What player have you gained an emotional attachment to on FM?

As the title suggests, I'm just wondering if anyone has loved a player as much as I love my Marco Verratti on my Wolves save. I signed him within a month of being appointed manager, with him taking up a large chunk of my transfer budget, costing £2.5 million. Of course I expected him to be a good signing for a few seasons until I got Wolves up to title challengers, at which point I imagined I would sell him for being out of his depth. However he went on to become the most feared midfielder in the Premier League and is still playing well for me at 29 years old. Even after signing younger players for big money who can play in his position, I can't bring myself to sell him on, even though he is close to being beyond his best years, where his value will significantly drop. This goes against my usual policy of selling players on once they reach about 28/29 but I think I will keep him at the club till he retires, to repay his loyalty to me and the club.

I would say Bagayoko but he scared me more than anything.

noikeee - Wow! He is an absolute beast!

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Attatched to this guy he will never leave my club :@

Neymar.

I reached 6 CL finals in 10 years. Of the 5 that I won, he scored the winning goal in every single one. Scored a hattrick against Real Madrid in a final.

OP - if you want to fall in love with veratti even more try and find yourself an old FM08/09 era facepack, what a wee hunk he was!

Gylfi Sigurdsson. I try to sign him every time I start a new save.

Nearly all my youth players... It's devastating when they get injured and lose potential or they don't get it because they're lazy...

At the moment I have three or four whom, I will do a Sir Alex on and 'shield' them forever! *ahem*... They would be; Louis Salisbury (the next Gazza) an English AMC, I specifically signed Mesut Ozil just in the hope he might pick up a few things, because the boy (19 now) is an absolute beast of a player, excellent technical stats, passing, off the ball, everything, he's a Spaniard in disguise...

Then there's Edgar Castro (18 now) whom I picked up when he was 17 at Portugal (i think sporting) and he's an AML, quite literally I thought he was a new Ronaldo. He's not, he's much much more well rounded, speedy, good dribbler, likes to get down the line and put in a wicked cross and he's always popping up with curling shots (as opposed to powered shots) and he's amazing at freekicks.

The third guy would probably be Lars Hornschuh (21 now) from Germany, purely because his growth rate was insane. He was an 18 year old regen and they usually need a certain level to be thrown into or they fall behind so fast. Not this guy, started straight up as a backup in the Premiership and is already on the way to being a world beater... That and, his first ever goal for us was a 35 yard rocket into the top corner so he'll never leave my mind, ever...

There's others as well, and they're evoking a sense of pride but those three are perhaps the ones with the biggest expectations in my mind and will probably be my 'core' lads whom I'll never let go, unless they annoy the bejesus out of me...

Verratti for me aswell. Had him on most of my saves since FM10, always carried my team to trophies.

I managed Auckland City for a few seasons then move to Crewe. In the youth side was the striker in the screen shot Lee Campbell, he had 5 star potential so was in the first team at 16 years old. He rose through the divisions with my side from League Two to the Premiership. Now he is scoring 40 goals a season and is already a club legend. I hope he never gets bored because despite the coaches rating him at 2 stars he is a very important player to my side and one I would not sell.

Federico Tasso. I signed him when he was 17 years old from Roma (they produce alot of future world stars for me!)He played consistenly for 22 years and was apart of three generation's of teams i created. He became our all-time appearance holder with 857 app and a pass completion rate of 92%. But never was listed as a legend or icon of the club.

I've grown fond of Steven Defour over the last few editions of FM. Usually try to get him whenever possible, his mental stats mean he's incredibly useful even when he's getting old.

Nuri Sahin and Moussa Sissoko for me- they were my midfield combination on FM11 for 6 years. Pace, power, technique and more than touch of class made this pair my favourite midfield combination to date

David Brooks. An unattached regen my scout found me in Conference Premier. I sold him to Manchester United and he has gone on to become England's highest ever goal scorer.

