Millossobek's Master League Written Stories!

[millossobek]

"Welcome to The Big Dance, to The Beautiful Stage"



Roberto Baggio Faces a Crossroads: A Transfer Window Story!
(Part 1 of 2: Serie A Season Preview)
​

What is a dream? It can mean many things. It can mean "a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep." Yet it can also mean "a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal." In our dear Reggina's case, it is the second definition. It is a dream of aspiring to Serie A, a dream which has been realized. It is also an ambition of performing well in the biggest stage. and an ideal of making their mark in Italian football. Roberto Baggio's Reggina plowed through Italian second division in his second year as a manager, and their promotion to Serie A has marked a before and after for the franchise, for the team, and for the city of Reggio, Calabria. Dreams can be made on the spot, appearing on the footballing horizon not only for the players on the squad, but for the 182 thousand plus people who live in the beautiful Southern city, located in the exact center of the Mediterranean Sea.. Can Reggina stand at the center of Italian football?

Reggina's return to Serie A, "Il Ritorno", after an 11 year absence has been met with differing expectations from members of the media, fans, Baggio, and the players themselves. Even though they dominated second division, few pundits and experts gave Reggina much of a chance beyond a lower table finish, perhaps near the bottom of the standings. After all, they were facing the giants of Italy now, teams that were not only hardened by long spells in top division, but many of whom were also battle-tested in the top flight of European international competition for many years. Baggio, who had been given almost complete reign over transfers and signings, was suddenly faced with a decision. After winning Serie B, an important influx of money was suddenly available to the team. Would we cash in and go for high-profile signings to face the big monsters of Serie A? What would our offseason look like?

Two options were clear:

- We go for a few big names. An aging Lapadula is still going strong, and finished once again as top goalscorer in second division. But at 32 going on 33, he's not getting any younger. Some members of the board of directors and members of the media are clamoring for a new striker. Pietro Pellegri, the new and up and coming 22-year old Italian striker from Rayo Vallecano is a favorite amongst the experts. Others want a new keeper. Even though Brazilian (nationalized Italian) Enzo fresh from Corinthians has proven to be a very good goalkeeper in Serie B, there are those who doubt his ability in the top flight and want a high-profile goalkeeper. Areola from Fulham seems to be available. Yet others want veteran leadership in the back 4, with Angelo Ogbonna a candidate, or a big name to shore up the midfield. Rumours are flying that Granit Xhaka is available and a bit disgruntled at a lack of playing time at Arsenal. We can go for 2 or 3 of these big names, and face Serie A under their big-name talent.

- The second option is simply: To stay with those who got us here, and go for several smart and lower profile signings in the offseason. Don't go for the big names but follow the leadership of our aging and charismatic "idolo", Gianluca Lapadula, who memorably led us throughout the rough and tumble journey of Serie B, ride the momentum of our multi-talented street magician and skillful secondary striker, 24 year old Tunisian, Youssef El-Sherif and our promising products from our farm system, right back Bellanova (who is fast emerging as a great all around player), Peli, and our backup striker and rockstar talent Russo among others who are well-versed in the Baggio way. Trust the process.

​

After thinking it through, meditating on it for several weeks and going on some deep soul-searching, Baggio decided for the second option. We would play Serie A under the leadership of the players who got us to first division in the first place! Loyalty and Pride. Substance before flashy signings. Passion and heart over cold calculation. We would ride the coattails of our momentum, relying on the unity and love of our team and the chemistry that has been built over two grueling years in second division under "Il Divin Codino's" leadership. Yet this does not mean at all that we were going to stand still during the transfer window. Not at all. We would retain the core of our team intact: Lapadula and El-Sherif leading at the front, our dual Asian central midfielders of Lee Chang Min and Kensuke Sato (who complement each other very well, Lee being the more direct aggressive player and Sato bringing in more artistry as a pure No. 10, has there ever been a Korean-Japanese duo in Europe?), trust the young talent of Bellanova at Right Back, who is improving by leaps and bounds, stay with the somewhat inconsistent yet lightning-fast winger duo of Cristian Aleman and Senegalese N'Diaye, stay with our reliable and rock-solid Brazilian Center Back Rafael Dumas, who has calmly led the defense with valor and balance, his compatriot, other side of the coin, and spark off the bench Rómulo (who scored amazing and dazzling goals full of Samba, mostly as a substitute, in the second year of our Serie B campaign), Portuguese L. Teixeira, a promising product of our youth farm system playing at left back and who acquired a lot of experience in Serie B, multi-faceted left back Belgian Kayembe (who can also play winger and had some very important offensive and defensive plays in our Serie B campaign), our goalkeeper Brazilian-nationalized-Italian Enzo., and 32-year old veteran midfielder Panagiotis Tatchsidis, who was instrumental in the campaign (what he lacks in speed he brings in with experience and smarts), Yes. Loyalty would be the name of the game here.

​

However! We did bring plenty of good players in the offseason! Here are our signings!

- Tudor Baluta, a 24 year old Romanian Defensive Midfielder stalwart, from Brighton and Hove Albion and the Romanian National Team. A strong anchor man who would immediately start at DMF alongside either Lee or Sato, very strong and physical and also possessor of an accurate passing game! Probably our biggest signing in the offseason, a player with a strong yet team-oriented first personality, possessor of inner and outer strength and a solid mentality, who's looking to make an immediate impact on the starting eleven! This is clearly a transfer for the now.
- Pablo Mari, a 30 year old Spanish Center Back from Arsenal, not receiving any playing time with the Gooners, and itching to play an important role. An experienced and battle-tested player who has plowed his trade in Spain, England, Brazil, and the Netherlands. He automatically becomes a veteran on the team and is expected to bring leadership.
- Leo Greiml, 22, a product of the Rapid Vienna academy. Another Center Back, but much younger than Mari and with a lot of upside and potential. Looking to switch starting Center Back with Dumas and Mari.
- Ivan Angulo, 23, a Colombian product from Palmeiras, a fast and attacking winger who can complement N'Diaye and Aleman to give our team even more speed and depth off the bench, not to mention more South American flavor. (perhaps even competing for a starting position!)
- Gaetano Oristanio, 21, a product of the Inter youth system, looking to make his mark and get more playing time at secondary striker for whenever El-Sherif needs a rest, or even partnering with him at times! A very young player with tons of upside, a balanced, speedy player with skill and a humble demeanor that belies his young years.
- A Pair of Brazilians, Felipe Saravia (25, LMF) and José Welison (28, DMF). Saravia could very well compete with Aleman for a starting position even if he starts on the bench, being that they have similar styles of play (Saravia is perhaps more well-rounded while Aleman is more of a speedster), and Welison would be a more than competent backup for Romanian Baluta (given that Tatchsidis is aging and not the speediest player!) More Samba on the team!
- Iyenoma "Destiny" Udogie, 21, Right/Left Back, from Chievo Verona, Italian of Nigerian descent. A young, offensive full back with a flashy name, a flashy smile and an exciting style, to rotate with Kayembe and perhaps even Bellanova and give the team more depth in the back 4 and also on the attacking wings.
- Aboubakary Koita, 25, from Belgum via Sint-Truiden, not a physical player but very fast on the wings! Added to create more dynamism on the sides as well as make nice combinations with N'Diaye, Saraiva, and the others!

9 total signings in the offseason to complement our Core 22 recently promoted from second division! We now have a large, complete, and versatile squad to face our Serie A challenge. No huge stars, but what we hope for is a well-built team from top to bottom. The road ahead is long and arduous, and almost every game will be against a Goliath, but now we've got 31 players to face the music, a squad that is eager to prove itself. Baggio has decided to go for a well-rounded approach, shore up the team in a balanced manner.. Now it's just a question of making all the pieces fit together in a cohesive unit!

Baluta, Oristanio, Angulo, and Pablo Mari.
​

Roberto Baggio: "It was so clear that I had two options.. I could either bring in a few big names, and create star power for The Amaranth, or choose the road I've taken. I want to rely on the ones that brought me to the big dance.. The players that have written the story for me. I've built a beautiful rapport with them.. Created by two years of playing together.. Not only playing.. Almost living together on the pitch, different personalities and different dreams under a footballing philosophy. In this age, where everything goes so fast.. Is it much to ask to rely on wisdom and experience, on loyalty and building a lasting impression, a memory that fans can take home with them? Sometimes, winning is the end result, but what brings you here, the experiences, are the fabric of our memories. It will be Gianluca's leadership and huge heart, El-Sherif's street craftiness and sheer love he has for the game, our young players bright-eyed aspirations, an old fox like Panagiotis Tatchsidis, everyone, who will open their arms to our newcomers and bring them up to the biggest stage in Italy. I'm looking forward to a beautiful season, regardless of our league position."

Gianluca Lapadula: "For Roberto to trust me like this is a feeling I cannot describe. I am 32, almost 33 years old, and had the best two footballing years of my life under his guidance. For Roberto to give me the captaincy of this team is something beyond compare.. he told me 'Gianluca.. This is your moment.. Bring yourself all the joy you can.' Never once did he say this was my responsibility, but I feel it like none other in my career. I will wrap my arms around this team and embrace it with all my heart. Serie A, this is our story."

Tudor Baluta: "I am very glad to join up with this quite international squad. My role here is apparently very clear, if you take a look at my role and the team itself: To bring my intensity in midfield, dispossess and help build up front, to protect the back four and orchestrate play for the forwards.. Yes, that is the x's ad o's. But manager Roberto Baggio has spelled out another role for me, and this is one that I will not reveal just yet.. But I will say this: It is an emotional role moreso than just a tactical one. It's a role that comes from inside."

