Football Manager 2021 is the Sports Interactive management game published by SEGA on 24 November 2020, covering more than 50 nations and 2,500 clubs from the top flight down through the pyramid. Its defining theme was body language: FM21 introduced Gestures, so you could put an arm on a shoulder, smile warmly, pound a fist or throw a water bottle, and the choice fed into how players and media read you. It also brought xG into the game properly through data supplied by SciSports, added a post match SIxG readout comparing your result against the chances you created, and gave you a Performance Analyst producing monthly reports modelled on what real managers receive. Note before you plan a save: FM21 has been delisted from the Steam store, so it is no longer purchasable there although existing owners keep it in their library. That, plus a squad database frozen at the 2020/21 season, is the real argument for or against starting a save here rather than on a later edition.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Gestures in conversations
FM21's headline addition let you pair a spoken line with a non verbal signal. Friendly options include Put Arm On Shoulder and Smile Warmly, while assertive ones run up to Pound Fist and Throw Water Bottle. The gesture is read alongside the words, so the same team talk lands differently depending on what your hands are doing, and repeated choices build a public picture of what kind of manager you are.
SIxG and expected goals data
Expected goals arrived with data from SciSports, giving each shot a quality value and a likelihood of going in. You can read expected goals at half time and full time to see which players are over or under performing their chances. SIxG is Sports Interactive's own post match measure of how well you performed relative to the chances you created, which is what separates an unlucky loss from a bad one.
Performance Analyst monthly reports
A new backroom role produces monthly data reports mirroring what real managers receive, alongside new graphs and data maps covering team strengths and opposition weaknesses. This is the year the series started expecting you to read data rather than watch every minute of every match. Hiring a strong analyst early is worth more than most coaching upgrades at smaller clubs.
Recruitment meetings and agent approaches
Recruitment meetings put you and your scouting team on the same page about both immediate targets and longer term transfer strategy, so scouts stop returning reports on players you have no interest in. You can also approach agents directly to gauge whether a player is interested in joining before you commit to a bid. New backroom roles from Assistant through to Analyst round out the staff structure.
The 2020/21 season database
FM21 is locked to the 2020/21 squads, which is the entire reason to pick it over a newer edition. That means Lionel Messi at Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, Erling Haaland at Borussia Dortmund aged twenty, Jude Bellingham newly arrived at Dortmund at seventeen, Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain and Pedri in his first season at Barcelona. If you want to replay that specific transfer window, no later edition offers it without heavy editing.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Football Manager 2021 combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Role | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gegenpress | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Tiki-Taka | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Vertical Tiki-Taka | A | Build patiently in your own half, then attack the moment a forward pass opens. It punishes deep blocks better than standard possession does. | Vision, Off The Ball, Decisions, Acceleration |
| Fluid Counter-Attack | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Wing Play | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
Vertical Tiki-Taka (A-Tier): Possession football with the patience removed, keeping the short passing structure but hunting forward passes at every opportunity. FM21's changes to central play and variety in the final third suit it better than the flatter possession preset.
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Football Manager 2021 builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Inverted Wing-Back | A full back who tucks into midfield in possession rather than overlapping, which gives you an extra body in central areas without dropping a forward. | Possession systems that keep getting outnumbered in central midfield |
| Segundo Volante | A defensive midfielder who breaks forward late into the box, arriving after the opposition has already picked up the attacking midfielders. | Vertical and counter attacking systems that need a late runner |
| Mezzala | A central midfielder who drifts into the half space between the opposition full back and centre back. | Breaking down deep blocks that refuse to leave their shape |
| Ball Playing Defender | A centre back instructed to pass out from the back rather than clear. | Tiki-Taka and possession sides building from the goalkeeper |
| Complete Forward | The most demanding striker role in the game, asking for finishing, link play, dribbling, aerial ability and off the ball movement in one player. | Elite clubs with a genuinely complete striker rather than a specialist |
Inverted Wing-Back: A full back who tucks into midfield in possession rather than overlapping, which gives you an extra body in central areas without dropping a forward. It works best when your wide forwards hold width themselves.
Segundo Volante: A defensive midfielder who breaks forward late into the box, arriving after the opposition has already picked up the attacking midfielders. It needs stamina above almost everything else because the role covers the whole pitch.
Mezzala: A central midfielder who drifts into the half space between the opposition full back and centre back. FM21's improvements to central play and final third variety make the half space runs more productive than in previous editions.
Ball Playing Defender: A centre back instructed to pass out from the back rather than clear. It is the foundation of any possession plan and the fastest way to concede a soft goal if your defender's Passing and Composure are not up to it.
Complete Forward: The most demanding striker role in the game, asking for finishing, link play, dribbling, aerial ability and off the ball movement in one player. In the 2020/21 database, very few forwards actually meet the requirement.
