors and experience the excitement, the glory, and the thrill of Cup Football.

I also thought of AFC and CONMEBOL teams. Asian and South American teams hardly ever get a chance to face European teams, unless they win the Libertadores and face the cream of the crop in Europe. Even though a lot of these teams do play the AFC Champions League and Copa Libertadores/Sudamericana, they rarely (if ever) play European teams! I also wanted to create a scenario where a lot of these teams can face off against Europeans, and also against each other!

These are not necessarily the top teams in Europe, Asia or South America (although some may qualify for this distinction, especially in the AFC), but they are a collection of teams with high history, a passionate and large fanbase. Our message is simple: This Cup isn't about the money. It's not about fame or fortune. It's about telling the stories of teams which might not be world-famous or world-beaters, but have equally as important tales to tell! This is YOUR team, YOUR Cup, Your WORLD. Welcome to the SIXTH edition of the 3-Stars Cup!

⭐⭐⭐ Here's the format! 🏆🏆🏆


- Every group has 4 teams: 2 from Europe, 1 from South America, and 1 from Asia! I've included a team from Africa for this edition as well! Home and Away. The top two teams move on to a two-legged knockout stage. The final will be a single match. The single final in this edition of the Cup will be played at the mythical WEMBLEY STADIUM!

View attachment 280585​

- Every single team in the tournament has a global rating of 3 STARS with a few exceptions (a few have 2.5 or 3.5 stars)! This gives the 3-Stars Cup a unique flavor: No super-teams allowed. The purpose, the romance of this Cup is to showcase an even field of medium-rated teams. Our philosophy is: High-rated teams get enough attention as it is. We want to create a NEW WORLD, one where the strength of a football team is not measured by their silverware or fame, but by the fire and desire burning in their fans hearts. This is perhaps the most even and balanced Club Cup in the world!

- Countries represented in this Edition: Italy, Croatia, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Romania, Turkey, Germany, Hungary, France, England, Sweden, Greece, Slovenia, Serbia, Slovakia, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, South Africa, China, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia.

- Past 3-Stars Cup Champions and performance:
1st Edition (PES 2018): Played as Millonarios, reached the QF vs Peñarol, eventual champions: ASTON VILLA
2nd Edition (PES 2021): Played as Millonarios, reached the R16 vs Shenzhen Kaisa, eventual champions: PANATHINAIKOS
3rd Edition (PES 2019): Played as Shimizu S-Pulse, reached the QF vs Valladolid, eventual champions: VALLADOLID
4th Edition (PES 2017): Played as FC Seoul, reached the SF vs Club América, eventual champions: CLUB AMÉRICA
5th Edition (FIFA 16): Played as Zamalek of Egypt, reached the final vs Banfield, eventual champions: ZAMALEK!! (Finally!)

For this Edition of the 3-Stars Cup, I will play with my first European team!! I have chosen none other than Italy's own..

View attachment 280583
DELFINO PESCARA 1936, also known as
🐬PESCARA CALCIO!!!!🐬 ​

Why Pescara? Well, remember my Reggina Calcio story? I was actually this close to picking Pescara, and it was only a last-minute decision that made me pick the Reggio-Calabria team! But now I'm glad I did, because I can now debut my version of Pescara, which I've wanted to do for a long time! I always thoguht their logo was one of the coolest, and always wanted to play with them! Even though I am playing in the 2017-18 season, I went ahead and made a few modifications to the team, bringing in some players, as well as creating others! IMPORTANT NOTE: Before and AFTER my modifications, the team remained resolutely 3-Star rated, meaning that I did not significantly change the rating of my team at all! Here are some of my key players:

View attachment 280600
Pereira, Mugosa, Honda, and Fiorillo!
​

- CM Juan Carlos Pereira: Straight from the Millonarios academy, Juan Carlos did really well with Millos before transferring over to Pescara! The young 24 year old midfielder won a League title in Colombia before being offered a starting position with the Italian side! Pereira is a box-to-box midfielder who can do a bit of everything, is hard working, and has a creative and surprisingly incisive game from the Center Midfielder position. Juan Carlos will be looking to replicate the form that made him one of Millonarios' favorite players!

- CF Milo Mugosa: Taken straight from my FIFA 19 story, Milo Mugosa is the (invented) younger brother of Stefan Mugosa, who starred in the fifth edition of the 3-Stars Cup, winning the title with Egypt's Zamalek! (My first 3-Stars Cup Win!). His game is a bit different from Stefan's, as the Montenegrin is a bit faster, not as strong, perhaps not as steady, but with more explosiveness! Milo seeks to follow Stefan's footsteps, and bring glory to Pescara, as his throwback rocker personality makes him an old-soul and fan favorite, even though he is only 20 years old!

- CB Piston Honda: Remember Piston Honda from my Japanese story, Gunma United, Champions of the AFC CL? Well, your favorite Japanese ex-boxer, no holds-barred brawling defender is back!! Yes my friends, you heard that right. After part-time boxing in his youth (As Punch Out's very own Piston Honda), our resident badass decided to finally focus solely on football, and after winning the AFC CL with Gunma, Europe came knocking on his door. He finally decided to play for our dear Pescara!

- GK Vincenzo Fiorillo: Team Captain Vincenzo Fiorillo, who has played in several of my teams in different campaigns, is poised to captain Pescara in the 3-Stars Cup! As the longest tenured player on the team, Vincenzo is determined to prove that he is capable of winning Pescara's first silverware ever (besides Serie B titles)! A product of the Juventus academy, Fiorillo never got a chance to play serious minutes behind Buffon at La Vecchia Signora, but has flourished in his Pescara days, and now Manager Millossobek has rewarded him with the Captainship. Will he guide us to the first title in our history??

View attachment 280581
View attachment 280595
​

As you guys can see, competition will be FIERCE, as we drew in group A, along with Hungary's Ferencvarosi (the biggest team in the country by far, 28 time Hungarian Champions), Rosario Central from Argentina (one of the most successful teams outside of the Buenos Aires metro area, with 5 local league titles and 7 local cup titles), and Astana FC from Kazakhstan (4 time winners of Kazakh League - newly transferred to the AFC-)! A tough, balanced group which will bring out the best of all teams.. Will it be enough for Pescara to move on to the next round? All I know is this.. The sixth edition of the 3-Stars Cup will not disappoint! There are some slight favorites (Dinamo Zagreb, Hannover, and Brazil's Corinthians look to field strong squads, as they are all 3.5 star teams), possible darkhorses (look out for Guangzhou Evergrande, also 3.5 and coached by legendary Brazilian Luis Felipe Scolari), and real surprises (Kaizer Chiefs from South Africa, and on paper, Uruguay's Defensor Sporting are a small step below the others, as they are a 2-star team. But ask them if they feel that way in their hearts!)..

But in the end, this story will begin, and run its course along with the fate of PESCARA CALCIO, The Dolphins of Italy, representing the Abruzzo city that bears the team's name on the Adriatic Coast, Perennial Serie B participants and Serie A challengers, my first European team that I've chosen for the 3-Stars Cup!! I will see you guys when the groupstage ends. 🐬 FORZA!! FORZA PESCARA!! 🐬

View attachment 280594

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

👏🏻👏🏻

 

[millossobek]

⭐⭐⭐Welcome to 6th Edition of the 3-Stars Cup!!⭐⭐⭐
(FIFA 14)- Starring: Pescara Calcio!!
​

The stage is finally set for the start of the Cup!! 32 teams, one ambition, 16 from Europe, 8 from South America, 7 from Asia and 1 from Africa have gathered together for this sixth edition of our dear inter-club competition! The draw has been made, and there are several interesting groups! Hannover from Germany, Corinthians, Dinamo Zagreb and Guangzhou Evergrande emerge as early contenders for the title, but as far as Pescara goes, we've been drawn against Hungary's Ferencvárosi, Argentina's Rosario Central, and Kazakhstan's Astana! A group with no clear favorites or frontrunners as far as I'm concerned, as all four teams are evenly matched (3 stars) and have their own respective histories and passionate fanbases!

Groupstage 1: Pescara vs Rosario Central, Pescara, Italy!


​

We opened the Cup against the passionate Rosario side, winners of several Argentine National leagues and cups in their history! Our crowd was pumped and ready for action, as the Pescara faithful were about to witness our 3-Stars Cup Debut! In an eventful, back and forth match, things didn't start out well for us, as Rosario Central scored first in minute 4! Yet only two minutes later, it was Milo Mugosa (Stefan's brother) with the equalizer, capitalizing on a huge mistake by the Argentinian keeper! The score was 1-1, and before the first half ended, it was Milo again, this time scoring on a header, a feat which he would repeat in the second half in minute 66 (this time off a corner)! While it seemed like we were headed towards a comfortable win, Camacho by Central made it 3-2 with only 10 minutes left to go in the game, a nervy last 10 minutes which fortunately were largely uneventful, and as the whistle sounded, it was 3-2 for the Italian side! The Pescara fans blew out a huge sigh of relief, yet at the same time gave a standing ovation to our #9 Milo Mugosa, in a brilliant 3-Stars Cup debut!

Groupstage 2: Astana vs Pescara, Astana, Kazakhstan!


​

We would repeat our solid performance in groupstage 2, in a complete change of scenery, as our boys would fly all the way to Kazakhstan, in the heart of Asia! (It was really interesting to play in these conditions, the first time Pescara would ever play in the Asian continent, as everything from the air, the chants, the atmosphere felt different ane exciting!) This would be another great performance by Pescara, a 3-1 win in a match were we would prevail using a lot the strength and speed of our wingers Christian Capone (a brace) and our resident English-Libyan, Ahmad Benali (who complemented with a goal of his own!). This was definitely a match that showed that weren't a one-trick pony, and that we had several attacking options! Two matches, 6 points, and the best possible start for Pescara, as our front three DEFINITELY shined in our first encounters!!

Groupstage 3: Ferencvárosi vs Pescara, Ferencváros, Hungary!

​

Unfortunately, we weren't able to replicate the great form we showed in the first two matches when we went to visit Hungarian Champions Ferencvárosi in Hungary! This was a somewhat frustrating match, even though we played well and started winning in minute 15 due to a goal by Mugosa (dispossessing the Hungarian keeper and scoring a screamer from outside the box), Ferencvárosi slowly started to gain ground and they equalized before the first half ended! The second half was back and forth, with good chances from both sides, but perhaps we got a bit too complacent at the end.. Trying to protect the point, we actually conceded not one but TWO extra time goals (90+) in a heartbreaking loss! Even though we have 6 points, it would've been nice to salvage the point here!

Groupstage 4: Pescara vs Astana, Pescara, Italy!

​

We would rebound really well back in our home grounds! We were glad to be back home after two straight matches in unfamiliar territory, and it showed! This time, it was a midfielder's turn to shine, as Marco Eramo had an amazing game, scoring two goals (one in minute 31, a perfectly placed Free Kick by Pereira in the box led to a difficult finish while surrouned by Astana defenders)! Astana would make it a game though, as a one time beauty by Kabanga evened the score before the halftime whistle blew, but once again, it would be Eramo with a BEAUTIFUL goal late in the game (minute 79) to give us the definitive 2-1 lead and the 3 points! A marvelous game by our Italian midfielder, proving once again that our goals scored in the 3-Stars Cup were coming from a myriad of different sources! A Golden 3 points here (we also generally outplayed and outshot Astana in this one, as our crowd and being back in Stadio Adriatico paid big dividends).. The fixture would also be positive for us, as Rosario Central would beat Ferencvárosi 4-1, and we had a commanding 4 point lead with two groupstages to go!

Groupstage 5: Rosario Central vs Pescara, Rosario, Argentina!

​

With qualification almost in the bag, it was time to go to Argentina, in the famous Gigante de Arroyito stadium, to face Rosario Central, who were stick in the fight for qualification! Facing perhaps the most hostile crowd in our 3-Stars Cup as of yet, we persevered and showed our mettle yet again! After a tough, physical first half where the Argentinians came out swinging, we withstood their blows and counterattacked brilliantly, eventually scoring a goal just before the first half whistle sounded (Milo Mugosa, after a two game drought, scored the opener after a beautiful Benali pass in the box, and the clinical finish by the Montenegrin!) Rosario Central would not give up, putting up a valiant fight and making things difficult for Pescara in the second half, but in the end, we extended our lead courtesy of an incisive Benali run and the strike from the edge of the box! We prevailed 2-0 and more importantly, ensured first place in the group and qualification, as we had amassed 12 points and, combined with the other result (Ferencvárosi and Astana drawing 1-1), meant that no matter what happened in our last match, first place was ours!

Groupstage 6: Pescara vs Ferencvárosi, Pescara, Italy!


​

In a match that was more a procedure and a chance to rest our starters, we nonetheless wanted to finish out our group with a win, and even though the match was tied after an early goal by Ferencvárosi and a Pescara equalizer by Pasqual in minute 24, the Bulgarian side came roaring back and scored another goal (Bode once again), riding out the rest of the result for a 2-1 win! This match didn't have much transcendence, however, as Manager Millossobek stressed more the importance of giving the starters some rest, minimizing the chance of injuries, and trying out a few tactical variations. Even though we couldn't pull off a point, the Pescara faitful in Stadio Adriatico went home satisfied, knowing that Ferencvárosi was a tough rival and that bigger and more important matches awaited! We ended up winning the group with 12 points, followed by Ferencvárosi with 9 (they were playing for everything in this match), while Rosario Central finished with 8 and Astana with 3 (even though the Argentineans won their away match at Kazakhstan, it was not enough to progress to the Knockout phase). More importantly however, is that PESCARA WINS THE GROUP, and now had to await the results of the draw to see who our Round of 16 opponent would be..

Round of 16, Leg 1 of 2, Pescara vs Red Star Belgrade, Pescara, Italy!


​

And our opponent would be none other than Serbia's giants, Red Star Belgrade! (An interesting overall draw! As you guys can see, 10 Europeans, 4 South Americans, 1 Asian and 1 African team made the top 16 this time, with the tournament favorites Corinthians, Hannover 96, Guangzhou Evergrande and Dinamo Zagreb all qualifying!). Back to Pescara, the first leg of the R16 would be in our grounds, and even though we were fired up, most of the match was a defensive chess match between the two European sides, with Red Star playing a deep defensive line and negating a lot of chances! In the end, after a tactical encounter in which two very evenly matched teams occupied a dense midfield, a solitary goal by Kanga in minute 47 sentenced the result, and the final score line read Pescara 0-1 Red Star Belgrade, featuring only 5 shots by us and 3 shots by them (one of them being the Kanga header)! A disappointing result for sure, but Manager Millossobek knew that we had to make some adjustments ahead of the return match!

Round of 16, Leg 2 of 2, Red Star Belgrade vs Pescara, Belgrade, Serbia!


