longest career in Football manager split image

When you think of the footballing managerial greats, Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola may come to mind. 

But in the virtual world, someone has completed a career spanning 416 in-game years, achieving 341 league titles, 759 cups and just one relegation.

Paweł Siciński (Poland) started the journey to play the longest single game of Football Manager in January 2018 and continued until the in-game date of 18th May 2434, taking just 260 days of ‘holiday’ - a model professional.

In total, Paweł spent 7,603 hours (316 days) playing the game.

"I had a lot of time to play Football Manager in 2020 as I had enrolled in an UEFA Grassroots C coaching course," said Paweł.

Pawel Sicinski Gliwice holding laptop

Beginning at Swedish club Syrianska FC, who currently ply their trade in the fourth tier of Swedish football in the real world, he saw little success initially. 

However, a gigantic (and somewhat unrealistic) 310-year spell at Icelandic side Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar between the years of 2114 and 2434 cemented Paweł’s Football Manager legacy. 

"My biggest achievement was leading them to 301 national championships, 677 cups and victories in the Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup."

"I love lesser-known leagues and I’ve been interested in this league since I was a kid, plus achieving success with a practically unknown club brings so much joy and satisfaction."

Pawel Sicinski Gliwice holding football

It wasn’t just on-field success for the virtual fans either.

"The club has a stadium for 140,000 fans and big funds for acquiring top-class players."

It’s worth noting that the population of Reykjavik, the city in which Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar are based, only has a population of 122,000. 

"What defines me as a person is my strong determination, motivation, patience and diligence in reaching successes and building football teams that always fight for wins, with a strong emphasis on strategy."

The Football Manager series of games begun in 1992 as Championship Manager and is a simulation game for football fans who want to test their hand at experiencing management responsibilities. 

Pawel Sicinski Gliwice holding football and laptop

In-game functions include buying and selling players, adjusting tactics and picking your own backroom staff in order to bring success. 

Previous record-holder Sepp Hedel (Germany) completed 333 years on the 2017 edition of the game, spending 81 days and 20 hours of real time on the game.

Darren Bland, the first record holder in this category, spent 154 seasons managing Italian side Fiorentina and only stopped because he accidentally spilled liquid on his laptop.