It’s a rough estimate, but I played CM01/02 for over 5,000 hours in total, taking Darlington to the Champions League final or gifting Roberto Baggio another Scudetto at Brescia. However, if you have ever played Championship Manager 01/02, you’ll know that Atalanta were – at least on the game – the single most infuriating team you could ever come across. For any neutral, Atalanta had to be one of the teams they got behind this season. With 98 goals, Atalanta broke the record for the most goals in a single Serie A season, finishing just five points behind Juventus, while also coming within minutes of the Champions League semi-finals.
In no small part, it was thanks to their gung-ho attacking philosophy, spearheaded by Josip Ilicic, Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel, who combined to score 59 goals in all competitions.
If there was one team that won their way into the hearts of football fans throughout the world in 2019-20, it was Atalanta. They may be everyone’s second-favourite team of recent years, but the Atalanta side of Championship Manager 01/02 was infuriating to face.