​

And respond we did! In a valiant, gutsy display that showed our heart, Pescara travelled to the Red Sea of Belgrade, against an incredibly loud and passionate crowd (the atmosphere was perhaps even more charged in this match compared to Rosario's groupstage match, given the high stakes and the circumstances)! Belgrade felt like they could press their advantage, and felt that they were the favorites and started pressing quite intensely to start the match. Would this be a repeat of the first encounter? Not so fast. It was once again, Ahmed Benali coming up huge with the first goal of the game! (minute 40, outrunning and outpacing two Serbian defenders to get there just in time to beat the onrushing keeper) to make it 0-1! Only 5 minutes later, and it's Benali again, only this time with the gorgeous mazing run to elude several defenders and deftly passing it in to Milo Mugosa, who flicked it in the bottom left hand corner for the second goal!! We were suddenly up in the global, and we had withstood the early onslaught by a Red Star who grew less confident by the minute! Just two minutes after the second half whistle blew, it's Mugosa again, taking off a rebound from the post and gliding it in from a next-to-impossible angle! It was a brilliant 3 goals in only 10 minutes, and Red Star was shell-shocked and reeling! (although they would score to make it 1-3, a 71 minute goal by Srnic, it would prove to be too little too late, as not only had we withstood their challenge, but counterattacked effectively for the win)! The final whistle was Red Star 1-3 Pescara (global score 2-3 in favor of us), and we are through to the 3-Stars Cup quarterfinals, where we would face..

Quarterfinals, Leg 1 of 2, Pescara vs Guangzhou Evergrande, Pescara, Italy!

​

Our toughest test of the Cup! One of the Tournament Favorites, Guangzhou Evergrande! As the only Asian team to have made the final 16 (and final 8, for that matter), Guangzhou fielded a really strong team, with the cream of the crop of Chinese players, and led by Colombian striker Jackson Martínez and Ricardo Goulart! In a cold, rainy and uncommonly dreary Pescara afternoon, we were prepared to host the Evergrande! The atmosphere seemed a bit tense at the Stadio Adriatico, and even though the Pescara faithful had come out in droves and were drowning out the atmosphere, there was something a bit tense in the air, perhaps having to do with the weather! Even though this match was quite different in nature compared to our first encounter against Red Star, unfortunately the result was the same, as Jackson Martínez 78th minute goal gave the Chinese side the advantage! Yet we fought bravely, and it was indeed a miracle that we did not score a goal, as we had several really good chances (Capone and Pasqual had some great shots sailing just wide, and the Chinese keeper denied several good shots by Mugosa and Benali).. In fact, having outshot them eight to six, having more possession and many more tackles, I would venture to say that we played better than the Evergrande. But indeed, football is football, and sometimes playing well is not enough! Once again, we would have to face an uphill battle, as we would have to go to unfamiliar grounds, in Guangzhou, to try to make it happen! Would Pescara once again show their spirit like we did in the Red Sea of Belgrade??

Quarterfinals, Leg 2 of 2, Guangzhou Evergrande vs Pescara, Guangzhou, China!


​

As we flew halfway accross the world to Southern China, in the hot and immensely populated metropolis of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (population 20 million, one of the largest metropolis on earth), the contrast could not have been more intense with the peaceful Adriatic small city of Pescara. The atmosphere was electric in Huadu Stadium, as Guangzhou was determined to prove, as the last representative of Asian Football in the Cup, that the continent had come a long way in terms of their quality! The first half was furious, as Pescara was determined to revert the result and trying desperately to get a goal in, but to no avail, despite very good chances! (Capone ALMOST scored in the first possession of the game, only to be saved by the keeper with his fingertips, and Milo Mugosa was especially determined, but had several shots either sail wide or stopped by the goalkeeper)! As the second half started, this time it was a Chinese player who scored the first goal of the game (Zheng Zhi, in minute 52, threading the needle beautifully with his dribbling Pescara defenders), once again proving the axiom that the team that scores the goals is the one that should be winning. We kept fighting though, and in a wide open game, it was Jackson Martínez in a repeat performance, scoring a goal in minute 78 to ensure victory for the Evergrande! (A defensive mistake, we left him open for the header after a corner!) We had several more chances, and actually got off plenty of shots in this game (Pereira! Mugosa! Capone! Begali!) but just couldn't find the back of the net, and a costly defensive mistake, plus inspired play by Guangzhou, sealed the deal for us! Final score, Guangzhou Evergrande 2-0 Pescara (Global score 3-0), and unfortunately, thus ending our 3-Stars Cup Run!!



At the end of the day, however, this was another very enjoyable Cup!! Even though it ended in disappointment for Pescara, it was a positive run, reaching the quarterfinals! To recap the rest of the Cup, Guangzhou advanced to the semis, where they fell 4-3 global against the historical Brazilians, Corinthians, while Dinamo Zagreb completed the other half of the draw against Colombia's very own Deportivo Cali, who pulled off the stunning upset against the Croatians, and ended up winning the Cup!! (are you watching @Kenaykix??) Indeed, Deportivo Cali, winners of 10 Colombian Championships and one of the biggest teams in the country (also disputing El Clasico Añejo against Millonarios were the darkhorses, edging favorites Zagreb and Corinthians (in an all-South American final taken place at mythical Wembley) and bringing home the first international trophy in their history (after 4 tries), an incredible night at one that will last forever in the mindsof their fans! Yet this Cup was not just about the winner, it was about all 32 participants, from so many different corners of the globe, representing 4 continents, different styles of football, different philosophies and approaches to the game, diverse fanbases with their own chants, rituals, and celebrations, an entire tournament dedicated to the glory of the so-called "Medium Teams", that in fact, are anything but medium, but are actual GIANTS in our own hearts (just ask any fan) and are now writing their own international Cup history! Hope you guys enjoyed the Sixth Edition of the 3-Stars Cup!!

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories!
Comments are welcome!
​

 

[kibaxx7]

A match against Corinthians would have been amazing! But it was a nice run

 

[millossobek]

A match against Corinthians would have been amazing! But it was a nice run

That would've been great! Would've loved to have faced the famous Timão, A Time do Povo! They are actually my favorite Brasileirao team IRL!

I'm getting everything together for my new Master League story, guys. Stay tuned for further updates and an exciting adventure!

 

[millossobek]

Get Ready for the Ambitious, Epic Third Chapter
of Angel Comizzo's Managerial Story,
As He Takes on SERIE A, the Legendary Calcio,
Bringing His Outsized, Fighting Personality
to one of the Most Romantic of Italian Teams,
The Mythical Cuore Toro, Torino FC,
And With an Ace Up His Sleeve,
The Magician of the Balkans,
The Wizard of Croatia, Luka Modric.

Stay Tuned for Master League Story #9,
The Heart of Torino.

-millossobek
​

 

[Madmac79]

Comizzo's personality matches so damn well with Torino's history! I'm sure he'll earn a big spot in the Granata's equally big hearts.

With him and Modric togheter (and let's not forget a prime Duvan Zapata!), I'm sure you can bring some solid competition to all Serie A!

 

[millossobek]

Comizzo's personality matches so damn well with Torino's history! I'm sure he'll earn a big spot in the Granata's equally big hearts.

With him and Modric togheter (and let's not forget a prime Duvan Zapata!), I'm sure you can bring some solid competition to all Serie A!

Mac, it was just written in the cards that Comizzo would go to the Granata.. It was destiny bro!!

I will say this for now: Modric's arrival comes with a very interesting story twist!

And of course, we can't forget about Duván Zapata.. our classic #9.. He is ready and willing to wrestle against all the Serie A defenders!

Full Story Introduction + First Half Review to follow!

 

[millossobek]

Friends, I was going to post a midseason review and introduction to my team, Comizzo's Torino,
but I have become so engrossed in playing with my dear Granata
that I have decided to play out my entire First Season in Serie A.
I am standing at the midway point of the season,
Forging Toro's identity, Writing my Story in the Beautiful Calcio,
So please be patient, the Chronicles of Comizzo, Modric, and Zapata are being played..
As the full First Season Recap and the story of how this all came about
Will be posted as soon as I finish playing out this first year..
Don't change the channel, my friends..

-millossobek ​

 

[millossobek]

Master League Story #9: Season 1: The Myth of Grande Torino!!
Comizzo Finally Tests Himself in the Biggest Stage in World Football!!
​

Ángel Comizzo. We have all grown to know him in my Master League Stories. Yes. The fiery, temperamental, mercurial, yet at the same time intensely passionate Argentinean manager, with an outsized personality, has traveled halfway around the world in his ML adventures, creating riveting stories regardless of his destination. We are familiar with his story: The ex-River Plate goalkeeper who had an up and down start to his managerial career in Latin America, who had a mixed bag of successes and forgettable runs in Peru and Mexico, started up his story with us as he left the continent for the first time. After his first managerial experiences, and perhaps at his lowest point of his career, Comizzo went halfway around the world to try his luck in faraway Japan, in the AFC, and in the process took previously unheralded and little-known Gunma United from the brinks of J1-League relegation to winning the AFC Champions League in only 3 spellbinding seasons, and thus becoming a legend in Asian Football. Comizzo took Japan by storm, clashed with reporters, and ultimately embraced the culture and the customs (but not the Sushi) of a very different land, as he reached what could only be described as Rockstar status. Yet, in a move that surprised everyone, he suddenly left Japanese shores and ended up returning to South America for a two-year spell in Peru's Deportivo Municipal, with none other than Peruvian legend Jefferson Farfán under his wing.. This had been the latest chapter of Comizzo's story.. But soon, his career would take a drastic turn. Yet another twist in his personal story that would take football observers unaware, and would create a whole new, definitive chapter in his career.

​

But before we embark on this adventure, it is worth noting how he arrived in his new destination in the first place. After winning the AFC Champions League, Comizzo's managerial world was wide open. Gunma offered an extension, and perhaps even more impressively, he received several highly lucrative offers from Europe as well as some of South America's biggest teams. But his next move left many perplexed: Seemingly out of the blue, he decided to pack his bags and go back to Peru, to a romantic, historical team called Deportivo Municipal who had unfortunately fallen on very hard times, nearing bankruptcy and in danger of disappearing. This decision shocked the Japanese media, as many pundits and experts had expected him to either continue with Gunma, or to accept a more lucrative offer in a more glamorous destination.. But Comizzo's mind was set. After the emotion of the AFC Champions League title had settled, what he really wanted was to go back to Peru, to set things right with Municipal. A strange decision? Maybe so to most people, but not to the unique footballing mind of Ángel Comizzo. He was determined to set things right with the Peruvian squad and bring them back to relevance.

Comizzo spent 2 fighting years in Municipal, and even though he did not win any trophies or qualified to any major international championships, his time in Peru was a beautiful one, and a memory that he would cherish forever, simply because he almost single-handedly saved the team from relegation and bankruptcy. It was a very dark time for Muni when Comizzo had taken over: 50 years without titles, much more urgently, the team was on the brink of extinction, facing mounting debts and a situation of instability. Yet, following a financial restructuring of the team (in which Comizzo played a part, aiding and giving ideas), and with the promise of fan ticketing and investment purchasing a good amount of the debt, the path forward seemed to gleam with more hope. In a striking maneuver, our Argentinean manager was able to use his recruiting instincts to sign Jefferson Farfán. The Ex-Eindhoven and Schalke Peruvian legend was a free agent and had a massive salary reduction due to the fact that he was coming off not one, but two knee surgeries and his career was seen as almost surely over. Yet, as Farfán had spent his formative years in Muni, Comizzo used the sentimentality angle to help convince him to return to his roots and help save the team after many his offers had dried up in Europe and elsewhere. This was seen as nothing less than a coup by Comizzo, a strategic master stroke, and the rest was history: After two years in which the team finished 9th and 7th in the standings, the ship was very much set on course and righted. The fans started to swell the stadium, and in that short time period, only two years, the debt was mostly paid off and the team amazingly survived. Muni had taken a huge risk, since survival was almost entirely dependent on performance, stadium attendance and fan support, but the reward was indeed forthcoming. In addition, Farfán's return to Muni reinvigorated his once tired legs, as he surprisingly remained healthy and was able to continue his career after that, accepting a lucrative offer from Sao Paulo of Brazil after helping to save the team. Indeed, Comizzo and Muni's gamble had paid off in more ways than one. He had risen Muni from the ashes, ensured their continuity, and under careful yet inspiring guidance, led Farfán on the comeback trail. "A great story and a mission accomplished".

​

Now, with an AFC Champions League under his belt, and his position in South American football restored, Comizzo had several options. Many had not understood his desire to go back to Peru, why was he leaving the footballing big-time after being Asian Champion to go a relatively unknown Peruvian team and save them from extinction, not only taking a massive pay cut but toiling away so far from the spotlight. Well, Comizzo's footballing soul was molded from a different base. His motivation had never been driven by fame or finance, and he felt he had a job to do back in Peru.. Yet, as his job was complete, a different, yet stronger and more direct hunger started to beckon in Comizzo's heart, a hunger that could not be satisfied in South America. He knew that his time at Municipal was coming to an end, that he had done his job, and that his heartstrings were pulling him in a different direction, a larger stage, and the third chapter of his managerial career. After an emotional and somewhat combative press conference in which he expressed thanks to Muni's fans for helping him save the team and took his shots against the always suspecting press, he finally closed his Peruvian campaign with strength, dignity and irreverence, his place in Muni's history safe and sound.

Ángel Comizzo: "I still remember what the press said when I first got here to Peru: 'What's he doing??' you guys asked.. 'This will be his biggest failure, and Muni's extinction will be Comizzo's responsibility' others said.. I heard those calls and criticisms, but guess what. Muni was saved, and much of was due to being brave, bold, and have a clear vision. Once again, I proved all of you wrong. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Municipal for believing in my vision. We restructured the team, brought Farfán and resurrected his career, and most importantly, we saved the team from an almost surefire extinction. I did what I set myself to do, what nobody understood at first, but now and in time, football history will prove that I was right. Municipal is a historic institution, and I know that it will be so for many many more years. But now, my time here is complete, and even if I won't miss you, I will definitely miss being in Peru. My path now leads elsewhere."

