Hello! The anniversary celebrations are just getting underway here at CM9798 towers. Deano’s been at the punch bowl and Andrew has edited in the Hungarian second division so things are coming along nicely.

What we wanted to do was compile a list of our top 25 players. Not just the top 25 players in the game based on ability, any old idiot could do that. Thanks to Nick Rowe for this from the patched version:

And the original if you like that sort of thing

Anyway, what we were more interested in were some of the cult heroes. I asked the Blog Squad (Ross opted out so you have the opinions of 9 of us) to give me their top 25 with Eurovision style points awarded (25 for their top players, 24 for second and so on), and then using our super computer (Excel, it’s always Excel) we figured out our top 25 players and split them into a 5 article countdown throughout today. Happy Anniversary.

So let’s start at 25 and we’ll be back every hour for…5 hours.

25. Gabriel Batistuta

Speaking from experience, the combination of those Nintendo Fiorentina shirts plus Batigol lashing in volleys off the underside of the bar on Football Italia on a Saturday morning pretty much sums up an era of my childhood. James Richardson sipping a frothy coffee whilst I sit on my computer, turning my neck like an owl to watch the TV whilst CM “skips” through the days. Batistuta was gettable from Fiorentina, especially if you were a big club. With 190 for ability, get him the ball and he will score, which he routinely did for my Ajax side and then slightly less often for the Retirement Home. His regen will also be worth getting – or for maximum enjoyment, just be Fiorentina and enjoy Rui Costa supplying Batigol and Oliveira. Good dog.

24. Phil Neville

Let me shock you: KingOfTheRooks was only responsible for 70% of the votes Phil Neville received. The day Andrew realised that playing Neville at left back without a goalkeeper would turn him into the best player in the world was a dark day for us all. He is of course a talented defender in his own right who at 20 has the world at his feet. He often gets pushed out at Man Utd so if you can be the benefactor, you should.

23. Tommy Svindal Larsen

What?! Only 23rd? TSL is possibly a victim of not always loading on every save. There’s a huge amount of Norwegian’s in the database and sometimes our Tommy just doesn’t make the cut. When he does though he’s always dynamite. Matt Wills pays tribute…

This is one of the guys everyone remembers the game for. As long as you have the right league combinations running, this guy is a must-sign. As a MLC he can play in a variety of central of left sided positions and usually hits the ground running, becoming a valuable team member. Tommy is a true Championship Manager legend.

22. Ariel Ortega

In at 22 is Ariel Ortega, who as we saw in the introduction is rather good anyway. Just look at those stats, although seemingly as timid as a kitten he’s good at most other things. I stupidly asked somebody who didn’t vote for him to write up a few words about why they like him so much. A very confused Philip said:

The irony is that I haven’t used him a lot in my own CM9798 career, but my fellow Bloggers are right, he is a true icon in the game.

His stats are amazing. And with a potential of 195 he has everything to become one of the stars in the game. In the 23122 formation you can play him either on the 7 or 10 position. And he is versatile enough to help out on the 8 in case of injuries during the game.

He starts in the game at Valencia. He is simply too good and quickly ask for a transfer. If your own club has a higher reputation, that’s when you got to make your move. He won’t be cheap, but he’ll be worth it.

21. Jose Chilavert

The day I watched Nick Hancock’s Football Nightmares for the first time is the day I loaded up CM and looked for some sweet Chily. A goalkeeper that takes free kicks and pens. Wonders never cease. Sadly, they haven’t factored his set piece ability into the database (he has 1 for set pieces) but with an ability of 175, he is at least good at his day job. Nath sums it up:

Chilavert is another of those rare very very good goalkeepers. He’s a bit older than the others but still has a good 5-8 years in him. He can also take a mean set piece as well. He only costs a million pounds, but he is difficult to sign unless you are good team. He is worth persisting with the chase though as he is such a solid keeper who will levitate your team to the next level. Even Chilavert’s regen is brilliant when he finally comes around.