Even for a manager who thrived on succeeding when presented with challenging situations, this was a mission impossible. The inspirational attitude and unwavering Spartan ethos of manager King Leonidas had led his unfancied charges into the cinch Championship for the 2026/27 campaign.
On 10 October 2030, seven years and three months since starting his career at Kamatamare Sanuki, Rasamu was swapping Japan for México.
Japan's rising star of football management, who was also celebrating passing his Continental Pro Licence and entering the Japan Hall of Fame, didn't let the frivolities last for too long. He was firmly focused on the major challenge of trying to win the AFC Champions League when it resumed in February.
Robaato Rasamu came so close to sealing the first title in his mission to win all five top-tier continental trophies as Albirex Niigata narrowly lost to big-spending Al-Hilal in the AFC Champions League Final. The Japanese manager needed a little time to get his head around the defeat and consider his options moving forward.
Approaching six years of life as a Football Manager, Robaato Rasamu was enjoying his first taste of continental football in his mission to win every top-tier continental club trophy. His Albirex Niigata side just wrapped up their best-ever league campaign and reached the knockout rounds of their maiden AFC Champions League campaign.
A strong start to the 2028 J1 League season saw Albirex Niigata sitting in 2nd place and dreaming of a title battle with still-unbeaten Gamba Osaka. They also had the prospect of a first-ever AFC Champions League campaign to look forward to.
Albirex Niigata had qualified for the AFC Champions League, which meant Rasamu and, as far as he could tell, the club would get their first taste of continental football. And, considering this save is all about winning the leading competition on every continent, that was a pretty big deal - but it doesn't start until well into the second half of the league campaign.
The people of Edinburgh expected carnage, and carnage they received. King Leonidas led a wild rampage around the Scottish capital, dragging an army of Spartans FC players, staff and fans on a messy bar crawl across the city to celebrate the club's back-to-back promotions and first-ever taste of tier three football.
Albirex Niigata were off to an absolute flyer in Robaato Rasamu's first season of top-flight football. They found themselves 2nd in J1 League after 18 games but, with injuries and a heavy schedule stacking up, it would be a major challenge to maintain that form.
The remarkable rise of Robaato Rasamu in the world of football management had seen him go from being unemployed to reaching the J1 League in just over three years. He now faced a huge task as he prepared for his first taste of top-flight football.
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