Will Baggio's gamble to stay loyal to the leadership of his players pay off? Will reinforcing the team with 9 new signings have the desired impact and form a cohesive unit for our Serie A adventure? Will Gianluca be able to embrace this team, and poetically inspire The Amaranth with his veteran leadership to new heights in the most important, most watched, most mystical scenario in all of Italian Football, against the Giants of the Calcio, so many Champions of Italy, Europe, and Beyond?

Only time will tell..

PART 2 (FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON) COMING UP SOON!!

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

 

[Holland]

second option.

Absolutely agree with Roberto, I would have made the same choice, as soon as I returned to Serie A it is right and logical to carry on the project with the same players as last season's triumph.
Time will tell about him, but in my opinion this is the right way !!!
FORZA REGGINA

 

[millossobek]

Serie A, Serie A, Andiamo in Serie A!



Baggio and Lapadula are Leading Reggina Beyond their Wildest Expectations!!!!

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First Half of Season 3:
19 Matches Played (+2 Italia TIM Cup matches)
10 wins, 3 draws, 6 losses.
5th in Italian Serie A

The stage is set. The Amaranth's return to the top flight of Italian football has been secured and now it is all a game of expectations. How would we fare in our return to the biggest stage, "Il Palcoscenico Più Grande"? The place where the biggest aspirations of the best and brightest Italian teams are forged and delivered? It has been a long way back for Reggina, 11 long years away from a place we should've never left, a gift and a resolution in our history that has unfolded with all the drama and heart, grinding our way back from the lower divisions of Italian football, and our fans are eagerly anticipating every single move and every single match, gripping their hearts with every loose ball and divided possession.. It is one thing to have been away for a long time, but when a team has a past, and pride to live up to like is the case with the storied Amaranth, the waiting for the initial whistle can be even more dramatic.. And this was definitely the case as our hard-earned return to Serie A unfolded.

It would not be the most auspicious of beginnings for our dear Amaranth, though. Our first two fixtures were against Sassuolo and Spezia, both away matches. The Northern Italian Sassuolo had been a presence in Serie A for a while, earning their inaugural first division berth back in 2013. Now it's been almost 10 years and, up to this point, they have been fixtures in top flight, fighting midtable at times and even qualifying for Europa League. In a tight, cagey affair, Sassuolo was able to beat us 1-0. Even though the final score was close, they played much better than us, dominating possession, as a higher quality of football gave us their welcome to the top flight.. Even though Roberto had a plan to pressure Sassuolo, we had trouble creating chances as we could not earn points. Following up, our next match was also an interesting one. Spezia (who had spent one season in Serie B with us and were recently promoted back to first division) played us intensely. This match had a lot of emotion, and in very heartbreaking fashion, after we had fought our way back from a 2-0 deficit all the way to equalize 2-2, Spezia scored an 87th minute goal to beat us 3-2 on their grounds! Two matches had passed, and, 0 points for the Amaranth. Our "ritorno" to Serie A had started off on the wrong foot.



However, our fortunes would change in fixture #3. Once again playing on the road, we were able to outwit Empoli in a great performance by Youssef El-Sherif! We were down 1-0 at the halftime break, and things were looking a bit bleak for us.. Some of the younger players and newcomers looked a bit concerned in the locker room,, as it seemed like we were going to be headed to another defeat, perhaps our third in a row in a cold "back to reality" fashion. Our team looked lost out there, our spirits were low and we were not playing with the same spark and energy that we had played in Serie B. Were we perhaps folding under pressure? This would not be the case. Here is when Youssef El-Sherif, at his 24 years of age, stepped up to Roberto Baggio and told him in the locker room, with poise and confidence way beyond his young years: "Just give me the ball. Trust me.. I will try to get us out of this hole".. And that he did, scoring 2 opportunistic goals in the second half, relying more on wit than strength, and almost single handedly giving us our first victory of the season! Final score: Empoli 1, Reggina 2. Our first win of the season, in a hostile environment no less. Would this be a turning point?



It surely looked that way in our very next match, an Italian TIM Cup match that we had no problems winning, a 3-1 result against Reggiana. (It seems like we have faced them like.. 10 times under Baggio's tenure!) It has to be said though, that our Serie A new status served in our advantage though. We were the beneficiaries of drawing one of the weaker Serie B teams that we had dominated thoroughly in the past, so this result came as no surprise. We move on to the next stage of the Cup! What would come next? A HUGE test, and our most anticipated match to date: JUVENTUS. We were facing undoubtedly the biggest team in Italy, one of the top 5 teams in the world! We would be playing in OUR stadium, making our Serie A debut at Stadio Oreste Granillo, under the bright lights of the TV cameras and the watchful eye of the footballing world. Could we perhaps pull off the miracle against the Goliath of modern Calcio, 9 time league winners in a row?



Things started off really well for us, as amazingly we took the lead early on with a classic linkup between El-Sherif and Lapadula! Stadio Oreste Granillo went absolutely insane as our Captain calmly received the Tunisian's pass and flicked it past the keeper for a 1-0 lead! The stadium's heart was completely and utterly alight. Back and forth it would go.. Juventus would equalize before the break, 1-1.... Cristiano Ronaldo would score once again in minute 49 to give them the lead 1-2.. Would this open the floodgates for a Juve domination? Reggina would have none of it.. Lapadula and N´Diaye would come roaring back, scoring two more goals before minute 80, and the impossible seemed possible: We were LEADING mighty Juventus 3-2 with only 10 minutes to go!! But then, a world class striker would do what world class strikers do: Ronaldo would strike again in minute 85, a header off a cross by Cuadrado and Juve would equalize as Ronaldo ran to the corner and did his usual jumping celebration under a rain of Reggio Calabria boos and whistles. Final score, Reggina 3, Juventus 3!!



Even though we were REALLY close to beating the giant and their equalizer was heartbreaking, our players left the stadium under a standing ovation by the Reggina fans. THIS was the match that announced us to the footballing world, with a truly worldwide global audience and millions of people watching. Until now, Reggina had been a relatively unknown team outside of Italy, but if anything, this gutsy performance had pushed us onto the world stage, and now we were no longer a lesser known Italian team, but the recently promoted team, fresh from Serie B, which had the mighty Juventus on the ropes like a tired slugger and on the brink of losing. We were heartily applauded by our passionate fans after the match, appreciative of our historical effort. But the effects of this match would be felt in our next encounter. Since this was such an emotional match, this was perhaps reflected in our next fixture, against a Roman rival who was wating on the wings.

The road would not get ANY easier with LAZIO (hi @Madmac79! Was that you in the away stands?) coming to town and even though our boys put up a valiant effort, we were quite tired and the Laziale's quality was too much for us to overcome. A brace by Italian international and newly crowned Eurocup champion Ciro Immobile and we were not able to come back against a very talented squad. Score: Reggina 1, Lazio 2. Even though this was yet another valiant effort against a team that was drastically more talented than us, the reality was this: We had played five matches, and had only won one, with three defeats and a draw, and were lingering at the bottom of the table. We were not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Welcome to Wonderland.

Who was next in our roundtable of Italian talents? Things were looking difficult for us for our next fixture, as we visited Atalanta, with their duo of Colombian strikers Duvan Zapata and Luis Fernando Muriel! This match however, would have a different outcome. In our biggest win of the season against a very tough crowd who came out with the goddess flags unfurled and with fired up chants to support their up and coming squad! But we were able to outsmart them and outplay them throughly in a match which featured tons of chances, bookings, and an insane amount of pride. The final result: Atalanta 2, Reggina 3. An immensely courageous effort which showed tons of guts and once again showed the footballing world that yes, we could hang with the big boys and even beat them, even with our opponents having international footballing experience and outspending us 4 or 5 times as much!



Cup Time. In an interesting coincidence, our next match would be a repeat of last years 2nd round showdown against Fiorentina. History would repeat itself as once again, we were able to prevail against the purple Gigliati! 2-1 the score, as we advanced to the quarterfinals of the Italia Tim Cup in a valiant performance! The game was tied 1-1 and it looked like we were heading into extra time when Baggio took out one of his trump cards that he had used several times throughout his Serie B campaign: Rómulo, the speedy Brazilian veteran who scored the game winning goal and gave us the victory! Looking back, it had seemed like our epic win against Atalanta had righted the ship and given us a lot of spirit as we advanced to the next round of the cup.. Our next fixture would not yield the desired result, however. Back at the league, we could not maintain our run of good form, losing a disappointing away fixture against Spal 1-0 in a smash-and-grab win for them, yet another old Serie B foe.. Was this a pattern? It definitely seemed like for every joy we were having in top division, it would be taken away from us as we were unable to mount a sustained streak as of date.. This result was especially frustrating because we'd played a lot better than SPAL. But as you all know, this is football and this was just one of those days where the ball would just refuse to go in no matter how hard we tried.



But very few people predicted what would happen next. In an amazing show of quality and resiliency, The Amaranth would win 4 out of our next 5 league matches, a stunning streak which seemingly came out of nowhere as the goal floodgates started to open! First was a really impressive 3-0 drubbing of Parma, followed by a valuable 2-2 draw against always tough Udinese. Fixture 10 would feature one of our best performances of the season so far, beating Fiorentina (once again!) 4-2 in Stadio Oreste Granillo as the Fiore players were left shaking their heads in disgust after the match, seemingly unable to comprehend how this smaller team had their number in the league and in the cup! Positively, we would maintain our remarkable streak, winning once again 3-1 vs Sampdoria and 2-1 vs Genoa in a series of matches in front of our crazed fans! What a turn of events for the Amaranth! After struggling a bit out of the gates and lingering in mid to low table, suddenly. out of the last 15 points, we had been able to win 13, and against tough opposition! Here is some more magic by our Tunisian star, El-Sherif, in one of his two goals against Parma!