Yaya Sanogo, try and sign him whenever possible, always turns out great for me.

Carlos Andre. Brazilian striker available on a free at the start of the game in both FM11 and FM12. Always does well for my MLS squads (most recently had a 7.6 rating for the season) and will take up Canadian citizenship after 5 years, then goes on to do well for the national team. I've never seen or heard of him real life, but he's the first person I look to sign whenever I start a new game.

Philip Ibrahim. The first youth player ever to make a significant impact in my first team. Been around the first team for three seasons now and he's still only 19 years old. My (usually) second choice DM. Not the greatest player of all time (averages 6.7/6.8) but with an influence of 16, i'm hoping to be around at Bury long enough to one day see him captain the side.

David McGoldrick in my current game. Only got him for one season when I took over Peterborough, but man was he stellar. I took to calling him McHatrick because he averaged one a game, or damn near. Sadly he was sold near the end of the season and I immediately left Peterborough because of it. I want to get him back, but Blackburn won't sell him at all.

I've grown fond of Steven Defour over the last few editions of FM. Usually try to get him whenever possible, his mental stats mean he's incredibly useful even when he's getting old.

I always signed Defour and Axel Witsel in previous FMs. Agreed on Defour's mental stats!

Yaya Sanogo, try and sign him whenever possible, always turns out great for me.

I got Sanogo for free after a season long loan my 1st season with Southampton. I would never sell him either. Been offered $40M+, but always turn them down. Just wish he'd stay healthy! I have too many that I love though. These four will be (and have been) with me forever in FM12: Sanogo, Diego Bounanotte, Andrea Bertolacci, and Jack Cork(my captain).

Nino, now of Osasuna but he was a wonderful poacher in previous FM's in his time at Tenerife. I've finally reunited him with the club my making him a coach but he was such a cool customer in front of goal. Consistently a 30-40 goal a season striker

In FM2008 I always signed Landon Donovan and clearly remember an Everton fan asking who he was!

Also used to sign Duda in FM2010 when playing mid table prem sides.

Leandro Damiao. I spent my whole budget on him and he's never missed a league game because has never been injured, he's been the top scorer in the Premier League every year, 5 in total and still going. The guy just loves scoring hat tricks.

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s519/sinnott99/58f998a5.jpg

http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s519/sinnott99/1adc12bb.jpg

This guy is my fave ever Regen!!!!!!! So much so that i forked out an incredible 35M for him. I signed him from Bristol City without him even playing a game for them. I just looked at his stats and signed him immediately i am just moved clubs t oTottenham and he is first on my wishlist even at 29. He won an incredible 4 asian player of the year awardS IN A ROW before losing one year ........ then winning it for a 5th time again. He got 29 goals and 39 assists from the left wing, won player of the season in the prem. I just loooooooooooove this guy (apart from his hair)

Back on CM03/04 I had an injury crisis in the first week of my third or fourth season and was forced to delve into my youth team to find myself a left winger to fill in for the might of Ryan Giggs.

I considered playing a right winger out of position but the choices thre were also limited as my first team squad of 24 or so players had a total of seven injuries. All in midfield.

I remember the news feed coming through about the new youth players coming in and my assistant telling me that one David Mckenzie was the best player to come through the ranks. Lucky for me he was an AML. He had great physical attributes and his crossing was also quite high.

I played him. Against Arsenal. At home thankfully.

What a debut for a 16 year old. He netted twice in the first half and laid on a couple of assists. Over the course of the season he made a further dozen or so starts and maybe the same number of sub appearances. HE went from strength to strength and in the next season went on to edge ahead of Giggs in the first eleven. He went on to play for me for the entirity of his career, making over 1000 appearances and probably 200 or so goals. He made his international debut during the second season and played regularly.

I became very attached to this regen. So much so that when he retired, he joined my backroom staff. He was a rubbish coach, but I just could not see that as reason enough to let him leave based on the success he brought to the club.

