If you are still dreaming of the possibility of Manchester City imploding and Bayern Munich being the benefactor, we have some news for you. The future would be extremely bright — at least per simulations run on Football Manager as provided by BettingLounge.
Let’s take a look at some of the relevant discoveries from the scenarios run.
If Erling Haaland wants to win Champions League trophies, his best choice is Paris Saint-Germain
With Paris Saint-Germain seeking its third Champions League title in a row in 2026/27, it is no secret that Luis Enrique’s team is the club for Haaland to turn to if
he wishes to continue conquering Europe.
During this simulated period, no other club can compete with PSG for Champions League titles (5) or total trophies won (35), with Bayern Munich coming a distant second for total trophy haul (24), and Real Madrid as runners-up for Champions League titles (3).
If Haaland was to stay with City as it tumbled down to the fifth tier of English football, he would not win another major honor for the rest of his career outside of titles in the National League, League Two, League One, and the Championship.
If Haaland wants to win the World Cup, his only choice is Manchester United
On the surface, Manchester United does not look like an ideal landing spot for Haaland. However, this was the only scenario where Haaland and Norway went on to win the 2030 World Cup. In no other simulation did Norway win a single major honor.
Only Liverpool and Barcelona can provide Haaland with the platform to go and win the Ballon d’Or
If Haaland prefers individual glory, the Ballon d’Or is only available to him during simulations run with him at FC Barcelona and Liverpool.
In fact, Liverpool is the club that would allow Haaland to win the most individual awards (27, including seven world player awards and the Ballon d’Or).
While PSG comes close behind with 26 total honors, driven by Haaland amassing an incredible 11 Ligue 1 player awards, Barcelona is the only club other than Liverpool where he wins the Ballon d’Or.
Arsenal can’t win the Champions League even with Haaland up front
Look away now, Arsenal fans. For Bayern Munich fans, prepare to have a nice chuckle.
After coming so close to finally lifting the Champions League in 2026, the idea of adding Haaland to Mikel Arteta’s team should surely make glory in Europe a foregone conclusion, right?
Maybe not.
Despite staying at Arsenal until the age of 39 and taking his career tally up to 516 goals during his time at the Emirates, even with Haaland, the Gunners never experienced the joy of lifting the Champions League during this simulation.
Perhaps it’s just not meant to be, Arsenal fans!
Haaland won’t come close to Cristiano Ronaldo’s target of 1,000 career goals regardless of who he plays for
On a positive note, Arsenal is the club where Haaland would realize his full potential as a goal machine, according to the various simulations, but that still wouldn’t be enough for him to reach 1,000 goals—the target Cristiano Ronaldo is seeking to reach before his own retirement.
While FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Real Madrid stand out as having failed to realize Haaland’s true potential, at least compared to other clubs, they were the only clubs other than PSG to win multiple Champions League titles with Haaland.
In fact, Chelsea was the only English club to take Haaland to the biggest prize in European club football, with the Norwegian lifting the Champions League again a further two times at Stamford Bridge. That seems kind of wild, doesn’t it?
Manchester City never wins another major title, and become a Championship yo-yo club even in the best case scenario
As a key note, Manchester City was relegated to the National League for the 2026/27 season to kick off each save, but how does the club go on without Erling Haaland and its other stars?
Not well.
Despite this setback, the team bounced back immediately, following in the footsteps of Wrexham by winning back-to-back-to-back promotions from the National League, League Two, and League One. Manchester City even secured promotion back to the Premier League after only two seasons in the Championship—missing out on promotion in their first season via the playoffs, only to go up the following year before being relegated again soon after.
From there, City fell into a pattern of becoming a classic yo-yo club, bouncing up and down between the Premier League and the Championship. By 2037, however, it had stabilized as a Premier League team again, albeit with a 10th-place finish becoming its highest position.
Notable data points across the simulations per club
Erling Haaland at FC Barcelona
- Won the Champions League in each of his first two seasons (2026/27, 2027/28) and a third in 2029/30.
- Took the game’s Ballon d’Or (the World Golden Ball) for 2027/28 and was named World Player of the Year twice.
- Eight LaLiga titles in 13 seasons, and he was LaLiga top scorer and European Golden Shoe winner in his debut season.
- Never left Barcelona, and he was still on the books aged 39, by then listed as ‘surplus to requirements’.
- Man City: three straight titles to the Championship, lost the 2029/30 play-off final to Stockport, then won the league to reach the Premier League for 2031/32.
- City finished 5th after ten years, never higher, and later lost three domestic cup finals.
Erling Haaland at Real Madrid
- Three Champions Leagues (2026/27, 2028/29, 2030/31) and six Copa del Rey wins, making 23 major trophies in 13 seasons.
- 24 league goals in his first season, his best at the club.
- Four individual awards, but no Ballon d’Or or world player award.
- Man City: unbeaten through the National League and League Two (45 wins from 46 for 136 points), and reached the Carabao Cup final as a League Two side.
- Four straight titles meant a Premier League return for 2030/31, and City then won the Conference League and Carabao Cup (2033/34) and the FA Cup (2034/35).
- The best City universe: 2nd in the Premier League and Champions League finalists (beaten by Liverpool) after ten years, later winning the Europa League.
