An unbelievable season saw Parma Calcio claim their maiden Serie A title in dramatic fashion, finishing level with Inter Milan on points then beating them at their own ground 3-2 in a title playoff.
Parma Calcio came into 2028 looking well in the hunt for European qualification for the third season in a row and having guaranteed knockout football in the Europa League.
Two seasons under the tutelage of boyhood Parma Calcio supporter Alessio Rinaldi had seen the Emilia-Romagna club enjoy back-to-back top six finishes. The challenge now was for the young manager to refresh a squad that he felt was in danger of becoming stale.
Parma Calcio endured a tricky start to Alessio Rinaldi's second season in football management. But, despite giving up countless shots per match, they'd just about snuck a few results and went on a solid run before Christmas.
Boyhood Parma Calcio supporter Alessio Rinaldi led his hometown club to the second-best finish in its history, as I Crociati finished in an incredible 3rd place in Serie A in 2026. That meant Rinaldi now faced a massive challenge to bolster a threadbare squad for an unexpected step up to the Champions League.
Parma had made a surprisingly good start in Serie A under the tutelage of new man and boyhood supporter Alessio Rinaldi. I Crociati sat in an impressive 4th place after 12 games, a mighty 15 points clear of the relegation zone, despite having a threadbare squad and no transfers.
Boyhood Parma Calcio supporter Alessio Rinaldi walked through the staff entrance at Stadio Ennio Tardini feeling on top of the world, fresh from being appointed the Emilia-Romagna club's new manager. However, he was quickly brought back down to earth with a bump.
27 years on from joining the club's academy, 41-year-old Alessio Rinaldi put pen to paper to become the 96th permanent manager of Parma Calcio.
It feels like a long old time since I wrote one of these articles but, now that we know that Football Manager 26 is very much a thing and will be with us in less than a month, it’s time to start thinking about save plans for the next 12 months.
It’s been a long time coming, but Football Manager 26 will finally be available from 4 November. So now’s the time to put our thinking caps on to consider who we want to manage in our first FM26 saves and interesting challenges for the remainder of the game cycle.
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