Chat Legia Warsaw: A FMMobile retrospective

[Popart]

Legia Warsaw: A FM Mobile Retrospective

 

How did I do it?

 

To start the game, Legia’s defense is above average for the Ekstraklasa, but the attacking options are aging and lack pace. So, my first season I brought in Fer Nino and Alejandro Garnacho on loan. Garnacho more than held his own, but what was more impressive was Fer Nino’s prowess as a Poacher. Using a 4-1-2-2-1, Fer Nino dominated opponents, with the help of AP Bartosz Kapustka, a name many FM players are familiar with. Fer Nino ended up with 34 goals in his second season on loan, a record that stood until 2033. Further Loaned in players include Sergio Arribas and Gabriel Vidovic. 

 

The vast majority of my transfer budget was accumulated by getting players on a bosmer or unattached and flipping them 6 months to a year later after inflating their transfer value with plenty of game time. Players of this ilk include Jaime Baez, Britt Assombalonga and Þorsteinn Aron Antonsson. 

 

With my 4-1-2-2-1 Vertical Tiki Taka my focus on attackers was pure pace, having one Playmaker in the midfield- Kapustka and Josue are already Legia players in real life, and do phenomenal in this role- and using the bulk of my money on a proper back line. 

 

In terms of Ekstraklasa teams, Legia is probably the most talented in the game, and therefore the squad did not need a rebuild, just an upgrade to compete in Europe. The best of these players is Igor Strzalek, who at the beginning of the game is 19 years old. You can immediately slot him into your starting 11 and his high work rate leads to immediate success. I eventually sold him to Juventus for 13m, which at the time was my record fee. This was immediately flipped into signing Garang Kuol, and several wonderkids. 

 

2027 was the year I took the massive plunge of selling a majority of my older players and playing wonderkids for the full season. Relegated to the bench was Kapustka, and sold were the likes of Pau Prim, Jaime Baez, Assombalonga and Yuri Ribiero. Poland’s own Matty Cash was brought in on a free, and was the oldest player in the regular starting 11 from then on out. The wonderkids that stepped up became staples to my first Champions League winning team in 2028- Brazilian LB Mauricio Fernandes Melo, Argentinian RW Marcelo Acuna and Belgian LW Omar Lavia. The attack was spearheaded by home grown talent Pawel Tabis. Uruguyan Marcelo Miranda came off the bench as a striker with absurd amounds of pace. The wonderkids proved overmatched in the Champions League, getting knocked out in the first game of the play-off round- but by 2029 the kids were all grown up, and Miranda scored the lone goal in the 1-0 triumph over Real Madrid. 

 

While the victory was sweet, victory demands compensation. Legia was in no place to retain all of this talent, and the more vocal players were sold quickly. Miranda, despite his Champions League heroics, refused to stay at the club and was shipped to Real Madrid for 43m and a 50% sell on fee (Miranda never quite became a regular at Real Madrid, and spent the majority of his career with their B team.) Star LB Mauricio Melo was supposed to be a one club man, but that plan quickly changed after Barcelona offered an absurd 160m for the Brazilian’s services. 

 

This tore apart a core that was able to win a Champions League- yet, by 2030 Legia won it again, and started on an unprecedented run. 

 

ALL TIME XI:

 

GK

Blazej Jedrzejczyk

#1

2029-2049

Poland

576 Appearances- 155 Goals Conceded

 

A case could be made for Tomasz Stelmach, who may be the most talented player to ever come out of the Legia system, and received a whopping 125 caps for Poland, while winning 10 trophies with Legia before being shipped off to Ajax amid contract disputes. However, overseeing some of the best defensive was Blazej, who led Legia to an absurd 2 goals conceded in league play during the 2033/2034 unbeaten season. While his International career was largely held up by Stelmach, Blazej took over duties for him in 2039. 

 

LB

Aleksander Wieckowski

#32

2027-2-47

Poland

587 Appearances- 29 Goals- 94 Assists- 147 Yellow Cards

 

A homegrown talent, Aleksander was promoted from the youth team in 2027. After two short loan spells with Rakow and Znicz Pruszkow, he took a bench role until 2030 where he took over LB duties. Known for his leadership and technique, Aleksander has not lost his role since 2030 and in 2035 switched to RB. Quickly became an international star for Poland, and thus far has 72 caps for Poland. 