It must be said: One of the brightest spots in our winning streak had definitely been the play of our backup young Center Forward, Russo, who had played several times in order to rotate with Lapadula. Russo's performance was particularly satisfying for Baggio, given his decision to stick with him through thick and thin and refusing to bring a big-nama striker. And a cool side note: in the title pic you can see him scoring one of his several goals during this winning run, and all of a sudden bursting out in air-guitar Jimi-Hendrix like antics!! This was the first time Russo had unleashed this signature celebration, one that would be repeated throughout the season and would even have the Reggina faithful sing "Wild Thing! You make my Heart sing!" in Italian!! "Wild Thing!! Fai cantare il mio cuore!!" as Russo would break out and perform one of the most memorable celebrations in the Calcio!! More importantly, this latest winning period had the Amaranth steadily climbing up the rankngs after a tough start!

But Lo-And-Behold: The boys are back in town. Our next four fixtures were against a who's who of Italian football, as this would definitely be a HUGE test of our quality and our credentials in first divison. Check out this run of games: INTER, AC MILAN, NAPOLI, ROMA. (Damn!!) What would happen in these four fixtures against the cream of the crop in Italy?? Baggio knew that this would be a gargantuan test of our will, our desire, and our talent. What would ensue? Well, our first match was definitely a wakeup call. After our impressive run in the past 5 matches, where we feasted on our opponents and drew from the spirit of our crowd and our fans, it was time to go to none other than mythical STADIO SAN SIRO and face legendary Internazionale. And this would be a cold splash of water. After 90 minutes, the talent of Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez would be too much for us to handle. Final score: Inter 5, Reggina 1. A harsh and painful reminder that we were, indeed facing the best teams in the world. This was our worst defeat under Baggio's tenure.



But, true to our nature and our spirit, this horrendous loss would not break us. It couldn't. We would simply not allow it. Not under the leadership of Baggio and Lapadula and the desire of our players. Our test was just beginning, but we did not let our heads hang low. We still had to face AC Milan back in our stadium, and we responded like Champions do, like a Serie A team would and should: Even though this was not our most inspired performance, and actually AC Milan outplayed us most of the way, our defense stood firm. Our Romanian Defensive Midfielder, Tudor Baluta, took the reins of the defense and gave his most inspired performance of the season. In a match that would give him fan-favorite status, Baluta was literally EVERYWHERE, helping to cover up spaces for our center backs, organizing play, tackling the opposing players and pressuring them on defense, it was a tenacious, intelligent performance by the Romanian. We withstood AC Milan's onslaught as they pressed forward and had a couple of really good chances, with our Brazilian-Italian goalkeeper Enzo coming up HUGE.. And in minute 77, Oristiano with the combination play and ANGULO SCORES, giving us the smash and grab victory against Milan! Final score, Reggina 1, Milan 0!!!!!



The celebrations would continue on in our next fixture, yet another epic matchup against an Italian giant and one of the most talented and tough teams in the world. It was a heart-pumping, back and forth affair against NAPOLI in a Southern Italian battle full of passion and intensity, the up and comers vs the well-established team in the region. We were playing at home, yet it seemed like Napoli's fans were almost as many as the Amaranth faithful as they flooded our stadium with their sky blue colors. Napoli would go up first 1-0, but here comes our captain Lapadula to equalize! In a back and forth swinging match, both teams slugged it out like heavyweights in title match! 1-1.. 2-1.. Lapadula again, this time with the head!!!! 2-2.. 3.2.. 3-3 LAPADULA WITH THE HAT TRICK.. And then it happened. This beautiful match would save its most epic moment near the end. Kensuke Sato, our Japanese midfielder who had been with us since the very beginning, scored his first goal with a Reggina shirt, and none other than this beauty to give us the win!! His first goal with the Amaranth could not have come at a better time, what a gem.. Final score: Reggina 4, Napoli 3!!!!!



The fourth match of this "Giant Series" would come against none other than Associazione Sportiva ROMA (Hey there Sensei @Holland! Did I see you at the match?). Reggina wanted to make this three out of three, our third straight win against an Italian giant after our wins against Milan and Napoli, and we were close.. Oh so close! Leading most of the way 0-1 in the mythical and hallowed grounds of Stadio Olimpico, one of the most historical in the world! But unfortunately we could not hold on to the victory, as Pellegrini would score a brace in the last 15 minutes to give to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (one of his goals coming in extra time!) as they earned the victory 2-1! A disappointing loss for sure, especially since, like against Juventus, we had them on the ropes and were leading late in the game! Would this tough defeat break our spirit? Not a chance. We would not let this result bring us down. Once again we showed our true AMARANTH colors and our resiliency, winning two out our next three matches to close out the first half of the season! A 2-2 valuable draw against Bologna, and a string of two impressive victories! A 4-2 result against Caglari at home, in which our backup frontline of Russo and Oristiano did really well (Russo once again with a memorable celebration), and 3-2 victory against Torino in their stadium which featured this beauty from Lapadula!



Roberto Baggio: "If you were to ask me what our turning point was, I'd have to say it was the win against Atalanta. Coming up against such a tough rival and in very hostile territory, we were able to keep our heads about ourselves and pull off the victory. I was very impressed with that win.. But more than that, I'd like to add this: Despite our recent run of success.. What is most important is enjoying the ride. To experience everything Serie A has to offer and to drink it in.. In the end, what matters most is the joy that you bring with you. Everything else, even success, pales in comparison to this joy."

At the halfway mark, we are sitting in a place where few people ever thought we could be. We are playing with our hands in our hearts, looking up to the sky with our feet firmly standing on the ground, not looking forward, not looking back, trusting the intuition of Il Divin Codino, the leadership of our players, fueled by the passion and the love of our fans, and not hoping for anything else rather than what is right in front of us. We are sitting in 5th place at the midway point of Serie A. We have stayed true to our identity, stayed loyal to our players, and have realized that our hearts, coupled with our minds and a bit of footballing magic dust, have brought us to this place. The Amaranth are here to stay, and even though only the gods of football know what is in store for us in the second half, we are humbly making our presence felt in Serie A. One play, one match at a time.

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

​

 

[Madmac79]

@millossobek I've never been to an away match in my whole life bro.. but for your Reggina I'd gladly make an exception !

Great recount as always, anyway. Fantastic the guys are at the fifth place right after the promotion. Keeping the same core without mixing things too much was definitely the right choice to do!

Napoil's match was surely the most beautiful one, between Lapadula's hat trick and Sato's wonderful, first goal for the victory, but I bet beating Atalanta with another pupil of mine (Romulo) being decisive was at least as satisfying

Well bro, what to say.. keep at it! We want to see Reggina in Europe next year.. REGALATECI UN SOGNO!

 

[Holland]

Keep it up Bro .................. you're halfway there and you're doing great, for now you are the "QUEEN" of Serie A where Lapadula and his teammates deserve the great European stage !!!
Daje !!!!!

 

[*aLe]

View attachment 181496​

Oh dear, I have so much to catch up on... But seeing Pablo Marí here, now, after what happened to him some days ago, makes me shiver.
I just hope he can recover soon. 😞

This being said, well... You're doing way better than expected and this means that Baggio's plan to rely on the core of the team that brought you to Serie A with just some well-focused additions is paying off (even if, as a milanista, I don't think I really like Milan being behind Reggina at this stage. 😅)

Keep it up man!

 

[millossobek]

Oh dear, I have so much to catch up on... But seeing Pablo Marí here, now, after what happened to him some days ago, makes me shiver.
I just hope he can recover soon. 😞

This being said, well... You're doing way better than expected and this means that Baggio's plan to rely on the core of the team that brought you to Serie A with just some well-focused additions is paying off (even if, as a milanista, I don't think I really like Milan being behind Reggina at this stage. 😅)

Keep it up man!

Just read what happened to him. He's not on my team anymore (accepted an offer from the transfer market), but in anycase I also hope he recovers soon in real life.. Get well Pablo!

--------------
Season 3 recap coming soon guys!! Been playing quite a bit lately and things are getting even more exciting.

 

[Werdllitrah]

Been a while since I've been here. Again amazing work. Respect for creating, playing and writing about an ML, dont know where you get the zest from. Inspiration comes from many strange sources, since last on here I've read 2 books on occupied France, that lead me to consulting my French league table book. Before the league started up properly after liberation, for one year the French league was 16 teams represented by regions. It reminded me of Amador option file mentioned in the retro pages a few years back. BTW the league that year was won by EF Lens-Artois. Finding kits for that era is nigh impossible as the photos are in black and white.

 

[millossobek]

@Werdllitrah Thanks a lot for the support bro! Yeah, I just love to write ML written stories, it just really increases the immersion when I have actual characters and personality in the stories, feels like I'm not only playing but also managing a true team with people behind it. I've also thought of making an Amador adventure sometime, it's a project that I have down the road.

Right now I am taking a short break from my Reggina story (which I will come back to soon!), as I am playing some other ML stories (in the ML adventures thread). I am close to the end of my third season in Serie A, and will update it whenever I finish it! Again thanks for your comments and expect an update in a few weeks. FORZA REGGINA!

 

[millossobek]

Friends! I just finished Season 3: Reggina's long-awaited return to Serie A!

What surprises lie in store? How did Baggio's managerial tale continue in Calcio's biggest stage?

Stay tuned to find out.. in our next Master League stories edition..

- millossobek​

 

[millossobek]

Hey guys!! Even though I finished Season 3 of my Reggina story, it will probably take me a while to post the epilogue, since I want to get into good detail like I usually do, with the personalities and background information (given that it is my main story)!

So, in order to feed the thread, I am going to interperse my dear Italian story with a second story (but no less dear to me!!!!) that I've been playing recently, finally, The Four Musketeers of Bolton Wanderers!!!!

My idea behind this save was very simple: I wanted to gather four of my favorite players: Sol Campbell, Jay-Jay Okocha, Hidetoshi Nakata, and Landon Donovan, and place them in the world of PES 2019, playing them as young talents in the English Championship!