Despite his fighting words against the press, Comizzo's mind as at peace with his decision, yet his heart was fiery. He was longing for this new challenge, and he knew that this spark that was starting to burn like embers in his heart was a desire unfulfilled: Angel Comizzo had not yet coached in the biggest stage in football: The continent of Europe, the most romantic, ultimate challenge. This thought consumed his mind, knowing deep inside that this was the destination that he always wanted, and represented continuance to his managerial story that made perfect sense, the missing puzzle piece of his story. As such, he spent the first few weeks of the summer expecting calls from the Old Continent, and was initially disappointed when no teams had contacted him. Had his stock fallen since his AFC Champions League triumph? No matter, Comizzo thought to himself. "I will take matters into my own hands". Waiting was not part of Ángel Comizzo's gameplan, it had never been. He started doing research of possible European teams in search of a manager, making mental lists and thinking of possible scenarios and destinations, taking his time but also thinking things through.. Then, on a wind-filled afternoon, destiny smiled at him, and gave him an unmistakeable sign: While drinking a cup of the strongest Argentinean coffee in a small Buenos Aires suburban coffeeshop, far from the crowds, he stumbled upon a European tourism magazine: "Las Ciudades Míticas de Europa" (The Mythical Cities of Europe). Almost without thinking, he thumbed his way to a section which showcased Italy, and a picture of the city of Torino appeared which was immediately striking. A double pager, showing its architecturally unique and historical city centre and the imposing Mole Antonelliana.. Comizzo's gaze was suddenly transfixed upon this picture, without really knowing why.. He kept looking at the old streets, the feeling evoked by them, the imposing Alps and the Mole, all bathed in Italian colors, and then, suddenly, it came to him, with the force of one hundred onrushing bulls, a decision that was striking yet quite irrevocable and that brought with it the strength of a simple, beautiful truth just realized: The team that he wanted to coach was staring him right in the face: This team was Torino FC, The Bull of Turin, Il Grande Granata!! 🐂

​

Yes. As Comizzo stared at the buildings and the architecture of the beautiful Northern Italian city, he felt an aura of mystery and romance surrounding it. Not as well known as other cities such as Roma, Napoli, or Milan, Turin seemed to him a more classical city, on the foothills of the Alps, and possessor of a strange, eerie, yet enchanting and bewildering charm.. There was something about this city that stirred inside of his soul. He then read about the famous "Esoterismo a Torino", the city's reputation for its mystical and some say magical aura, a duality of light and dark forces stemming from Piazza Castello and Piazza Statuto, creating a duality of forces, finding this contrast absolutely enthralling.. Innumerable tales, speaking of spirits and magic, of spells and urban legends were to be found in this city. Comizzo felt it, and as he kept delving into the details, he found these forces to be indeed spellbinding. Instead of running from them, or deeming them too strange or supernatural, he was fascinated.. This was another point to be added to the scale of passions.. And then, when he saw a picture of the stadium, something inside of him just clicked. There was something beyond, something that spoke of a force of nature that compelled him to Torino FC, Il Grande Granata. It had nothing to do with logic, it had everything to do with feeling, an overwhelming sense that he belonged there, that the city, full of its small, labyrinthic streets, dark and light tales, romance and superunknown forces, was calling him, him and only him, to coach the team that bore the city's name. There was something indeed magical about how Comizzo felt drawn to this location, shrouded in twilight and contrasts, of tales forgotten and tales remembered, of romance and historical enigmas, of Juventus and Torino. Yes, he remembered Juventus and Torino, the eternal derby della Mole, dubbed that way due to the imposing monumental building he had seen in the pictures dominating the skylines, the Old Lady and the Dormant Bull, La Vecchia Signora and Il Toro Granata, and he knew.. Just knew that his mission was to revive the old strength of the Bull, that this was part of the duality which so attracted him to this city, and he knew instantly what side he was on. This was not just a mere interest, but had become an obsession. He had to find out if he could link himself to the Granata.

As it turns out, and as it seems to happen in cases such as this, the Gods of Football had delivered two strange coincidences. After the failure of last season's Toro performance, (a season in which Toro had finished 17th, JUST escaping relegation), facing declining revenues and dwindling attendance, the team was sold to (MFE) Millossobek's Football Enterprises, a small but visionary group whose sole purpose was to dedicate itself to football, football and nothing else.. As a smaller organization, they don't really focus on huge European teams, nor do they really want to. MFE was fully concentrated on smaller teams and "historical sleeping giants", and bringing them back to relevance, an ambitious vision who did not only have profits in mind, but a romantic mission statement, one dedicated to the establishment of legacies and stories. Torino was a perfect candidate for a new project, a traditional and proud team with one of the most passionate fanbases in Italy.

​

Along with the recent MFE acquisition, the second coincidence was a sure sign for Comizzo: Torino's job was available after's MFE's purchase. The previous manager, Marco Giampaolo, had been recently sacked due to the poor 17th place position of the previous season. This was a true signal for the Argentinean to act. He immediately rang up Torino's headquarters and simply stated: "Buongiorno. I am Angel Comizzo. You might know me for winning the AFC Champions League with Gunma United, or for rescuing Deportivo Municipal from the doldrums of bankruptcy, or perhaps you many not know me at all. But I called to tell you this: I feel my destiny is inextricably linked with Torino, and with the new management". And just like that, in true Comizzo style, without the help of agents or intermediaries, he had an interview lined up, a meeting with Millossobek's Football Enterprises, who had been looking for a fresh-faced, bold manager and were paying close attention. After listening to his direct, confident and irreverent style, MFE decided to set up a meeting with him, seeing in the Argentinian a kindred spirit. So it was that Comizzo flew to Italy, marvelled in the sights for a bit, and then immediately pitched his idea to the Granata management.. During the meeting, he laid out a plan, put forth with vision and passion, a plan which MFE immediately agreed with: After years of being a bottom-table team, and the dreadful 17th place finish last season, Comizzo's bold idea was to attack the Top 9 almost immediately, with a simple yet daring plan: Use his recruitment skills to bring in a World Class Leader in the midfield, and an upper-echelon striker and other elements that could flow from this acquisition. MFE decided to take a gamble and hire him, seeing that their visions matched, as that they could all see the potential of a suddenly awakening Bull in Torino, their ambition and vision complementing each other. A handshake and a one-year contract ensued. And now that he was hired, it was time for Comizzo to deliver on his promise: To captain his team, he had in mind a player, a very special player that he had envisioned from the very beginning.

A major plot switch: In this story, Luka Modric is not 37, but 27. Far away from the warm coasts of Zadar, Croatia, his country of birth, he has been toiling away at the famous White Heart Lane, Tottenham Hotspur, for the better part of 4 years. However, his time in North London has been far from a happy one. Having survived a tough childhood in the post-Balkan wars Croatia, loving football from the start of his life, having risen from the ranks of Dinamo Zagreb (owned by a different group in this story, not the polemic Zdravko Mamic), and enchanting an entire league with his unassuming personality, otherworldly vision and a golden right foot straight from the footballing gods, the entire continent started to take notice of the diminutive and exceptional midfielder. Not blessed with strength, height, or blinding pace, Modric was (and remains) a magical player whose mind was as imaginative as his feet, creating pieces of art on the pitch, in the the museum of football. And this did not go unnoticed. After being courted by Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea, Spurs immediately expressed major interest, eventually signing him on a multi-year deal. Things looked great for the immediate future. Yet, Luka did not flourish in the Premier League. Although he was able to keep up with the pace of English Football, he was asked to play a much more Central Midfielder role, a role which he adapted to and had good performances, but lacking the freedom and expression capacities that he cherished..

​

Luka was constrained by a much more rigid system at Tottenham, and even though flashes of brilliance came more than occasionally from the deep-lying playmaker position, he felt limited.. After four years, he knew in his heart that his cycle at Spurs was coming to an end, on the pitch and in his heart of hearts. He could be seen, staring absent-mindedly into space after matches, and his last season in England had been marred by somewhat inconsistent performances and what journalists called "a somewhat lost and despondent look in his eyes". Some wondered if he had lost his fire to play football. Others asked themselves whether he was being underutilized at Tottenham. His stock in the transfer market dropped, once seen as one of the most promising youths in the world, many top teams did not see him as an elite-level player anymore. There were questions about his passion and his commitment. Comizzo (ever the observer of football, even from a South American vantage point), had been observing intently. The Argentinean knew deep inside that, despite Luka's somewhat unfortunate four years in England, that the world-class quality was still there. There was something in Modric's eyes, in his play, that let Comizzo know that the World-Class player was still there, in fact, that his full potential had not beek awakened, it just needed to be unearthed. He had no way of knowing this. It was purely intuition.

One day, as Luka was weighing his options, he received a phone call from the Argentinean manager.. asking him for a low-key meeting away from the bright lights of the press. Luka was not familiar with Comizzo, but something in his voice, the confident way he called him "Luka" from the very beginning, a certain warmth and irreverence seemed interesting to the Croatian. At the meeting, Comizzo exhibited his plan: He knew that Modric was homesick, that he felt a bit out of place and questioned in the Premier League and that his creative playmaking had not been fully utilized at Tottenham. He was also aware that he had not adapted well to English life, and wanted to be closer to home, to a more Southern European culture he could relate to more. Most importantly, Comizzo knew that what drove Luka, the fuel in his engine, what he really needed, was a footballing challenge he could truly embrace. Comizzo dismissed talks of Luka having lost his desire, he knew that it burned deep inside him, that his first and foremost love was football, he could see it in his eyes. He knew he could restore his confidence and his joy.

"Luka" Comizzo said in a secluded Hotel Lobby outside of London. "I know you feel like you don't belong here. And I agree. You don't. You belong here, in my project. I am offering you something that Tottenham never could. I am offering you the immediate captainship of Torino. And not only that, you would be playing at your most natural Attacking Midfielder position. I will give you the freedom to fully express yourself on the pitch." Modric looked at the Argentinean's eyes intently, engrossed in what he was hearing. Comizzo continued: "What you need, Luka, is a footballing challenge you can fully embrace. I know you might have offers from other, more glamorous teams. No, no need to answer, I know.. But here, in Torino, I am giving you a unique chance: To create YOUR OWN STORY, to be our captain and leader, the maestro that I know you have inside of you, unleash the little blonde Croatian kid who played on the streets of Zadar, the maestro in your soul. I know your quality, Luka, you can make a whole country sing, a while world become enchanted with your play. What I am offering you is to be the mastermind behind my entire plan, the weaver of all our hopes and the creator of all our aspirations. It's a huge responsibility, but it's also a beautiful one."

​

Modric was all in. This was enough to covince him, hearing the passion and the commitment in Comizzo's voice. He saw in the Argentinean a manager that truly believed in him, in a way that Tottenham never did. He came to the realization that, after meeting this manager he did not previously know, that this is what his heart truly wanted. It just took him meeting Comizzo to find out what was really inside of his heart. He was being offered not only the Captainship of the mythical, mystical Toro, and a chance to start anew in the Calcio, but he was being given the opportunity that he always wanted, his one true desire: To express himself truly on the pitch, to leave all of his artistic sensibility on the field and paint the canvas with his style, his grace, his composure, his spirit, his artistry. Yes, Comizzo saw the poet inside of Luka, the painter and composer, the streetballer and the leader and in return, Luka decided to give him his best years as a footballer, his prime and his soul. "Yes boss" Modric said softly yet with conviction, after a long, introspective silence.. "I believe in your vision, and I will repay it tenfold with all of my spirit." They shook hands in the cold London hotel lobby. And so it came about that Luka Modric signed a 4-year contract with Il Toro, Il Grande Torino, the Granata.

The news of Modric signing with the team was met with an immediate roar of approval by the Torino "fedeli", and a vote of confidence in their newfound and enigmatic manager. They did not forget Toro's history: Their 19th century foundation. Their 7 Scudettos (many of which came in the Grande Torino generation of the 1940's). The 1949 Superga Air Disaster which tragically took the lives of all of their players. Their difficult and slow climb back in the 1950's and 60's. Their subsequent relegation and the 1974 title (their mythical Seventh), the sting of relegation and their slow climb back in the 1980's. Their 1992 UEFA Cup Final against Ajax and 1993 Coppa Italia win against Roma, and subsequent floundering years between Serie A and Serie B in the late 90's and 21st century. Their near relegation last season and the long-standing and long-suffering rivalry against the Italy's giants, Juventus. They did not forget any of this, and now a new chapter was about to unfold. Toro's fanbase, long known for its passion, devotion, and color, knew that signing Luka was an entirely new and promising possibility, that it could signal great and momentous things for their dear club. Many remembered his brilliance in Dinamo Zagreb, the effortless way he seemed to glide on the pitch and his ability to direct an offense, what a promising youngster he was in Croatia, and knew that this could be an entirely new beginning: The identity of the historical Bull could rise from the ashes of long-standing mediocrity. Hope returned to the Granata, as they unfolded huge banners which simply read "Grazie Luka". Modric's signing had become a reality, under the gaze of a mysterious manager, virtually unknown outside of Europe. Tens of thousands of fans packed Stadio Olimpico Torino for Luka's presentation, chanting his name in unison as he could barely contain his tears of happiness, his emotion clearly visible. In his understated, yet direct and heartfelt way, the Croatian said said: "Grazie.. Thank you all for this beautiful welcome. I feel your warmth in my heart, I truly do.. Grazie Torino. My story is now yours." Comizzo had found his Capitano.

​

Backed by a willing ownership, Millossobek Football Enterprises, it was time for Comizzo to add the second part of his vision. As a big believer in the power of personality, Comizzo knew what he wanted and needed, the perfect complement to Modric: A big, strong and imposing striker, with an equally large personality, someone who could execute the powerful finishing touch to Modric's on-field orchestra and symphony. "You see", Comizzo declared to the press.. "A musical symphony is not enough to have a successful team. You also need force, strength, determination, and quality up front. We have found it". Enter Duván Zapata, the well established Colombian Striker who, with his imposing presence and even larger smile, could light up a room as well as the scoreboard. An Italian League nomad, Duván had played for Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria and most recently with his compatriot Luis Muriel at Atalanta, forming a 1-2 punch that had given power to I Nerazzuri and had established them as a solid contender to "The Italian Big 6". Yet.. even though Zapata was content, Toro's proposal was creating a new and enchanting vision in his mind: the allure of playing alongside a true playmaker, someone who could weave the connections between the midfield and his powerful finishing, and the injection of hope from Luka's signing proved to be fascinatingly convincing: He wanted a new challenge, and now that Torino's offer was on the table, he was more than happy to join Comizzo and Luka in his new role. He put on the Granata shirt in the introductory press conference with a huge smile on his face and stated, in accented but fluent Italian: "My hope is immense. Manager Comizzo has reminded me of my South American heart, and playing alongside an experimented creative playmaker like Luka has always been my dream. I feel this shirt as my own now, and after jumping from team to team here in Italy, I truly hope that I have found a home here in Torino." The second piece of the puzzle was now firmly in place, as the Colombian Giant signed a 3-year deal to the delight of the fans, who saw this signing as nothing short of a coup-de-grace, a steal from Atalanta. Comizzo was proving to be a masterful persuader.



Now it was time to build the rest of the team. Modric had signed as a free agent at no cost, but Duvan's signing had not been cheap, especially for a team who had recently been chipping at the heels of relegation. It was definitely time to get creative, However, MFE's shrewd management, guided along by Comizzo's vision, led to a large overhaul of the team, resulting in the departure of many players, as half of them left or were sold in the transfer window.. The market was moving for The Bull! Aging players left or were sold at relatively good prices, and promising youngsters and players in their prime who had not jelled well with the team also ended up departing, leaving financial room to build around the remaining squad. Yet some remained: Raoul Bellanova, one of the rising stars of the team and right back, was given a contract extension, as was Brazilian stalwart Center Back Bremer, Rolando Mandragora, solid at Defensive Midfielder, and Etrit Berisha as goalkeeper stayed. However, many other players came in, such as backup veteran Striker Kevin Lasagna (brought in to relieve Zapata), Midfielder Marco Benassi, Turkish Center Back Kaan Ayhan, speedy left winger Justin Kluivert (son of the legendary Patrick Kluivert), and many others. The team was finally taking shape, molded under the watchful and always analytical eye of Ángel Comizzo, and as opening day drew close, the Argentinean manager felt that he had the team he wanted in the face of the Serie A challenge. Yes. the biggest, most epic and most beautiful challenge of his career. As the season drew closer, Modric put on his captain's armband, Duván started to practice his shots and his headers, and the solid foundation of players and signings were getting themselves on point. Hope was high in Torino, could this be a great year? Could this be a year that could exceed expectations? Would Comizzo's vision become a reality, attacking the top half of the table? The time had finally come: Welcome to Serie A, the start of Ángel Comizzo's European adventure.

