Hello! It must be winter as it is time for our annual visit to what has become a much trickier article to write in recent times. Managers are getting younger, one of these years we will have a manager not born in 1997. Anyway, let’s take a look where the current Premier League managers can be found in CM9798 and see just how small the list of players still playing is.

Arsenal – Mikel Arteta

Always a bad start this. Obviously, Arteta still isn’t in the game but the bad news keeps on coming as a few years ago we could at least utilise his assistant Steve Round, but he’s now left the club.

Absolutely nothing to do with current Arsenal in 1997. Even Per Mertesacker (Academy manager) wasn’t around. Boo and hiss.

Aston Villa – Unai Emery

Ripping up the Premier League this year, Unai Emery of Aston Villa is here for another year. In 1997 he was playing for Toledo, and other than being a little slow, his attributes are more than respectable.

He’ll be hoping that adaptability of 18 helps him keep Villa at the top end of the league whilst competing in Europe.

Bournemouth – Andoni Iraola

As is becoming a worrying trend for the future of this annual tradition, Andoni Iraola is too young to have been a player on our beloved game. Most of his mates are the same but they do have Neil Moss as a goalkeeping coach. I’ve never been so happy to see Neil Moss.

Brentford – Keith Andrews

Very Irish Keith Andrews here, depicted as English with the wrong date of birth.

He was a Republic of Ireland Under 17 International by this point, so not a great effort from the research team.

Brighton – Fabian Hürzeler

Brighton continue to make appointments that do not help me or this article. I mean, Hurzeler is 32 for goodness sake. He’s 5 years younger than me.

They actually have nothing to go at here. The best I can do, up until September 2025 they had ex-Everton defender David Weir employed as a Technical Director. He’s in the game aged 27 and, frankly not very good. I always find stuff like this amusing in the editor. Clearly they don’t rate him that highly:

But, whoever did the research decided that it was worthwhile giving him 14 for set pieces. Two caps for Scotland too and this disrespect!

Here he is in game:..

Burnley – Scott Parker

Scott Parker is nowhere near CM9798, but luckily for us Michael “please call me Mike” Jackson is on the books. He might be one of the coaching staff but he’s playing for Preston here.

Chelsea – Enzo Maresca

It was nice when Chelsea had Pochettino. He was in the game, it was something worth talking about. But away he went and in came Mini-P, Pep Guardiola’s attempt at cloning himself.

Enzo Maresca isn’t in the game but presumably only narrowly missed out. He was a youth player for Cagliari around this time and signed for WBA (who knew?) in 1998. He does at least have ex-Porto goalkeeper Hilario on his staff.

Helpfully, Carlo Cudicini also sorts out their loans or something.

Crystal Palace – Oliver Glasner

Austrian Glasner was playing for SV Ried in 1997 but that isn’t enough to get him into the database.

Good news though, first team coach Ronald Brunmayr is in the database at Austria Vienna.

He has 0 for everything. A total unknown quantity of a striker.

Everton – David Moyes

Moyes is back at Everton since we last did this. It gives us opportunity to point out that one of the most Scottish people about is in the database as an Englishman.

Fulham – Marco Silva

Still in a Premier League job despite being offered the old truck full of Saudi Arabian money in the summer, it’s Marco Silva. Still at Fulham, Silva has got the Cottagers playing some lovely stuff as they look well placed to comfortably avoid the relegation scrap if not better. In CM9798 he’s a young right back still in his homeland.

Flair of 2 is not befitting of his side’s current style!

Leeds – Daniel Farke

Daniel Farke is not in CM9798, despite playing for Sport Club Paderborn 07. There’s not much to go at here BUT never fear, Guy Ipoua, a scout, is here.

Another with 0 for all skills but he’s about to sign for Bristol Rovers in 1998 and he does at least have an ability and potential rating.

Liverpool – Arne Slot

Arne Slot is in the database, though to say he is unrated would be an understatement.

He’s at Zwolle but other than being a sort of midfield player, there’s nothing to say about him.

Manchester City – Pep Guardiola

Guardiola was excellent as a player and somehow even better as a manager. He is quite possibly the best player we have in the list today. As you’d expect, creativity, passing and technique are all very high. What else can you say really?

Manchester United – Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim is 40 so nowhere near the 97/98 database. At least Ten Hag made it, I miss him.

The best I can do is first team strength and power coach Michael Clegg. Presumably not an Amorim hire.

Newcastle United – Eddie Howe

Eddie is our King! Although he isn’t much in 97/98 he’s doing a fine job in management right now, steering Newcastle to their first trophy since 1969 with the Carabao Cup in March.

Nottingham Forest – Sean Dyche

Voice of an angel Sean Dyche is back! Now navigating Nottingham Forest to safety with some Europa League fun thrown in for free.

In 9798 he has a surprising amount of flair

Sunderland – Regis Le Bris

Annoyingly talented Regis Le Bris is in CM9798, who knew? I couldn’t be bothered to start a new save so here he is at the end of season 1, so he normally starts as a 21 year old at Ligue 1 side Rennes

Tottenham Hotspur – Thomas Frank

Oh look it’s another one not in the game. Thomas Frank had next to no playing career at a senior level so you’ll have to settle for club ambassador Gary Mabbutt

West Ham United – Nuno Espirito Santo

He’s in! Nuno is a young goalkeeper at Deportivo in 97/98 and is attempting to rescue West Ham after Graham Potter left them in the relegation zone.

Wolverhampton Wanderers – Rob Edwards

Rob Edwards has only recently taken the Wolves job and the odds are that he won’t be in this list next season. He is a couple of years too young for CM9798 but his assistant manager is Paul Trollope.

That’s the managers done but is anybody still playing from CM9798?

I think there’s only one, and that is Kazuyoshi Miura in Japan. He’s 30 in the game but 58 in real life but is still contracted to Yokohama FC. He’s now on loan at Atletico Suzuka in Japan, I await to see if he’s in FM25. They are in the JFL, came 15th of 16 and got relegated, I can’t imagine why. In September 2024 he became the oldest player to score in the JFL. He has briefly played on loan in the second tier of Portugal in 2023, but it turned out the owner of Yokohoma bought a club in Portugal and seemingly gets a kick out of this sort of thing.

That’s it for the professionals though, previous stalwarts of this list such as Buffon, Bywater, Hughes and Keane have all called it a day. Jamie Cureton still plays non-league for Kings Park Rangers, in the Eastern Counties League Division One North.

Do you know any more? Get in touch!