The Year is 2074... (Create-a-Club and Youth-Only FM24)

[abulezz]

INTRODUCTION

The year is 2074. Peace reigns supreme over the Earth as it has for much of the past 50 years. Football’s popularity has reached unprecedented heights and professional players and managers have become household celebrities, some of the most famous people in the world. Mexico 2074 has just wrapped up with Argentina winning its 5^th World Cup title, defeating an unlucky Netherlands team in the Finals, making it 0-5 for the Dutch in the World Cup Finals, including two in a row as they had lost Portugal four years back at Australia 2070. Barcelona, having won 5 of the last 6 Champions League titles, equaled Real Madrid’s record of 17 total CL trophies. In the English Premier League, who recently crowned Liverpool the new champions, Manchester United continued to be the most storied team in the competition’s history having won it 33 times. The Spanish La Liga was under the mercy of perhaps the most dominant dynasty of the past few decades in the current Barcelona team, who have won the La Liga title 5 years in a row. In Italy, Juventus reclaimed the Italian Serie A title from AC Milan after two years, winning their 7^th title in the past 10 years. In France, Rennes ended Paris Saint-Germain’s reign, with the latter having previously won 5 of the past 6 French Ligue 1 titles, and in the German Bundesliga Bayern Munich – the most recent team to lift the trophy – and FC Leipzig have been trading the trophy for the past decade. This is the world in 2074. This is where our story picks up.

NOTE: With FM25 less than a couple of months away, I decided to give this a whirl. I've already played 50 (51?) seasons with Kafra FC and the idea is to pick up with the save at the start of the 2074/75 season. A review of the squad will be coming up next.

 

WORLD CUP HISTORY

 

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

 

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HISTORY

 

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE HISTORY

[abulezz]

KAFRA FC - PRESEASON 2074/75 (Part One)

 

KAFRA JNOUBI'S PROFILE

The 71-year-old Kafra Jnoubi, who founded Kafra FC in London in 2023 and named the club after himself, has now seen over 50 years as the manager of the club. With a strict ‘No Transfers In’ policy that had been in place since the first day, Jnoubi had managed to lead his club to the Premier League, getting promoted in 2036 and never looking back after that. Twice the club lifted the Premier League title (2065, 2068) and it has spent the last decade as one of the top teams in the country. Additionally, Jnoubi led the Kafra Lions to 2 Europa League wins (2051, 2059) and a Europa Conference League victory in 2056. We pick up our story towards the end of the summer of 2074, with Kafra FC having finished the previous season in 4^th Place in what was viewed as a transitional season between the older generation and the upcoming one.

 

KAFRA CURRENT INFORMATION

 

KAFRA HISTORY

 

KAFRA IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE

 

FACILITIES

 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR HISTORY

 

KAFRA BEST ELEVEN ALL-TIME

 

Edited September 2 by abulezz

[abulezz]

KAFRA FC - PRESEASON 2074/75 (GK and Defense)

 

GOALKEEPERS

JOSEPH BEMPAH (Ghana, 76 Caps)

Replacing the finest GK in the club’s history (Yusuf Lawal – 733 GP, 55 Caps for England) was always going to be a huge task for anyone, but the fact that both Premier League titles have come with Bempah between the sticks (2065, ’68), including during his first season as a starter, proves that Bempah has been more than capable. No one will argue that Bempah is more talented than Lawal but the Ghanaian national team GK, who helped his country to the Second Round at Mexico 2074 before losing the hosts and was the starting GK in their successful African Cup of Nations campaign at Tanzania 2072 where they defeated the more-favored Morocco in the finals, is about to begin his 11^th year as the club’s top GK. Twice named the African GK of the Year (2071, ’73), the Ghanaian is one of the top players at his position from the continent and is considered one of the most important players of the country’s national team. He has earned 76 Caps for his nation and is looking like he might hit the magic 100 Caps number in a few years. With Kafra FC, he has been a solid figure for the club – the Kafra Youth Academy historically had produced talented GKs but no real competitor for Bempah’s title had come through the ranks in at least a decade. Having just turned 30 and entering the prime of his career, his manager has not seen the urgency of developing a GK to replace him just yet but it is something that will have to be planned in the next couple of years at most. Heading into the 2074/75 season, however, his manager will be relying on more of the same from Bempah – consistent if unspectacular form in one of the most important positions on the pitch.

