Summary
With there being so many teams to choose from inFootball Manager 2024, picking the right one can be tricky. If you’re going to spend a lot of time playing and winning with a team, you need to make sure it’s the right fit for you. Everything from the finances to the players all needs to be good for you to have the best experience in the game.
Making a list of the best teams in the game would be too simple if we only included super-rich clubs like Manchester City. So we’re going to mix it up a bit and throw in some challenging teams that are enjoyable to manage.
Wage Budget
€292K pw
The Foxes have found themselves in the Championship just years after winning the Premier League. Managing this team would require you to take them back to glory and cement their place in the highest caliber of English football. Although the Championship can be one of the toughest leagues in the world, the squad strength of Leicester makes this an easy task.
You won’t have any money to spend on transfers unless you decide to sell some players, but even the base squad of this team should be able to secure a promotion spot by themselves. With players like Daka, Ricardo Pereira, Harry Winks, Conor Coady, Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy, the Championship should be a breeze, and you can look to regain Leicester’s glory in the Prem.
LaLiga 2
€-7K pw
Real Oviedo was on the brink of bankruptcy but was saved by their fans and former players who brought club shares. They once belonged to the top flight of Spanish football but are now stuck in the second tier or the Segunda División as a mid-table club. If you are looking for a club with an interesting history that can also be a fun team to manage, then this is it.
You will have 38-year-old Santi Cazorla as your best player and some other talents, such as Jaime Vázquez and Abel Bretones to help out. This won’t be an easy job by any means, but if you want to prove your worth as a manager, then you can start at Oviedo.
€29K pw
Xabi Alonso is currently doing a pretty good job at Leverkusen, but you can do better, right? Bayer Leverkusen is the perfect team to make a sneaky run to the Bundesliga title and challenge Bayern Munich. The attacking potential in this team is excellent, and you get to train upcoming talents such as Florian Wirtz.
You also get to coach other young stars such as Patrik Schick, Moussa Diaby, and Callum Hudson-Odoi so scoring goals should not be a problem for you. The goal for the club is to qualify for the Champions League, which is easily doable with Bayer Leverkusen. You can also make a good run in the Europa League in your first season, as there is not much competition in that tournament.
€799K pw
Managing Newcastle might be one of the toughest starting season jobs on this list. Although they have a pretty stacked team, their fixtures are ridiculously tough, considering they have to compete in a strong Champions League group. If you feel like you can handle the grueling Champions League and Premier League fixtures, then you can try your hand at managing the Magpies.
You will also have a great squad at your command, with players like Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, Alexander Isak, and Kieran Trippier being some of them. Qualifying for the Champions League in your first season will be a tough task, and you will have to get your tactics right if you want to keep the fans happy.
€4K pw
Another fallen giant, Académica, once competed in the Champions League but has now fallen to the third tier of Portuguese football. This club almost went bankrupt in 2022, and bringing them back to their former status will be a challenge, but it is still possible. Although you won’t have much money to spend, you won’t need many signings, as the competition in the league isn’t the greatest.
Managing this team will not be easyand is not recommended for beginners. Still, if you are an experienced Football Manager player, then you know that these types of clubs are the most satisfying to do well with, and bringing them back to the top will take a long time but will be worth it.
€1M pw
You may be thinking that the Manchester United job is very simple and any decent manager would be able to manage such an iconic team, but that hasn’t quite been the case in real life. The club has gone through eight unsuccessful managers, and the fans need someone to step up and bring glory to the red part of Manchester.
You will have plenty of talent at your disposal, from Bruno Fernandes to Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho (if you like his attitude). Manchester United has a big squad, so selling some players couldfree up your budget to make good signings.
£6m
£529k
Inter Miami is a newly formed club and hasn’t had much success in the MLS. This is a club that is willing to spend the cash to get the best players, and is a dream for any manager. The fact that you also get to manage the best player in the world, Lionel Messi, is also a bonus.
Messi is also joined by his former teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and you can attempt to recreate prime Barcelona tactics in the MLS. Not everyone likes to manage teams outside of Europe, but Inter Miami is a good starting spot to propel your career and then join a top European team.
€21K pw
Yokohama F. Marinos is one of Japan’s most legendary teams, and with the J-league making its debut in the Football Manager series, this is the perfect club to take charge of. This team also has some Brazilian talent, such as Élber and Anderson Lopes, who will help you to achieve success.
The youth recruitment facility of Yokohama F. Marinos is also pretty good, and you could look atsigning some young wonderkidsto further improve the team.
€41K pw
Athletico Paranaense is a good team, but they are still not considered in the Big 12 of Brazilian football. This club has an amazing squad and all the talent you need to win their first Copa Libertadores. Their midfield consists of Arturo Vidal and Fernandinho, who were incredibly successful in Europe and have the desired experience this team needs.
Up front is Vitor Roque, one of the most exciting prospects in world football. This player is just 18 years old and has the potential to become one of the best players in the world. Along with these players, the rest of the squad is also pretty good, making them a decent choice for your first job.
€521K pw
This may be a relatively easy job, but it is still one of the most fun managerial positions to take up in the game. There is so much talent to pick from in Barcelona that playing with them has to be enjoyable. Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, and Alejandro Balde are some of the most talented youngsters in the game and all of them play for Barcelona.
You also have a host of experienced players, such as Lewandowski, Gündoğan, and De Jong, making it a perfectly well-rounded squad to make a run for the Champions League.