That save lasted 35 seasons. I lost the save ages ago and there is many a time where I wish I could get at it again just to see how my other regens are doing. Along with my £126M signing that I made from Crewe who were at the time in the Championship. (I had a 1Billion transfer budget)

Since back in the days: Kennedy Bakircioglü.

Still following what he does irl.

Dufour (newgen)

Best player I've ever had in any CM/FM.. got between 30 and 50 league goals EVERY season for like 10+ seasons

Not that he's the greatest player but David Norris in my Pompey save was a true gent. Did the business for two seasons then was quite happy to become a bit-part player and always did well when called on and never complained. He then went into the coaching set up and I suspect if I ever carry on with the save he'll become my AM too.

I have 2. I signed them both at 14. One is a French striker, Nicholas guerin the other is an Italian CAM called Francesco Romani. They are both special because I don't use any Add ons or anything to find hidden stats and these 2 are by far the best I have ever developed in all my years on FM. Guerin was top goal scorer in world cup at the age of 18. After that he became my no. 1 striker and ripped teams apart for many seasons. At the age of 21 he won his first player of the year and then won it every year until 27 where he was hit with an injury that removed him for an entire season. He has never been the same since. Still good. But not as good. Romani on the other hand was a bit of a slow starter. I thought about selling him as he didn't look good enough for my team but after a few other injuries he got his spot and performed well. At 27 just after guerin got injured he exploded into form and has been winning player of the year awards for the last 7 years. They are both now 34 and still at the club I brought them to but sadly I moved on for other challenges. I intend on signing both when their contracts finally run out.

dzeko on fm 10 think it was, just scored for fun did about 10 seasons for me was only in his last season he droped below the 30 a season mark and he still got 18

...messi...

Dawid Nowak of Belchatow, signed him first season for Aberdeen in FM11. Carried me to the title and CL football to top it all off he bagged a hattrick the following season at Stamford Bridge in the Group Stages will never be as excited at a game as I was when he bagged the winner. Trying to track down a Belchatow kit with Nowak on the back!

A left winger regen called Thomas Bishop who came through the youth ranks, had a 20 year career at the club with over 600 appearances and is now one of my coaches.

The best thing is, he was only ever a 2 star rated player and never got an international cap as his PA was clearly not good enough despite his form of getting an assists or goal in every other game he played for me. Was rarely ever injured and never once wanted to leave for a bigger contract at another club.

one of my fave newgens, cost me 800k, and when used (sparingly cos of who i have there >.>) he has performed

A left winger regen called Thomas Bishop who came through the youth ranks, had a 20 year career at the club with over 600 appearances and is now one of my coaches.

The best thing is, he was only ever a 2 star rated player and never got an international cap as his PA was clearly not good enough despite his form of getting an assists or goal in every other game he played for me. Was rarely ever injured and never once wanted to leave for a bigger contract at another club.

Reminds me of a player I signed from some Irish club to Leeds in FM2010.. he was 17 and was a regular from he was 18 until he retired at age 36.. played 2 seasons in championship and then 16 seasons in PL. He was also a 2,5 star player, but had 7+ average for 15+ seasons and had over 100 irish caps. His value never exceeded £6/7m and he didnt have the best attributes.. but he performed like a god! cost me £50k

Mine is Sergio Kun Aguero easily the best player i have ever had the privilege of managing. first season in charge at city i won the league he scored 58 in total and 51 in the league, i am currently in october of my 2nd season he already has 17 league goals in 7 games he just smashed 5 in against LFC in a 6-0 hammering.

Leandro Damiao.

Non regen: Magnus Eikrem.