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The season would not start easily for Torino. When the fixtures were released, we had to face the two strongest teams in Italy first: A opening matchday derby against our eternal rivals Juventus and a trip to San Siro to visit Inter. Comizzo was instantly suspicious.. How could it be that the FIRST match of the season would be against Juve, who had won 9 Scudetto's in a row, and with mostly their crowd?? Were the Calcio authorities trying to draw the rug from under his feet in his first Italian experience? In true Comizzo fashion, the Argentinean questioned if there were any hidden motives for not only the first fixture being Juve, but the second one being Inter. He felt there was something fishy in the works: "They are trying to destroy all our momentum from the very start, this smells like a conspiracy!!" he said in his FIRST press conference of the season.. Much to the chagrin of the Italian reporters.. And as the first fixture finally arrived, and facing a hostile crowd of mostly Juventus fans, things did not look up, as La Vecchia Signora would race to a 2-0 lead, courtesy of the best player in the entire league, none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. Although it was exciting to see the new look Torino, this match would prove to be a rude wakeup call, not an unfair result but a frustrating one. Comizzo was entirely convinced that this had been done deliberately as he stormed off the pitch, and was fined $10,000 Euros IMMEDIATELY for questioning the organization of the tournament. Despite the defeat, the team had played well, with Modric clearly feeling freer and happier than he had ever been in North London, and with Zapata displaying a bounce in his step, but unfortunately it was a bit marred by the controversy: Juve's talent was too much to overcome, and a 2-0 result ensued.. The Italian press was alight with Comizzo's declaration, and many journalists were irritated at the nerve of this brand-new manager.. More of this would come. The press would undoubtedly get to know Comizzo as the season went on.

Fixture 2 was a much more positive result:. Despite the fact that Comizzo remained furious at the scheduling, quite sure of a conspiracy, there was nothing else he could do but soldier on and go mythical San Siro to face mighty Inter (an Inter with very South American flavor, with Alexis Sánchez and Lautaro Martínez as the forward duo, and Arturo Vidal in the midfield). In a hard-fought match where we started trailing 1-0 (things were not looking good for us, as Lautaro and Sánchez were piling up attempts against us), in a rapid counterattack, our Right Winger, Spaniard Aitor Ruibal crossed the ball to diminutive Justin Kluivert and just like that, the legend's son equalized in min 43 for our first goal of the season. Subsequently. the second half featured more pressure by Inter, but owing to Comizzo's strong defensive tactics, we were able to preserve the 1-1 tie. Despite the initial setback, this was an encouraging result against Inter, and with three upcoming games at home, perhaps we could make something happen. Yet we could not capitalize, drawing 1-1 to Udinese and then in fixture 4, losing 1-2 against Spezia.. These results were particularly frustrating as in the game against Udinese, Luka scored an absolutely beautiful goal following a classic run from the midfield in minute 74, but Udinese equalized in the last minute.... (argh!) And Against Spezia, we had a maddening number of shots hitting the post, and even though Zapata scored, an 89th minute penalty kick taken by Modric hit the post once again! Were the footballing gods against us? We weren't playing badly, but after the first four fixtures, we were 0-2-2. near the bottom of the table! Despite the strength of the schedule, this was not the start that Comizzo or the Torino faithful were expecting, and the Italian press had a field day, with headlines reading: "Comizzo busts up the team!" "Granata: More Smoke than Reality", "Modric Lacks Confidence in the 89th minute", and "New Manager, Same Story" being some of them.

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Toro needed a win, fast, not only to quell the doubts rising from the fans and the press, but also to justify Comizzo's and MFE's bold prediction of attacking the top of the table.. Thing had not gone as planned, as Zapata had only scored once in the first four games, and Modric's missed PK in the closing moments of the Spezia game did not help his cause despite the fact that he was playing well in the midfield. However, there would be a sudden and hopeful reversal of fortune, as these doubts were quickly dispelled in Fixture 5: We closed our home stand with a match against Sampdoria, an encounter where we finally met ourselves with a long awaited victory (courtesy of two goals by Duván Zapata and one by Benassi). We had finally achieved our first three points of the season in a 3-1 result! The two goals by Duván, especially, were classic Zapata scores, powerful angled strikes full of force that seemed to announce, Serie A, here I come, and now we could breathe a bit easier. This win moved us up to 13th place, but much more importantly it gave us confidence moving forward.. But things would not come easy, as we then had to another difficult trip, this time in Stadio Olimpico, vs Roma. Even though Comizzo was pumped for this match, playing in the mythical Italian capital, Roma was able to hold us off 1-0 (with a single goal by Stephan El Shaarawy). So, even though we had somewhat righted the ship with the Sampdoria win, the loss against Roma brought us back to earth. A difficult start indeed, but with the Coppa Italia beckoning, there was no time to wallow.

Fortunately, the Coppa would bring in a different air, facing Empoli, and we were able to come away with a positive result, holding them off 3-2 in the aggregate score over two matches! (A 1-2 victory in their stadium, and a 1-1 draw in Stadio Torino). There were two interesting aspects about this tie: In the first away match, Comizzo decided to field mostly a second team, perhaps sensing that the starters were a bit gassed after the brutal start of the season, and both goals were scored by bench players (Elia and Zaza). This was a solid performance which showed an iron will.. The second match, with the starters rested, featured a classic connection between Modric and Zapata, as Luka threaded a perfect pass for the Colombian to finish with strength in the box. We played a bit more defensively, but were able to hold them off for the 1-1 tie, winning the aggregate (3-2). On to the next round, and perhaps more importantly, this was a consolidation of the team as we headed back to the league.

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Fixture 7 featured another stiff test in the unforgiving Serie A schedule: Toro travelled to San Siro once again, but this time to face Milan! Even though Comizzo had been fuming when the schedule was released, he saw this tough fixture as a challenge, and indeed, it would prove to be one where we rose to the occassion, as we were able to pull off another brave display of football and draw 2-2! This result gave us alot of spirit, as it proved that our early season success against Inter had been no fluke, especially given the fact that we were down by one goal and were able to come back to salvage the tie. This was a confidence boost that we needed as we headed over to our next match, fixture 8 against Cagliari. And finally, after several matches of up-and-down results, The Bull finally awakened! We gave Cagliari a Footballing Lesson, with two goals by recently acquired Romanian international Valentin Mihaila, Zapata, and Elia! (The goal by Zapata was an absolute beauty, one of the goals of the season, scoring on a perfectly timed bicycle kick from a Mihaila cross). Interestingly, after this match, the press started to turn and started believing a bit more in Comizzo's vision: They called it: "Il Risveglio del Toro", the awakening of the Bull, as this impressive result moved us up to #11 in the rankings, solidly midtable and in good position to attack the top half of the table. Moving on, Fixture 9 was a rather fraught 1-1 draw against Fiorentina, as we came back from a 0-1 deficit to equalize via a Zapata goal in minute in minute 73 and kept attacking but weren't able to walk away with the 3 points.Yet we would answer in Fixture 10, a 1-0 affair against a surprisingly tough Hellas Verona defense, who we nonetheless were able to break down due to a bookshelf score by Mihaila on minute 45, coupled with a great performance between the posts by our goalkeeper and Mihaila's compatriot, Ionut Radu, recently transferred from Parma! The emergence of these two Romanians, Mihaila and Radu, was proving to be decisive in Toro's season, as Mihaila, especially, was growing at an exponential rate on the wing, competing with Justin Kluivert for the starting Left Winger position, and Radu alternating with Berisha as goalkeeper was proving to be an effective combination. 10 matches down in the season, and we stood with a record of 3-4-3 and solidly in 10th place, a good recovery after a rather discouraging start of the campaign.

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Ángel Comizzo: "So this is enough to change your opinion? Hahah.. All you guys needed was a few wins and a Coppa Italia result and now you are seeing the rewards of my vision. I would like to remind you: This schedule was insane. We faced Juventus, Inter, Roma, and Milan already. Keep that in mind when evaluating where we are standing so far."

These declarations, despite being combative, weren't able to hide an undeniable truth: Comizzo was truly enjoying himself in Serie A. Yet the next 5 matches were a bit of a mixed bag for Toro, as the season started to mature and players started to get settled in after the transfer window had closed. Fixture 11 was a reversal of fortunes from our good run of form, as Ciro Immobile and his Lazio went to visit us at Stadio Olimpico Torino. This was a mismatch from the get-go, as King Ciro scored not 1, or 2, or 3, but 4 goals in a 1-4 drubbing as we had absolutely no answers for him. Absolutely none! This humbling result (albeit against one of the league's top teams, as this victory left Lazio second place in the entire Calcio) did not take an air of a more permanent defeat, however, as we bounced back in Fixture 12 against Venezia, racking up one of the most impressive displays of the season as Zapata scored a hat-trick (in a variety of ways, using both fantastic power in his first two shots and finesse in his third) while Mihaila scored once for yet another carnival, a 2-4 win in Venice! What was most impressive about this result though, beyond the goalscoring festival, was the ability to bounce back after the disappointing result against the Roman side.. All of this, and Duván was emerging as one of the league's top scorers!

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Duván Zapata: "It took me a while to get going, but I think I have settled in. I am so glad to bring the ball back home, a precious souvenir that I will cherish all my life.. But more importantly, we are coming together as a team. Playing with Luka has been an absolute joy, and I think we are finally finding our footing".

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Fixture 13 featured a prime matchup of North Italian contenders, as we visited "the Goddess" Atalanta and their passionate fanbase. in Bergamo. We were able to rescue a point, 1-1, with Mihaila equalizing with a beautiful run from the wing. His play had been a very pleasant surprise for Il Granata, as in each passing game, Comizzo seemed to be depositing more and more faith in the Romanian Winger's abilities. In Fixture 14, though, we weren't able to follow through, as we hosted Sassuolo but lost a tense and ultimately frustrating 2-3 encounter, in which defensive mistakes were key (a fumble by the keeper, and other errors in the back 4 which ended up costing us). Yet, in what was becoming a bit of a trademark for Comizzo's Torino, once again we bounced back in the next matchday at our stadium, as we beat Salernitana 3-1 in a match where Modric had an absolutely wonderful game, setting up one of Mihaila's two goals and connecting once more with Zapata, displaying marvellous vision in both plays with his golden right foot.. This was perhaps Luka's best game of the season, and perhaps more importantly, he was smiling and embracing his teammates. It was absolutely evident that he was happy playing football again.

Luka Modric: "This has been a new beginning for me. I am playing with space, with freedom, I am understanding myself really well with my teammates, and Manager Comizzo is giving me the vote of confidence to express myself.. hopefully the results will keep coming, but I am playing with true happiness, even when shouldering this huge responsiblity".

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As the halfway point of the season approached, Comizzo was determined to finish it strong. We would travel to the South of Italy in a much expected matchup against Napoli, but ran up against a brilliant performance by Victor Osimhen, as the Nigerian scored a brace to hold us off 2-1 amidst the loud Neapolitan crowd. Travelling to Bologna next though, we would bounce back in classic Comizzo style and played what was undoubtedly one of the matches of the season: It was a back-and-forth affair, with both squads exchanging goals tit-for-tat (Aitor Rubial and fan favorite Francisco Cassata, one of the holdovers from last season, scored both of Toro's goals, while countered by Barrow and Orsolini on the side of Bologna). Fighting for momentum, Luka almost scored on a majestically placed free kick which hit the bar on minute 76.. and with only five minutes left to go in the game, Zapata received a perfectly placed cross from Gagliolo, he heads it in, and it's the winning goal by our charismatic Colombian giant!! As the match drew to a close, Bologna had outshot us 13 to 7, but we made our chances count and as the final whistle blew, the score was Bologna 2-3 Torino! A tense, exciting, high scoring matchday which brought forth a lot of emotion, and perhaps even more relevant, launched us all the way to 8th place, the first time we were this high up in the standings all season, a great result which moved us up the rankings and placed us firmly in the top half ot the table for the first time..

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But the unpredictable Italian tides would turn yet again: We weren't able to maintain the momentum in fixtures 18, and 19, as they were both 1-1 results against Empoli (at home), and against Genoa (away). The Empoli game was particularly disappointing, as in the words of astute Calcio expert @Madmac79, "Empoli proved to be way more dangerous than its players would suggest..", as the Empoli goalkeeper Ukjani had a miraculous save on a close shot by Duván in minute 91 that would've won it for Toro! An unfortunate turn of events that was, however, sprinkled by a had a bit of luck though, as despite these two draws, at the halfway point of the season, we were holding on to a surprising 8th place, tied with 25 points with 7th place Roma, and one point ahead of 9th-11th placed Sassuolo, Bologna, and Cagliari.. At 6 wins, 7 draws, and 6 losses and having faced all Serie A teams once, Comizzo's experiment was proving to be one that belonged in the midst of the Italian top flight.

Ángel Comizzo: "I don't want to talk about international cups just yet. It would be getting ahead of ourselves. We are just taking it one match at a time. But I will say this.. We had a set of objectives laid out before the season, and very few of you guys believed we could achieve them. But here we are, 6-7-6, in the midpoint of the season, and standing in 8th place. If any of you truly believed this at the start of the season, I will buy you a lavish Piemonte-style dinner, a Castelmagno with Piemontese Beef and Taglioni. Seriously. But first we have to prepare ourselves for the second half of the season."

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Expectations were high as the second half of the season started, but Fixture 20, in which we hosted Juventus in the second part of the Derby della Molle, was perhaps the most frustrating match of the entire campaign. Most of the first half was really tight, as Comizzo decided to play more defensively (a tactic he had been using with some success against stronger teams), and his strong defense, along with some great goalkeeping by Radu, kept Juventus scoreless until minute 44.. when a furious scramble in the box resulted in a Cristiano Ronaldo tip-in to give Juventus a 0-1 lead. But we didn't give up. Modric especially was playing beautifully in the second half, creating spaces and weaving his way through the Juve defense. A magical 4 minute stretch occurred when, in minute 71, when Zapata equalized off a pass by Mihaila, wrong-footing Sczesny and putting the goal in for the 1-1 score, and then, in minute 75, Zapata heads another cross by Mihaila, Szcesny keeps it, the rebound.. And It's Zapata again!! It's 2-1 Torino, as the home crowd goes absolutely berserk in a passionate Granata roar.. Would this finally be the momentus occasion when we beat Juventus? The match kept going and the clock kept ticking, Radu saving a couple of great Juve attempts, until.. In the last play of the game, CR7 was fouled just outside the box.. And scores the winning Free Kick, freezing Radu on the spot!! (minute 90+3).. and the final score is Torino 2-2 Juventus!! Nothing Toro could've done about that, it was just one of the greatest players of all time doing what he does and coming through in the defining moments. A heartbreaking result for Toro, as we were just minutes away from a historic victory against our most heated rival, one that had dominated us historically. A valuable point that in a way, felt like a defeat because we knew that we could've got the 3 points!! Comizzo just shrugged and shook his head, but refused to wallow in this result. Just CR7 being CR7, he thought. We would be back.

