Robinho Lazaró ticked off one of the overarching aims of his Wonderkid Factory challenge as Envigado became the most reputable team in Colombia. They're also the 25th most reputable team in all of South America.
Having just completed a Football Manager Experiment using a custom database in the European Super League, we were keen to take on another fantasy challenge in FM23. So the release of The Mad Scientist's annual retro database was very timely.
Robinho Lazaró oversaw a mass of sales and somehow dragged one of his youngest group of homegrown players so far to a sixth successive Liga BetPlay Dimayor league stage final. But the sales weren't done there as another young starlet departed between the Apertura and Finalización stages.
Envigado FC wrapped up a third-successive Finalización title at the end of the 2031 campaign. But the summer ahead of the 2032 season was set to be one of significant changes and record-breaking sales.
In four seasons, we'd taken Vélez Sarsfield from the bottom tier through to becoming European Super League champions. The key to this success had undoubtedly been Endrick, who'd scored 126 goals in 121 league games and 161 goals in 157 games in all competitions for the club.
After a couple of seasons of massive success, Envigado's board invested in a new trophy cabinet to house the shiny Recopa Sudamericana trophy earned by defeating the mighty Corinthians. But as we see all too often, with great success comes greed.
Envigado FC's homegrown heroes enjoyed a historic season in 2030, winning a famous quadruple as they bagged both the Liga BetPlay Dimayor Apertura and Finalización titles, Copa Sudamericana and Súperliga BetPlay Dimayor.
Vélez Sarsfield had made light work of progressing through the lower reaches of the fictional European Super League database which was, effectively, a global super league. But their rewards for significant cup and league success in season 3 were game- and club-changing finances.
Robinho Lazaró's team of young starlets became the first Colombian club to win back-to-back league stage titles for a decade. But these homegrown heroes were verging on the edge of greatness.
The wonderkid factory that is Envigdo FC saw its exciting prospects flourish in 2029 as, free from the shackles of continental football, a young team dominated Colombia's Finalización stage. But the hard work began now.
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