 

DEFENSE 

LB - KISHMAR CUMBERBATCH (England, 7 Caps)

At 22-years-old, Kishmar Cumberbatch is part of the new generation that Jnoubi will be relying on to continue challenging for the Premier League title. He is coming off his finest season to date (28 Apps, 4 Gls, 3 Asts, 3.45 T/90, 84% PR, 7.04 AR) despite being ruled out for three months with a broken foot of which he has now recovered completely – Jnoubi has stated he is optimistic that Cumberbatch is ready to play his best for both club and country with the player having represented England 7 times thus far in his young career. There is an on-going debate as to whether Cumberbatch is better suited for the middle of the defensive line but that is a moot point as he has already been named the starting LB for the upcoming season. He has endeared himself to the media thanks to his friendly and professional approach to the game, and the Croydon-born defender recently was valued at over £110M. While he doesn’t have exceptional height (184 cms), he is strong and he is fast, rarely making a mistake thanks to his ability to read the game well. He has shown remarkable improvement since his teenage years as a defender and has developed a knack for being at the right place at the right time. He is expected to build on his 2073/74 season and continue his development as one of the best young defenders in England today.

 

DC - MATTHEW SMITH (England, 67 Caps/3 Goals)

Talent-wise, the 29-year-old Matthew Smith is the arguably the best defender on the club and he most certainly is the leader of the defensive line. The definition of professional in all aspects of the game – whether in training, on the pitch, with the fans or with the media – Smith has become a central figure for Jnoubi. The biggest knack on him is that his form throughout his career perhaps should have been better for the amount of talent he obviously has and with a 6.87 AR over 460 League Games, there is a point to the argument. However, he is coming off one of the best seasons of his career (37 Apps, 2.01 T/90, 93% PR, 6.91 AR) and is in the prime of his career has he enters his 13^th season with the club, having represented England at Mexico 2074 bringing his total to 67 Caps for his nation. There is no large weakness to his game – he is physically gifted with strength, speed, and stamina while his football IQ is very high. His defensive abilities are very strong with perhaps only his ability in the air (he is 182 cms) being the only thing average about his game. What makes him unique is his ability with the ball at his feet – he has a great first touch and technique with the ball which includes his passing ability. With the rest of the starters in the defensive line still young (the eldest is 25 other than Smith), his manager will continue to rely on him to lead the back – when his career is all said and done, he will definitely be considered one of the top three DCs in club history at the very least.

 

DC – DANIEL CRICHLOW (England)

Still only 20-years-old, the 2070 Youth Class product has already been a starter for the club for the past three years. There is no denying his talent – he carries the ‘Wonderkid’ tag – and he has so far represented England 22 times at the U21 level. Born in Shrewsbury, after struggling during his first two seasons he delivered a relatively consistent and strong one last year, registering 33 Apps, 1.81 T/90, 93% PR, and a career-high 6.87 AR. He is a similar type of player to Smith and also has a high football IQ like his partner in the middle of the defensive line but has a height advantage (189 cms) that should serve him well as his career progresses. He part of the England team that lifted the European U21 Championship trophy in 2073 and has become one of the highest rated CDs under the age of 21 in the world.

 

RB – SEBASTIAN LIZARAZO (England)

While the hype that surrounded him a few years ago has died down, Sebastian Lizarazo – now 25 – has settled into a role as the starting RB of Kafra FC that he has done quite well in. The 2073/74 season was his finest yet, registering 33 Apps, 3.16 T/90, 85% PR, and a career-high 7.03 AR as he has now played 215 League Games for the club. Like the rest of the defensive line, Lizarazo is a model professional who is a very smart player who has high defensive and off the ball positioning skills. A versatile player that can play comfortably anywhere down the right side of the pitch, he has seemingly boundless energy with a great motor. Born in Bromley to Colombian parents, he remains eligible to play for the South American nation which made the World Cup finals before losing to Spain at Germany 2066. Once considered one of the brightest young defenders in the world in the late 2060s/early 2070s, he hasn’t lived up to the high expectations but remains one of Jnoubi’s most important players.