Football Manager: a Game With a Cult Status Among Football Fans

Football Manager (FM) has held a special place in the hearts of football fans for many years, turning into a real cultural phenomenon. It’s not just a video game; it’s a whole football simulator that gives fans a unique opportunity to feel like a real manager. FM attracts with its highest level of realism, reliability on statistics and an incredibly rich information base. Interestingly, many fans of sports forecasts also love the game. They first simulate a major tournament on FM, and then, based on the data obtained, make a bet in a bookmaker’s office. In addition, a promotional event is available in the Fonbet betting organization – there is an opportunity to use a promo code.

Real football

One of the main reasons for the popularity of the game is the incredible level of detail and realism. Football Manager offers players a level of engagement that cannot be found in any other football simulator or manager. The player becomes not just an observer of the match, or a participant in it, but a full-fledged leader of the football team. You are in charge of every aspect within the club, starting with the preparation of tactical schemes and ending with the selection of personnel and financial management. The incredible depth and complexity make the game attractive for those who want to immerse themselves in the world of football as much as possible outside of real life.

Dessert for tactical gourmets

FM allows players to work with tactics in detail. The ability to set and customize strategies down to the smallest detail turns every match into a chess game. You can schedule tasks for your players in detail: how and when to attack, return to the defense, maintain pressure or play a short pass. In this sense, FM has become a real textbook for many football fans who want to learn more about the tactical aspects of the game. Many professional coaches, even such as Mauricio Pochettino and Andre Villas-Boas, admitted that they played and are playing Football Manager in order to better understand certain tactical nuances. For fans, the game becomes an opportunity to experience the solutions they see in real games and learn how they work in the context of their team.

The depth of the information flow

Another key element that has ensured Football Manager’s iconic status is its incredible information base. The game’s database is a veritable storehouse of information, which includes hundreds of thousands of football players, coaches and staff from real clubs (as well as the unemployed) around the world. This data is updated every year to reflect changes in the real football industry.

Moreover, many scouts of real clubs admit that they use FM as a tool to find new talent. The level of detail with which each player and each team are described is truly amazing: each player has a set of characteristics reflecting his physical and technical skills, mental qualities and potential. And it’s not just about the ratings of “speed” or “shot”. In FM, every detail, from the psychology of the player to his ability to cope with pressure, matters.

More than a game

The phenomenon of the FM information base goes beyond simple entertainment. In 2008, clubs began actively using the game’s database for scouting. FC Everton, for example, has entered into an official agreement with the game’s developers to use their databases in the search for young talent. In the world of football, cases began to spread when players who were first “discovered” in FM, then became stars of real championships. One of the most notable examples is Lionel Messi, who first appeared in the FM database as a teenager, at the age of 13. His potential was highly appreciated by developers long before he became a global football phenomenon.

Thus, fans of the game get a chance to witness the appearance of future football stars earlier than it happens in real life. The opportunity to acquire young players and develop them to the level of star performers brings great pleasure. In each new season, there is always a sense of excitement that you can find a “diamond” among thousands of young players, who in a few years will be noticed by the whole world.

In addition, it is impossible not to note the emotional attachment that players feel for their virtual team. When you spend hundreds of hours developing a club, finding talent, winning matches, signing contracts and managing your budget, the club becomes a part of your life. It is a feeling of satisfaction and personal involvement that is difficult to put into words. While real football is a source of emotions and emotional storms, FM offers the opportunity to control events and realize your football dreams.