Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, and Pep Guardiola may come to mind when you think about footballing managers.
In the virtual world, however, someone has finished a career spanning 416 in-game years, winning 341 league titles, 759 cups, and only being relegated once.
Pawe Siciski (Poland) began his quest to play the longest single game of Football Manager in January 2018 and proceeded until the in-game date of May 18th, 2434, taking only 260 days off – a model professional.
Pawe played the game for a total of 7,603 hours (316 days).
“I had a lot of time to play Football Manager in 2020 as I had enrolled in an UEFA Grassroots C coaching course,” said Paweł.
He began his career at Syrianska FC, a Swedish team that currently plays in the fourth tier of Swedish football in the real world.
However, Pawe’s Football Manager fame was established by a massive (and rather implausible) 310-year stint at Icelandic team Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarar between the years of 2114 and 2434.
“My biggest achievement was leading them to 301 national championships, 677 cups and victories in the Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup.”
“I love lesser-known leagues and I’ve been interested in this league since I was a kid, plus achieving success with a practically unknown club brings so much joy and satisfaction.”
It wasn’t just on-field success for the virtual fans either.
“The club has a stadium for 140,000 fans and big funds for acquiring top-class players.”
It’s worth remembering that Reykjavik, where Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarar is headquartered, has a population of only 122,000 people.
“My strong determination, motivation, patience, and dedication in achieving victories and developing football teams that always strive for wins, with a heavy emphasis on strategy, define me as a person.”
The Football Manager series of games, which began with Championship Manager in 1992, is a simulation game for football lovers who want to try their hand at managerial responsibilities.
To achieve success, in-game functions include purchasing and selling players, altering tactics, and selecting your own backroom staff.
Sepp Hedel (Germany), the previous record holder, completed 333 years on the 2017 edition of the game, spending 81 days and 20 hours of real time on the game.
Darren Bland, the first record holder in this category, managed Fiorentina for 154 seasons until retiring due to a liquid spill on his laptop.