Once the strongest, these heavy giants in club football have fallen from the grace over time
Winning or losing is a part of every sport, and football is no different. Be it a country or a club, no side can dominate the legendary sport forever. In the sport's history, there have been several clubs that have reached the apex of prosperity and then went down the ground drastically. In this feature, we’ve listed a few such clubs that were previously deemed the elites in the football universe but have now fallen from the grace.
Leeds United- Once upon a time, Leeds United was a club that dominated the football pitches of England. Before the Premier League was set up, Leeds picked up the winner’s trophy on several occasions. In 1999, the club ended in the third position of the Premier League and in 2000; they made it to the Champions League. At present, Leeds is a middle table club in the Premier League, but they were relegated to the second category a few years ago.
Nottingham Forest- An elite club from the yesteryear, Nottingham Forest was known for their domination as they picked up two European Championships, an English League title and two FA Cups before the 90s. At present, they take part in the EFL League One championship, which is the second division football league in England.
Parma- Parma Football Club used to be one of the best football clubs in Italy and Europe. Before the 90s, the club picked up several trophies such as the Supercoppa Italiana, three Italian League titles, one UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup, two UEFA Cups and one European Super Cup. However, the club could not maintain its power and tumbled down the pecking order. In 2015, the club reported that they have gone completely bankrupt.
Fiorentina- In the mid-50s and 60s, Fiorentina from Italy was an effective club. During that era, the club won two Italian League titles, six Coppa Italia trophies, one Supercoppa Italiana and one UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup. However, the club faced economic obstacles in the early 2000 and got relegated from Serie A to Serie B. Unfortunately, they could not participate in Serie B because they went broke. Therefore, they had to begin their new journey from the Serie C2 (third division league).
Apart from the above-mentioned teams, Rangers, FC Nantes and Wolverhampton Wanderers are some clubs who have suffered a tremendous deterioration.
