how do freakishly good players from random places come about

from looking through the data forums it seems that the guys that SI entrust to develop their database take their role very seriously and seek detailed justification for any increase in CA/PA to ensure that the game stays accurate and balanced using the players status at their club and the status of the club as a guide.

With that in mind how do players such as freddy william thompson in guatemala get rated so highly? (admittedly a few games ago) is it just a case of an overenthusiastic guatemala researcher or do SI like to put in a couple of 'secret super randoms' to mix it up a bit??

Thoughts??

I'd be interested to know this as well.

A certain young 17/18y.o. goalie from China comes to mind (Wei something or similar). He plays for a tiny chinese club and you can sign him for £100k or less.

He's got an amazing Potential Ability...

Yeah there always seems to be nobodys who have amazing stats.

Because they're potential has not been discovered in real life, bar the SI crew.

Thats not truth, thats just a potential answer.

because it would be a dull world if there was no potential talent out there but good question

Whats to stop the best footballer in the world in 10 years time being from Guatemala. Its a country where football is the major sport with an ok league that is looked at by larger clubs, sooner or later they will produce an exceptional player rather than just good or pretty decent at best.

Having potential for lower teams is helpful for Lower League managers and it doesn't just keep you looking in one area for players!

Jose Mourinho admitted to using the FM database to look for potential youngsters as he trusted the researchers SI use.

True story.

Is there a zero value for Potential Ability? Because if there is that would explain the 'randoms'. Doesn't answer the question about players with ridiculously high fixed PA though. I guess researchers might sometimes get the urge to throw in a gem to an obscure country for us to discover. A bit like the fictional super players in the past CM games.

I find it amusing that you find the odd regen scattered about from the Turks & Calacios Islands or French Guyana in the lower leagues of England. However amusing it may be it's actually quite realistic considering that many of the university teams have random students playing for them. I know Team Bath has a Japanese astrophysics (I think) student playing for them and with all the minorities in Britain at the moment it's probable that you will find more.

I know Suge, I had a quality striker from The british virgin islands

Jose Mourinho admitted to using the FM database to look for potential youngsters as he trusted the researchers SI use.

True story.

Actually, his Head Scout used FM for most of his recommendations to Mourinho, and got in hot water for it.

I know Team Bath has a Japanese astrophysics (I think) student playing for them and with all the minorities in Britain at the moment it's probable that you will find more.

i know the japanese thay are such minority and a tiny country only got about 127 000 000 people in it so tiny and random.

i think they mean countries with small populations who dont produce good players in real life, like the faroe islands.

But there isn't anything stopping a good player in the future coming from the Faroes. I mean Karembeu was of New Caledonian heritage (though played for France). And there are a few random potential wonderkids in each version isn't there or else there would be a gap in good players coming through for a couple of years until the first regens got older.

like morinho used a head researcher while at chelsea. you dont even need scouts when buying 20-30 million pound players. what a joke.

Of course you need scouts to look at those players, first of all he does not have the time to look at any players accept his own and second they need to make sure they don't waste money.

They buy young players too believe it or not.

But there isn't anything stopping a good player in the future coming from the Faroes. I mean Karembeu was of New Caledonian heritage (though played for France). And there are a few random potential wonderkids in each version isn't there or else there would be a gap in good players coming through for a couple of years until the first regens got older.

True, but why some countries always have the best players generation after generation (the likes of brazil, argentina, italy come to mind)? this is more of a question, and not really a rebuttal to the Faroes reply.

I think it keeps things interesting when there are a few random high PA's...and places like brazil argentina etc keeps on giving good players coz they have done so for all football life lets just say their PA for giving quality youngsters is higher than the PA for giving quality younsters that Faroes have...

True, but why some countries always have the best players generation after generation (the likes of brazil, argentina, italy come to mind)? this is more of a question, and not really a rebuttal to the Faroes reply.

It's all about culture and then development. All of the main nations in world football have a culture of football as their main sport and this means that they grow up playing and following the sport. Because of this the number of kids who want to play pro rises and further the general quality rises. Then because they have so many kids of such high quality, the competition to get a professional contract is so great that only the best make it. The top nations are the ones that instill this culture and then develop the most talented kids out there.

That explains the big nations but as with the some others, how wonderkids can appear from random countries I don't understand. I guess it's just a love for football hand in hand with great natural talent.

