IRL challenges to complete in Football Manager to make you finally feel something again

My next save—after I finally finish the Pentagon Challenge (in about seven years’ time)—is going to be all about breaking real-life records that seem utterly unbreakable. Sometimes in Football Manager, you need to mix things up to keep it fresh, and what’s a better way than trying to surpass some of football’s greatest achievements? If you’re finding the game too easy, this might be exactly what you need.

If you’ve been casually racking up Premier League titles because you’ve “figured out the game tactically,” don’t get too comfortable—these challenges will still push you to your limits. I’ve had some of the best players and most overpowered tactics possible, and I don’t think I’ve ever come close to completing any of these.

Not sure what I’m on about? Let’s put an end to the confusion right now by diving into the records you can aim to beat to keep your save fresh.

Go Invincible in the Premier League

Let’s start with the most obvious one: replicating the incredible achievement of Arsenal’s 2003/04 Invincibles and going an entire league season without losing.

I can already hear football purists shouting about Preston North End’s 1888/89 unbeaten season, but let’s be honest—back then, goalkeepers could use their hands anywhere on the pitch, penalties didn’t exist, and even the length of games wasn’t standardized. It was a completely different sport, so for this challenge, we’re sticking with modern football and focusing on Arsenal’s record.

Can you become the second team in Premier League history to go a full 38-game season unbeaten? Arsenal drew 12 times that season, so if you want to go one better, you’ll need to stay undefeated and rack up more than 90 points.

Challenge: Go an entire Premier League season undefeated, achieving more than 90 points.

Beat Chelsea’s Insane Defensive Record

The 2004/05 Chelsea team under José Mourinho was a defensive fortress. That season, they set multiple records, including:

• Most clean sheets: 25
• Fewest goals conceded: 15

That’s right—just 15 goals conceded in 38 games. No other team has come close. Even 2018/19 Liverpool, with prime Van Dijk and a relentless midfield, conceded 22, and they only lost once.

This challenge is brutal because most of Football Manager’s “meta” tactics focus on high-intensity pressing and attacking football. Trying to create a defensive-first tactic that still wins enough matches will require some serious managerial skills.

Challenge: Concede 14 goals or fewer, or keep 26 clean sheets in a Premier League season.

Do Better Than Reading’s Insane Championship Season

Not everyone wants to start in the Premier League—some of us are Neil Warnock types, thriving in the chaos of the lower leagues. If that’s you, try breaking Reading’s 2005/06 record for most points in a professional league season: 106.

Their squad included icons like Leroy Lita, Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle, and Steve Sidwell, and they absolutely dominated the Championship. The difference between this challenge and the Premier League records? You only have one season to achieve it. If you win promotion but fail to beat the points total, you’ve failed.

On the plus side, you’ll be playing against Plymouth instead of Manchester City and Liverpool—so that’s something.

Challenge: Win the Championship title with 107 points or more.

Break the Longest Unbeaten Run in a Top European League

The longest unbeaten run in a major European league belongs to AC Milan, who went 58 games unbeaten in Serie A from 1991-1993 under Arrigo Sacchi and later Fabio Capello.

However, the longest unbeaten run in professional football is even more ridiculous. Steaua Bucharest managed to go an astonishing 104 league games unbeaten from 1986-1989—that’s over three full seasons without losing.

It’s up to you to choose whether you want to beat the longest streak in a top European league or try to break the all-time record for any league.

Challenge: Go 59+ games unbeaten in a top-five European league or 105+ games unbeaten in any league.

Get One of Your Players to Outdo Prime Messi

Some FM players don’t care about team success—it’s all about developing one wonderkid and turning him into an all-time great. If that’s you, here’s the ultimate individual challenge: beat Lionel Messi’s insane 2011/12 season.

That year, Messi put up ridiculous numbers:

• 50 goals and 16 assists in 37 La Liga matches
• 73 goals and 30 assists in all competitions

And before any Ronaldo fans complain—yes, he’s great, but this season belongs to Messi.

If you want an added layer of pain, your player needs to hit more than 104 goal contributions across all competitions.

Challenge: Get a player to achieve more than 67 goals + assists combined in a league season. Or, in all competitions, exceed 30 assists and 73 goals over 60 appearances.

Beat the record for most goals scored by a team in a single season

Messi’s 50-goal season still wasn’t enough to win La Liga in 2011/12. Why? Because Real Madrid were an absolute cheat code. That year, they:

• Got 100 points in 38 games
• Scored 121 goals—the most ever in a top-five European league

To beat this, you’ll need to average 3.2 goals per game over an entire season. And no, you can’t do this in a two-team league like Scotland—it has to be in one of Europe’s top five leagues

Challenge: Score 122+ goals in a single season in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Final thoughts

I thought it would be fun to compile these records into one place because sometimes, it’s great to take your virtual Football Manager world and break real-world football records.

And to those who say Football Manager is too easy—good luck completing even one of these challenges. Unless you’re downloading game-breaking tactics off the internet, in which case, that’s on you.

Which record are you going to try and break first? Let me know in the comments!