After 15 Premier League titles in 16 seasons, the end was very much nigh in this successful Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge. However, I felt we had to conclude the career of arguably the greatest player in Football Manager history, Luís Pereira.
Now 35, Pereira was only 8 away from 450 league goals for Forest since signing for £47m from Benfica in 2028. And, I presumed, probably had two more seasons with a strong squad around him.
Forest Domination In 2043/44
2043/44 began in style as Pereira’s brace led a 4-1 hammering of West Ham. He was in top form, including a brace in a 4-1 win over Bournemouth and a hat-trick to down Liverpool 3-0, which took him past 450 league goals for Forest. Our start was so good that, in late December, we broke the Forest record of 42 games without defeat, which had stood since 1978.
We went on to win the Carabao Cup for the first time in 7 years with a 3-1 win over West Ham. And the unbeaten league run continued through to breaking the Premier League record for undefeated matches, which stopped at 50 because a rotated side lost 3-2 at Man UFC. We broke our own points tally with 105 and Pereira was again the top scorer with 36 in 37.
We beat Hertha 3-1 to tee up a Champions League Final against surprise opponent Marseille. The first half was dross so I upped the intensity homegrown striker Michael Roper wrapped up our 6th Champions League in 12 years. Pereira again topped our scoring charts with 44 in 55 plus 12 assists.
Hitting New Levels Of Success
Pereira began the 44/45 season with a hat-trick in a 3-2 win at Sunderland then a brace as we beat Newcastle 4-1. He also had 2 trophies to celebrate as we beat Spurs on penalties for another Community Shield and Roper scored the only goal against Villa for my 7th UEFA Super Cup.
Our domestic domination continued by winning our opening 11 matches, including a 7-2 hammering of Liverpool, before a 2-1 loss at Spurs. And we walked to a 13th consecutive title, winning the league in mid-April before Pereira scored in a 5-2 win over Palace to move to 500 league goals for Forest. And we ended up with 103 points and 113 goals scored.
A backup 11 eased into the Carabao Cup Final, which a Roper brace won 2-0 against Liverpool, then the FA Cup Final, where Pereira created Marcello Tronchin and Arias goals for a 2-1 win over West Ham. We were equally good in Europe, including a rotated team beating Real Madrid 4-2. We slaughtered Man UFC 8-2 at home in the last 16 and set a record 30 Champions League games without defeat to reach the Final, where a 3-2 win over Hertha wrapped up a famous sextuple!
Still Great At 38!
Apparently, Pereira just loved playing football as he refused to retire aged 37. 2044/45 started by winning our 2nd Club World Cup, as a Pereira double gained revenge on Dortmund for our 2041 defeat. We lost a Community Shield for the first time in 11 years but beat West Ham to defend the Super Cup.
Pereira continued to be superb, scoring back-to-back braces in wins at Man UFC and Leicester, and celebrated his 38th birthday with a brace in a 4-1 win at Leeds. He even came 3rd in the 2045 World Player of the Year. However, injuries struck more frequently, including a 2-month hip injury in mid-March. But he returned to score on the final day and still managed 18 league goals.
We strolled to a 14th successive title and 18th in the last 19 seasons, finishing on 100 points and 110 goals. We were also dominant in the Champions League and beat Real Madrid 5-2 on aggregate to reach an 8th Final in 9 years against West Ham at Santiago Bernabéu. And we just about edged a poor game 2-1 led by a Post double, but Pereira pulled his hamstring in the build-up to the opener. So we won 3 successive Champions Leagues!
Pereira Continues To Defy His Age
I presumed Pereira’s latest injury would prompt his retirement – but I was wrong, he was firmly committed to playing on in 2045/46. The only problem was his ability and physicals had declined massively over the last few months, to the point he’s now considered our 8th-best striker.
But did I drop him? Of course not, even when his performances reflected his loss of ability. But I was rewarded for my patience as he scored in a 5-0 thumping of Watford, bagged a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at Fulham and got a brace to down Chelsea 2-0. And his brace in a 3-2 win at Wolves saw us lift a 15th successive title in early April – and even a fully rotated side beat 2nd-place Spurs 1-0, which shows how dominant we’ve become. We finished 21 points clear of Spurs and, ridiculously, Pereira was Premier League top goalscorer scorer for the 10th time in his career – at the age of 39!
We didn’t play Pereira in Europe for obvious reasons, and without him, we dropped into the playoff round for the first time in 16 years. But we eased past Basel, Inter and Juve before the dream of four in a row ended with a 2-1 semi-final loss to Man UFC in which Pereira came in to get our only goal.
Pereira Plays Into His 40s
Pereira’s good form last season saw any thoughts of retirement well and truly off the table heading into 2047/48. And I, of course, kept on playing him in the league. He scored on the opening day as we won 2-1 at Villa and bagged a brace as we beat Bristol City 2-1 in our second home game. He fully cemented his Forest legacy as a brace in a 2-0 win over Chelsea took him past 550 league goals for the club then, a week later at Leeds, achieved something I didn’t think was possible as he surpassed Bob McKinlay’s record for the most league appearances for the club by moving onto an outrageous 615.
Pereira hit even greater heights as we moved into 2048, scoring 7 in 5 to win the January Player of the Month. We wrapped up the title with Pereira bagging a brace as we thumped Man UFC 5-0 in game 36, and won it by 11 points from West Ham. And ridiculously, Pereira was again the league’s top scorer with 29 in 38, while homegrown keeper Myles Chakki broke Elia Caprile’s league record with 24 clean sheets.
We breezed through the Champions League league phase then got a tough draw against Barca. However, we beat them 1-0 away and 6-0 at home led by Iluga’s 2 goals and 2 assists! It didn’t get easier as we took on Real but won a wild away leg 7-4 then drew 2-2 at home. And we made the final with a 5-3 aggregate win over Arsenal, with Pereira scoring in both legs after an injury crisis forced him into action. Another English team awaited in a repeat of the 2046 Final against West Ham, which was won by Roper as he won a penalty that Pereira converted then bagged a brace for a 3-2 victory.
Finally The End For Pereira
However, the day after becoming the first man in his 40s to score in a Champions League Final, the great Luís Pereira announced his retirement from football. The Portuguese finishes his career with a mighty 572 goals and 148 assists in 642 league appearances for Forest, along with 746 goals in 897 games in all competitions.
Having seen through Pereira’s career to the very end, we’ll do a little wrap-up of the series looking at our greatest XI and have a closer look at the impressive final Forest team next week.
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