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There was no time to wallow in this result however. The unforgiving Calcio schedule wouldn't have allowed it! The Third Round of Coppa Italia beckoned, as we faced Fiorentina, and although we played valiantly in the first leg at Stadio Artemio Franchi, a brilliant Strike by Argentinian Nico González was enough to give the game to Fiore, a 1-0 result. But back in Stadio Olimpico Torino, Duván Zapata would shine brilliantly, single-handedly destroying Fiorentina with a historic performance, one of the best in recent Coppa Italia history, scoring a hat-trick (two with his head, and a signature powerful strike to the top right hand corner) to complete the comeback for a global score of 3-1 (and his second hat trick of the year!) and a passage to the Coppa Italia quarterfinals, where once again, our famous crosstown rivals, Juventus, awaited us. But that would come later. Zapata was absolutely on fire at the moment, and it was time to revel in his performance!!

Duván Zapata: "I am getting into my groove, for sure! But this wouldn't be possible without the help of my teammates and Manager Comizzo. All credit to them, they are setting me up for finishing. I'd like to remind you guys that a striker can't do everything by himself. He needs the support of his teammates and good passes to feed his chances. This is what I'm receiving from this system of player.. This is not my accomplishment, this is the entire team's, and I'm just happy that we are through to the next round of the Coppa Italia"

Ángel Comizzo: "That's just Duván being Duván, humble and deferring praise, and all credit to him. But I am here to say this: Duván is the second best striker in the country, only behind Cristiano. He has surpassed Zlatan, he has surpassed Lautaro and Alexis, he has surpassed Immobile. Yes, I am not afraid to say this. He has been absolutely magnificent, and he is striking fear into our opponents' defenses. Watch out, The Colombian is coming."

Zapata just shook his head and and flashed an enigmatic smile. Was this humility or recogntion?

These were bold words by Comizzo, but now it was time to go back to the league. We would go on a very good streak in our next 4 matchdays, starting with Fixture 21, as we hosted Inter Milan. In this match, facing once again the South American tandem of Lautaro Martínez and Alexis Sánchez (who Comizzo had signaled in the previous presser and were more than eager to prove him wrong, feeling quite snubbed), Comizzo would prove them right, however, at least for tonight, as Toro would prevail with a solitary penalty kick goal in the first half of the match, scored by Mandragora. But what was most impressive about this win was how we did it, as we completely withstood the Inter onslaught in the second half and changed our formation accordingly, from our usual 4-2-3-1 to a much more defensive 4-5-1, lowering our lines and compacting our defense. This had been a staple of Comizzo's tactics in his South American years, that whenever his teams got a lead against stronger squads, the team would compact their lines and defend, which we did brilliantly against the #2 ranked team in all of Serie A! This much impressive 1-0 win (holding Lautaro and Alexis scoreless) maintained our #8 position in the league. And we kept it going, as we went on our first winning streak of the season by beating Udinese in Stadio Friuli (a great win and a brace for Zapata-off asissts by Mihaila and Modric who was only trailing CR7 in the total goal tally!).

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This result moved us up to #7 in the standings, as Duván mantained his torrid pace.. Undoubtedly motivated by Comizzo's declaration of him being the second best striker in the league. We were in very good standing now, having won 4 out of a possible 6 points against Juve and Inter, and looked to continue our form. In the nextmatch, we were able to salvage a 1-1 draw against Spezia at their grounds (Modric scoring a tenacious goal, outthinking and outmaneuvering several defenders in the way), perhaps somewhat of a missed opportunity against a lower table team, but one that we would seize in the following encounter: the second fixture of our road trip was a 1-2 win against Sampdoria (who we had beat convincingly the first time around), as we prevailed with goals by our starting Right Back Raoul Bellanova, scoring from way out in what was one of the goals of the season, and our Romanian upstart, Valentin Mihaila.. We were riding high at this point, a huge turnaround after the Juventus dissappointment. This streak of good results, 3 wins and a draw, kept us in seventh place, well ahead of Comizzo's expectations at this point of the season!

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The next 3 matches before the Coppa Italia semifinals would bring interesting yet inconsistent results, though. First, we hosted Roma in fixture 25, but were thoroughly outplayed by I Giallorossi, as they beat us 1-4 featuring a hat-trick by Tamaraebi Abraham and a complementary goal by Carles Pérez.. Even though Zapata scored a nice diving header in this match, it was small consolation in one of our most lopsided losses of the season. Yet, in true Torino fashion, we would definitely bounce back in our next match, when we hosted AC Milan in our grounds, showing a lot of grit and determination and playing a tactically brilliant match against the Rossoneri, led by none other than the legendary Zlatan, who had also been mentioned by Comizzo and had a few declarations before the match..

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: "No disrespect to Zapata, or to Comizzo, or even to Cristiano. But I consider myself the best player of all time. My skills speak for themselves, my style cannot be imitated. All of them are great players, but I am the best of all time, and I shall prove it against Comizzo's squad. I will make him eat his words."

Angel Comizzo: "Every player thinks at some point that they are the greatest of all time. Usually they stop believing that when they reach the age of 10. I guess Zlatan never grew up, he acts all tough and hardcore, but inside it seems like he never matured. His time has past, a very good player in the past, yes, but no longer the 2nd best striker in our league.. Maybe the 4th after King Ciro."

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Ahh! Fighting and controversial words from both outsized personalities! But a game still had to be played, Milan looking to consolidate its Champions League spot and Torino fighting for Europa! As the game started, it was a tactical battle, far away from the showdown that most fans and the media were expecting.. Comizzo laid out his defensive 4-5-1 in hopes of luring Milan into counterattacking vulnerabilities, but the first half went by without much happening, both Zlatan and Duván being neutralized by each other's defenses. Milan scored first in the second half on a 59 minute goal by Samu Castillejo to give them a 0-1 lead, but we were able to come back, as Comizzo replaced a very tired Duván and Modric with Kevin Lasagna and Orsolini (who had been recently purchased in the transfer window). The substitutions paid almost immediate dividends, as we clawed our way back with a goal by Lasagna after a perfect through pass by Marco Benassi, and then, with only 2 minutes left in regulation, Mihaila (who was once again proving his worth) performed a pinpoint cross to little-used Salvatore Elia for the header and the dramatic winner! (Our goalkeeper, Berisha, who had been splitting GK duties with Radu all throughout the season also had some really nice saves against Zlatan in the second half). Final score, Torino 2-1, we had beaten Zlatan's Milan, recuperating very well after the loss against Roma! Comizzo's tactical changes performed really well in this match, and perhaps some mental games too, as the whole spat with Zlatan served to rattle him a bit, take the Swedish-Montenegrin legend off his game and mess a little bit with his ego. Brilliant tactics by Comizzo.

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After a somewhat disappointing result against Cagliari in Fixture 27 (inconsistency rearing its head once again after the epic Milan win), it was time for the Coppa Italia quarterfinals against La Vecchia Signora, and the Turin newspaperswere alight with expectation. Despite our lack of recent consistency, we had outperformed expectations, and the last match against Juve, in which we were one minute away from victory (until CR7's Free Kick) had the local newspapers wondering if perhaps we could pull off the upset. But it wasn't meant to be. Juventus was completely on fire, as they dominated us 2-5 in the first match and 3-0 in the second, flexing their firepower with several goals by Ronaldo, Bernardeschi, and Vlahovic, among other players. The Coppa Italia + Juventus combination proved to be a mountain which was too high to climb, for now, but Comizzo, after the second leg, gathered the players together and expressed that he was proud of them, that, despite the lopsided defeat (global score 2-8), these were valuable experience points and that reaching the Coppa Italia quarters was a worthwhile achievement for the team. Yes, it was a tough and lopsided loss, but without struggle, there could be no story, there could be no triumph. And moreso, for every defeat, there is a silver lining, a quite significant one in this case: It was now time to focus back on Serie A, and who would've thought that with only 11 matches to go, we would be fighting to enter Europa League? This was quite unprecedented in Toro's recent history. There was still a ways to go, but there was definitely reason for expectation.

Luka Modric: "We just went up against one of the best teams in the world. What is important in these moments is to keep our cool, and understand that we are part of a process, and that we are much further ahead than what we imagined. Yes, it was a painful result, defeats always hurt, but moreso than dwelling on it, now we have to focus on the league and our next objective. Among such big personalities like Manager Comizzo and Duván, I think I am here to maintain a bit of a cool head. Yes, I feel things as intensely as them, but sometimes you have to let wisdom give you a better sense of perspective".

We showed a lot of determination in our next 5 games, starting with Fixture 28. After the disappointment of the Coppa Italia exit, it was time to recharge our batteries and so we did, with a very convincing 2-0 victory (with goals, once again by Kevin Lasagna and Elia) against Fiorentina with the whole stadium behind us.. The veteran Lasagna, in particular was proving to be a very useful addition to our team, backing up Zapata and coming in late in matches to score decisive goals, filling in admirably for Duván and creating a contrast of play that was confusing defenders. While the Colombian has the physique of a giant, strong, powerful, and good in the air and with a rocket strike, Lasagna still has a lot of speed in his legs, and was playing incisively and with a great eye for scoring, often outrunning the defenders and finding great spaces for his goals. This was a solid win against Fiore. Yet once again, we would struggle a bit to maintain consistency, as our next opponent Hellas Verona, unfortunately beat us 2-1 in their stadium (a worthwhile opponent Hellas, taking advantages of a few lapses in our defense even though we outplayed them), and somewhat halted our momentum..

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Yet an epic encounter would await us in Fixture 30: We would go back to Rome, but this time, to face King Ciro and Lazio in our second meeting of the season (yes, Immobile, who scored a Poker last time we met I Biancocelesti, 4 goals!), and with Modric battling a cold, we would be without the services of the Croatian Magician. This time, however, things would be different, as we were able to contain Ciro to 1 goal and were able to come away with the 1-2 victory in Stadio Olimpico Roma, a decisive feat considering the way that Immobile had dominated us in our first encounter. Lasagna came up HUGE in this game (true to his current form), as he once again came through in the second half, scoring two decisive goals to seal the win! A golden three points for us. Immobile had not played into Comizzo's mind games, but even so, containing King Ciro was a huge defensive success. As the season continued, we followed through with a 1-1 draw against direct rivals Venezia, and in Fixture 32, went back to our winning ways, beating Atalanta 1-0 in yet another valuable victory. Duván scored early in the match, on minute 6 from a Justin Kluivert cross (a truly impressive strike, his second bicycle kick goal of the season!), breaking a short spell where he hadn't scored, and we were able to hold on against his former team by using Catenaccio tactics, Comizzo-style limiting Atalanta to only 5 shots the entire game and shutting down their offense in, once again, an intelligent display of Comizzo's defensive managerial abilities! This result meant that the race for Europa League was on with only 6 matches left to go in the season, as we were sitting solidly in 7th place now, 3 points ahead of 8th place Cagliari and 5 points behind Napoli! Yet, the unpredictability of the Calcio would make an appearance in the closing 6 matches of the season, an epic race which would feature a rollercoaster of emotions.

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Dark clouds were looming ahead: Fixture 33 against Sassuolo and 34 against Salernitana were highly disappointing results, given the fact that they were both lower table teams at the time. Against Sassuolo, we weren't able to come back from a two goal deficit, despite a late goal by Zapata, and in fixture 34, Salernitana played a truly inspired match against us, which was particularly surprising given the fact that they were in last place and in real danger of being relegated. But we ran into a wall, a true Salernitana wall and no matter what we tried, we weren't able to score against a team full of pride and who played far beyond their current form, as we surrendered a 2-0 result in their grounds. Even though we had our chances, we were not able to break down Salernitana's defense. And things wouldn't look better in our next game against Napoli, back in Stadio Olimpico Torino. After an early goal by Zambo Anguissa off a corner, Napoli dug us into an 0-2 hole after a perfectly placed free kick by Lorenzo Insigne in minute 24.. Things were looking dire, yet we were able to equalize with goals by Lasagna and an incisive run by Mihaila, making it 2-2 after the first 45 minutes.. Back and forth it went in the second half, as Napoli scored with a Mertens finish to make it 2-3. Showing a lot of resolve, we managed to equalize yet again with another goal by our Romanian winger (who is fast becoming a star), before Zielinski's header beat Radu to make it 3-4 Napoli with only minutes to go in the match.. It was indeed, a spectacular game, one that could've been one of our most memorable if it had gone our way, but alas, it was not meant to be. As the final whistle blew and the the players fell to the ground on the Napoli grass, completely exhausted, it was quite evident that we had reached a low point, with 3 straight defeats (two against quite beatable opponents) with only 3 matches left to go. Amazingly though, despite having rescued 0 points out of a possible 9, we had only dropped to 8th place, with only Roma's goal differential separating us from 7th, and with our own goal differential separating us from 9th place Bologna (all three teams had 49 points), and with Cagliari in tenth place, 3 points behind us. A race which once looked in favor of us, was now hanging in the balance. This was a bad moment to go on a slump.

​

Ángel Comizzo: "The mark of great teams is that they're supposed to win the games they're supposed to win. We haven't reached that point yet. Sassuolo and Salernitana were games that were CLEARLY winnable for us, yet we ended up losing them, and Napoli.. well, I guess that game was up in the air, and we gave a great effort, football will be football, that's just the way it goes. But we had no business losing those first two games, and now we will have to scramble to reach our next objective. Yes, I didn't want to mention it before, but our second half objective wasn't just to attack the top half of the table, but it morphed into qualifying for Europa League. I think that this season, regardless of what happens in the last 3 matches, has been a success. Europa would be incredible, but we're going to have to turn the ship around and go for it with all of our might. No room for any vulnerability or doubt. Next match against Bologna will be like a final for us, and I know we will show a lot of resolve."

​

As Comizzo had mentioned, none other than Bologna would visit us in Fixture 36. As a direct rival for Europa, this was truly a high-stakes matchup in Stadio Olimpico Torino, and the fans knew it. It indeed felt like a final. Filling the stadium to the brim, the fans knew that this match could go a long way towards determining the last, coveted European spot. The atmosphere was intense, and as the opening whistle blew, both teams exchanged missed shots in the early going. The match was being played at fever intensity as both teams felt the weight and importance of the occassion. Mattias Svanberg scored first for Bologna after a scramble in the box and an error by Radu opened up a chance for the Swede. We were down 0-1.. Was it possible that our Europe aspirations were fading away? Things seemed to be hanging by a slim thread..... But fortune favours the brave. We kept insisting. A Zapata shot just sailed wide. Orsolini's attempt just saved by the Bologna keeper. As the match wound on, we kept pushing and pushing until, finally, in minute 57, Luka Modric placed a perfect corner kick to Mandragora, who finally headed it in for the score!! It's 1-1, and our hard work had paid off! We were tied, yet we would keep going. On minute 79, Duván received a Kluivert ball which threaded the needle between several Bologna defenders.. And the Colombian Giant scores with a trademark power shot that almost broke the net!!!!!! It's 2-1 Torino, and we are able to hold on for the most important 3 points of the season!! As the players embraced in the middle of the field, Comizzo rushed towards them, running intensely in an outpour of emotion that was perhaps more of relief than of celebration!! This was a momentous win that saw us recover the 7th place in the standings, as we had beaten our direct rivals, and Sampdoria had beaten Roma in their match, clearing the way for us. With only two matches to go, we had 52 points, while Roma and Bologna were both at 49. A huge victory!! Yet we knew that we had to keep going, there were two more matches left go go and the job wasn't complete. We had to try and create some separation and ensure qualification to the Europa League! Our next game would prove decisive in the pursuit of this goal: Fixture 38 visiting Empoli featured a masterful overall performance by Toro, as Orsolini dispossesed the opposing keeper for a goal on minute 18, and Duván scored 2 goals in the second half (a header, and a masterful shot, bodying up 4 Empoli defenders and using his strength to power through an angled score) to secure a dominant and confident 0-3 victory and another three points closer to our Europa dreams! Although Roma kept pace though, winning their respective match, and Cagliari drew their game against Spezia, with only one match left to go in the season, we had the definite advantage: Sitting at 55 and Roma at 52. Only a major collapse in our last match and a Roma win would prevent us from going to the Europa League now.

