Today's interview isn't with someone from the football world, but rather with one of the driving forces behind the Portuguese community of Football Manager fans/players. Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho is the person in question, administrator of the group Football Manager – Portugal Official.
Hugo tells us about the challenges of running a community of over 25 thousand people, the shift in attitudes towards wonderkids, his experience on the Football Manager research team, and the Ibarbo goal on FM16 that he still remembers to this day!
POP: You're the admin of the biggest Portuguese fan group for Football Manager, how did that come about and what haveyour biggest struggles/achievements within the group been?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: First of all, thanks for the invitation to this interview, and I have to say it's an honour to be interviewed by you.
As for the group, the truth is it happened rather suddenly. I remember the previous admins (Ricardo Gomes and Zé) who invited me to take on the role after a few months as a member, where I breathed new life into the group through several posts interactive posts that encouraged engagement and drove fast growth, and I've stuck with it ever since. It's not easy managing such a large group, especially with how little time I have nowadays, but it's an effort worth making. The main struggle is always the same: winning over even more fans of the game! And I have to admit, the group has converted a lot of players in our country.
POP: The fanbase from Football Manager is getting older and older, since newer generations tend to prefer games they can just pick up and play in a matter of moments, rather than strategy games where you have to spend time fine-tuning every little detail. Have you noticed that in the group's numbers, and what do you make of it?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: Honestly, you don't really notice it within the group because every member is already a fan of the series, but the reality is that the average 'gamer' always prefers simpler, more interactive games (proof of that was SI's own mode for shorter seasons). But I'd guess the FM age range skews over 20, there are plenty of members already 'settled down' who are still active in the group, and thank goodness for that!
POP: Posts asking for wonderkids for the game are still very common, but have you noticed any improvement compared to before?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: Without a doubt. It's a huge source of pride to have members consistently defending buying the game, and many even offering to split the cost with someone else.
POP: Every day we see users asking for reinforcements for top clubs, not just for the 1st or 2nd seasons, but for later seasons too, as if there were miracle, universal solutions for every saves. Doesn't that bother you, and how do you react?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: It does bother me, yes. But that's what the group is for, I know some people aren't very polite in how they respond, but sometimes the person asking is just motivated to find out about some 'hidden' talents. Some people carry a huge database in their heads, others not so much.
POP: Going back to the start, how did this bug for CM/FM bite you, and what was the first version you played?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: The bug came from Premier Manager 01/02, which came with the 'BeGamerBeGamer' magazine, then I grew to like it more and tried CM4. From then on it became my go-to game, in fact I'm a console gamer and I only turn on my computer to play FM!
POP: Was that also the version you played the most, or was it a later one? I'd guess there were plenty of late nights, competitions with friends and more. Did it ever affect your studies?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: The one I played the most was definitely FM08. And yes, late nights, online, offline.. well, it was everything! It really was the version where I lost countless hours. And it was the game that taught me the ropes of creating tactics and training schedules and everything else. That's where my true passion for the game was really sparked.
POP: Later on you joined the research team, in the year zero of the Head Researchers change. What did you make of your time there? Given your experience with the editor, did you think it would be that complex?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: Fantastic. It was an extraordinary experience. And anyone who knows me well knows I'd still be there if I could, but I don't have the time to contribute properly with the attention it demands.
I never thought it would be so complex, but I understand that level of detail in the process, it's the only way the game can reach such a high level of quality, and even having been a well-known updater , it's nothing like the work we do in the game's editor.
POP: Do you feel there are differences before and after the change of Head Researchers for the Portuguese database?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: A huge difference. There's rigour, there's criteria, and above all there's alignment among all the POP members. FM finally has attributes worth valuing. Each player's quality and potential is properly recognised. And maybe that's shifted the mindset of the new active players quite a bit too.
POP: Many years must have passed since you first played! Do you still manage to find time to play every new edition?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: Many, many years, it's almost two decades now! It's a shame my time is so limited that some weeks I don't even turn on my computer, but when I get into an FM phase, I can knock out a season in just over two days!
POP: Would you like FM to become an esport with national championships? Would you take part?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: Definitely, for several reasons, one being that the visibility of a game that's only on one platform would grow, gaining an even bigger fanbase and attracting more 'gamers'. And obviously seeing one of my favourite games in esports would be fantastic.
Would I take part? Not as a player, but as an organiser I'd definitely love to.
POP: What new features would you like to see added to the game?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: The game is so complex already that I think it's hard to add much more, I'm quite happy with all the interactivity the game offers. Maybe improving a few aspects of training, since players get unhappy very easily after just a few weeks of individual training.
POP: Tell us a funny story you've had with Football Manager?
Hugo Ribeiro Lourinho: A story… I've got a few, but I'll tell one save online, with my usual friends (António and Rúben). We were doing an Italian league (on FM16), me at Milan, António at Roma and Rúben at Inter, and we all started laughing when I spent about €150M and Rúben went and bought Diogo Viana and Licá.
António is more careful with money and only bought 2 or 3 players… but the moment we really cracked up was when António was playing in the Champions against Real Madrid and he was already giving up on the difficulty.
We were all on Skype talking (Rúben would regularly fall asleep on the call and pause the game) and in that match at the 60' mark with the score 0-0, António pauses and asks – guys, what should I do? – Rúben and I, in perfect sync, replied 'put Ibarbo on' and, hesitant, he did. When he saw the Colombian score the 1-0, the three of us screamed at the same time, goal, and he even had time to score a second. We were absolutely buzzing, and to this day we still talk about 'put Ibarbo on'!
Quick answers:
Favourite team to play as (other than the big three)?
A.C. Milan
Favourite league?
Premier League
Favourite player across all editions?
I can't pick one from all of them, but maybe I'd go with Kara, who I've bought the most since FM13.
Favouritetactic?
4-4-2 with a CM – advanced playmaker and a DM – deep-lying playmaker.
Biggest cheat?
It was on FM07 with Sporting, I got several managers to go after Kompany and Van Der Vaart (while still at Anderlecht and Ajax) and pumped in tons of money.
Biggest achievement?
Winning the league with Fiorentina in the 1st season / winning an online league with friends with Manchester United (there were 6 of us).