Athough the written Bolton story might not have as much depth as my main ML stories (in terms of personalities and background), I consider this my second story. No less important than the others, but more of a "play and update" type of ML adventure! I find it quite fun to play 2 or more Master Leagues at once.

So anyway, without further ado.. I present to you..

Millossobek's Master League Story #6:
The Four Musketeers of Bolton!!!! (PES 2019)​

I wanted to play this save for a long, long time, put some of my favorite mid 2000's players on the same English team and who better than the charismatic Northern English side which had some of my historical favorites already? So to follow that, I went ahead and made quite a few changes before the season started. I made Okocha and Nakata both 22 years old, Donovan 23, and Sol Campbell 25. My idea? To play several years with them, start in the English Championship and try to steer them to glory!

I chose to play a diamond 4-4-2 formation in order to take advantage of Okocha's playmaking magic and creative skills (so good they named him twice!). Nakata is a very consistent all around player (I am playing him mainly as a Center Midfielder), running up and down the field and contributing all over the pitch with his stamina and precise passing. Sol Campbell is my captain, a stalwart at the back, leading the team emotionally with his stable and strong personalty, and Donovan brings in a serious injection of speed and talent at Secodary Striker, an incisive player who uses bursts of offense to score goals provide assists!

​

In anycase, after mixing and matching and trying a lot of editions, I finally settled on PES 2019! Why PES 2019? Well basically I always thought it had very enjoyable gameplay. My only issue with it was scripting, but I applied a gameplay mod that (so far) has significantly decreased the these issues! Playing 17 minutes with sider, normal ML mode, with an invented Spanish manager called "Jose Maria Goya"!, a first time manager in England (a bit inspired on a young Rafa Benitez!). Even though his English isn't the best, he is trying his best to speak English in his press conferences and wants to build a rapport with the team and the fans from the get-go. Goya has a challenging job from the get-go. Incorporate the Four Musketeers to the team, try to minimize any possible personality clashes, and build chemistry. Not surprisingly, the Board of Directors wants and expects the team to be promoted in our first season! Started off in the Championship and I'm doing well so far, 3rd place after 5 matches.. With Okocha, Nakata, Donovan, and Sol Campbell (captaining the team) being significantly above the rest of the team in terms of ability (they are 80+ rating in a team filled with 60's and low 70's),. Let's see what happens, I'm really enjoying it so far and hopefully the scriptfest won't appear or will be significantly reduced with the gameplay mod I'm using! So far so good, my wins have been fair and well earned, with a good degree of difficulty!



Here's a small snippet of an early season match, an epic away comeback against Bristol I was down to 10 men and a goal down and things were looking grim, and the Wanderers were able to claw theirway back with a lot of grit and tactics! (and a bit of luck as well)! One of the most enjoyable games I've had lately. Keeping at it, I am looking forward to more fun matches in the Championship, and hopefully, with the leadership of the Four Musketeers and Jose Maria Goya, I'll be able to fight for promotion! Stay tuned!

 

[millossobek]

Are the Wanderers on their Way to the Premier League??​

It's been a pretty solid first half of the season for Bolton Wanderers and their manager, Jose María Goya! With 10 wins, 6 draws, and 3 losses, the team has reached the Winter Transfer window in Promotion Zone, although not directly. Here is basically how promotion works in the English Championship, PES 2019 edition: The top 2 teams are automatically promoted to the Premier League, and teams 3-6 battle it out in a Play-off to determine the 3rd promoted team! Sounds familiar? Yes, this was basically the same format with the Italian Serie B in my Reggina story!




It's pretty much all started at the back. 25-year old Sol Campbell (who I've set his age before I started my ML), has been a rock-solid presence in my back 4, captaining the team and being the leader everyone has expected him to be. Not only does he have great fighting spirit, but also his tackling and aerial skills to head plays out of danger have been of crucial importance to the team. Manager Goya has deposited his trust in Sol, and the team is riding his solid and steady play to the upper echelons of the Championship.




Of course, One cannot continue mentioning this Wanderers story without the addition of my well known "4 Musketeers". In addition to Campbell, I've also added as you well know, the magical Jay-Jay Okocha, age 22, (who has delighted the fans with his trickeries and showmanship as well as goals and assists), American star Landon Donovan, 23, who is the top scorer in my team (and tied for second in the entire Championship with my Center Forward Clayton Donaldson), and Japanese icon Hidetoshi Nakata, 22, who has been a jack of all trades playing in the midfield, doing a little bit of everything, scoring here, asissting there, tackling as well, as a very valuable addition to the team! My intention is to center my whole Master League with these "4 Musketeers" and slowly surround them with talent!




A surprising but very welcome addition to my season has been the play of unsung hero, 34-year old Clayton Donaldson, my everyday striker. Even though he is hanging up his boots at the end of the season, he has used his skills, large frame, strength and speed to score 9 goals in the Championship, good enough for 2nd place! One of his greatest performances came against Derby County, in which he scored a hat-trick! Too bad he's retiring as he has been a veteran presence and has provided goals and leadership to the Wanderers! I'll have to look for a replacement once the season ends!



One thing is for sure. I want to give him a proper goodbye, it would be awesome if he capped his final season as a Wanderer with helping us reach the Premiership. I loved this quote by him "I've still got a few games left in me-just you watch." It's great to have a proper veteran like this playing his final year and helping the Four Musketeers find their place in the team! Loving this side story too, by the way. In anycase, right now Bolton is sitting 4th in the Championship, in a super-tight league in which the top 3 teams only lead us by 1 point, and the difference between the first placed team and the 8th placed team is only 5 points!! An interesting point is that I won't be signing any new players probably until the end of the season, since I've renewed the Musketeers' contracts and have to save some money, but once the season ends, I will probably have more cash to spend and reinforce the team! A long way to go still, but things are getting really exciting and tight in this extremely well fought English Second Division!

Stay tuned my friends!! Go Wanderers!! ​

 

[millossobek]

BOLTON REINVIGORATED!! (PES 2019)
The Wanderers Return to the Premier League on the Last Day of the Season!!

​

Man, was that a great season with a lot of drama! The board's directive was clear before the Championship started: Manager José Maria Goya had to get the Wanderers promoted to the Premiership, as an unprecedented injection of talent made the Wanderers one of the favorites in second division. You all know the cast of characters: Our Four Musketeers, Nigerian Magician Jay-Jay Okocha, American star Landon "Dotan" Donovan, Japanese Legend Hidetoshi Nakata, and our long-term Captain and Team Leader Sol Campbell. Led with this talented, young cast (22-25 years old as the season started), expectations for promotion were riding very high.

​

And deliver they did! However, the road was long and full of obstacles. The English Championship was full of good and talented teams that were aching to fight for promotion as well. An interesting twist, as I mentioned earlier, was the great play of our starting striker, Jamaican-born Clayton Donaldson (pictured below, with his arms extended). who had decided earlier to retire after the season ended, no matter what. But he had a great season, and was the unofficial "Fifth Musketeer" all throughout the season, banging goals left and right, and earning top goalscorer in the league! What a way to end his career!



Spanish Manager José María Goya (invented by millossobek, loosely based on a younger Rafa Benitez), had his hands full with this team. Not only do the Wanderers have four young superstars, but they also had a mix of aging players and young prospects to juggle and manage. However, Goya did a wonderful job by having everyone buy into his system, with no egos, and have the whole team follow the talent of the Musketeers. (I also had a very nice signing in the midseason, Colombian Kevin Balanta at Defensive Midfielder, who helped anchor the team and give it stability). One of the most important cogs in the wheel was undoubtedly Sol Campbell (in this alternate story, he is a Bolton product, and intends to play his entire career here). His calm yet determined professionalism kept the entire team in check, and his strong personality led the team throughout the Championship very steadily.

​

Going into the last games of the season, it definitely looked like a three-horse race for promotion between Aston Villa, Stoke City, and our Wanderers. Just a quick review of the Championship format: The top two teams advance automatically to the Premier League, and teams placed 3-6 have to fight in a playoff in order to determine the third promoted team. My goal was pretty clear: I didn't want to leave anything to chance, and wanted to earn promotion directly by finishing in one of the top two spots. Going into the final fixture, we were in third place, well ahead of Third Place Middlesbrough but trailing Aston Villa and Stoke City. The table looked like this with one match left to go:

Stoke City 92 points, + 38 Goal Difference (last game at home vs Derby County)
Aston Villa 90 points, + 34 Goal Difference (last game away vs Nottingham Forest)
Bolton Wanderers: 89 points, +41 Goal Difference (last game away vs Rotherham)

A nerve-wrecking final fixture was in store for us. We were not in control of our own destiny, as even if we won, we had to expect the chips to fall our way in order to get promoted. But things worked out for us in the final match!! Even though Aston Villa beat Forest and claimed the Top Spot in the Championship, Stoke City LOST to Derby County AT HOME 0-2!! (Derby County finished in the bottom half of the league!) This, combined with our 2-5 away domination of Rotherham, gave us DIRECT PROMOTION TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE ON THE LAST DAY OF THE SEASON!

​

As you can see below, this combination of results meant that Aston Villa won the league, Stoke City (who eventually lost in the playoff final against West Bromwich Albion) was not able to hold on to their lead and incredibly lost their place in First Division, AND WE GET PROMOTED ON GOAL DIFFERENCE!!!! (I guess I really have to thank Derby County for this one! ) In anycase, this was a HUGE relief, since I really was in no mood to play a tough playoff against the 4-6 ranked teams! I really also loved to send off my striker Clayton Donaldson with a huge reward for retirement, as he played a huge role in his last season as a player, helping the Wanderers have earned direct promotion! The Musketeers' saga continues.. We will be playing next season in the top flight of English Football, The Premiership!!!!