​

But The Bull would not be denied. Not this time. As the final fixture approached against Genoa, we knew that a tie would ensure us qualification.. Regardless of the Roma result. Would Comizzo play conservatively at home, employing some of his previous tactics against larger teams? Would he choose mind over flair? Perhaps that would've been the wisest choice, given the circumstances. But no. Comizzo, true to his personality, would go all out and play offensively, going for the win, and the result was a match for the ages, one that would live on in Torino's rich footballing lore. An 8 minute run by Orsolini, it's a Toro Goal! Minute 26, Zapata finds Justin Kluivert with a through ball, and it's 2-0! The Granata fans, who had come out in full force for every single home match, but especially this one, had the distinct feeling that we were about to make history as the first half ended.. Genoa got one back in minute 62 (courtesy of Destro), but destiny was on our side tonight. Noting would deny us. Minute 75: Here comes Modric! A beautiful counter attack with a wide open field, finding the space between the Genovese defenders, will he score? With a last-second movement, he unselfishly passes it to Duván and it's a goal!! 3-1 Torino. Only 3 minutes later, it's Modric again gliding down the field, gracefully, beautifully, finding Orsolini who charges forward, shoots and scores!! 4-1. Minute 82, Modric, amazingly again, laser guides an indirect free kick straight to Zapata's head, and it's another Luka-Duván connection!! 5-1!! What a festival!! It's 3 asissts for Luka in 7 minutes! Absolutely magical stretch for our Croatian Magician.... but he wasn't finished: IN LITERALLY THE LAST PLAY OF THE SEASON, minute 90+4, Bellanova dispossesses Genoa, passes it to Orsolini who plays a through ball to a streaking Duván on the left wing, the Colombian being chased by several defenders, reaching the box, juking the defenders and finding LUKA MODRIC FOR THE GOAL!!!!!!!!!! It's Luka's night, it's Torino's night!! The whistle blows, and it's a historic, magical, unforgettable occasion, a moveable feast for Torino, as we close out the season with a 6-1 victory over Genoa, ensuring qualification to next year's Europa League, and exceeding all expectations placed on Comizzo by Millossobek's Football Enterprises!!

​

What a season. What a joyful, amazing ride it was for Ángel Comizzo and his squad.. As the final whistle blew, as the players went around the pitch celebrating and saluting the effervescent and joyful Torino crowd who chanted "Toooorooooo Tooooooroooo", there was a sudden realization, by the manager, by the players, by the fans, by the media and by everyone watching, that this had been a historic season and a beautiful story. Millossobek's Football Enterprises had gambled with Comizzo, and the gamble had paid off beautifully, exceeding all expectations and creating a season for the ages that would surely be remembered in the annals of Italian lore. Going from 17th to 7th in only one year, from near relegation to ensuring qualification to Europe, beating the likes of Milan and Inter, and giving the Granata fans a reason for real hope, was more than anybody ever dared to dream. If nothing else, Ángel Comizzo had proven himself in Europe. While sitting in that dark Buenos Aires Cafe less than a year ago, he engendered a vision in his mind, a vision that would turn into a reality. While glancing at the pictures of the beautiful city of Torino, its classical architecture, the Bull as the emblem of the team, he had a definite feeling that comes about only a few times in a person's life: that he would come to this mystical city and draw from both light and dark forces, myths, spirits that refuse to be forgotten, remembrances and legends, and he would create history. Little did the fans know that they would be witnesses to Luka Modric's reinvention, his joy for the game revealed once again, his spirit restored, an artist making his art on the pitch with every passing stroke, every pass and every run recreating the beauty of classical Italian paintings. They couldn't guess that Duván Zapata would finish the season with 23 goals, second in the league, and that he would delight them with his power, his goalscoring skills, and his endless charisma, becoming the second most prolific striker in the league and a force to be reckoned with, embodying the spirit of the Bull. Nobody could envision that the team could come together like this under this mercurial, mysterious Argentinean manager and create this magical season, drawing power from their tradition and looking at the future with hope, with love, with a Granata heart that once again had found its identity. Nobody could have expected this, except for Angel Comizzo.

​

Duván Zapata: "I had happy years in Atalanta, and in all of the other teams I have played for in the Calcio. But I can honestly say that I have never been happier playing football. I want you guys to picture something: Can you imagine having Luka Modric as your leader, threading passes for you to finish? It's an amazing feeling, and I feel really privileged.. But I would also like to commend my teammates: The entire team rose up to the challenge as well. Mihalia, Radu, Madragora, Orsolini, Kluivert, everyone. Now what I want to do is embrace this team, all of them, wrap my arms around them, and help them continue on this beautiful journey, the challenge of our second season. I cannot wait!!"

Luka Modric: "After spending four years in North London, coming to Torino was like coming back home. Yes, this is what this season felt like for me. An indescribable feeling of home. I felt like a kid again, feeling the cool of the grass under my feet, putting my cleats back on and listening to the roar of the Granata faithful, playing freely, being myself, finding my leadership, and captaining our dear Toro. This was a huge responsibility, but it never felt like one. It felt like playing the game that I love, it felt like doing what I am inside, what my heart truly is, restored, happy, free.. It felt like football, once again."

Ángel Comizzo: "I knew it all along. I knew that I would find gems in the Torino landscape. 17th place you say? I never saw that, or even cared to entertain it. The shadow of Juventus? Yeah, huge team, but shadows can only be cast for so long, sooner or later you step out of them. I don't measure myself against them and never will. South American tactics could never work in Europe? Well I think we all know the answer to that one by now. But I think my biggest success this season, was not on the pitch.. It was here (points to his heart), it was here (points to his head). It was outfeeling and outthinking the opposition, being silent when needed, being proud when nobody was expecting it, embracing my players and receiving power from our fans. You see, football is not just a game. It's an emotion, a feeling, an experience."

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Master League Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[Madmac79]

Another great, entertaining, colossal story of football, and certainly a fantastic new chapter in Comizzo's career! Good job my friend!

Well done in the Euro qualification.. surely was a feat to center it first season! Who knows what's the limit for this fantastic group, led by a magnificent champions such as Modric, and a great striker like Duvan. Surely anxious to know

p.s.

thanks for the Calcio expert mate.. it almost reads like in your alternate universe I'm a football pundit

 

[kibaxx7]

Another massive season!! It's great to see Comizzo again! I expect a second season from this squad 😉

 

[millossobek]

@Madmac79 Thanks bro!! I really couldn't expect an Europa League qualification, straight from the first year, but Comizzo, Luka and Duván really exceeded expectations this season!! I let a few players go, also reinforced the team with other new members (Goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipó, Center Midfielder Amadou Haidara, Left Back Luca Pellegrini, and Defensive Midfielder Giacomo Caló), and am looking forward to this upcoming Serie A!! It's definitely going to be a challenge juggling all 3 competitions (Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Europa League), but I am really curious to see what happens!! FORZA TORO!!

@kibaxx7 Thanks man!! It was definitely great to bring back Comizzo to his great inaugural European adventure, and there is nowhere else I could've started but the Glorious Calcio!! It's been great to have Comizzo's fighting personality in the Italian League, this second year is going to be one exciting odyssey!!

----------------------------------------

Here is a preview of Season 2 of the Comizzo-era



And newly designed Toro Home Kits, created by Millossobek's Football Enterprises!



Stay Tuned!! Season 2 Underway..

 

[Kopite1990]

What a fantastic first season for Comizzo @millossobek - Europa League football in your first season is some achievement and I bet Comizzo is looking forward to testing himself against some of Europe’s top teams next season.

Like you say, juggling 3 competitions will be a challenge so hopefully you can add some depth to the squad.

Love the detail you put into these updates mate - Looking forward to season 2!

 

[millossobek]

@Kopite1990 Thanks man! It was indeed a fantastic first season for Comizzo's Granata! Now some of the best talent Europe has to offer is awaiting us in the Europa League! Hopefully the new kits will give us power to be able to balance all 3 competitions! I also feel like we got some nice reinforcements, I decided not to sign any huge names and try to get several players to give us a more well rounded squad.. Thanks for the kind words bro, I'm glad you're enjoying the immersion and the story in general!

 

[millossobek]

⭐⭐⭐ Welcome to the Seventh Edition of the 3-Stars Cup!! (PES 2021) 🏆🏆🏆
PART 1: Millonarios Faces the World Once More!! ​

Hey bros! For the Seventh edition of the 3-Stars Cup, I've decided to play with my dear team, the team of my Heart, Millonarios of Bogotá. Those of you who have been following my stories for a while know all about it: The 3-Stars Cup is a showcase of medium-rated teams (average of 3 stars, hence the name) in a truly international and inter-continental competition which replicates the Champions League/Libertadores formats, but with a Millossobek twist: 16 European teams, 8 South American teams, and 8 Asian teams battling it out for 3-Stars dominance! This is a chance to prove that there is a world beyond the most prestigious and famous competitions, a world where footballing dreams and aspirations become reality for millions of fans, an opportunity for our teams to shine, in our own universe, on an epic, grand stage and test ourselves in the eyes of the world!! Once again, it's Millossobek's Football Enterprises delivering on our vision: Football is the People's game. It doesn't belong to corporations or huge conglomerates. It is not the property of the biggest teams with the largest wallets. It belongs to the hearts of millions of fans, each one with their own story to tell, their own identity to defend, their own reason to love their teams, something that goes beyond tradition and goes deep into the well of our hearts. It's the Magic of the 3-Stars Cup!

Spoiler: An Interesting side note, and a Huge Inspiration for this Edition. Check this Out!

An interesting tidbit about this particular edition of the Cup. Following real-life developments, Millonarios has acquired none other than mythical Colombian striker (and National Team top historical goalscorer) RADAMEL FALCAO GARCIA. This was one of the main engines for me playing and writing this story, as the 38 year old, in the twilight of his legendary career, has arrived in Millonarios and his coming has been a breath of inspiration for the entire fanbase, and a major contributor and inspiration to this story....... FALCAO, EL TIGRE, IS NOW IN MILLONARIOS!!

⭐⭐⭐ An Explanation of the Format! 🏆🏆🏆​

- Every group has 4 teams: 2 from Europe, 1 from South America, and 1 from Asia. In this edition, I've made an exception and included a 1.5 Star team, a special guest, Port from Thailand! Even though most of the teams have a global rating of 3-Stars, we decided to extend an invitation to the Thai side, in an attempt to showcase their football as well, in their first participation in the 3-Stars Cup! In addition, we decided to feature a few front-runners, Brighton and Hove Albion from England, Saint-Etienne from France, Corinthians from Brazil, and Fenerbahce of Turkey, all with ratings of 3.5 Stars and with slightly stronger squads than the rest to spice things up!

- Countries represented in this Edition: France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Germany, England, Italy, Switzerland, Romania, Belgium, Netherlands, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark, Serbia, Austria, Paraguay, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Argentina, Iraq, Japan, Iran, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Thailand!

- Past 3-Stars Cup Champions and performance:
1st Edition (PES 2018): Played as Millonarios, reached the QF vs Peñarol, eventual champions: ASTON VILLA
2nd Edition (PES 2021): Played as Millonarios, reached the R16 vs Shenzhen Kaisa, eventual champions: PANATHINAIKOS
3rd Edition (PES 2019): Played as Shimizu S-Pulse, reached the QF vs Valladolid, eventual champions: VALLADOLID
4th Edition (PES 2017): Played as FC Seoul, reached the SF vs Club América, eventual champions: CLUB AMÉRICA
5th Edition (FIFA 16): Played as Zamalek of Egypt, reached the final vs Banfield, eventual champions: ZAMALEK!! (Finally!)
6th Edition (FIFA 14): Played as Pescara of Italy, reached the QF vs Guangzhou Evergrande, eventual champions: DEPORTIVO CALI

In this edition, my dear Millos drew up against a very balanced group: AEK Athens (Greece), FC Utrecht (Netherlands), and Persepolis (Iran)! AEK Athens have 32 National Titles (including 13 Super Leagues and 16 Greek Cups), and is the only club to have won all the competitions organised by the Hellenic Football Federation! FC Utrecht have several Titles in the Netherlands and quite a good number of International Participations, and Persepolis are one of the strongest teams in Iran, with 29 domestic titles and an Asian Cup to its name! But Millos does not lag behind in terms of honors, with 16 Colombian Leagues, and 22 overall domestic titles in the country! On paper, there are no favorites, as every single team is around the 3-Stars rating, and thus we are expecting a very tight and balanced group!! Would we be able to emerge from it?? Our tale began in Iran.

Groupstage 1: Persepolis vs Millonarios, Tehran, Iran!


​

This was a tough match in Tehran, with a sea of red awaiting us! It was the first time Millos played against an Iranian side, and it showed, as Persepolis outshot us handily throughout the match, even scoring first in minute 39 of the first half! (I. Alkasir, a beautiful give and go with M. Mehdikhani). Our goalkeeper Montero saved a few more clear chances by the Iranians, but in minute 55, newly acquired star (and huge Millonarios fan) Radamel Falcao was fouled in the box, and calmly scored on the Panenka penalty kick! In Minute 90+1, Persepolis almost scored the game winner, but once again it was Montero saving the day for Millonarios. Final score, 1-1, and this was definitely a point earned instead of two wasted for us. We were outplayed, but we were able to salvage an important result.

Groupstage 2: Millonarios vs AEK Athens, Bogotá, Colombia!


​

Our home debut was against perhaps the strongest team in the group (on paper), AEK Athens, but this was a very different match! A much more balanced encounter in terms of shots attempted and on target, both teams came out quite sharp, as Athens has some nice chances in the first 10 minutes of the match (both saved by Montero), and our secondary striker Leo Castro made a great run just before the first half ended but his shot sailed too high.. Once the second half started, the offensive tempo ramped up, as a furious scramble in the box (a beautiful control and shot by Falcao was controlled by the Greek keeper, but Castro was there for the rebound), gave us a 1-0 advantage! Athens would not give up though, as in minute 56, K. Ansarifard's shot hit the post, almost equalizing for the Greeks, but in minute 70, a very well coordinated counterattack by Falcao and Macalister Silva resulted in a Silva screamer to the left angle, and it was 2-0 for us! A late goal for Mandalos made it 2-1, but as the final whistle sounded, we had the 3 points, a very valuable result against the strong Greek side as our crowd chanted in the afternoon sun!

