The Football Manager series has become a lot more sophisticated in recent years, but maybe this is a bit much.
When assessing potential Manchester United transfer targets, Sky Sports went as far as sharing stats from the iconic game as a means of assessing certain players’ suitability for a move to the 20-time English champions.
https://twitter.com/MattyCusick/status/627916346207141889?s=09
Sure, Robert Lewandowski is a top striker who famously demolished Real Madrid in a Champions League semi-final, but his 16/20 for finishing and 18/20 first touch stats are what really help mark him out as a target for a top-four side. Apparently.
Considering the game identified the likes of Cherno Samba (recently retired) and Freddy Adu (currently back in the US after struggling to hold down a place in Finland) as potential world superstars, forgive us if we’re reluctant to judge players purely on the strength of their Football Manager stats.