You won’t believe it! 5 great teams that once fell to the second division

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Although they are currently recognized as important teams of world soccer, they once stumbled so much that they descended to 2nd division

Maintaining a winning streak is difficult for any soccer team, even for those who at some point achieved the highest glory and recognition in the world. Some great teams experienced hard times in which, due to bad results, they had to bid farewell to the first division of national soccer to start from scratch and recover to continue being classified as important clubs. Here a list of five teams that went through this situation.

Leer en español: ¡Sorpréndase! 5 grandes clubes que alguna vez bajaron a segunda división

Universidad de Chile

One of the most important clubs in Chilean soccer is the U. de Chile, since it is the second team with more league titles, with a total of 18, as well as five Chilean Cups, a Super Cup, and a South American Cup, according to the record published on its official website. However, in 1989 the team's outlook was obscure. According to As, the U. of Chile had serious economic problems because of a debt, so in previous years they had to sell their stars.

With an inexperienced Manuel Pellegrini as coach, the University of Chile descended for the first and only time to the second division after not being able to add more than 26 points and tie a decisive last game. Even so, the following season the club resurfaced and returned to the top category.

Atlético de Madrid

If there is a team that in recent years managed to break with the hegemony of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spanish soccer it has been Simeone's Atleti. Despite being the third club with more leagues won (10), and fourth with more cups (10), in addition to recently reached two Champions League finals -a tournament that it has not yet won-, in the 1999-2000 season, the teamwas in trouble after its president was dismissed three months by a court order.

The 'colchoneros' gave it all against Real Oviedo, since they needed a victory that seemed possible after drawing a 0-2 against, but the match ended when the Atletico goal scorer Hasselbaink missed a penalty kick after kicking it into the center and was stopped by the goalkeeper, according to Marca. It was not until 2002 that Atleti would play again the Spanish first division after a rescue of Luis Aragonés as a coach, according to 20 Minutos. This was the most remembered descent of the team, as they had also fallen once in 1930.

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Gremio

Although Gremio does not stand out for the national titles in Brazil, since it only has two leagues and five cups -second highest winner-, it is the Brazilian team with the most winning Libertadores Cups (3), according to Sobre Fútbol. The 2003-2004 season was the saddest for Gremio, with bad results that placed it in the last place of the table with only 39 points and a distance of 9 points with the team that followed. In addition, its last match was against the leader in that moment, Atlético Paranaense.

Although they managed to tie a 3-1 draw in the last three minutes of the match, it was not enough to overcome the draw and they ended up falling in their first descent, according to the newspaper La Nación. Gremio later showed that it did not belong to that division, by crowned champions during his stay and returning to the Brazilian first division.

Milan

If there is a team with history in European soccer, it is Milan, second highest winner of the Champions League (7), second with more Italian leagues (18) and five Italian Cups obtained. However, the 80s were the worst decade for the club, since in 1980 it fell as a result of a sports fraud, although the following year they returned to Serie A. Shortly after, in 1982 they again fell to Serie B, this time for a bad performance (31 points in 30 games), so only a year after returning it had to get back, according to the blog Café Fútbol. That would be its last time in Serie B, because the following year they climbed to the top of the table.

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Independiente

If there is a club that has fought for Argentina at the international level, it is Independiente, for something it is the greatest historic winner of the Copa Libertadores (7) -although it has not won it since 1984-, first with more Copa Sudamericana (2) and the fourth team with the most leagues in their country (16). However, in 2014, they experienced a moment that seemed impossible to conceive for their own fans, who, according to Goal, during a game displayed a flag with the phrase "Los grandes nunca descienden (The great never descend)". At the end of the season, they finished in relegation places to only get 16 points in 18 days, according to Fútbol Argentino. The following year, Independiente managed to return to the first division in an agonizing second.

LatinAmerican Post | Juan Bacallado

Translated from "¡Sorpréndase! 5 grandes clubes que alguna bajaron a segunda división"