Football is a game that moves quickly, clubs rise and fall, and things very rarely stay the same. Some once massive clubs may no longer hold the standing they once had.
Some clubs experienced their glory days in the early stages of the top European football leagues. Here are some good saves involving these clubs in FM26:
Bordeaux
The former French champions have undergone one of the biggest falls from grace in the history of European football. The original FC Bordeaux was founded in 1920.
However, the original club relinquished its professional status in 2024 due to severe financial issues. This meant all the players and staff’s contracts were terminated. Things went from bad to worse when the club were relegated to the Championnat National 2 and forced into administration.
Considering the club has been crowned French champions on six occasions, it was a massive shock to the system. It would be a massive achievement to take over Les Girondins and not only return them to Ligue 1, but also become French champions once again and conquer Europe.
Preston
Preston North End is one of the historic clubs in the history of the English game, as one of the 12 founding members of the English Football League. The club from the English north west were founded in 1880 and was not just one of the founding members of the EFL, they were highly successful in the early years of the new competition.
Preston were English champions in the 1888–89 and 1889–90 seasons, while finishing as runners-up in the 1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1905–06, 1952–53, and 1957–58 seasons. They also lifted the FA Cup in seasons 1888–89 and 1937–38.
The problem for North End is that the 1938 FA Cup was the last major silverware they ever won. In fact, the club from Lancashire hasn’t been in the English top-flight since the 1960/61 season.
During that time, they have fluctuated between the three divisions below the English top flight. The Lilywhites have been in the Championship since the 2015/16 season.
Reaching the English top-flight with Preston would be a massive achievement. Helping North End back to their former glories would be an even bigger achievement, especially as you are likely to start with a modest financial budget.
Borussia Monchengladbach
The Foals were once one of the best teams in the European game. Gladbach were Bundesliga champions in the seasons 1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, while finishing as runners-up in seasons 1973–74 and 1977–78.
They also reached the European Cup final in 1977, only to suffer a 3-1 defeat against Liverpool, while winning the UEFA Cup in the 1974–75 and 1978–79 seasons.
After that period of extreme success came an extreme lack of silverware. The last time out, Gladbach won silverware was the DFB Pokal in 1995.
Monchengladbach have struggled to achieve success in recent decades. The club has fallen behind the likes of Bayern Munich and Dortmund, as well as Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig, in recent years.
Overthrowing the likes of Bayern in the Bundesliga would be a big challenge. However, the Foals do have some talented players, although their budget isn’t the biggest in the world.
Torino
Il Toro has been crowned Italian champions seven times in their history, in seasons 1927–28, 1942–43, 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, and 1975–76.
However, Torino’s success is tinged with tragedy. Their greatest team, dubbed ‘Grande Torino’, claimed the title in five consecutive seasons from 1946 to 1949.
Unfortunately, their success came to a tragic end in 1949, as a plane carrying the team, staff, and journalists crashed into the Basilica of Superga in Turin after a friendly game against Benfica in Norway. The crash took the lives of the whole team, as well as coaches Egri Erbstein and Leslie Lievesley.
The club struggled to recover from the incident, and their only Italian title since came in the 1975/76 campaign. In fact, the club have spent time in Serie B, 12 seasons throughout their history. Torino have finished primarily in mid-table mediocrity in Serie A in recent seasons.
The team from Turin have lots of promise, even if they won’t have the biggest budget for transfers or wages.
