What if we told you one of the longest FM saves is Portuguese?
It has almost a year of play time, started in 2012, never went on holiday and has had only one club: a small team that its manager took to international glory. Along the way, in 2177, Cristiano Ronaldo is still Portugal’s most capped player ever, but he is no longer the national team’s top scorer.
We spoke to Paulo Santarém Andrade, the owner of this 164-season save, who has no intention of stopping.
When did it start and how many hours in?
“I started this save on November 30, 2012. Rather than hours, it is better to talk in days: 322 days of play.”
Is it true you have never gone on holiday?
“It is true. I have never gone on holiday, I do not trust my assistants!”
The record is 220 seasons, held by a Polish player. Do you think you will get there?
“Honestly, I think it is out of reach for me, because to make the save more realistic I loaded 23 leagues, so the game is anything but fast. But you never know… And I believe that in play time I already have more than the Pole.”
Which teams and national teams have you managed?
“Clubs, just one: Bustelo, of course! National teams, I have managed Portugal 13 times (I am there again now), Guinea-Bissau twice and Albania. I do not think I am missing any.”
Any title you are still missing?
“I am missing a World Cup with Portugal, with whom I have already won two European Championships, a Confederations Cup and an Olympic Games. Portugal have been world champions once, in 2170, against Brazil (2-1 after extra time), but unfortunately I was not the manager. Even so, the starting eleven had nine of my players.”
What motivates you to keep going?
“Winning the Champions League regularly again, which is not easy, because I do not sign players over 21, I do not pay more than 1.5 million for anyone and I only sign Portuguese players, apart from the odd free signing to sell later. The motivation is to be a world-class club with only Portuguese players and strict financial restraint, as I have managed so far. Develop, sell and win is my motto.”
What is the most goals one of your strikers has scored in a season?
“In total, Ricardo Pinto, with 58 goals in 2120/21. In the league, Filipe Pinheiro, with 45 goals in 30 games, in 2038/39. He was probably my greatest star ever: I bought him from Rio Ave for 60,000 euros, aged 16, and he stayed at the club until he retired, at 37 I think.”
Any mishaps along the way?
“Yes. It was annoying, because the history of every club’s trophies and every league’s winners was wiped. Luckily I had backups, but I had to go back two and a half seasons. It hurt, because I had won a Champions League against Tottenham and, when I went back, I could not win it again or even reach the final, which Tottenham won. Luckily I won it the following season.”
Are you not curious about FM2019?
“Very. I want to see if it has VAR: waiting in suspense to confirm whether it is a goal or a penalty should make games even more exciting. In our league, I want to see if the idea of Belenenses with one team in the district leagues and the SAD’s team in Liga NOS goes ahead, it would be an interesting challenge. And of course, whether the graphics can get even better. I am from the days when there was just a bar with the text commentary, and it was already great!”
Any funny stories?
“Bustelo’s stadium now has 102,000 seats and a very nice name: Estádio Santarém! It used to be called Arena Santarém.
Another funny thing, in more than 160 seasons, is watching new clubs grow, at home and abroad. In Portugal, the new big clubs are Gondomar (who have already won a Europa League and 9 league titles) and 1.º de Dezembro (3 league titles). Sporting are the only big club never to have been relegated, and they won a Champions League… against me (1-0)!
CR7 is still Portugal’s most capped player, with 180 caps and 92 goals, but he is no longer the all-time top scorer. That is Ricardo, one of my players, with 172 caps and 132 goals. He was a bomb. He played for Bustelo from 16 to 42!
Between 2050 and 2057 I won 6 Champions Leagues, 4 of them in a row, for a total of 9 up to then. To spice things up, I sold my best players and kept only kids. It was a mistake: there was no consistency and I went 51 years without winning the Champions League, until 2108. My “Décima” had become an obsession!”
Quick answer
First edition you played? “The legendary CM Italia, from 92 or 93, with Roma, who had a 17-year-old kid I really liked, a certain Francesco Totti. He was the last player from the first CM’s database to retire.”
Favourite edition? “CM Italia, where the bug started, and the CM from 2002 or 2003, when the little dots appeared on the pitch. It was madness!”
Favourite team in the game? “Bustelo, of course! A team I did not even know existed before I picked it.”
Favourite player? “Totti and the legendary Tó Madeira! Of my own, as I said: Filipe Pinheiro.”
Later, German Sepp Hedel entered the Guinness book with a 333-season save. And how many seasons does your longest save have?
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