Experiment: 20 Years of an All 20 Player

What happens when you unleash a 16-year-old with maxed-out attributes into the world of Football Manager 2024? That’s the question I set out to answer in this long-term experiment. Armed with the in-game editor, I created a completely unemployed player named Twenty Duzentos—every attribute set to 20, and a current and potential ability of 200.

Then I let the simulation run for 20 years.

The Journey Begins

Duzentos started his career unsigned, eventually being snapped up by Manchester City in July 2023. From there, the legend grew—and fast. Within a few weeks, he debuted in the FA Community Shield against Manchester United, and by September, he had already scored in the UEFA Champions League.

By March 2024, he made his debut for England, beginning what would become an extraordinary international career.

Club and Country Glory

During his 18-year spell at Manchester City, Duzentos:

• Made 543 league appearances, scoring 162 league goals
• Won 23 major competitions including:
  • UEFA Champions League: 8×
  • Premier League: 7×
  • FA Community Shield: 2×
  • Carabao Cup: 1x
  • Emirates FA Cup: 1x
  • UEFA Super Cup: 3×
  • FIFA Club World Cup: 1x

For England, he amassed 188 caps and 60 goals, helping them win:

• UEFA Nations League: 1x
• UEFA Euro: 1x
• FIFA World Cup: 1x

The Final Chapter: A Legend Bows Out

After two dominant seasons at Al-Hilal, where he scored an astonishing 83 goals in just 68 league games and helped the club win the AFC Champions League in 2042, Duzentos made an unexpected decision: he didn’t renew his contract.

Instead of chasing one final payday or winding down in a lesser league, he spent an entire season as a free agent, focusing solely on international duty with England. It was a poetic farewell—a legend on his own terms, playing only for his country.

After that solitary, globe-trotting final year, Twenty Duzentos officially retired from football at age 37, ending one of the most decorated and fascinating careers ever simulated in Football Manager.

Individual Awards

Duzentos’ trophy cabinet is absurd:

• European Golden Boy: x1
• NXGN: x2
• PFA Young Player of the Year: x6
• SOCAR Young Player of the Tournament: x1
• Northwest Football Awards Rising Star of the Season: x6
• The Best FIFA Men’s Player: x3
• Kopa Trophy: x5
• FIFA World Cup adidas™ Golden Ball: x1
• FIFA World Cup Best Young Player: x1
• England Player of the Year: x3
• UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season: x3
• UEFA Men’s Player of the Year: x6
• Ballon d’Or: x2
• GOAL50: x2
• World Soccer Magazine World Player of the Year: x3
• European International League Best Young Player: x1
• Northwest Football Awards Player of the Season – English Premier Division: x7
• UEFA Champions League Player of the Season: x4
• FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: x1
• Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year: x1
• PFA Player of the Year: x1
• UEFA Champions League Golden Boot: x1
• FIFA World Cup adidas™ Golden Shoe: x1
• European International League Best Player: x1

The Other Side of Greatness

Despite being built with perfect 20s in every attribute—the good and the bad—Twenty Duzentos still managed to miss nearly three full seasons of football through injury. From a damaged Achilles tendon to sprained ligaments just from jumping in training, his supposedly indestructible body broke down because of his high Injury Proneness. He was a footballing machine on paper, but the game still found ways to make him human.

And those 20s didn’t just mean elite vision and technique—they also meant elite aggression, recklessness, and a full-throttle approach to everything. Over his career, Duzentos racked up 23 red cards, falling just short of Sergio Ramos’ notorious record of 30. No matter the position, he played with fire.

Experiment Conclusions

This experiment revealed just how impressively Football Manager 2024 simulates not only player development, but also the subtle, human-like balance between talent, opportunity, and team dynamics—even when that player is built to be perfect.

Despite giving Twenty Duzentos every imaginable advantage—maximum attributes, full versatility, and 200 current and potential ability—his career didn’t spiral into fantasy. There were no cartoonish numbers, no 100-goal seasons. Instead, what emerged was a story rooted in realism: a brilliant, adaptable footballer who left an indelible mark on the sport while still being shaped by its systems.

A key influence on his statistical output was his universal positional ability. Duzentos wasn’t confined to the final third—he played wherever he was needed from Striker to Centre-Back. That flexibility, while tactically invaluable, naturally came at the cost of raw goals and assists. He often sacrificed personal numbers to elevate the team.

The final year spent as a free agent—still playing for England but unattached at club level—felt poetic, like a legend stepping off the stage with dignity.

Duzentos may have been created in a lab, but his story played out like that of a true footballing icon.