Football Manager All-Star XI

Fabio Paim

• Position: ML
• Club: Sporting Lisbon
• Edition: Championship Manager 4

In the game: The young Portugese midfielder was a player whose stats meant he would waltz straight into your first team before he was old enough to buy a lottery ticket.

In real life: When Luis Felipe Scolari made Paim one of his first signings as Chelsea boss, fans of Football Manger knew just what to expect from the winger. And, with him failing to make a single appearance for the Londoners, they're still the only ones in the know.

Tommy Svindal Larson

• Position: MLC
• Club: Stabaek
• Edition: Championship Manager 97-98

In the game: Many a promotion was won thanks to the bargain basement offered by the Scandinavian leagues, where quality players could be picked up at prices that even Primark would baulk at.

The legendary Tommy Svindal Larson was one of those players. A dependable central midfielder, Larson became the linchpin at many a side, a pro whose passion and commitment reflected the player's own undying devotion to their fictional exploits.

In real life: One word, brilliant. OK, more words: super Tommy was capped a whopping 18 times for Norway, marking his card as one of the more successful stars on our list.

Freddy Adu

• Position: AMC
• Club: DC United
• Edition: Football Manager 2005

In the game: Dubbed the American Pele, Freddy Adu seemed destined for greatness before he'd even hit puberty. The problem is, much of the hype surrounding the player stemmed from Football Manager, where the fleet-footed midfielder was an absolute gem.

True, work permits could be tricky. But a touch of luck and a bit of persistence would land you the youngster, then all you had to do was sit back and watch his stats shoot up thanks to your ingenious training regime.

In real life: If Champ careers were true to life – and let's take a moment to imagine that delicious possibility – Adu would have already had a career that eclipsed Maradona, Pele and Ronaldo combined. In reality he's become something of a journeyman, who's already notched up stints at six clubs at the ripe old age of 21.

Tonton Zola-Moukoko

• Position: AMC
• Club: Derby County
• Edition: Championship Manager 01-02

In the game: This seven-syllabled star couldn't even get a game with the Rams in the opening salvos of the 01-02 edition, which meant that wheeler dealer wannabes could pick him up for peanuts.

He's perhaps the greatest Champ signing of all time. A player who'll bring a nostalgic tear to the eye of men of a certain age who go all wibbly as they remember him banging in the goals that drove them to league glory in the 2017-18 season.

In real life: Tonton's actual career was rather less remarkable than his virtual exploits. After failing to break into the Derby first team, the Congolese-Swede went on to ply his trade in the lower echelons of the Swedish league. He can still be found there today, entertaining the faithful fans of the brilliantly named Atlantis FC.

Ibrahima Bakayoko

• Position: ST
• Club: Montepellier
• Edition: Championship Manager 97-98

In the game: A monster of a striker whose exploits in the 97-98 iteration of the game dwarfed anything he could possibly achieve in real life.

In real life: When Everton signed the Ivorian for £4.5 million, those amongst the blue side of Merseyside who'd invested hours of their free time in virtual management must have been licking their lips. Sadly the reality of the situation quickly caught up with them as Bakayoko notched up more penalty misses than goals in his debut season.

Cherno Samba

• Position: ST
• Club: Millwall
• Edition: Championship Manager 01-02

In the game: Imagine you're in some kind of bizarro world where Emile Heskey doesn't fall over, and instead rifles in goals by the bucket load. That world was Championship manager 2001-2002, where Millwall youth prospect Cherno Samba became one of the game's 'must buy' players.

In real life: With 132 goals in 32 youth games, it's no wonder the game's programmers suspected Samba was destined for greater things. Sadly after such a promising start the burly forward's career dwindled into obscurity. He's now more likely to be found stacking shelves than scoring goals.

So there you have it. That's our All-Star XI, but what about yours? And who will be the rising stars of Football Manager 2011?