Full breakdowns in our Football Manager 2021 weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| English football pyramid | Non league through to the Premier League | The longest continuous promotion ladder and the largest scouted player pool |
| Spanish leagues | Top flight and second tier | A 2020/21 Barcelona squad that no later Football Manager can reproduce |
| Italian leagues | Top flight and second tier | Cheap experienced players and a market where reputation moves faster than money |
| German leagues | Top flight and second tier | The best concentration of affordable young talent in the starting database |
| Brazilian leagues | Playable top flight, primarily a recruitment market | High volume of cheap wonderkids for clubs that cannot compete in Europe |
English football pyramid: The deepest playable structure in the game, running from the Premier League down through the Vanarama National League. It is where the classic lower league journeyman save lives, because you can climb every division without ever leaving the country.
Spanish leagues: The database that includes Lionel Messi still at Barcelona and Pedri in his first season there, which is the single strongest argument for playing FM21 specifically rather than a later edition.
Italian leagues: The 2020/21 snapshot puts Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, which reshapes the whole division's transfer market. Wage structures are tighter than England's, so squad building here rewards free transfers and loans.
German leagues: The most productive youth environment in the FM21 database, with Erling Haaland aged twenty and Jude Bellingham aged seventeen both at Borussia Dortmund at the start of the save. Selling clubs and buying clubs are unusually well separated here.
Brazilian leagues: A scouting destination as much as a management one. The calendar and the transfer rules work differently from Europe, and the volume of teenage talent means an established scouting network here pays for itself in two seasons.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- FM21 is delisted from the Steam store. You cannot buy it there any more, though owners keep it in their library, so check your account before planning a save around it.
- Gestures are not decoration. Put Arm On Shoulder and Smile Warmly read very differently from Pound Fist and Throw Water Bottle, and repeated choices build a reputation that affects future conversations.
- SIxG at full time tells you whether your tactic is broken or your finishing is. Changing a working system after two unlucky losses is the most common way to ruin an FM21 save.
- Hire a Performance Analyst early. The monthly reports mirror what real managers receive, and at a small club they are worth more than an extra coach because you cannot afford trial and error.
- Use the new data maps to pick your approach before kick off, not after. Opposition weakness visualisation is how you decide which flank to counter down.
- Recruitment meetings align you with your scouting team on both immediate targets and long term strategy. Skipping them means scouts keep returning reports on players you will never sign.
- Approach an agent directly to check a player's interest before you make a bid. It costs nothing and saves a wasted transfer window on someone who was never going to move.
- The database is frozen at 2020/21. Erling Haaland is twenty at Borussia Dortmund, Jude Bellingham is seventeen at the same club, and Kylian Mbappe is at Paris Saint-Germain. Plan your recruitment around that window rather than around who is famous now.
- FM21's AI improvements raised the rate and nuance of player decision making, with better defending, better goalkeeping and more variety in the final third. Tactics that beat FM20 defences on repetition alone stopped working here.
- The Xbox edition released on 1 December 2020 with a reworked interface for controller play. It is a different build from the PC version, so tactical guides written for one do not always map cleanly onto the other.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Reacting to results instead of to SIxG. FM21 gives you the tools to tell an unlucky run from a broken tactic, and ignoring them produces managers who change formation every three matches.
- Running gegenpress with a thin squad. The preset demands high work rate and stamina across the front six, and without rotation depth the injury list decides your season by December.
- Using the same gestures every conversation. Constant assertive choices like Pound Fist wear thin with players who respond better to encouragement, and the game tracks the pattern.
- Assuming FM22 or FM23 guidance applies. FM21 predates several later systems, so advice written for the Data Hub or the later match engine describes features this edition does not have.
- Signing a Complete Forward when the squad has no player who meets the role's requirements. The role wants finishing, link play, dribbling, heading and movement at once, and very few players in the 2020/21 database qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still buy Football Manager 2021?
Not on Steam. The store listing for app 1263850 no longer offers it for sale, though anyone who already owns it can still install and play from their library. Key resellers are the usual route otherwise.
Why play FM21 instead of a newer edition?
The 2020/21 database. Lionel Messi is still at Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo is at Juventus, Erling Haaland is twenty at Borussia Dortmund and Jude Bellingham has just arrived there at seventeen. No later edition offers that starting point without heavy editing.
What was actually new in FM21?
Gestures for non verbal communication, expected goals data supplied by SciSports with half time and full time readouts, the SIxG post match measure, a Performance Analyst producing monthly reports, recruitment meetings with your scouting team, direct approaches to agents, a remodelled match interface and a new end of season review presentation.
How big is the FM21 database?
More than 50 nations and 2,500 clubs are playable, running from the top flight down through the lower divisions. The English pyramid goes deepest, reaching non league football.
Is there an Xbox version?
Yes, Football Manager 2021 Xbox Edition released on 1 December 2020 with an interface rebuilt for controllers. It is a separate build from the PC game, so some PC features and workflows differ.
More Football Manager 2021 Guides
- Football Manager 2021 Best Builds
- Football Manager 2021 Tier List
- Football Manager 2021 Walkthrough
- Football Manager 2021 Beginner's Guide
- Football Manager 2021 Tips & Tricks
- Football Manager 2021 Weapons Guide
- Football Manager 2021 Combat Guide
- Football Manager 2021 Boss Guide
- Football Manager 2021 Maps & Locations
- Football Manager 2021 Crafting Guide
- Football Manager 2021 Classes & Characters
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