In FM2011 I signed him for my then Ligue 2 Amiens side. 2 seasons later, as we were promoted to Ligue 1, he became my captain from MR, where I had retrained him. He continued for 6 seasons, performing excellently. He remained captain and had the most appearances into the end of the sixth season, where I was going to let him go as he had only played 12 games that season. He came on in the last game, and scored the winner which also won me the title. Best moment ever in FM

Paul Anderson from Forest. Stats aren't that impressive to look at, but he's one of those players that always performs above what he really should do. He never moans or causes any aggro at all.

all of my regen youth really. Particularly ones that i steal from a young age.

In terms of real players i always sign the young mexican edgar ivan pacheco first up and despite not being brilliant always finds a way to be on the teamsheet above better players.

Also Thorgen Hazard is a player i always try to buy as soon as i can.

In my FM2012 Southampton save Danny Welbeck was English Footballer of the year Five times. Not sure how it happened since his PA was only 168 but that was before I knew about PAs so I didn't mind. As a 34 year old who didn't play much anymore for the club he was still scoring more than a goal a game for England--the best team in the world at the time.

Back in the days, I always signed Phillip Starbuck and Adam Locke ... and James Beattie too, when he was just a school boy. Even when he had Finishing = 1 (as his stats were random), he always scored a fantastic amount of goals.

Bader Al-Mutawa, i signed him on FM11 while i was doing the Small to Big Euro Challenge, now Nottm Forest are reported to be signing him. Dream come true. If it happens ill be the first to get a shirt with his name on

Martin Palermo.

Always got me "Signing of the Season" at the ripe age of 35/36.. Too bad he retired, loved the guy.

Febian Brandy became a great player for me at Chelmsford City in FM10, got my from the BSP to the Prem scoring 20+ goals every season on the way to our promotions. Had to eventually let him go from the Prem after the first season as he just couldn't cut it anymore and was unhappy with a lack of action, though he did grab a few vital goals including a winner at Old Trafford, it was a really sad day. Luckily, I brought him back as a coach after he retired and he remained with me for the rest of that save.

Usually some regen/s

Zlatan. I signed him on free transfer when he was about to turn 33, to be a rotation option/super sub and to tutor my young talents. But even though his attributes had started to decline a bit already, he showed more class than my other world class strikers and became the number one option. He then scored 23 goals in the Premier league and also the winning goal in the UCL final. Now I don't think I can get rid of him anymore, even though he's clearly starting to lose some pace

A regen called Daniel Romero for my old Hoffenheim side. Against all odds we managed to make the CL final in 2015. However, a tough end to the league season meant that the squad was robbed of star striker Jimmy Briand for the match. In extra time, stand in Demba Ba got injured and had to make way for academy product Daniel Romero, a 16 year old German who wasn't even a starter for the youth side. At this point I was consigned to defeat to the illustrious Real Madrid, who had missed chance after chance to win the biggest prize in European club football. They were made to pay in the 118th minute when young Romero dribbled from the halfway line before chipping the stranded Cassilas. Cue his place in Hoffenheim folklore. Unfortunately a number of injuries curtailed his development and he never made it as a first team starter.

Agustin Delgado. Somehow managed to sign him for League Two Notts County. Scored shedloads of goals to get me promoted.

Then as soon as Celtic came sniffing once I was in League One, he got unsettled and left. My team was never the same again...

Some polish regen called Lukasz Rozicky on FM 11. Came from my youth academy and became probably the best striker ever. I stopped playing when he was about 30 and he already scored around 700 goals. If i continued even 1000 would be possible.

3 spring to mind. Sherman Cardenas, back in the day. AM, assists, goals, constant 8 in his ratings. Then, old Ruud boy - 44 league goals in 35 league games. Now I'd say Javier Hernandez because of 2 things. The first is my tactic built around him and the second is his sheer goalscoring. I saw him hit 60 goals in 1 season, incredible. I watched him score more goals in the seasons than starts for 8 seasons before his apprentice youth team regen took over. A special mention goes to Iniesta though. 21 goals and 53 assists in 1 season. He played 44 matches, avreage rating of 8.43. It continued until he was 32, he began to decline but was still raking in the assists. Awesome player!