 

CB

Robert Rosas

#6

2033-2039

Spain

175 Appearances- 8 Goals- 3 Assists- 5 Yellow Cards

 

An unbelievably patient defender, Rosas was a key in stabilizing the defense during the beginning of the 2030’s. Rather than being brought up through the Legia ranks, Rosas was brought over from Valencia for the steep price of 22m and was put in the starting lineup immediately. A leader on the pitch with excellent positioning, Rosas played a massive part in 20 trophies before transferring to Manchester City for 73m in 2039. 52 caps for Spain, Rosas became fluent in Polish and still lists Agniezska as his favorite person in football. 

 

CB

Miguel Ehibatiomhan

#31

2033-2052

England

680 Appearances- 34 Goals- 29 Assists- 31 Yellow Cards

Miguel played 19 years for Legia, the vast majority of these as a regular starter. After a small fee of 10m brought him over from Chrystal Palace, Miguel only went on loan twice before being called up to the first team. Still a world class CB at 36, Ehibatiomhan first got playing time as a Right Back before finding a permanent spot next to Robert Rosas. Miguel became captain after the sale of Krystian Gruzecki, which he held until 2052. Miguel was known as a particularly skilled tackler, only receiving 2 red cards in his entire career. 

 

RB

Matty Cash

#5

2025-2032

Poland

192 Appearances- 12 Goals- 51 Assists- 35 Yellow Cards

 

Poland’s very own Matty Cash came to Legia in 2025 on a deal from Aston Villa for 4.7m. Cash came into the Ekstraklasa looking to take ankles, getting 6 yellow cards in his first 8 matches. One of the first stable influences with Premier League experience in the club, Cash was vital in the construction of the club. Despite missing the entire 2027/28 season with a broken leg, Matty valiantly fought back to earn his spot in the starting XI the next year. Following retirement, Cash immediately became a coach at Legia and his handprint still covers Legia’s back line.

 

DM

Maxi Oyedele

#6

2028-2039

Poland

383 Appearances- 14 Goals- 24 Assists

 

Another Polish international on the list, Oyedele left Manchester City for a record fee at the time of 26m, and did not disappoint. With 11 years of surveying the Defensive Midfield position, Oyedele took on some of the toughest attackers in Europe as the first line of defense and was rewarded with 57 caps for his efforts. After coming on as a sub in the 2039 Champions League final, Oyedele joined former teammate Matty Cash as a coach at Legia. 

 

CM

Finley Ayling

#4

2028-2040

England

312 Appearances- 47 Goals- 52 Assists

 

Ayling was discovered in the Vanarama North side Dulwich Hamlet and signed to Legia for the meager sum of 600k. Partnered up with International partner Alan Wild, the two Englishman dominated Europe for a decade. Known for his work rate, Ayling’s most memorable goal came in the 2034 UEFA Super Cup final, helping Legia win 2-1 over Roma in extra time. Ayling earned 24 caps for England while in the Legia squad. Sold in 2040 at 32 years old to finish his career at home, securing a 26m deal with Manchester City. 

 

CM

Alan Wild

#12

2028-2042

England

489 Appearances- 78 Goals- 99 Assists

 

A proper Playmaker, Alan Wild was brought in on a free after being released by Bolton Wanderers. Wild captained the Legia side for 10 years all the while setting up attackers like Tabis, Garang Kuol and Nate Cats year match after match. Unselfish as they come, Wild was an unwavering professional in his prime. His Champions League highlight came in 2033, scoring against Manchester City in the Final. Becoming a coach after retirement for Wild also earned 43 caps for England in his career. 

 

LW

Pawel Tabis

#9

2022-2043

Poland

714 Appearances- 217 Goals- 141 Assists

 

No player is more synonymous with Legia Warsaw than Pawel Tabis. Breaking through the youth ranks in Ostrowski’s first season, Tabis stayed at the club for 21 years. Tabis found his most success at LW, scoring 23 goals in each year from 2029-2032. Tabis later became more of a distributor, getting double digit assists in 4 straight years. With his last appearance coming at 36 years old, Tabis received 68 caps and is often considered the face of Polish football and was voted Poland’s player of the year 6 times and the only player to ever be voted Ekstraklasa Player of the Year in two different decades. Tabis scored goals in the 2031 and 2035 Champions League finals. 

