EURO 2024 is nearly one week away and I recently noticed there were no databases available to play the tournament with the real-life groups and final confirmed squads on Football Manager 2024. So I took to FM to do what I could to create the final squads.
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.
Debt-ridden FC Pompei made the doubters eat dust last season as a hot run of form led them to an impressive 3rd-place finish in Serie D/H. But there was no doubt the off-field matters were the biggest talking point in the summer of 2026.
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.
FC Pompei pulled off a surprise survival bid to stay in the fourth tier of Italian football in their first-ever season in Serie D. But financial challenges continued to undermine the job that boss Robí Sulpicius was doing at the club.
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.
Manager Robí Sulpicius faced the significant challenge of his entire first-team squad being out of contract and a worrying financial situation overshadowing his need to rebuild for Serie D.
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.
Under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, FC Pompei were mounting hopes of a title challenge in Italy's 5th-tier Eccellenza Campania A under new manager Robí Sulpicius.
The second edition of our Wonderkid Factory save sees Robinho Lazaró bring his youth recruitment prowess to the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar. The club has plenty of exciting youth prospects ready to play their part in the 2023/24 campaign - go back and meet them in Part 1 - but Lazaró was keen to remove any expectation from his young starlets.
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