A hypothetical question that comes to mind is what if Messi was born in China or Kaka was from India? Would they still rise to the top?

If they were born to Argentinian and Brazilian parents then yes they would rise, but not as quickly. If their parents were Chinese and Indian then they still might play football but I doubt they would be anywhere near as good.

It goes on a number of things. Mostly from the researchers' point of view and his/her connections with the club. And how much attention they pay to individuals' performances.

The players with very high PA might not necessarily achieve it. The kid from Australia who Man U picked up this spring will obviously have a high PA - the researcher will take into account current ability + any well-known rumours/manager or scout comments regarding the kid.

Joe Cole had huge PA in past games because of his performances in the youth cup and (in part) Fergie's and Rednapp's comments when Cole was still at West Ham.

FM08's high PA guys (eg, Stancu, Piatti, Buonnette, Breno etc) will have been watched by the researchers and their opinion would form the players' current ability. Their age, interest from other clubs (eg, Breno to Bayern), internal club rumours, the fact that they are 16/17 playing at full club status, physique, and probably a whole host of other things will be taken into account and form the researchers' opinions of players' potential.

I can't see a scientific method of judging PA. Probably why they get it wrong so often.

And to the comments re what country a player is from, logic dictates the answer is YES it has an effect. If they are raised in China they are less likely to fulfil their potential as if they are from Brazil. Simply because IRL they are less likely to be discovered. In FM, of course, you can log on to the Good Player forum where someone will list the highest PA players for you.

(But that kind of defeats the object of the game IMO; I try to stay out of there until at least January, but am often weak-willed in that department; I'll probably pop up in there about a week after I get the game).

Its weird, on FM08 i am in 2023. I have players from countries like Monserrat, Afghanistan, Albania, Montenegro, Martinique and other random countries and all are leading premier league stars and all start in my chelsea team! yeah right that is gonna happen in real life?

Its weird, on FM08 i am in 2023. I have players from countries like Monserrat, Afghanistan, Albania, Montenegro, Martinique and other random countries and all are leading premier league stars and all start in my chelsea team! yeah right that is gonna happen in real life?

Well it's not beyond the realms of possibility, I remmber in Fifa 93 (i think) the Ivory Coast was the worst team on the game and look at them now. Probably not going to happen with the nations you mention, but never say never.

I don't really see what the problem is here. Nations like Brazil and Argentina continue to bring through quality players both IRL and in the game because they have a proven infrastructure for the sport and a large footballing population.

IRL good players can easily come from countries with small populations and from places that aren't regarded as major football powers. Northern Ireland isn't exactly the centre of the football universe but George Best was an amazing player. Lots of African players end up with France due to the imperial situation from the last century (e.g. Makelele, Vieira).

If anything the game is fairly true to life because there are youngsters with huge potential from obscure nations and they usuallly end up retiring because they don't have a club. Unless you use MiniScout to uncover them for yourself which complicates the situation a little because you then get the youth from New Caledonia becoming a world beater.

from looking through the data forums it seems that the guys that SI entrust to develop their database take their role very seriously and seek detailed justification for any increase in CA/PA to ensure that the game stays accurate and balanced using the players status at their club and the status of the club as a guide.

With that in mind how do players such as freddy william thompson in guatemala get rated so highly? (admittedly a few games ago) is it just a case of an overenthusiastic guatemala researcher or do SI like to put in a couple of 'secret super randoms' to mix it up a bit??

Thoughts??

a player can be good regardless of where he comes from. you can be from india and have good potential. whether you reach it is another thing though because clubs scouting networks may not bother with that area. in game though we may do.

doesnt matter if they come from tin-buck-too. can alwasy find them using the right software

thats a good point i get loads of 17 year olds with PAs of 185+ from teams such as AshantiGold, Young Boys and KaizerCheifs etc.

Not that I'm complaining! and it is fairly realistic, I mean, I doubt all of Arsenals youth team originate from London !

" Breno etc) will have been watched by the researchers and their opinion would form the players' current ability. Their age, interest from other clubs (eg, Breno to Bayern)"

Funny you should mention Breno, I wonder whether the researchers researched his age lol

Actually, his Head Scout used FM for most of his recommendations to Mourinho, and got in hot water for it.

Ah, I see...

Thanks for that.