 

RW

Kevin Naveda

#18

2026-2041

Mexico

468 Appearances- 86 Goals- 89 Assists

 

A constant force in attack, Naveda featured as a super sub for several years before finally breaking in to the starting XI. Naveda scored in back to back Champions League finals in 2038 and 2039. Known for his equal ability to score and set up creative play for his teammates, Naveda also excelled Internationally for Mexico, getting 152 caps while playing for Legia. Naveda was shipped off to Chelsea in 2041 to end his career with a payday. After his playing career, he became a world class manager, most notable for his time with

 

ST

Nate Cats

#13

2024-2026, 2030-43

Israel

391 Appearances- 295 Goals- 70 Assist 

 

Nate Cats was the lone striker for a decade, and dominated in this role. Known for his pacy play and big game performances, Cats played 16 total seasons for Legia and had moments in each if them. Brought in at 17 years old, Cats spent two years bouncing between the reserves and the First Team, making 22 appearances for the Legia first team along the way. He was sold to Real Betis for a then club record 17 mil. After 3 years there he was sent to Real Madrid, where he won a Champions League before shockingly being released. Cats was scooped back up by Legia the next day, and the rest is history. He scored in 5 Champions League finals for Legia, and TWICE scored a hattrick in the final, occuring in 2037 and 2040. 2037 was his best campaign, where he set the record for most goals scored in a season with the club at 37, a record which stood for a decade. 

 

Honorable Mentions

 

LW

Alan Ostrowski

#7

2039-2052

Poland

279 Appearances- 35 Goals- 35 Assists

 

The Nepotism baby himself, Ostrowski was promoted from the youth ranks at 18. After 5 failed loans between Olimpia Elblag, Polonia Warsawa and Sandhausen, Ostrowski only played 28 games in those 5 years. 23 and destined to be out of football, Ostrwoski was kept at Legia and given an intense training regiment. Gradually given playing time- 10 games the first season, 15 the next- Ostrowski eventually developed into a solid rotational player for Legia. His peak came at the age of 28, where he received his first international cap for Poland, accumulating 22 total by the end of his career. 

 

ST

Dennis Molders

2034-2047

Germany

357 Appearances- 256 Goals- 31 Assists

 

Molders was signed from 2 Bundeslegia club Darmstadt for 4m in 2034, and spent two years at Olimpia Elblag before breaking in to the Legia first squad. At first Molders struggled make an impact, scoring 4 goals in his second year at the club. However, 2038 would be Molders breakout year as he scored 22 goals, and accumulated 256 total in his time at Legia. Molders scored 10 goals in 11 Champions League finals, and broke Nate Cats record of most goals in a season with 41. In 2047, Molders was sold to Manchester City to finish his career and get his desired yearly salary. 

 

CM

Krystian Gruszecki

2034-2037, 2039-2049, 2050-2052

Poland

377 Appearances- 23 Goals- 48 Assists

 

Gruszecki was signed from Stal Mielec’s youth team in 2034 for a small sum of 1.4m. However after only playing 1 game for the first team, Gruszecki was sold to Cagliari. However, after Finley Ayling was sent to Manchester City, the now Italian star Gruszecki was brought back to reclaim his spot in the midfield. Gruszecki became an instant success that was able to patrol the midfield in an advanced attacking position and fall back defensively with equal success. Gruszecki was the model of professionalism and determination, and was named Captain and Vice Captain at various points throughout the 2040’s. As a younger midfield became needed, Gruszecki was eventually sent to Tottenham where he had instant success. However, he was released by Tottenham in 2050 and brought back a third time to retire as a positive influence within the squad and an eventual coach. 
 

Final Starting XI

[Resurgam]

Love this. Never gonna past the 15 season mark but hoping to On my current save 

[Popart]

On 17/05/2023 at 13:47, Resurgam said:

Love this. Never gonna past the 15 season mark but hoping to On my current save 

Thank you, good luck with your current save!

[leedsunited87]

Love the write up, amazing to do all 30, well played buddy 👏

[Popart]

Biggest transfer failure

 

It’s 2046. Longtime Star Striker Dennis Molder is getting older and starting to decline. For the first time in the club’s history since Owstrowski took over, there are no bonafide scorers in Legia’s academy that are ready to step in. Fear not- Legia Warszawa has incredibly healthy finances and is looking to splash on a World Class superstar for the first time. Who will they choose?

 

The answer turns out to be Yannis Dupuis, a star French striker for OM. During his 2046 campaign with OM, he scored a whopping 37 goals in 35 games. 26 and in the prime of his career, Dupuis had scored more goals for his country than he had caps. The stage was all set for the dominate Legia, who submitted a 101m fee and a 425k salary.

 

The signing was a failure, and the most notable failure in Legia’s transfer history. Dupuis would finish his Legia career playing only 54 games, albeit scoring 28 goals. The problem with Dupuis was not his goalscoring output but instead his inability to score in big games, lack of fitness and overall poor professionalism. By 2049 Dupuis had begun to show absolutely no interest in training and became a negative influence on some of the Legia youth. He was sold to Manchester City for 69m- a respectable fee- and scored 27 or more goals in each season he played for them. Dupuis remains the one World Class player that Owstrowski could never properly manage.