We had a chat with Tica, Paulo Almeida in real life, or Ticagol in FM2018, who was at Recreio de Águeda.
In real life, he had a good debut season in the national competitions, despite playing out of position as a winger.
Due to professional reasons, he chose to return to SC Alba, where he promises to be a must-buy in every LLM save in Football Manager 2019.
POP: How did this love for FM come about, and what's your earliest memory of the game?
Paulo: Football was my great passion. I started playing organised football at 10 at Mourisquense, and I already couldn't live without football 24 hours a day, about 3 years later I discovered CM 2003/04 and I've never stopped since!
POP: Do you usually buy your 'player' when you play?
Paulo: Yes, of course!
POP: And if you reach a certain level with your teams, do you sell yourself, or do you always stay in the squad of the teams you manage?
Paulo: My 'player' always ends up leaving for free, since teams never quite live up to his expectations, haha.
POP: What do you think of your profile in FM2018, is it accurate, would you change anything?
Paulo: I like how it's done, maybe I'd tweak leadership and long shots (wink wink)
POP: We heard you were top scorer in some of your saves, what's the most goals your 'player' has scored in a season, and what individual trophies did you win?
Paulo: He scored 33 goals in a season with Águeda and was the Campeonato de Portugal's top scorer! He knew who the manager was and wanted to show what he could do!!
POP: Have you ever used the editor to set all your attributes to 20, or at least boost your attributes substantially, so you could reach the national team and be a star of the game?
Paulo: I've never been one to cheat in the game, I prefer realism over cheating.
POP: Do you restart matches you feel were unfairly lost?
Paulo: Obviously, who hasn't? But never with top teams, there's no need.
POP: Do you consider yourself a good manager in the game? What trophies have you won, and how long does it take you on average to finish a season?
Paulo: I don't have as much free time as I used to, but I've already won several titles in this latest Football Manager, with the exception of a World Cup. Between work, training and personal life, I don't play as much anymore, but back in FM2008, I'd stay up all night and win everything that came my way. Almost unbeatable!
POP: What new features would you like to see in future editions of the game?
Paulo: It's not exactly a 'new feature', but I'd like it to go back to the simplicity of the older editions, nowadays it seems quite complex for anyone who's never played before. For me it's no problem, since I've been playing every edition, so I'm well adapted.
POP: Any funny story to tell us about your saves?
Paulo: Ouch, this story hurt my wallet.
So basically, in an online game I was playing with 3 other friends, we all reached the final matchday with a chance of being champions. I had the misfortune of finishing last among us, due to a symbolic goal difference, and I ended up having to pay for dinner for the whole group.
That dinner ended up more expensive than the game itself!
Quick questions
First edition you played?
CM 03/04.
Favourite edition?
FM 08
Favourite league to play in?
Spanish league.
Favourite team to play as?
Boavista.
Favourite player you've ever had in any edition?
Henri Saivet.
Longest and with whom?
SLB in FM 08 until 2037.
Biggest win and defeat?
7-1 defeat vs Barcelona and 14-1 win vs Chaves.
Most expensive player
Gelson, €160 million.