Stay tuned for The Musketeers' continued adventure in the Premier League!!!! ​

 

[millossobek]

Some Bonus Content! Last Minute Heroics by one of our Musketeers in one of the last games of the season!!!!

 

[millossobek]

In terms of summer transfer market, I have a few priorities. Well first of all, I spent a lot of salary money retaining my Four Musketeers and giving them extensions. That definitely had to come first, I want to play with them for the entire duration of my Master League! The only drawback is that didn't leave me with too much salary to spend. However, I do have some money so my idea was to replace the recently retired Clayton Donaldson with a new striker, hopefully young, and also promote a few players from my youth academy. These are my two most important signings so far: Romanian Andrei Ivan (for some reason I really like to have Romanians on my team, haha), and the other one (who I acquired in the Winter Transfer market and who played really well at DMF in the second half of the season), Colombian Kevin Balanta.

So now my plan is to probably acquire a goalkeeper (I need a better one for the Premier League) and try to see what other bargain players I can get with good growth, especially at Side Backs and I also probably need an additional Center Back to complement Sol given that my other CB's are not too skilled and are aging. (I'm playing Diamond 4-4-2 formation, with Okocha at AMF, Nakata and Williams at Center Mid, Donovan as the speedy secondary striker, and Campbell manning the back 4). Let's see how it goes!

I'll post my starting eleven once the summer transfer window closes!

 

[millossobek]

BOLTON WANDERERS' SUMMER TRANSFERS TO FACE THE PREMIER LEAGUE!​

The Summer Transfer window ended up being much more eventful than I originally thought! Thanks to some shrewd budgeting and transferring a lot of my older and lower rated guys, I was able to bring in a good group of players to reinforce the Four Musketeers of Okocha, Nakata, Donovan, and Sol Campbell. My most glaring need was at Center Forward, since Second Division Championship Hero Clayton Donaldson decided to retire at the end of the season!

First of all, I acquired two good Center Forwards, Adrian "Rocky" Balboa (that's his real name!), an Uruguayan 25-year old Striker who has played for several South American teams, as well as short spells in Panathanaikos, looking to be the everyday striker and finisher for the team! Also signed the aforementioned Romanian Andrei Ivan, a 22-year old promise who I acquired to rotate with Balboa. Also decided to sign secondary striker Paulo Vitor, a Brazilian 20-year old talented secondary striker with a bright future as a backup to Landon Donovan! All of these signings up front are solid, but I especially have a lot of faith in Balboa, he has a massive responsibility on his shoulders as the #9 who has to fill in huge shoes in the retiring Donaldson, and also will probably be one of the main beneficiaries of the talents of the Four Musketeers!

In the midfield, there are two important additions, The first one is the previously mentioned Kevin Balanta (actually I transferred him in midseason during the Championship), and has been the everday starting Defensive Midfielder. The Colombian is a strong, well-balanced player, he has a crucial role in the team as the main defensive anchor in the midfield. Since I'm playing 4-4-2 diamond, Balanta's contributions are key to hold the line in the midfield and let Nakata and Okocha roam freer and create on offense with their superior talents. In addition, I signed English DMF Nico Yennaris (whose father is Greek Cypriot and mother is Chinese) to back him up in the extremely competitive Premier League.

The back line has the most reinforcements out of all positions, signing a total of 7 players (including goalkeeper)! One of my top priorities was to field a more than competent Center Back to pair up with Sol Campbell. Instead of going for a big name, I decided to go with three young and solid Center Backs: Jake Cooper from Millwall, 24 years old, Kasper Larsen (26) from the Danish League, and Marko Mihojevic (23), a Bosnian promise from the Greek League! These three players will be competing for the starting spot and form a solid trio to complement Campbell.

I also added a quality right back: Italian Guiseppe Pezzela (22), one of the flashier transfers of the offseason! From Udinese, Pezzela has very good passing and decent speed on the side wings, is a well rounded overall player, and is an immediate presence in the starting 11! Additionally, Youcef Atal, a 23 year old Algerian international will do his business at left back, also sliding immediately into the starting position! From the Belgian League, Atal is not very strong but he's quite fast and forms a quality duo with Pezzela! These two are amongst my most important signings, as I had glaring weaknesses in those positions and both Pezzela and Atal fill those needs more than competently! To back them up, I signed Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City, also fast and can play both positions, and at only 21 years old, can really grow and blossom as a great youth prospect.

Finally, even though goalkeeper David Stockdale did well in our first season in the Championship, he is now 34 and possibly nearing retirement. To this effect, I signed English Marcus Bettinelli from Fulham, (27), son of the Fulham goalkeeping academy coach Vic Bettinelli. Of partial Italian descent, Marcus is a major upgrade from Stockdale as not only is he higher reated, but also 7 years younger and poised to take over the everyday goalkeeping duties!

How was I able to finance all these moves in the offseason (11 in total)! Well I got rid of a lot of players (especially subsitutes who were lower rated and aging), and was able to get good deals on their sales as well as capitalize on my Second Division revenue, which was higher than I expected! So now, manager José María Goya has a major challenge. Incorporate these 11 players into the team (4 new starters), build up chemistry, and fight to stay in the Premiership! Don't know how I'll do in the Premier League, but one thing is guaranteed: These are exciting times for the Wanderers! Will the Four Musketeers be able to lead this diverse, exciting group to higher grounds? The foundations are there!

Bolton's 2019-20 Premier League Starting Eleven!

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

 

[The Moroccan]

Ladies and gentlemen, we are BACK!

 

[millossobek]

READY FOR BIGGER CHALLENGES!!
A Trying but Interesting First Half of the Season for The Wanderers!!
​

The grandeur, pomp, and circumstance of the Premiership is here, with all its bells and whistles, challenges and excitement! After more or less cruising in the Championship, we were ready to step up our game and start competing with the big boys of English Football.. And it's been an interesting, if far from easy ride for us! The First Half of the season has been anything but a cruise for the Four Musketeers and our racuous band of Wanderers, it's been an up and down roller coaster which has shown the quality of the best league in the world from top to bottom. Even though it's been really challenging, I have to say that we have really enjoyed being back in the Premier League. Bolton fans are filling our stadium to the brink and up to the rafters. Every home game has been a sellout as there is suddenly a different team in the Greater Manchester area that is grabbing headlines. The Northern English side has surprised many with their quick ascent to First Division, and a lot of it has to do with the rise of our stars!



Faced with so many signings in the summer offseason window (11 in total!), it has taken Manager Jose María Goya a while to get this group to gel and create the same chemistry that was present in the Championship promotion season. Goya and the Bolton board knew that they had to reinforce the team, however, to face the rising challenges of the Premiership.. The trade-off, however, is that the team that had known each other so well and had built a lot of chemistry during the first season was changed quite a bit, as many older and retiring players left the team (although this did help in terms of freeing up salary). This has been in a way, a double-edged sword, since we have really increased our talent now, but at the expense of some chemistry which had been building up over a long season in Second Division.



However, Goya and the fans know that this is a risk worth taking, what's more, it is a completely necessary move in order for the Wanderers to aspire to bigger aspirations and in the biggest stage in world football, the Premier League. The reason for this is quite simple: Even though the talent of the Four Musketeers was largely able to lift Bolton up from the Championship into First Division, staying in the Premier League is quite another matter. Our leaders and most talented players are by far Okocha, Nakata, Campbell, and Donovan.. But in order to remain in the EPL, we needed a stronger team, a more talented supporting cast able to help out the Four Musketeers, create a solid foundation for them to shine their talent, and also give the entire team a structure and backbone in a long, grueling Premiership. We are definitely thinking long term here, as we are seeing this more as a multi-year project.



This first half of the season has undoubtedly been a roller coaster full of fascinating results! We've beaten big teams and lost to smaller teams. In the biggest upset of the season (not only for us, but perhaps in the entire Premier League!), we beat Manchester City 0-1 at their grounds in only our second game back! It was an outstanding performance by our goalkeeper, Marcus Bettinelli, and we capitalized that win by also beating none other than Tottenham, 2-0! We were 3-1 up against Manchester United before they equalized, and drew against Arsenal 0-0 (nil-nil to the Arsenal? ) Bolton have faced the giants, emerged victorious against a couple of them in an impressive manner, and have proven that we belong in First Division. Here are some highlights of THAT game against Manchester City, one of the biggest games I've ever won! A heroic night for Bettinelli!



However, you would think that with these great results, that we would be hovering near the top of the table? Think again, my friends. The Premier League is the best league in the world, and on any given night, anyone can beat anyone. We have lost plenty of games that we were probably supposed to win. a 3-0 loss against Bournemouth, a 3-5 loss against Wolverhampton, an 1-1 result against last place Aston Villa, an 0-2 loss against Crystal Palace.. This is what makes the Premiership so amazingly tough.. You can beat the best one night, then lose against a bottom table team the next. It is incredibly competitive football. And that is what makes it so exciting. Game after game, fixture after fixture, you never know what might happen, it really makes you have to stay on your toes at all times!

​

All in all, after 21 matches out of 38, the Wanderers have won 6, drew 7, and lost 8. We are sitting in 11th place at the moment! Not the best first half of the season (actually a bit after the midway mark, I decided to post my story after fixture 21), but could it be that we are exceeding expectations? Even though the board expects me to finish in midtable, I will see permanence in first division as a success for the Four Musketeers and the Wanderers. My stars are still young.. Okocha and Nakata are only 24, Donovan is 26, and Campbell is 27. I still have time to improve and make my mark in the Premier League. Even though urgency is usually the name of the game in footballing terms, my goal is to stay in the Premiership, hopefully maintain my mid-table position, and slowly but surely develop my players. Even though it might take a while, I have a solid base of young players who are getting to know each other better with every passing game.. Like I mentioned before, the foundations are there.. Now it's a question of riding the talent of my stars, backed up by a solid and improving structure! One thing is for sure: We have given back the Wanderers their identity!! Now we have to keep it. Here comes the second half of the season!!

