The British football legend Wayne Rooney is now a coach in the USA and took over the worst team in the Eastern Conference, D.C. United, in the summer of 2022. He now says he used the scouting system from the computer game “Football Manager” to sign talented players:
How has the club developed?
- In 2022, D.C. finished the season in 14th place, placing them last in the Eastern Conference. With 7 wins, 21 losses, and 6 draws, they were at the bottom of the league. They managed to collect only 27 points. The goal difference was -35, which was twice as bad as the team before them.
- In 2023, the team from Washington is doing significantly better: With 8 wins, 10 losses, and 6 draws, they are in 9th place. The goal difference stands at -1.
- Rooney took over as head coach of D.C. United on July 12, 2022.
The Football Manager is a complex football simulation that people play all year round on Steam:
Team has signed 25 new players since Rooney’s appointment
How did he achieve that? D.C. United made significant purchases before the season. In total, the team signed 25 new players (via transfermarkt). Aside from a handful of players, the entire squad has been exchanged since Rooney took office.
Team gained access to 11 or 12 scouts from Football Manager
How did a computer game help him? In an interview with the Times, Rooney stated that Football Manager has helped improve the club’s recruiting methods.
Rooney says:
A large part of the market is South America, and we made a deal with Football Manager where we did some advertising and got access to their scouts, 11 or 12 of them: They used scouts in different parts of the world to help them create the game. Joe Mourinho did something similar in the past.
One of the gems Rooney discovered is the Iraqi left-back Mohanad Jeahze (25), who has played in Sweden. Experts also believe that Rooney utilized his good contacts in the industry to secure one or two players.
The most expensive new signing for €5.5 million came from the English club Crystal Palace.
Football Manager is known for spotting “wonder kids” who are particularly talented and are predicted to have great careers. They have an enormous “potential” that they can achieve over the years under ideal conditions.
To accurately assess this potential and the current ability of the players, thereby reflecting both in the game, the series, which has been so long-lasting on Steam, uses a network of scouts.
One can only speculate what gems the scouts from Football Manager have noted down in their notebooks for him.