Groupstage 3: FC Utrecht vs Millonarios, Utrecht, Netherlands!


​

Next, we traveled to Europe for the first time for our match against the Dutch, and even though both teams had good chances (Millos almost scored on a 3-shot sequence stopped by the keeper in minute 11), and Utrecht had some powerful shots (including a very dangerous free kick) saved by Montero, in the end this was a match in which the defenses and the goalkeepers were the protagonists, as both sides nullified each other with the match ending on a 0-0 draw. It was a good away result, and, as Athens beat Persepolis in the other match, we were able to preserve the lead with half of the groupstage left go go (Millos had 5 points, followed by Athens with 4, Utrecht with 3, and Persepolis 2). Things were getting quite tight, and even though we had a slight advantage, we couldn't take anything for granted.

Groupstage 4: Millonarios vs Persepolis, Bogotá, Colombia!


​

Time to go back to El Campín in Bogotá for our fourth match of the groupstage, and this would really make a difference While Persepolis gave us a very tough match the first time around in Iran, this match had a different feel and tenor altogether! Our third striker, Santiago Giordana, was given the nod by our Manager Gamero and immediately made an impact, almost scoring in minute 21 and finding some nice spaces, as we clearly dominated the first half (a good free kick attempt by Silva, and a good shot by Falcao before the first half ended). Our offense once again found our rhythm in the second half, as we kept outrunning and outshooting the Iranian squad until finally in minutes 84 and 89, the floodgates opened, as Castro scored a nicely placed header off a corner and Falcao received a very timely threaded through pass from Ruiz to finish powerfully with a crackin' strike from just outside the box! Once again, we had defended our home field, and came away with a much-deserved 2-0 win, and 3 more points to move us closer to qualification! Standings after this match: Millos 8 points, Athens 7, Utrecht 3, Persepolis 2, as we remained unbeaten in the group stage!

Groupstage 5: AEK Athens vs Millonarios, Athens, Greece!


​

A hard-fought match would await us in Athens, in front of the passionate AEK crowd, all clad in yellow and black! The Greek side would start much stronger than us, as S. Zuber would have a great chance which hit the post in minute 12, this was a close call. Jevtic's shot was just saved by Montero only 7 minutes later, as AEK's Araújo would also have a couple of great shots stopped by our keeper before the first half ended (while we also had a Leo Castro header saved by their keeper). In minute 52, an Athens long ball would result in Araújo scoring in the box against us, as the score was 1-0 Athens and the Greek crowd erupted in celebration, and in minute 72, they almost scored again! But we responded in kind, as only 3 minutes later, on the break, Santiago Giordana received a through ball by Falcao freeing up some space and scored to equalize! A furious last 15 minutes would ensue, as Hajsafi and Falcao also had chances one for each side and as the final whistle blew, we were able to salvage the point! A highly intense match, one in which we withstood the Athens onslaught, but in the end, Millos was able to get a point, maintaining our unbeaten streak. Yet, as Utrecht beat Persepolis 0-3 in Iran, the table stood really tight now, as Millonarios stood with 9 points, Athens with 8, Utrecht with 6, and Persepolis with 2! Everything to play for in the last fixture of the groupstage!

Groupstage 6: Millonarios vs FC Utrecht, Bogotá, Colombia!


​

And the most insane match of the groupstage would await us in Bogotá! With only 3 points separating us from Utrecht, and second place Athens trailing us by only 1 point, this was a high stakes match which ended up being an incredible goal festival!! Everything was riding upon this match, and Millonarios and our fans knew it. We would exchange a couple of good attempts in the first 15 minutes of the game, but Utrecht scored first, as H. Veerman shot the ball past our keeper to open up the score in minute 20. This was not the start we wanted, as Utrecht was really piling it on and were completely determined, as only 5 minutes later, it was Veerman again, this time scoring with a header, and we were suddenly down 0-2 (and with Athens winning their game against Persepolis, we were suddenly in dire straits!). Not 25 minutes had passed, and things were looking very difficult for us, as this combination of results was qualifying Athens and Utrecht and, amazingly, leaving us out in the cold! Things had definitely turned on a dime, very fast, and very ruthlessly.

As the second half was underway, it was clear that we had to do something to salvage our groupstage. But, amazingly, it was Utrecht scoring once more (Sylla), and we were down in an 0-3 hole, suddenly out of contention as this result moved us down to third place due to goal difference!! This was absolutely incredible. We hadn't lost a single match during the entire group stage, and all of a sudden we were facing an 0-3 hole, and we were facing direct elimination!! (and it was almost 0-4, as Sylla's shot only minutes later was saved off the line by our defender Llinas). Was our 3-Stars Cup dream fading away?? It surely seemed like this was the cruel twist of fate, as we hadn't lost a match, but the Dutch were dominating us, humiliating Millonarios in front of our home crowd and sending us home packing!!

But the Gods of Football would have something else in store: We still had a lot of fight left in us. In minute 68, the Tiger Falcao roared back, receiving a pass by the Argentinean Santiago Giordana (who came in for Castro after a largely ineffective first half by Leo), and we made it 1-3.. A glimmer of hope started to emerge.. Yet this was only the start!! Only 5 minutes later, Giordana received a pass from Pereira and shot furiously to the top left corner, hitting the post and in!! In only 5 minutes, we had climbed back to 2-3, and incredibly looking to equalize, as our fans were going absolutely berserk and we were bracing ourselves for a possible comeback. Could it be?? Was this in the cards for us??

Destiny smiled upon us once again!! In minute 81 it's the Giordana-Falcao connection again, with our Colombian ídolo scoring and equalizing 3-3! The comeback was complete, and we were back in qualification!!

But this wouldn't be the end of the story, oh no..... not by a long shot, as a bad mistake by our CB Vargas (who didn't clear the ball after a cross), led to Veerman dispossessing him and making it 3-4 Utrecht!! The tables turned once again, and like a card turning to show its ugly face, we were once again out of the Cup!! What a rollercoaster of emotions........We needed to equalize, and as the clock ticked, we were out of the Cup and nothing but a miracle would give us qualification..... The clock ticked..... We had come back from an 0-3 deficit..... But the Dutch were too tough..... were they?? Was there a last gasp for us??

And finally, in one of the most dramatic sequences in our history, in extra time, IN MINUTE 90+3, it's Cataño who finds a great through ball by Vega.... He runs down the right wing, in a hail mary attempt, crosses it to Giordana, and it's the Argentinean with the header which goes in!!!!!!!! It's a GOAL by MILLONARIOS!!!!!! A last desperate try by Utrecht is dispossessed by Vega, Vargas clears the ball..... and the whistle sounds!!!! Final score Millonarios 4-4 Utrecht, as we qualified by the skin of our teeth, with 10 points, 1 behind AEK Athens who beat Persepolis 2-0 in Greece (winning the group). Incredibly, epically, and with a play right out of the stuff of our best legends, our miracle goal by Giordana in extra time gave us the qualification in the dying moments of the match!! Our final tally was JUST enough: 2 wins and 4 draws in the groupstage which we felt we were winning easily earlier on, but which became incredibly intense and dramatic as the matches wore on. This last match against Utrecht (and the last-minute goal by Giordana) would definitely live on as one of our most dramatic, historic moments in our history...... After the dust had settled, and the Millos faithful kept chanting well into the night. we are through to the Knockout Stage due to Giordana's heroics!! This is the excitement of the 3-Stars Cup!!

To be continued..... The Knockout Stage beckons!!
​

 

[millossobek]

⭐⭐⭐ Welcome to the Seventh Edition of the 3-Stars Cup!! (PES 2021) 🏆🏆🏆
PART 2: The Hard Road to Glory ​

Picking up where we left off: After the thrilling, heart-pumping, pressure inducing finale of our group stage, where literally a last-minute equalizer by our resident Argentinean Santiago Giordana gave us qualification, Millonarios was absolutely exhausted. An amazing, almost otherworldly 4-4 game against Utrecht in Bogotá was by far our most exciting and epic match of the Cup, and enabled us to move on to the next phase by the slimmest of margins. A victory by Utrecht (which seemed almost certain until the final minute), would've given them qualification. Taking those circumstances into account, Giordana's header in the last gasps of the match was nothing short of heroic, as it represented another nail-biting finish in a history filled with them! We could exhale, if only for a short while. Yet the stars have come out to shine: It is now time for the Knockout Stage of the competition, where every game takes on a different, more urgent, a grander dimension!!

R16 Match 1 of 2: Millonarios (COL) vs Always Ready (BOL). Bogotá, Colombia


​

The crowd was energized with wall-to-wall noise as we opened our Knockout Stage of the 3-Stars Cup against Always Ready, a Bolivian team that, while not exactly amongst the strongest ones in the country, had risen impressively in the past few years, with their most recent National Title in 2020 and several respectable Libertadores performances! It was time for the match to start: After exchanging a few attempts in the first 30 minutes, Millonarios began to flourish as we imposed our will on the Bolivians as a 37 minute shot by Falcao hit the post! We were playing more aggressively, doubtlessly spurred on by our loud and always passionate fans, yet the first half remained 0-0 and tension hung in the air. As the second half started, Always Ready were a bit more determined, as Montero had to save a couple of attempts by the Bolivians, but on minute 57, Ruiz streaked down the left side, and crossed a perfect ball to Falcao who headed it in for the first goal! But our #9 idol wouldn't stop there, oh no! On minute 78, it's Falcao again, receiving a ball from Pereira and finishing with an angled shot to the low right hand corner! Even though the Bolivians would score before the match ended, with a nice through pass from Sánchez to Ovejero for the goal, the final score would read Millonarios 2-1 Always Ready, as we went home with a well deserved result (albeit with 1 visiting goal received). A good start, but we would now have to finish the job in the high altitude of Bolivia.

R16 Match 2 of 2: Always Ready (BOL) vs Millonarios (COL), El Alto, Bolivia


​

The second match of the Round of 16 saw us travel to over 4000 meters above sea level, to El Alto, Bolivia, in a very tough match where the inhospitable conditions were quite literally, in the air! On a very cold, wind-swept night, the match took on a decidedly uncertain flavor as Always Ready's Sánchez once again showed great skill with the through ball, feeding Britos for the goal. It was 1-0 for the Bolivians, and this goal gave them the advantage due to the away goal rule.. We tried a few attempts in the first half which were wayward, as we were clearly out of our depth and out of air in the Bolivian altitude.. Yet we knew that we had to keep fighting. As the second half started, we had a few attempts, but once again it was Sánchez feeding Britos on minute 59, with a beautiful one-two connection totally fooling our defense, and the final shot by Britos made it 2-0 Always Ready!! With half an hour left to go in the match, the prospects looked really grim for us.. We were gassed and extremely tired. Would this be a premature ending to our 3-Stars Cup?? Yet only a few minutes later, it was Falcao rising once again from the ashes of fatigue, this time surrounded by Bolivian defenders, using his guile and strength, receiving a perfectly threaded pass by Banguero, and in the last second found the angle for the goal!! The score was 2-1, and the matchup was tied now.. We kept on piling on the pressure, as Banguero and Falcao were having a great game, and our persistence paid off with an equalizer, as Millos' Mantilla made it 2-2 from outside the box on minute 77! We were back up, showing tremendous resiliency and running with our heart instead of our lungs, and despite a late goal by Always Ready's Britos, we managed to hold on due to the away goal rule! Even though the final score was 3-2, the global was 5-5, and since we scored two goals in Bolivia, we were through to the next round!! Showing a lot of desire in a very tough stadium with impossible conditions and facing elimination, our late two goals ensured us qualification to the QF's! Not the most artistic result, but a result nonetheless and one that spoke to our bravery in the thinning Bolivian air.

Quarterfinal Match 1 of 2: Millonarios (COL) vs Partizan Belgrade (SER), Bogotá, Colombia


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Back in Bogotá, the air was crisp and refeshing on a clear, cool night as we were absolutely pumped to welcome the Serbian quarterfinalists and giants, Partizan Belgrade, and only 3 minutes after the initial whistle blew, a foul outside the box led to a free kick, which former team captain David Mackalister Silva converted masterfully and powerfully with a massive curve, scoring a beautiful shot to make it 1-0 almost immediately! This was followed 9 minutes later with a Giordana score from an immediate Vega assist in a counterattack, and before crossing the initial 15 minute mark, Millonarios was already up 2-0! An absolutely crackin' start in our Quarterfinal! The entire first half was completely dominated by Millos, as we got off shot after shot until injury time of the first half, when a Falcao header off a Silva cross netted yet another goal for Radamel! The second half was more domination by us, Pereira scoring in minute 84 with an angled free kick which hit the bar and geometrically rebounded in for the 4-0 score, and only a consolation goal by Partizan gave the final score a bit of respectability for the Serbs! A magical night in Estadio Nemesio Camacho El Campín de Bogotá, as our goal explosion resulted in a resounding 4-1 win, a true goal carnival as our tens of thousands of fans sang songs well into midnight, a result which would prove to give us a decisive advantage going back to Serbia for the second leg!

Quarterfinal Match 2 of 2: Partizan Belgrade (SER) vs Millonarios (COL), Belgrade, Serbia


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Partizan would not make it easy for us, not by a long shot. After a rather uneventful first half, where Millonarios put on a defensive masterpiece and allowed almost no attempts by the Serbian side, the second half would eventually become wild and incredibly tense and unpredictable for both sides! After a long stretch of Millos nullifying Partizan's attacks, we finally went on a counter, and in minute 72, a through ball from Falcao found Leo "El Samurai" Castro's feet, beating all defenders and coolly finishing the play to make it 0-1 Millos! With less than 20 minutes to go, this looked like a certain victory for us, but the unpredictable nature of the 3.Stars Cup would come roaring back with ruthless, absolute certainty, as Partizan scored 3 goals in the following 10 minutes! (A terrible, terrible mistake by goalkeeper Montero feeding Ostojic off the goal kick, a converted penalty kick by Natcho on minute 79, and only 2 minutes later, a goal by Holender off a Natcho assist...)!! A really unfortunate turn of events, and as the Partizan Belgrade crowd erupted in unison, we were really against the ropes against this outstanding momentum shift, the match had absolutely turned on a dime. But once again facing uncertain and uber-tough circumstances, with an entire stadium against us we withstood the pressure and at the end, escaped with a 5-4 global score win.... A tense moment, and real defensive mistakes that were costly, but at the end, our commanding performance in Bogotá was enough to pull us through to the semifinals! Once again, doubts lingered after this match, but the most important aspect is that Millos was through to the final four of the 3-Stars Cup!! A close call, a very close call indeed.