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

 

[Holland]

You are the N1 bro................. I too would like to be able to have seasons like yours between teams fighting for the title and teams for permanence in their league.
It is certainly an honor to be coached by you, regardless of the team

 

[millossobek]

@Holland Thank you so much for your kind words and support, my friend. I am glad to see that you guys are enjoying the stories.. And yes.. getting to coach these great and charismatic players is an honor as well!! GRAZIE!! I will keep going!!

 

[millossobek]

Season 2: Are Those Stars On The Horizon??
The Wanderers Exceed Expectations and Restore a City's Footballing Pride!!​

It's quite amazing to think that in only a few short seasons, the Bolton faithful have been on a roller-coaster of emotions as wild, unpredictable, and exciting as this one! Only a few short years ago, The Wanderers were languishing in the third division of English Football, faced serious financial trouble, and were in danger of disappearing. The entire organization was in dire straits. But here's the thing about football: What a difference a couple of years can make.. Only 24 months have passed, and now our narrative has a completely different tone and direction! New management, Millossobek Football Enterprises (MFE), intent on doing things right, have purchased 49% of the team (the other 51% is owned by the fans), and has heavily invested in the entire organization, knowing that the city of Bolton and the Greater Manchester Area would respond passionately to a well-run operation, all backed up by the club's supporters and their hearts.



MFE's motto is a simple one: Dedicated to the Fans. This new ownership is completely for the fans and by the fans. Even though profits are also important, as they are in any enterprise, the priority is very straightforward: To restore dignity and pride to the team, to historic footballing cities and their supporters. Bolton is their current project. One of the most traditional teams in England had lost its rightful historical place in the Premiership, but the same could not be said about its fans. MFE saw this potential, and knew that the only way to recuperate the Wanderers' spirit was to listen to the fans and build a whole new culture from the bottom up. It is an unprecedented move in modern English top-flight football, giving majority stakeholder control to the supporters, and the results have been more than forthcoming!



The fans have spoken. They have shown complete faith in the management's course of action, and have thrown their full weight of support behind the idea of the "Four Musketeers". Jay-Jay Okocha. Hidetoshi Nakata. Sol Campbell. Landon Donovan. The players have signed long-term extensions throughout the prime years of their careers (and why not, beyond!) and are committed to the team in the long-term, showing a level of loyalty that is rarely seen in modern football and earning the respect and love of the fans, even taking paycuts in their salaries to keep the core intact! This band of four warriors and magicians did what many people thought impossible in their first season: they promoted Bolton to the Premiership. Now in their second season, they once again played their hearts out in the toughest league in the world, and did more than anybody ever dreamed of: they finished in the top half of the table!



Let's resume our adventure: When we last left off, we were about to enter fixture 22 of 38. Our boys were in 11th place, with 6 wins, 7 draws, and 8 losses, having more than a respectable season but not looking particulary threatening to the top half. But this was about to change: Our next three matches were really tough ones: Man City at home, Chelsea away, and Tottenham away. This would be an insane test of character and will for the Wanderers, and we passed the test with flying colors: We drew all three matches! 2-2 against Manchester City, once again 2-2 against Chelsea, and 1-1 against the Spurs! These three draws against the cream of the crop of the Premiership, amongst the strongest teams in the world, although were not the best results in terms of league points, gave us a lot of spirit and strength. The Wanderers then went on an unprecedented run: We won 6 out of our next 7 games!! (wins against Leicester, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Fulham, Bournemouth and West Bromwich, with only a draw in between against Burnley!) The Musketeers were flexing their talents for the world to see and enjoy, bringing joy and happiness with their footballing style!



A noteworthy point: a great suprise has been the play of recently acquired Adrian "Rocky" Balboa! The 25-year old Uruguayan striker, previously unheralded even though he had a solid if-unremarkable-career in several South American teams, has been an awesome surprise for Bolton! Finishing as top scorer for the Wanderers, and given the nickname "The Net Burster" by the fans not only for his goalscoring abilities (finishing with 14 goals in the season, good for 5th place in the entire Premier League!), but also for his rocker look and rebel yet down to earth attitude, Balboa is forming a potent one-two punch with Donovan (who scored 13!), while the two went on a really nice run of goals during the winning streak! The above are the highlights of a historic night, a hat trick against West Brom!

However, this is the English Premier League, and nothing can be taken for granted. The next three games were once again against huge teams, giants! A valuable 0-0 nil against Arsenal at home was followed by humbling defeats against Manchester United, in the hallowed grounds of the Theatre of Dreams (3-0 loss), and Liverpool (at Anfield, a 5-2 drubbing goal festival). We are not at the most elite level yet.. As these results proved.. But our aspirations are intact, and as teams with massive heart have proven time and time again, we rebounded after these two losses with 2 wins and 2 draws to finish out the season. (5-1 against Huddersfield, 3-2 vs Newcastle in a game we were trailing, an amazing show of class and desire, a 1-1 result against Wolverhampton, and a 2-2 draw to finish out the season against a tough Southampton squad!) As I said, nothing can be taken for granted in the Premiership!



That being said, when it was all said and done.. Our dear Wanderers, captained by the ever-steady and strong Campbell, with the magic and talent of Okocha and Nakata in the midfield, (Okocha's Nigerian flair compounded by Nakata's Japanese practicality) the goalscoring tandem of Donovan and Balboa, and backed up by a young and ever improving squad of Englishmen and International Players from all over the world (Brazil! Romania! Armenia! Italy! Colombia! and other nations), Bolton did what almost no one expected. We finished in the top half of the table, in 8th place, exceeding the expectations of the board and the supporters, and most importantly, giving back a whole city their footballing pride, their history, their dignity, their ambitions!! I consider this season to be a massive success.. But the story is far from over: What will Season 3 of the Wanderers' passionate and homegrown tale bring forth? Will our Four Musketeers be able to lead the team into dreams of participating in an European Cup? Is this the start of something bigger? One thing is for sure: A whole city has fallen in love with this team, and with tens of thousands of supporters filling the stadium to the brink and with our players playing with their heart on their sleeves, we can only say one thing:

Anything's possible.

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

 

[The Moroccan]

New management, Millossobek Football Enterprises (MFE)

You're bringing your own features to Master League and I LOVE IT!!!!

 

[millossobek]

@The Moroccan Thanks buddy! Yeah, I like personalizing the Master Leagues as much as possible! Glad to hear you're enjoying it!!
Millossobek Football Enterprises here we come.. dedicated to the fans!!

Friends, I have a couple of surprises in store:
- Bolton's third season KITS coming up soon!! Guess who's designing them.. @slamsoze!
- I have a couple of CUP STORIES I want to play very soon: one with Clubs, another one with National Teams!

These will be more condensed, I think one post per story summarizing the whole deal! It's been a while since I've played Cups, and now is the time.

Details coming very soon! Happy 2023 bros!!

 

[millossobek]

⭐⭐⭐ Welcome to the 3-Stars Cup!! ⭐⭐⭐
A PES 2018 Millossobek Cup Story!!
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Hey bros! I've been wanting to play a couple of Cup stories while I take a very short hiatus on my current ML adventures! The format for the first Cup (club teams) is basically very simple. I created a tournament called "The 3 Stars Cup!", where every single team participating in the tournament has an overall rating of maximum 3 stars! ⭐⭐⭐

What's the idea behind this? It's actually two-fold:

- The first part came to me while thinking about middle/lower table and second division European teams, teams that do not see International Cup competition too often.. Why not? Do these teams' fans not deserve a shot at International Club fame and glory? They definitely do. I want to give some of these teams a chance to shine and showcase themselves.

- The second part was including AFC and CONMEBOL teams. Even though a lot of these teams do play the AFC Champions League and Copa Libertadores/Sudamericana, they rarely (if ever) play European teams unless they go to the Club World Cup, or friendlies! I also want to create a scenario where a lot of these teams can face off against Europeans, and also against each other!

The sum of these two ideas is the 3-Stars Cup. ⭐⭐⭐ A new international cup has been created, and, even though it shares the same format as the Champions League/AFC CL/Libertadores (eight groups of four teams each, facing each other twice, home and away knockout stages, and a single Final), this is about the only thing it has in common with these famous and well-regarded competitions. This idea has been brought forth by Millossobek Football Enterprises, in an attempt to tell world fans the following, simple message: Our clubs might not be the largest, but we exist as well, we are just as well supported as bigger clubs and have equally passionate and dedicated fanbases. Our stories are equally important as world-famous teams, and we want our shot at glory. It is time for us to prove ourselves in the international stage!!

Of course, in my first edition, I will be playing with my dear MILLONARIOS.

⭐⭐⭐ Here's the format: ⭐⭐⭐
- Every group has 4 teams, 2 from Europe, 1 from South America, and 1 from Asia. Home and Away. The top two teams move on to a two-legged knockout stage. The final will be a single match, to be played at a venue to be decided. (Suggestions are welcome!)
- Every single team in the tournament has a global rating of 2 and a half - 3 stars with ONE exception. Aston Villa, which has 3 and a half stars. Why is this the case? A very straightforward reason: I want the tournament to have a frontrunner, one team that stands above the rest, even though not by much! Will Aston Villa be able to play true to their favourite status? We shall see..
- Countries represented: England, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Peru, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Korea, China, Japan.
- I chose PES 2018 with gameplay mods for this edition.

