AZ Alkmaar celebrated a fifth successive Eredivisie title in the summer of 2033, but their homegrown stars were still some way off competing with Europe's elite.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 12 | AZ Suffer A Drop In Form
Wonderkid Factory | Part 11 | Another Close European Giant Battle
AZ Alkmaar were well and truly dominating in the Netherlands, but Lazaró's aim to become European Champions with a fully-homegrown squad was proving much more problematic.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 10 | Developing A Genuine Golden Generation
AZ Alkmaar wrapped up three successive Eredivise titles to become the fifth most successive club in Dutch football history, behind the big three of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord and the HVV, an amateur side that won 10 titles by 1915.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 9 | A New Midfield Talent Emerges
The dreaded financial glitch affecting Eredivisie on Football Manager 2024 means this could well be the end to our second attempt at the Wonderkid Factory challenge. It comes at an annoying time, considering Robinho Lazaró was establishing AZ Alkmaar as a dominant force in the Netherlands, with three titles in four years, and taking on Europe's elite.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 8 | So Close To An Elite Upset
AZ Alkmaar won a second Eredivisie title in three years with a team comprised wholly of players produced by the club's youth academy. The challenge now was to try and compete in Europe as they re-entered the Champions League in the 2029/30 campaihn.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 7 | Fully Homegrown For The First Time
Twelve months on from becoming Champions of the Netherlands, AZ Alkmaar were reflecting on a solid if unspectacular campaign. Manager Robinho Lazaró had done an impressive job of promoting homegrown youth while keeping his promising AZ side competitive.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 6 | Eredivisie Title Defence
The exciting crop of youngsters at AZ Alkmaar outperformed even their loftiest expectations as they usurped the big three to become champions of the Netherlands for the third time in 2027. The challenge now was for Robinho Lazaró and his young squad to build on that success.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 5 | Wau, This Kid Is Raily Special
The wonderkid factory project at AZ Alkmaar was progressing very nicely as Robinho Lazaró led the club to two 2nd-place finishes in three seasons. He'd also reduced the AZ squad to just five players who didn't come through the club's academy heading into the summer of 2026.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 4 | Hammering Real Madrid
Footballing overachievement is seemingly always accompanied by the threat of your best players being poached by bigger clubs. And Robinho Lazaró found that out in the summer of 2025 as his AZ Alkmaar's 2nd place finish in Eredivisie saw big teams across Europe raise interest in his top performers.
Wonderkid Factory | Part 3 | AZ Academy Stars Excel
AZ Alkmaar made a promising start to life under Robinho Lazaró, who'd been impressed with his side's efforts to finish 4th in Eredivisie in 2023/24. However, these early seasons don't really matter too much in our bid to become national and European champions with a team of academy products.
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