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8 things you never knew about Football Manager
Check out these surprising Football Manager facts and secrets.
The transfer window is peak season for Football Manager fans. Is your club about to sign an obscure Bundesliga 2 player? "Yep, heard of him, mate. In fact, he took my team to the Champions League final in 2014. When he was 14."
Yes, FM fans may know pretty much every player being linked with a move this summer, but unless you've played every game since the series started 26 years ago, there will be some interesting facts that have escaped your attention. Here, then, are eight things you (probably) never knew about Football Manager.
1. The first game in the series featured no real player names
Championship Manager may have been realistic,
© Intelek / Domark
The first game in the series wasn't a massive moment in gaming when it was released in 1992. Written by brothers Paul and Oliver Collyer in their Shropshire bedroom, Championship Manager – unlike competitors such as Gremlin Interactive’s Premier Manager – contained no real player names whatsoever. However, the 1993 French version was named Guy Roux Football Manager in deference to the legendary Auxerre boss, who managed the Burgundy club for 40 years, unearthing players such as Eric Cantona, Philippe Mexès and Djibril Cissé.
2. Football Manager has many celebrity fans
Many famous players have been known to play Football Manager games (the most recent being the France 2018 World Cup-winning team). However, celebrities from outside football are also big fans – Robbie Williams, Paolo Nutini and Jason Manford all play the game. TV host James Corden even described the series in his autobiography as “the finest computer game that’s ever been invented.”
3. How Virtua Striker helped Football Manager
Sega's Virtua Striker
© Sega
When Football Manager introduced a 3D engine for the first time in Football Manager 2009, Sports Interactive had help from Sega’s Virtua Striker series. The team worked with Sega Japan’s team who provided motion capture data and some animations during the engine’s multi-year development period. Sega's series was on hiatus after the release of Virtua Striker 4 in 2005, although a PS3 and Xbox 360 port followed in 2013.
4. Classic April Fools
Sports Interactive like an April Fool. There has been an April 1 prank in the game in which the board announce a cash injection of around £500m, but it never comes to pass. The studio took things further back in 2013, fake-announcing Football Manager 1888, with “the option of taking over any of the original 12 clubs involved in the 1888/89 season.”
5. What's the longest game ever?
Michał Leniec managed Lech Poznan for 221 years
© Guinnessworldrecords.com
There’s actually a Guinness World Record for the longest single game of Football Manager. As of November 2017, it’s held by Polish player Michał Leniec, who racked up a ludicrous 221 in-game years with Lech Poznan on Football Manager 2016. He only began the game in November 2015, and despite taking 35 different international roles, Leniec managed the same domestic club for the entirety of the spell.
6. Ant & Dec's Championship Manager
Back in the days when Ant & Dec presented UK children’s show SMTV Live alongside Cat Deeley, Sports Interactive immortalised the duo in a special copy of Championship Manager 01/02. Presented to them on their final day of hosting the show, Ant & Dec were included as players for Newcastle and Sunderland respectively, with Ant being paid £50k per-week, and Dec receiving just £90 per-week.
7. Manage the Dream Team
Running from 1997 until 2007, UK TV show Dream Team followed the on-and-off-field antics of fictional football team Harchester United. Surprisingly, towards the end of the programme's run, the team was included as a manageable side in Football Manager 2006. The addition proved popular, as Harchester have featured in almost every game since as downloadable mods created by the FM community.
8. FM: The Movie?
As revealed in the book, ‘Football Manager Stole My Life’, screenwriter Peter Sleeman actually wrote a screenplay based on the game, but despite initially receiving interest, no concrete plans emerged. His idea centred on the story of a youngster taking up a real-life manager’s job based on his skills in Football Manager, and although it was written in four weeks, Peter was still seeking funding as of 2012.
