10 Real-Life Managers to try and replicate in Football Manager

One way you can make your Football Manager experience even more enjoyable is by trying to replicate what real-life managers have already accomplished, and maybe even go further than them. Some brilliant managers have had incredible journeys to get to where they are today, and it’s always fun to see if you can follow in their footsteps. It also makes the game feel more realistic, as you’re emulating something that’s actually achievable in real life.

So, if you’re after a fun challenge and want to see if you can match or better the careers of some real-life bosses, I’ve picked out the best managerial journeys to try and copy. Some of these are household names with legendary paths; others are slightly under the radar. All of them, though, will give you a fun, story-driven save.

Graham Potter

Journey: Östersund (Swedish 4th tier) → Europa League giant-killers → Swansea → Brighton → Chelsea

If you want to replicate what Graham Potter has achieved, you’ll have to start in the Swedish 4th tier. I’ve tried it myself, and it’s brutally hard. Sweden is already fairly obscure when it comes to the top European leagues, and starting so low makes it even harder. Your challenge here will be to start in the Swedish 4th tier and make it all the way to the Premier League. You could even go one step further and try to win the Premier League. Graham hasn’t achieved that himself (yet), but there’s nothing stopping you in the virtual world.

Neil Warnock

Journey: Started in non-league management → Gained 8 promotions across multiple clubs including Notts County, Sheffield United, QPR, and Cardiff City

Neil Warnock might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no denying the man is a Football League legend. With a record eight promotions as a manager, Warnock made a career out of taking struggling clubs and dragging them into the next division, often through sheer force of personality and an uncompromising style of play. If you want to replicate Warnock in Football Manager, your challenge isn’t to win the Champions League, it’s to become the king of promotions. Start in League Two or even the National League and aim to replicate his path: manage multiple clubs over your save, and try to earn promotion after promotion by building resilient squads on tight budgets. Warnock didn’t always play pretty, but he got results.

Unai Emery

Journey: Started with Lorca Deportiva in Spain’s third tier → Took Almería to La Liga → Won 3 Europa Leagues with Sevilla → PSG, Arsenal, Villarreal, Aston Villa

Unai is absolutely on fire right now. He’s transformed Aston Villa and is currently one of the best managers in Europe. The work he’s done with multiple clubs, winning trophies along the way, deserves serious respect. But not many people are aware of where he began his career. He started with Lorca Deportiva in the Spanish third tier, over 20 years ago. If you want to complete this challenge, you need to go from the Spanish third tier all the way to competing in Europe. You could also go one step further than Unai has managed and actually win football’s biggest prize: the Champions League.

Ange Postecoglou

Journey: Managed in Australia and Japan (Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F. Marinos) → Celtic → Tottenham

Obviously, this article wouldn’t be complete without including Ange Postecoglou. He’s not had the easiest time of it this season at Spurs, but it would be ridiculous not to marvel at what he’s achieved in his managerial career. It is incredibly rare for someone to start in the Australian football leagues and end up in the pinnacle of league football. If you want to replicate Ange, you’ll have to start in Australia with no managerial experience and make your way to the Premier League.

Kjetil Knutsen

Journey: Started in the fifth tier of Norwegian football before taking Bodø/Glimt to back-to-back Norwegian titles, beating Roma 6-1 in Europe

If you want to replicate Kjetil, it’s not really about where you start, it’s about what you achieve when you take over the club. In 2020, he led Bodø/Glimt to their first ever league title, in a record-breaking season where they lost only one game. Since then, they’ve won the league three more times. He also led the club to their first ever group stage match in Europe. where they smashed José Mourinho’s Roma 6-1. Your challenge is to find a club in Norway that has never won the league or reached European competition, and achieve what Kjetil has.

Mark Robins

Journey: Managed Coventry City from League Two obscurity to Championship promotion contenders

Robins doesn’t get enough love. He picked up Coventry when they were a financial mess in League Two and has taken them to the brink of Premier League football. Want a long-term dynasty save? Take a broken club in League Two and slowly build it into a top-flight side with real staying power. It’s the classic Football Manager grind, and Robins has absolutely nailed it in real life.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Journey: Started at East Stirlingshire (semi-pro Scottish side) → St. Mirren → Aberdeen (broke Old Firm dominance) → Manchester United (legendary status)

It doesn’t get more iconic than Sir Alex Ferguson. Everyone knows about the trophies, the comebacks, and the dominance at Manchester United, but fewer people remember that his journey began with East Stirlingshire, a part-time club in the Scottish lower leagues. He then went on to lead Aberdeen to three league titles, a Scottish Cup win over Rangers, and a famous European Cup Winners’ Cup victory over Real Madrid. If you want to replicate Sir Alex in FM, you’ll need to start with a small Scottish club, break the Celtic/Rangers duopoly, then move to a sleeping giant and build a 20-year dynasty. Bonus points if you develop a class of wonderkids like the famous Class of ’92.

Roy Hodgson

Journey: Started at Halmstads BK in Sweden → Managed 16 different teams across 8 countries → Inter Milan, England, Liverpool, Crystal Palace

Roy Hodgson’s managerial career reads like a footballing world tour. He began at Halmstads BK in Sweden’s top flight, a club expected to get relegated, and won the league in his first season. From there, he managed all over the world: Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Finland, the UAE, and England. To follow in his footsteps in FM, you’ll want to build a journeyman career across multiple continents, taking underdog teams to overachievement. Start in a more obscure league like the Allsvenskan and end your journey in the Premier League.

Ottmar Hitzfeld

Journey: Player in lower-tier German football → FC Zug → Grasshoppers, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich → 2x Champions League winner

Ottmar Hitzfeld is one of only five managers to win the Champions League with two different clubs, but he started his managerial career far from the spotlight, coaching Swiss second-division side FC Zug. He then took over Grasshoppers, where he dominated Swiss football, before moving to Germany to manage Dortmund and later Bayern Munich. If you want to replicate Hitzfeld’s journey, you could begin in Switzerland and work your way into the Bundesliga, aiming to conquer Europe not once, but twice, with two different clubs.

Arrigo Sacchi

Journey: Shoe salesman → Amateur football manager → Parma → AC Milan (tactical revolution + European domination)

Arrigo Sacchi never played professional football, and he never let that stop him. He started managing amateur sides while working as a shoe salesman, eventually impressing at Parma, where he knocked AC Milan out of the Coppa Italia. Milan took the risk, and it paid off. Sacchi went on to revolutionise football with his high-pressing 4-4-2 and won back-to-back European Cups with a team full of legends. If you want to replicate Sacchi’s rise, start with an amateur or semi-pro team in Italy and climb the ladder through tactical mastery.

Final Thoughts

There are inevitably going to be loads of managers I’ve missed out who also have great journeys to try and replicate. But is there a super obvious one I’ve overlooked? Are you excited to try and match what these legends have already achieved? Let me know in the comments!