Football is the beautiful game. It unites the world and it creates incredible stories wherever you look. From the biggest club to the smallest, from The Champions League to the Second Division of the Thai League, every team has a story to tell, an identity which is reflected in the wishes and ambitions of their fans, the organizations, the cities and towns they represent. The 3 Stars Cup is an opportunity for all of these teams to add an epic worldwide chapter to their histories, bring joy to their supporters, and face other teams in a truly trans-continental tournament. These teams deserve to have a chance at international silverware. To see their reflections in a global cup, and become known to the world. This is a first step towards achieving this ambition.

Coming up, the entire Cup Story in two posts. Go Millonarios!!

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

 

[millossobek]

⭐⭐⭐ MILLOS ADVANCES!! On to Face the World!! ⭐ ⭐⭐
Millos shows their True Colors in the inaugural 3 Stars Cup and move on to the knockout stage!!
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Great times, my friends.. Great times! This Cup is going really well and I'm really liking how it's turning out. Not only is it pairing off not one, or two, but THREE different continents, but my MILLOS is doing great! But before we go any further, let us refresh your memory a bit.. The 3 Stars Cup is a competition which comprises: 16 European teams, 8 South Americans, and 8 Asians.. with no team having more than a 3-star rating (except for frontrunners Aston Villa, who have 3 and a half)! It is the brainchild of Millossobek Football Entreprises, completely intent on bringing medium-sized teams to the wider international stage. Some of these teams may be quite famous and important in their respective countries, and some have had local contintental competition, but they have almost never played teams from other conferences! This is an unprecedented move by MFE. We want to showcase these teams to the world!!



Millos' group was a tough one.. Following the original format of 2 Europeans, 1 South American, and 1 Asian team per group, we got matched up against none other than Arminia Bielefeld, from the Bundesliga, Slavia Praha from the Czech League, and Kawasaki Frontale from the J-League! A varied and tough group of opponents full of pride. Even though Bielefeld might be, at first glance, the favorites to win the group, it is a very well matched group, true to the nature of the 3 Stars Cup!

The first match was against Kawasaki Frontale in our stadium, and the crowd was pumped! It was the first time that a Japanese team ever played in Bogotá, and amazingly, thousands of their fans flew all the way from Asia to South America to witness this match.. However, their fans' passion could not be matched by the quality of their play, as Millos raced off to a 4-1 drubbing of the Japanese side, with two goals scored by secondary striker Cristian "El Chicho" Arango! Things strated off brilliantly for us!

Our second encounter could prove to be a much tougher challenge. We flew all the way to Germany, to Bielefeld, North-Rhine Westphalia!! Once again an unprecedented match, our first match in Germany in the over 70 year history of our club!! In a cold, dreary, rainy day in Northwestern Germany, the scent of history was in the air, as we were faced against a bigger, stronger set of players.. And even though their physicality was immediately apparent, we were able to withstand their attack and use some of our own flair and tradition to beat the German side!! In an amazing upset, we prevailed 0-2 in their stadium! What a start by Millonarios!! Two matches played, 6 points!! We could definitely not hope for a better start.

​

The next pair of matches would be interesting, and quite a contrast! After our brief stay in Germany, we flew a short way to Prague, Czech Republic to face the most successful Czech team since their Independence, Slavia Praha! And this was no match for us.. Even though we played well in the first half, and Slavia came out a bit laconic and not too intense, we couold not convert a goal in the first stanza.. However, the Czechs came out on FIRE in the second half, scoring 3 goals in a 15 minute span (from minute 60 to 75) to humble Millos and show them what European Football is all about. A tough 3-0 defeat, and an especially dreary showing by the Millos defense!

Things would rapidly change in our next encounter however, as we would once again face Slavia, but this time in the familiar grounds of Millonarios Stadium!! And this match would be quite different from the first. In an absolutely historic performance in front of our fans, our maximum goalscorer, Ayron "IronMan" Del Valle scored a hat-trick (including two opportunistic headers!!) to give us the 3-1 victory against the Czechs!! The Millos crowd was in an absolute frenzy, as a sea of blue would chant "Ayroooon Maaan! Ayrooooon Maaaan! as he took the ball home in a deserved man on the match!

​

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Needing only a draw to ensure qualification, we then traveled to Kawasaki, Japan! Half a World Away! this was a cagey affair from the very beginning. The Japanese side, spurred on by their crowd no doubt, came out with much more intensity. Even though Ayron once again opened up the score and it seemed like we had the match under control, the Kawasaki players would not back down, as they desperately needed a win to keep their chances alive. Their top scorer, Brazilian Leandro Damiao equalized in an opportunistic hole play, 1-1 before the halftime break.. And the rest of the match was very even and cagey.. They had their chances, we had our chances, but in the end, the 1-1 score prevailed, which was good enough to qualify us to the next phase, the Round of 16!! We are though to the next round, and our players celebrated their historic passage in an international competition!! Historic times, indeed!

Our final match was quite interesting, back in Bogotá against the Germans. Bielefeld had really disappointed after being touted as the favorites to win the group, only managing to salvage 1 point and losing all of their matches! Their German pride was hurt, and Millos expected them to come out really strong even though there was no possibility of them qualifying.. But Bielefeld did not play well, and even if we rotated our players a bit, we were able to beat them 2-0 in our stadium! It was not enough to win the group, as Slavia Praha ended up with a better goal difference.. But we definitely ended the group stage on a high! A disappointing tournament for the only German team in the competiton!



Then something very interesting happened.. In our lottery draw to see who we would face in the Round of 16.. Guess who appeared as our opponent! Once again, the Czech powerhouses, Slavia Praha!! We will be facing them next in a two-legged encounter!! This could either be a blessing or a disadvantage.. We lost 3-0 in Prague, and beat them 3-1 in Bogotá and so we feel like we know each other well.. How will we fare against the Czech champions, who we have faced twice already?? Will familiarity play to our advantage or disadvantage?? We shall see..

After the group stage was done.. 10 Europeans, 5 South Americans, and 1 Asian remain!! Countries represented: 1 Czech team, 1 French , 1 Croatian, 2 Danish teams, 1 Turkish, 1 Swiss, 1 Italian, 1 Spanish, 1 English, 1 Uruguayan, 2 Brazilians, 1 Paraguayan, 1 Saudi Arabian..

And MILLONARIOS!! How will our story develop in the exciting knockout stages of the 3-Stars Cup?? No matter what happens, all I know is this.. I am really happy to be part of this experience.. To be able to bring the football world together in this romantic tournament of international pride.. Yes, the Champions League is the most famous club cup in the world.. There are other, bigger, richer teams with larger stadiums and more fans, more social media followers and more sponsors.. But every story counts. Every city, from Bogotá to Basel, from Kawasaki to Copenhagen, has a football team. And we all follow and love them in our own unique way!! Long live the 3 Stars Cup!! ⭐⭐ ⭐

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

 

[Madmac79]

Man, that's a really great idea! I've always loved the "middle teams" tournament myself, playing many in both Fifa and Pes (especially in Ps2 era Pes, where no superstars team football truly shines). Really like that you picked from so many countries! As you said, there are so many mid to low table teams with their cultures and personalities, that represent them all in a broad tournament makes for such an interesting story.

Your Millionarios group looked really tough! With the format you picked, it almost feels like a mini Club World Cup which I absolutely love.
Rainy games look and feel absolutely faboulous in 18 and your highlight against Arminia certainly proved it once more!

Interesting that now you got matched again with Slavia Praha.. I thought game prevented to face group teams in the first turn, but apparently I was wrong by , will surely make for an epic rematch!

Well.. what to say? Siempre, siempre Millionarios! Que la barra está contigo, con orgullo te seguimos!

 

[millossobek]

⭐⭐ ⭐ VANQUISHING a Familiar Foe!!⭐⭐⭐
MILLOS faces off against Group Rivals Slavia Praha in the Round of 16!!
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What a Cup this has been! In a strange, random twist of fate, our dear Millos finished second in the group and awaited their rival from the Round of 16 Lottery.. Little did we know that we would be facing our Group C nemesis, Slavia Praha of the Czech Republic, once again! This is quite an interesting matchup since we had both won and lost against them in the group phase. Would this familiarity prove to be an advantage or a disadvantage? There were a lot of questions yet to be answered as the two teams faced off in in the first elimination matchup!! Only 16 teams remain.. Would Millonarios keep their ambitions alive in the inaugural 3 Stars Cup??

The first leg was in the familiar grounds of Millonarios Stadium, (a brand new stadium, brought to you by MFE!) and the crowd was completely pumped, singing along with @Madmac79 "Siempre Siempre Millonarios!!" (I am impressed you remember the tune, my friend!) This enthusiasm is quite understandable, since it's been a while that we've been in the second round of any international tournament, even in the Libertadores! And this was an especially momentous occasion because it was against the Czech giants in a truly inter-contintental matchup.. After the blue balloons and smoke had cleared and faded in the Bogotá horizon, we were ready to begin. The match started slowly, with both teams coming out cautious in the first half, perhaps sensing the importance of the occassion. The first real chance of the game didn't come until minute 38, a shot by Ayronman! Were nerves playing a role? The first half would finish with a rather uneventful, yet very nervy 0-0..

The second half however, would be a different story.. Slavia Praha started pressing forward and had some nice chances which were spectacularly saved by our goalkeeper Venezuelan international Wuilker Fariñez! Things would go back and forth for a while, both teams having their chances.. Until a beautiful play in the box between Arango and Rodriguez would end up in a Millos goal!! goaaaaaaaaaal!!!! We were up 1-0 in minute 60 as the crowd went into a frenzy!! Yet another classy display by our frontline, translating their league chemistry into international performances to the delight of our supporters!