Semifinal Match 1 of 2: Millonarios (COL) vs Corinthians (BRA), Bogotá, Colombia


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Now that we had overcome the spirited Serbs, The semifinals of the 3-Stars Cup were all set to go, with one half of the draw representing Europe and the other half represented by two South American historical teams, Corinthians and Millonarios! As we prepared to host the Brazilian Giants, the atmosphere was truly charged and electric in our stadium, highly resembling a Libertadores match as the huge Timao fanbase (Time do Povo, the Team of the People) arrived in El Campín! And this had the tense, highly defensive, tight nature of a classic South American encounter, as during most of the match, both teams had absolutely fierce and tenacious battles all around the pitch, pretty much cancelling each other out with tackles, interceptions, a lot of desire, and effectively battling to a standstill! 68 minutes had to pass until the first real chance of the game ocurred (after a few blocked or wayward free kicks and plays that were not quite finished by both teams), a Giordana counterattack which was deftly kept by the Brazilian goalkeeper Cassio! Yet only 3 minutes later, Giordana again received a pass from our talented midfielder Ruiz and the Argentinian (who has shown a very impressive knack to come off the bench and score key goals!!) capitalized for the score to make it 1-0 Millonarios!! We were finally able to hold on for the win, an encouraging result to go back to Sao Paulo, yet one that we had to handle with the utmost care and concentration, knowing that the challenge back in Brazil would most certainly prove to be immense, absolutely dripping in intensity against the historical giants!!

Semifinal Match 2 of 2: Corinthians (BRA) vs Millonarios (COL), Sao Paulo, Brazil


​

And so it was. We would go to the mythical Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo to face one of the biggest teams and largest fanbases in all of South America (and the world for that matter). As fireworks spewed out like volcanoes, and the banners of the Corinthians idols, past and present flew high on the Sao Paulo sky (Sócrates and Cassio amongst them), Millos (captained by Falcao) stood impassive, wallowing it all in, knowing that the challenge would be huge: We were enjoying the slimmest of margins going into the game, a margin which could disappear in thin air like the clouds of smoke of the Corinthians black and red. The first thirty minutes were tactical, as our manager Gamero lowered Millos' lines a bit, waitinig for the counterattack, but Corinthians #9 Jo suddenly woke up in the last fifteen minutes of the first half, getting off three shots and finally scoring off an assist by Cantillo with only one minute to go in the half. And although we almost equalized off a Pereira header (an acrobatic save by Cassio!), the score remained 1-0 as the Brazilian squad had roared the series back even. In minute 57 of the second half, we were able to find our offense once again, as we went on the attack knowing that the series was now tied: and once again, in a magical combination that had proved to be effective and full of fantasy, Samurai Castro found his eternal partner Falcao who angled it past the Brazilian keeper for the Millos goal!! The score was now 1-1, and we had retaken the global lead! Corinthians went desperately on the offensive in the last 30 minutes of the game, knowing that their Cup hopes were fading against the massive underdog.. Tick-tock, would we be able to hold on?? Millos keeper Montero stopping a dangerous Cantillo shot on minute 81.. We were preserving the advantage.. Corinthians needed two goals to qualify. The clock was running and we were edging closer to the final as time wore on. One last grasp at drama: On minute 90+1. the Brazilians score!! Jo scored off a Romero cross, to give Corinthians one last gasp of hope.. Yet fortunately for us, it would prove to be too little to late for Corinthians! In the end, even though they had won the game 2-1, the global score of 2-2 favored us as the away goal rule would prove to be golden for us once more (as was the case against Always Ready, our R16 South American encounter)!! The Millos players fell to the ground in sheer exhaustion, effort, and elation, as we were through to the Final of the 3-Stars Cup for the very first time, just edging heavily favored Corinthians in a momentous upset! Facing 50 thousand roaring fans and a ton of history and feeling, we had displayed a lot of courage to pull through, once again under adverse circumstances.. Once again defying great odds: We move to the final!!!!!

Final: Millonarios (COL) vs Brighton and Hove Albion (ENG), Sao Paulo, Brazil


​

Once again, Arena Corinthians would be our hosts, as the newly reformed and refurbished Neo Química Arena had been pre-established by Millossobek's Football Enterprises as the hosts of the Three Stars Cup Final in advance, as Millonarios would face none other than the tournament favorites (and highest-rated team in the entire tournament), England's Brighton and Hove Albion. And even though thousands of Brighton supporters made the trek accross the atlantic to the Southern hemisphere, Sao Paulo, it was Millonarios' fans who were more numerous and louder, as a sea of fans chanted "quiero verte campeón" as they descended upon the Sao Paulo grounds!! Even though they were the favorites, Gamero and the Millos fans were convinced that we had the intangibles in this match, with more fans and perhaps an underdog feeling heading towards the Final against the English squad. After a bit of pomp and circumstance, the match started cagey, but on minute 15, a beautiful connection between several Brighton players led to an Izquierdo goal, and unfortunately, two minutes later, Brighton's Tau would score again. The dust had not yet settled and after only 16 minutes, Millonarios was down 2-0 and fighitng an increasingly uphill battle. This was not the start that either Manager Gamero, the players, or the fans expected, but there was nothing we could to but battle our way back. 11 minutes later, on minute 28, Leo Castro found a perfect space to a streaking Falcao (one of our first attempts of the night, as we were clearly struggling against their superior pace), outmaneuvering several Brighton defenders, and Falcao executed an elegant, controlled finish to the bottom right hand corner, reigniting our hopes and making the match 2-1! We went on the attack: Another powerful shot by Banguero, and Leo Castro's header after a masterful free kick lobbed pass from Silva was stopped by the English keeper, as the score remained 2-1 heading into the second half.. We were looking to equalize and the second half was quite dynamic as well, as we exchanged several attempts with Brighton (Silva and Giordana had good chances in minutes 72 and 77), but the last 10 minutes would prove to be absolutely fateful and tragic for Millos, as Brighton's Trossard scored twice (minutes 81 and 82) to make it 4-1 and out of reach for Millonarios.. And even though second half substitute Jader Valencia scored on a powerful shot with all his might to the upper left hand corner in extra time, it was not enough, as Brighton overwhelmed us and as the final whistle blew, the score was 4-2.. We had actually made it quite a game for most of the match, but those inspired first 20 and last 10 minutes by Brighton were enough to pull them through.. The dream of the 3-Stars Cup was over for Millonarios, and as the match ended, several players could be seen lying on the pitch, dejected, as Brighton celebrated their victory, their first in the history of the Cup and second overall title for an English side.



In the end, Millonarios played a valiant Cup, full of honor, dignity and pride. After a Groupstage and a final fixture that had our fans on the edge of their seats (a very tough group, against AEK Athens, Utrecht, and Persepolis), we fought bravely against extenuating circumstances in the knockout stages: The unforgiving altitude of Bolivia, the furious, almost paranormal Partizan rally in Serbia, the Legendary History and passion of Corinthians and their fanbase, and we prevailed. In the final, we went up against a much more talented team, and even though it wasn't meant to be this time, and the stars would not be aligned on this occassion, this was a historic Cup for my dear team. We came, we saw, we conquered three different and huge challenges, and put up a great fight against the most talented team in the Cup (a 3.5 Stars team, in fact, almost a 4-Star rated team in Brighton), and the final match was decided on details and streaks, as is usually the case in football. But we leave with our head held high, and if there is anything that we have learned from this beautiful tournament, is that there are always second chances. Millonarios of Bogotá's story in the 3-Stars Cup will continue!



Manager Alberto Gamero: "Football is a simple game, yet it is incredibly complicated. It is the geometry of the soul. It is the passion of the streets. It is the inventiveness of the heart. We left everything out there, yet planning for joys and sorrows is an impossible task. You just have to go with it, carry your emotions with you, try to level them and control them, and let the chips fall where they may. I have never been prouder of my team, not even when I was a player in the mythical Millos 35 years ago. We came and showed the world what Millonarios Football is all about. We will be back."

David Mackalister Silva: "Even though we couldn't come away with the silverware, this has been the experience of a lifetime. Growing up poor in Bogotá, I never thought I would travel the world as I did in this Cup, seeing faraway places such as Iran, England, Serbia.. I will gladly take these memories and guard them in the collective experiences of my life. We gave it our all. And winning and losing in these circumstances comes secondary to what we all lived as a group of brothers, as ambassadors to Millonarios Football: Los Embajadores."

Radamel Falcao García: "Captaining this team has been the honor of my life. Yes, you heard that right. Even though I played in glorious European teams, like Atlético de Madrid, Porto, Monaco, and Manchester United, coming back to the team I truly loved as a kid has been more that I could've hoped for. Wearing the blue and white (corazón azul y blanco), representing the city of Bogotá and our millions of fans has given me a feeling that will never be replicated. Like Mackalister said, it's not always about winning and losing. It's about what you have in your heart, and gazing into the stars, also what you dream of, and my dream, moreso than winning a title, has always been to wear these beautiful colors, on my chest, the emblem on my heart, all wrapped up in a song that simply says: "SIEMPRE, SIEMPRE MILLONARIOS!!!!"

Stay tuned to the next edition of Millossobek's Cup Stories!
Comments are welcome!​

 

[Dil_11]

What an incredible journey! Our Millonarios team showed heart, resilience, and unwavering belief every step of the way. From the dramatic group stage to the intense knockout rounds, we fought with pride and passion.

Though the final didn’t go our way, the effort and spirit of this team were remarkable. We represented Bogotá with honor and earned respect on the world stage. Always, always Millonarios! 💙⚽

 

[millossobek]

@Dil_11 Thanks!! It was, indeed, an amazing journey!!
I agree, both the group and the knockout stages were insane, filled with exciting, unpredictable moments and huge momentum shifts!
We showcased a lot of mettle under pressure! Even though we couldn't bring home the trophy, we made Bogotá Proud and showcased the heart of our Football to the world!! 🏟️

 

[millossobek]

Welcome to the FIFA 19 Korea-Japan Challenge
Featuring INCHEON UNITED
Where 12 Korean, 18 Japanese, and 2 Chinese Squads
Will face each other in a unique Single-Season Cup Format Challenge!
Sponsored by Millossobek's Football Enterprises (MFE)
This Competition Will Mix the Entire K-League, J-League and our Invitees
In a Battle for Regional Supremacy!
🏆Stay Tuned, My Friends.🏆 ​

 

[Aymer]

View attachment 297030

Welcome to the FIFA 19 Korea-Japan Challenge
Featuring INCHEON UNITED
Where 12 Korean, 18 Japanese, and 2 Chinese Squads
Will face each other in a unique Single-Season Cup Format Challenge!
Sponsored by Millossobek's Football Enterprises (MFE)
This Competition Will Mix the Entire K-League, J-League and our Invitees
In a Battle for Regional Supremacy!
🏆Stay Tuned, My Friends.🏆
​

I Love your challenge bro just keep it up like this can u make challenge with the legendary master league default players in pes 11 with castolo minanda ordaz and others players

 

[millossobek]

@Aymer oh, rest assured bro, I will do a Default Players' story sooner or later!!
(Probably in PES 6, although PES 11 could be a nice one as well)
Thanks for the comment!!

 

[Madmac79]

View attachment 297030

Welcome to the FIFA 19 Korea-Japan Challenge
Featuring INCHEON UNITED
Where 12 Korean, 18 Japanese, and 2 Chinese Squads
Will face each other in a unique Single-Season Cup Format Challenge!
Sponsored by Millossobek's Football Enterprises (MFE)
This Competition Will Mix the Entire K-League, J-League and our Invitees
In a Battle for Regional Supremacy!
🏆Stay Tuned, My Friends.🏆 ​

Fantastic mate! Can't wait to see this Fifa 19 adventure come to be!

 

[millossobek]

I know I have been away for a while,
And this while might take a bit longer,
As Millossobek's Master League Stories
Continue to Brew, Develop, and Unfold....

But be Completely Certain,
that My Stories are being Played
At this Very Instant, with this Very Heart..
Every Passing Groupstage
and Every Passing Fixture
Are not just Numbers on a Board,
but a Tale that Takes Place
Deep in my Footballing Heart.

Stay tuned, my friends.
-Millossobek
​

 

[millossobek]

My friends,,
I am taking a short break from writing my Millossobek Stories.
The second season of My Dear Torino and the Massive K-J Cup have been completed!
However, I feel the need to rest a bit, recharge my writing batteries
And get everything together before embarking on the mission of writing both campaigns.
Rest assured, though.. That in a while..
I WILL be back, fully renewed, with starry eyes and an open soul,
to continue my ever-expanding narrative,
The telling of the tale, the spinning of the wheel,
of Millossobek's Football World.
I really thank you for for following my stories, and for your patience!

- Millossobek ​

 

[Holland]

Ángel Comizzo: "I knew it all along. I knew that I would find gems in the Torino landscape. 17th place you say? I never saw that, or even cared to entertain it. The shadow of Juventus? Yeah, huge team, but shadows can only be cast for so long, sooner or later you step out of them. I don't measure myself against them and never will. South American tactics could never work in Europe? Well I think we all know the answer to that one by now. But I think my biggest success this season, was not on the pitch.. It was here (points to his heart), it was here (points to his head). It was outfeeling and outthinking the opposition, being silent when needed, being proud when nobody was expecting it, embracing my players and receiving power from our fans. You see, football is not just a game. It's an emotion, a feeling, an experience."

This has been the secret of success, Humility!!!

The one that distinguishes you my friend, one feat after another..........from the great Torino where you managed to give him back the place he deserves to have (EUROPE) and the Seventh Edition of the 3-Stars Cup!


You have all my respect and I extend my compliments for the narration always so detailed and engaging.

Take your well-deserved rest

Hey.................but what goal did you score with Bellanova?

 

[PES4eva]

View attachment 303762

My friends,,
I am taking a short break from writing my Millossobek Stories.
The second season of My Dear Torino and the Massive K-J Cup have been completed!
However, I feel the need to rest a bit, recharge my writing batteries
And get everything together before embarking on the mission of writing both campaigns.
Rest assured, though.. That in a while..
I WILL be back, fully renewed, with starry eyes and an open soul,
to continue my ever-expanding narrative,
The telling of the tale, the spinning of the wheel,
of Millossobek's Football World.
I really thank you for for following my stories, and for your patience!

- Millossobek ​

And put Duvanosaurus out to pasture 😉

 

[Sany023]

And put Duvanosaurus out to pasture 😉

Haha! Jurassic Park lives on!

Spoiler

 

[millossobek]

And put Duvanosaurus out to pasture 😉

Haha! Jurassic Park lives on! 🦖

This has been the secret of success, Humility!!!

The one that distinguishes you my friend, one feat after another..........from the great Torino where you managed to give him back the place he deserves to have (EUROPE) and the Seventh Edition of the 3-Stars Cup!

You have all my respect and I extend my compliments for the narration always so detailed and engaging.

Take your well-deserved rest

Hey.................but what goal did you score with Bellanova?

Thanks a lot Sensei Holland!!

I love your enthusiasm for my stories and how you seem to understand the messages and the between-the-lines in the personalities of my managers and players!! Your words are definitely fuel for my stories, and knowing that you guys enjoy them is really rewarding!!

I thank you for following, and for being such a passionate supporter of my campaigns, my friend!! I definitely try my best to make the stories as colorful and rich as possible.. As you know, we all love Football Games, and having this extra immersion makes it all so worthwhile.. The adventures are endless my friend!!

Molte Grazie also for understanding that I need a rest, bro!! You know how it is, sometimes we get so wrapped up in our footballing projects that we definitely need to recharge our batteries!! I will be back!!

Here is Bellanova's goal, BTW!! One of my favorite goals in my campaigns!! Made even more special because he plays at Right Back and those goals are quire rare!!