That's it folks, every Carnival has its end!
And Ash Wednesday traditionally marks the beginning of Lent for the more religious and the end of Carnival for those who love to party!
Taking advantage of the symbolism of the date, OneFootball helps you remember stories of clubs that took the expression "rising from the ashes" literally.
Whether restarting in amateur divisions, being saved by the passion of the fans, or even receiving unexpected help from rivals, these institutions proved that there is life after bankruptcy.
Napoli
Those who see Napoli today as a consolidated powerhouse might not imagine the ordeal experienced by the Neapolitans. In 2004, mired in debt, the club went bankrupt and was re-founded by film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis as "Napoli Soccer," being forced to restart in Serie C1 (third division).
The climb was swift: promotion to Serie B and a return to the top flight in 2006/07. The club regained its traditional name — Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli — and returned to shine with Italian Cup titles and constant appearances in the Champions League.
In the 2022/23 season, Napoli made history by winning the long-dreamed Scudetto, ending a 33-year drought and proving that the club is definitively back at the top of Italy.
Not by chance, the club won the Scudetto once again in the 24/25 season.
Borussia Dortmund
The German giant did not officially declare bankruptcy but was on the brink of the abyss. After winning the Bundesliga in 2002, reckless spending and costs with the renovation of the Westfalenstadion stadium generated an unprecedented financial crisis between 2002 and 2005.
To survive, the club needed drastic measures: it sold its main players, reduced salaries by 20%, and even received a loan of 2 million euros from rival Bayern Munich to pay the payroll. The sale of the stadium's naming rights (Signal Iduna Park) in 2006 was crucial for financial relief.
The reconstruction on the field culminated in the "Klopp Era," with the German championship double (2011 and 2012).
Today, the club remains a continental powerhouse, consistently competing in the Champions League, including finals – still, however, without success in winning the tournament again.
This season, BVB has another chance to continue in the race for Europe's most coveted trophy, after securing a spot in the round of 16 with a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the playoffs against Atalanta this Tuesday (17).
Rangers
One of Scotland's giants lived its nightmare in 2012. With astronomical debts, the club went bankrupt and was re-founded as "The Rangers," being forced to restart in the fourth division.
The path was long: the club won all the lower divisions until returning to the top flight in 2016/17.
After watching rival Celtic stack up trophies during its absence, Rangers completed its resurrection by winning the league title undefeated in the 2020/21 season, extending its lead as the national champion (55 titles) at the time.
Today, Celtic has matched the number of titles, but Rangers remain a force in Scottish football, not bad for a club that was once close to ceasing to exist!
Parma
Parma, which enchanted the world in the 90s with stars like Adriano, Buffon, Cannavaro, and Thuram, fell victim to the collapse of Parmalat.
After an initial bankruptcy, the club finally went under in 2015, with 218 million euros in debt.
Re-founded as Parma Calcio 1913, the team had to restart in Serie D (amateur). The club achieved an unprecedented feat in Italian football: three consecutive promotions to return to Serie A.
The great symbol of this journey was captain Alessandro Lucarelli, who promised to stay with the club until its return to the top flight and fulfilled the promise, retiring at 40 with the mission accomplished.
World football legend, goalkeeper Buffon also returned to defend the club for two seasons before retiring at 45.
Fiorentina
The traditional Viola also knew hell. In 2002, sunk in debt, Fiorentina was relegated and went bankrupt, being forced to play in Serie C2 (fourth division) under the name Florentia Viola.
Bought by the Della Valle family, the team quickly rose, regained its original name, and by 2004, was back in Serie A.
Since then, it has stabilized again as one of the forces in Italian football, but this season, it is fighting to avoid relegation.
In 17th place, Viola has the same 21 points as Lecce, which opens the relegation zone of Serie A.
Racing
"The day of the Racing fan." That's how March 7, 1999, became known.
With an unpayable debt, the Argentine justice declared the club bankrupt. The team would be prevented from playing, but 30,000 fans filled the Presidente Perón stadium even without a match, preventing the institution's closure.
Thanks to the mass mobilization, the justice allowed the club to continue operating under judicial administration.
Racing not only survived but returned to being Argentine champion, proving that the passion of the fans was its greatest asset.
Among the recent achievements of the Argentine giant are a South American Cup, won against Cruzeiro, and the Recopa, over Botafogo.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.