Category : Football Manager - Posted on 27/12/2009 - Author(s) : Dr Zoulou
After a first feature dedicated to Maxim Tsigalko and Cherno Samba, FootManager.net and the FM.net community continue their retrospective on the greatest CM/FM stars. This time, we take a look at the careers of two prolific goalscorers and long-time favourites among FM managers: Anatoli Todorov and Georgi Kakalov.
Nom : Anatoli Todorov
Game version : Championship Manager 2002/2003 et 2003/2004
Nationality : Bulgaria
Position : Striker
Age : Born 26/04/1985
Club: Litex (Bulgarie)
In the game
This young forward, who made his first appearance in FM in 2002, had all the qualities to become a great champion. He was available for next to nothing, but required careful nurturing for the first few years. After all, it's never easy to leave the country of your birth when you’re only 17. He needed time to adapt, and had to prove himself in the reserve team while gaining maturity. In 2003, the game's creators enhanced his abilities. A year later, the young Bulgarian ball player had been transformed into a lethal goal machine! An 18-year-old sharpshooter with a price tag of £1.18 million, not the sort of player you come across every day. Just like Aaritalo in the 2008 edition, Todorov's goal ratio, wherever he played, was phenomenal to the point of being almost indecent.
In real life
Video games do not always reflect reality, of course. Todorov's reputation never reached beyond the Football Manager community. Bizarrely, in the real world, he is usually listed as a midfielder. Midfield gems are not nearly as easy to come by, but the game designers had clearly overestimated Todorov's capabilities. In 2002, Litex paid £180,000 to sign him from his first club Septemvri Sofia, but he never managed to break into their first team. In 2005, he joined Vidima-Ralovski, an obscure club competing in the Bulgarian second flight, where he spent one year, scoring just five times in 16 appearances - a far cry from his FM stats.
In need of playing time, in 2006 he signed for second division club PFC Rodopa Smolyan. There, he found his rhythm at last, notching 12 goals in 29 matches. That was enough to warrant the attention of Bulgaria's top clubs. The following year, he earned a move to first division outfit, Lokomotiv Plovdiv. However, this ended in more failure, as he managed only eight appearances over two years. He eventually got what may very well be his last chance to shine in the first division club, with Lokomotiv Mezdra. Whatever happens next, he never quite reached his level in the game, where he was quite frankly capable to win the Champions League.
Nom : Georgi Kakalov
Game version : Championship Manager 2003/2004
Nationality : Bulgaria
Position : Striker
Age : Born 18/07/1984
Club: Litex (Bulgarie)
In the game
A year older than his fellow Bulgarian, Kakalov was an excellent low-budget option for anyone looking to inject some speed into their attack. He was available on loan, or to buy for around £900,000, but anyone wanting to sign him needed to act quickly and snap him up during the first few days of the transfer window. Less popular and less effective than Todorov, he still managed to deliver a return of around 15 goals a season, making him an extremely attractive proposition for mid-level clubs. For financially astute managers he offered a sure-fire return on their investment.
In real life
While Todorov never quite made it in the real football world, his friend Kakolov did manage to make a mark of sorts on the Bulgarian game. No, he didn’t bang in five goals against Lokomotiv Sofia, and he certainly wasn't the fastest player in the league... he was, though, the first ever player ordered to see a shrink by his club. Georgi Kakalov was a bad boy, a real rebel, who was regularly embroiled in scandals both on and off the pitch. A hothead, prone to throwing his dummy out of the pram, he picked up no less than five red cards for violent behaviour during a six-month period in 2006. This was a development that the CM 2003/04 designers totally failed to predict.
But what of his performances on the pitch? His two years at Litex yielded two goals from five first-team appearances. Not exactly a brilliant return, but Litex maintained their belief in the youngster's potential, despite his character. They probably thought that it was just a matter of time before he came good. Litex sent him on loan to second division club PFC Belite Orli, where he turned out to be a great success: 17 goals in 25 matches, which, even at that level, was no bad return for a 19-year-old. The following year, he was loaned out to Vdima Rakovski, where his performance was at best mediocre (a solitary goal from 8 matches). Litex then decided to release him. Subsequently, there were brief stints here and there, and he even ventured abroad to Belarus, but failed to achieve anything of note. This year he has joined Cherno More where he has scored four goals in 13 appearances spearheading their attack. Could he finally be about to settle down?
We shouldn't forget that Kakalov did make a single appearance for the Bulgarian national team against Finland on 26 March 2008. What a star!
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