Erling Haaland at Bayern Munich
- Eleven Bundesliga titles in 13 seasons plus two Champions Leagues (2026/27, 2030/31).
- Seven league goals in 15 games in his first season, rising to a peak of 22 in 2030/31.
- Named World Footballer of the Year once, and won the Golden Boot and Best Player award at the 2026 World Cup.
- Man City: the slowest climb of any universe, with five straight seasons in the Championship, including two play-off final defeats.
- City only returned to the Premier League in season nine (2034/35) and were 11th after ten years.
- Later lost the FA Cup and Europa League finals within four days of each other.
Erling Haaland at Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1 champion in all 13 seasons and five consecutive Champions Leagues (2028/29 to 2032/33).
- 35 major trophies in 13 seasons, which is the most of any universe, as well as 26 individual awards.
- Two European Golden Shoes, World Cup Golden Boots in 2026 and 2030 and the Euro 2028 Golden Boot.
- No Ballon d’Or or world player award.
- Man City: four straight titles and back in the Premier League by 2030/31, but stuck in mid-table, finishing 15th at worst and 8th after ten years.
- City’s only final in this universe was an FA Cup defeat to Burnley (2036/37).
Erling Haaland at Arsenal
- Seven Premier League titles and the Golden Boot in eight consecutive seasons (2026/27 to 2033/34).
- No Champions League win.
- 186 league goals at 0.66 a game in the first ten years, second only to the Liverpool universe.
- 168 caps and 122 goals for Norway, and he was named World Footballer of the Year once.
- Man City: a perfect National League season, with 46 wins from 46, 133 goals scored and just five conceded.
- City lost a Championship play-off semi-final before going up as champions, and were 11th in the Premier League after ten years.
Erling Haaland at Chelsea
- Back-to-back Champions Leagues (2029/30 and 2030/31) and two Premier League titles.
- Lowest scoring rate of any universe (0.47 league goals a game) and only two individual awards.
- His last league goal came in 2034/35 and he made no league appearances in two later seasons.
- Man City: the only universe where they were relegated, finishing 18th in 2031/32, which was their second Premier League season.
- City bounced straight back as Championship champions and were 10th after ten years.
- City won no major trophy in this universe.
Erling Haaland at Liverpool
- 30 league goals in his first season and 202 in his first ten, the only universe past 200.
- Four World Footballer of the Year awards, three World Player of the Year awards and the game’s Ballon d’Or for 2032/33.
- Six Premier League titles and seven Golden Boots, but no Champions League, as Liverpool lost the 2028/29 final.
- Man City: reached the Carabao Cup final as a League One side (2028/29).
- City then lost a Championship play-off final and a semi-final before winning the Championship in 2031/32, which was the second-slowest climb of any universe.
- They survived their first Premier League season by two points and were 10th after ten years.
Erling Haaland at Manchester United
- Norway won the 2030 World Cup, making this the only universe where Haaland lifts it.
- Two Premier League titles and no Champions League in his first ten years.
- Made no league appearances in two seasons (2035/36, 2036/37) while United won the title without him.
- Had agreed a move to Inter Miami at 39 when the simulation ended.
- Man City: unbeaten in the National League and League Two, and reached the Carabao Cup final from the Championship (2029/30).
- Man City win the Europa League (2031/32), then the Conference League and FA Cup (2033/34), beating Haaland’s United in that FA Cup final. 15th after ten years.
Erling Haaland stays at City
- 104 league goals in four seasons from the National League to the Championship, top scorer at every level.
- A perfect National League season: 46 wins from 46, 143 goals scored and just seven conceded.
- No major trophy in 15 seasons, and the club’s history screen calls it ‘a frustrating eleven years without a trophy’.
- Most Norway caps and goals of any universe: 186 caps, 133 goals.
- Released on a free transfer at 40 (summer 2040 in-game) after 579 career league games and 379 league goals.
- Man City: Premier League return in 2030/31, 5th that season and 5th again after ten years.
Methodology
Football Manager 26 (build 26.3.2, database 26.2.0), with leagues, squads, transfers and player ages updated to the start of 2026/27. The game’s calendar runs one year behind, so its 2025/26 season is shown here as 2026/27, and so on. Named tournaments keep their in-game titles (e.g. the 2030 World Cup).
Manchester City were moved to the National League. Millwall (to the Premier League), Stockport (Championship), Salford (League One) and Carlisle (League Two) each moved up to keep division sizes. City’s reputation was cut from 9,150 to 6,200 and every City player given a £1 minimum-fee release clause.
The edited database was saved nine times. Haaland was moved to each destination before the first season, while in the ninth save he stayed at City. Each save was simulated independently until summer 2038 to summer 2040 in-game.
FM26 has no data export, so each save’s history screens were captured as screenshots. These covered Haaland’s career stats, biography and milestones, the past-winners lists, City’s history, landmarks and honours, and every season’s final league table.
All figures were transcribed and checked: table rows and totals balance, Premier League tables match the past-winners lists, Haaland’s trophies match the winners lists, and his season rows add up to the game’s career totals.
Sources
Football Manager 26 (Sports Interactive / SEGA), in-game screens, including Player Career Stats, Biography and Milestones, Competition Past Winners, Club History, Landmarks and Honours, and the League Tables.
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