25 best footie games ever

With the delayed Euro 2020 just around the corner, get in the mood with Stuff’s rundown of the finest kickyball titles in gaming history

So… this is basically the 25 best footie games ever

25 ULTIMATE SOCCER MANAGER

Nothing immersed you in a mid-’90s football world like the USM series. Transfers and team selection almost became minor distractions as you reclined in your office next to a fax machine to negotiate ad deals, build stadiums and even arrange bungs. Yes, this was the George Graham era, when managers were emperors, and USM put you on the throne.

24 FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR

People weren’t sure what to make of this oddball at the time. Part management game, part board game, it saw you steer a kid from the old Fourth Division to top-flight glory. Success was mostly down to scoring goals in arcade sequences; chances were bought with ‘goal cards’ purchased in-game, and ‘incident cards’ let you delve further into your young player’s life.

23 TRACKSUIT MANAGER

We’re not sure how you manage a tracksuit, but this was an impressive management game with depth. You arrived just as your team (England by default) had a disastrous World Cup (so pretty accurate), and had to figure out a road to success. The format lacked visual impact, but provided plenty of insight into who was turning it on for your team.

22 INTERNATIONAL SOCCER

This C64 classic was the first truly great football game. Inspired by Intellivision Soccer, it used a side-on viewpoint and had two seven-a-side teams battling it out for a chunky cup. It’s the only game where you can head a ball half the length of the field – a bug that creator Andrew Spencer (not a football fan) noticed but left in because he thought it was funny.