The popular Football Manager video game also serves professional clubs in real life, attracted by the game's huge database, which can allow them to find promising profiles on the market.

The main strength of this game, which boasts two million copies sold in 2020, is its network of scouts, with 1,300 volunteers in 51 countries, in charge of following the evolution of thousands of footballers in the lower divisions.

Applauded for its realism and meticulous accuracy of statistics, this game that has been around for some thirty years has also caught the attention of

Antoine Griezmann

, who loves to put himself in the shoes of a manager.

Clubs have appreciated the benefit they could get from this simulation and its "incredible" database.

"In France, I know the National (third division) very well and their data is really close to reality," says

Kévin Lesportes

, head of Dunkirk signings and a fan of 'FM' for more than a decade.

"If I'm interested in a player, out of curiosity I'm going to play with him in Football Manager and see how he trains and progresses. But I don't trust the game 100%," Lesportes details.

"Nothing like watching games to observe the behaviors and attitudes of the players."

Restricted information

Jonathan Beilin

, a former Nice recruiter (2009-2013), boasts of having discovered Argentine left-back

Fabián Monzón

or Serbian defender

Nemanja Pejcinovic

thanks to the game: "I had lists with eight right-backs, seven left-backs, 12 central defenders ... And I knew that if I had the possibility of one day signing one for Nice, I could propose it to him, "he recalls.

"We go back five to eight years to look at the injury history before we make it come," explains Beilin.

Among these volunteers "there are people who are fans of that club and contribute their role as a fan, there are people who are linked to the club, press or coaching staff, and there are people who simply like data analysis," says

Facundo Delgado

, coordinator of 60 scouts in Argentina.

For each player they must fill in several dozen attributes.

Some are objective (height, weight, age ...) and others based on comparison (speed, technique ...).

The most difficult aspect to evaluate is the mental one, affirms

Federico Aranda

, in charge of the observers in Uruguay.

He says that he uses his contacts in clubs or in the federation to complete attributes such as "professionalism", especially based on lifestyle.

Having this access to restricted information, which is what players or coaches or anyone who is in the kitchen of a club can give us, for us is blessed glory, "he says.

Renegotiate a contract

Sports Interactive, the English studio that develops the game, monetizes this raw data, although the identity of those who use it and the number of contracts is kept secret.

"We work with clubs ranging from the Champions League to the eighth division, in Europe and the United States," said

Tom Markham

, head of business development at Sports Interactive.

"Many clubs that use our data tell us that they are very good for the physical data (height, weight) for example, the languages ​​they speak, nationalities, rights ... and then other things like economic data on salary, the expiration of the contract ... ", he adds.

Performance data can also be used to renegotiate a contract in real life, Markham says.

"For example,

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

at Arsenal. He is 31 years old, and since it depends a lot on his speed, are we going to offer him a three-year, one-year contract ...?", He concludes.

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