This would not be the end of it, either.. Slavia Praha had their chances to equalize, especially with a strong Stanciu shot at minute 67, but once again Fariñez would prove his quality with the nice save! What a pickup he has been for us, Fariñez is without the shadow of a douby one of our most talented players. Even though we had not been able to score the second goal, we were playing better, neutralizing their attacks later on in the second half.. It definitely looked like the match would end 1-0 until a beautiful through ball by our own AYRONMAN would cut through the Praha defense like a hot knife through butter and lo-and-behold.. It's Márquez with the one time touch to the corner in minute 90+4... GOAAAL once again!! And the whistle blows!! It's Millos 2. Slavia Praha 0!!!! An ideal first leg of the series!!



Even though this was a great beginning for us, things were far from over. We still had to travel almost 9,500 kms to the Czech Republic and bring home a result! The return match was full of passion and emotion. Would Millos be able to reach an international quarterfinal for the first time in over 30 years?? The atmosphere was absolutely electric as the Czech fans came out in full force at Sinobo stadium, with their faith intact and in a sea of red, looking to come back!! Would they be able to revert the result in Bogotá, or would we be able to hold on.....? Things did not look good for Millos to start with, as in only minute 2, due to some unforeseen defensive errors, we would concede a corner and Praha would score off a header!! It was only the 2nd minute of the game, and already they had scored a goal! Global score for now, Millos 2, Slavia Praha 1. Things were getting a bit worrisome now..



How would we respond? The presssure was definitely on us, even if we were still leading globally. The Europeans had scored one back, and all they needed was a second one to even the score.. But the gods of football smiled upon us once again. Turns out, that's the last good news the Czech side would see, as Millonarios would score a goal at minute 29 courtesy of an Ayronman header (a floater, a classy affair!) and the story would change!! In minute 48, little used Quiñones would score once again, as a result of a clever play by Ayronman in the box.. GOAAAAL!! and things were looking up for Los Azules!! The global score stood at 4-1, and there was little Praha could do to score in the second half, despite the fervent chants of their supporters.. Finally, and after the constant encouragement of their fans, the Czechs decided to go all out on offense at minute 75, trying to perform a miracle..



However, moving their men forward would definitely backfire on Praha, as this strategy would only open the floodgates for Millonarios even further, as two breakaway goals by Márquez (who is coming off from the bench as a very valuable late-match substitute) in minutes 86 and 90+2 would not only seal the deal, but give our victory some added flair!! The final whistle blew, and the global score was: Millos 6, Slavia Praha 1!!!! An amazing performance by my dear Millos against the biggest team in the Czech Republic, dominating them at their historic grounds!! We have experienced our European baptism of fire, and passed through with flying colors.. We are on to the quarterfinals of the 3 Stars Cup!!!!!



And who will we be facing next? Oh, this will an epic encounter no doubt, one that has the potential to be a classic! The mighty Uruguayans await us, 51 time local league Champions and 5 time Libertadores Winners.. the Black and Yellow railroaders, Peñarol, in an all-South American matchup!! The Uruguayans handily dispatched Stade Brestois with a couple of 3-0 results, humiliating the French side and imposing their class! What a display by both South American teams, upstaging their European counterparts! In other parts of the draw, Botafogo continued the South American streak by coming back against Dinamo Zagreb (losing 1-0 in Croatia, but winning 3-0 in Brazil!).. The Turkish darkhorses Trabzonspor upset Fc Kobenhavn (scoring 3 in the return match, what a comeback!) Al Hilal went through in PK's against mighty Fluminense, in order to keep Asian Football's hopes alive (they are the last AFC representative!) FC Basel (with Roger Federer in attendance) would handily beat Paraguayan stalwarts Olimpia, Monza would dominate FC Midtjylland to make it oh-and-two for the Danes and keep Italian pride alive, and Aston Villa (the tournament favorites) would prevail on PK's after an insanely tight couple of matches against Girona....! 8 teams remaining: 4 Europeans, 3 South Americans, 1 Asian! (Al-Hilal is their last hope!) Countries represented: Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, England, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia!

This tournament is definitely getting more exciting by the day.. What started off as an experiment featuring "medium" teams from all over the globe has captured the imagination of the football world. In fact, there is nothing "medium" about these teams. From insane comebacks, to surprises, to three continents battling for pride.. What an amazing and epic tournament this has been! Their payroll might not compare to bigger teams, but in terms of heart and tradition, these are definitely football giants battling for local and continental pride!! SIEMPRE SIEMPRE MILLONARIOS!! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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

 

[millossobek]

South American Blues!!
⭐⭐⭐ Millonarios' Quarterfinal Cup Run Ends!! ⭐⭐⭐
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Spirits were high in the first Quarterfinal Matchup of the inaugural 3 Star Cup!! Millonarios and Peñarol, two historic South American squads, would be facing each other for a spot in the Semifinals!! The 3-Star Cup had captured the attention of the world, showcasing 3 continents and bringing a diverse group of clubs to the World Stage! Now, only 8 teams remained, and the stakes were getting higher and higher as each passing day draws nearer to a team being crowned champion of the Cup!!



Things would not start off well for our dear Millos.. In our first match, at an altitude of 2600 in the mountainous Andes of Bogotá, took place in our Millonarios stadium.. The crowd was insanely motivated and singing their hearts out, but things could not go any more wrong for us.. Only only 12 minutes had passed, Peñarol was already ahead by two goals!! (Courtesy of a one time volley and a header by Britos!) The Uruguayans had come roaring out of the gates, and things were looking quite dire for us!! But we didn't despair, and slowly looked to come back..



And come back we did! In a furious scramble in the box and capitalizing on a mistake by the Peñarol defender, our own Ayronman would tap in a goal in minute 29! Peñarol was playing tough, but we were able to take advantage of their defensive blunder.. and the match was 1-2 going into halftime.. We knew that we could not go to Uruguay trailing.. and came out very concentrated in the second half. Even though chances were not too forthcoming as the game settled down, we did want to score at least one more goal to even the score! And then.. in minute 65, Emerson Rivaldo Rodriguez delivered a goal to the top left hand corner, a rocket from a nice Ayronman pass, and we would hold on for a 2-2 draw! Would we be able to come back from Uruguay with a positive result?




However, it was not meant to be. In a match full of suffering for any Millonarios fan, we could not bring home the result.. The return game in Montevideo was a classic South American encounter, very defensive.. Even though we knew that we needed the win (because of the two away goals scored in Bogotá), it would not be enough. Pëñarol came out defending really well and even though we had our fair share of chances in the first half, we couldn't score as the game would remain 0-0 after 45 minutes.. In the second half, our manager Alberto Gamero knew that we had to risk it,, and so substitutions and a more attacking mentality were in order (even though we did not have Márquez for this series against Peñarol, as he was injured in the Slavia Praha match in the Czech Republic).. Finally we were able to pull through in minute 77, as once again Ayronman would score what could have been the series defining goal! However, in the very next play of the match, Peñarol equalized on a header!! This was not a defensive lapse by our players, but moreso that Peñarol came out with a great play from get-go...... two minutes, two goals, and the score was 1-1! We needed one more goal.



We came out furiously in the last 10 minutes of the match, and had like 4 or 5 CLEAR chances to score as Peñarol defended.. And even in the last play of the game, LITERALLY the last play, Pereira tried a long shot which hit the bar, seconds before the final whistle was blown!! Final score, Peñarol 1, Millos 1.. Global score 3-3 and the Uruguayans advance to the Semifinals on goal difference!! Gotta say, it really sucks to get ousted like this.. Not having lost a single time, but on an archaic goal difference rule!! (haha, never been a fan).. But oh well.. Millos keeps their heads high, having played a great tournament in the inaugural 3-stars Cup, reaching the quarterfinals, and there is definitely no shame in going out against the Uruguayan giants!

When it was all said and done.. Here are the rest of the tournament results!!

Quarterfinals (Global results): Millos 3 Peñarol 3 (away goals rule) / Botafogo v Trabzonspor 0 / Al-Hilal 1 FC Basel 4 / AC Monza 3 Aston Villa 5
Semifinals (Global results): Peñarol 3 Botafogo 2 / Aston Villa 5 AC Monza 4.
Final (Single Match, played at the mythical Maracaná!): Aston Villa Football Club 1 Peñarol 0

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Well done Aston Villa! The English squad, tournament favorites pull it off in South American soil, at the mythical Maracaná Stadium in Rio de Janeiro! Peñarol wanted to repeat a second "Maracanazo", winning yet another international cup on Brazilian soil, but it would not be meant to be.. In the end the English squad's quality pulled them through, after beating Girona, Monza, and Basel in very exciting matchups! In restrospect, I must say that even though the tournament ended in disappointment (and a 90+4 minute crossbar!) for my dear Millos, this 3 Stars Cup was a massive success!! Stadiums filled to every last seat, countries from 3 different continents singing and enjoying football in peace and with a lot of passion, the main objective of the cup was fulfilled: To bring the joy of football from different parts of the globe and from different teams to the world stage!! A very enjoyable first Cup, and guess what my friends....... MILLOS will be back!!!!!

Spoiler: A nice surprise: Tournament Top Goalscorers. :)

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

 

[Madmac79]

Beaten from the finalist.. not bad mate ! We will come back stronger next time

Also interesting to note best team, Aston Villa, won the whole thing. Seems CPU rightfully took into account stats while simulating!

Looking forward to your next story

 

[millossobek]

@Madmac79 Thanks man! Really glad you liked the story. I really enjoyed playing once again as Millos, my third story with them! Especially since I was really really close I had a crossbar at the last second which would've meant a semifinal berth! But I really enjoyed it and most importantly, Millos will be back in a future story for sure!!

I really liked how the PES 2018 algorithm worked too, giving the tournament favorites the title! For a second I thought Peñarol would take it all, but then again, Aston Villa showed their quality! I actually enjoyed playing this Three Stars Cup so much that I will definitely have a second edition!

Stay tuned to my second Cup story before resuming Reggina and Bolton, it will be coming up very soon! This time I'll be playing with International sides!