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 walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | English football pyramid | Gestures in conversations basics | Tiki-Taka | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Spanish leagues | SIxG and expected goals data mastery | Tiki-Taka | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Italian leagues | Performance Analyst monthly reports + gear | Gegenpress or Tiki-Taka | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | German leagues | Build optimization | Gegenpress | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Brazilian leagues | Min-max | Gegenpress or Wing Play | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (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.
Level/Difficulty: Non league through to the Premier League Key Rewards: The longest continuous promotion ladder and the largest scouted player pool
What to Do in English football pyramid
- Learn Gestures in conversations. FM21's headline addition let you pair a spoken line with a non verbal signal. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Tiki-Taka as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Segundo Volante or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Gestures in conversations fundamentals
- Tiki-Taka selected and functional
- English football pyramid main content cleared
- Ready for Spanish leagues
Phase 2: Early Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Top flight and second tier Key Rewards: A 2020/21 Barcelona squad that no later Football Manager can reproduce
What to Do in Spanish leagues
- Work on SIxG and expected goals data. Expected goals arrived with data from SciSports, giving each shot a quality value and a likelihood of going in. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Segundo Volante if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Italian leagues.
- Consider whether Gegenpress might suit your playstyle better than Tiki-Taka.
Phase 2 Checklist
- SIxG and expected goals data integrated into gameplay
- Segundo Volante acquired
- Spanish leagues fully cleared
- Ready for Italian leagues
Phase 3: Mid Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Top flight and second tier Key Rewards: Cheap experienced players and a market where reputation moves faster than money
What to Do in Italian leagues
- Master 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 unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Inverted Wing-Back. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Recruitment meetings and agent approaches for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Performance Analyst monthly reports mastered
- Inverted Wing-Back acquired or in progress
- Italian leagues fully cleared
- Ready for German leagues
Phase 4: Late Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Top flight and second tier Key Rewards: The best concentration of affordable young talent in the starting database
What to Do in German leagues
- Finalize your build. You should be running Gegenpress or Tiki-Taka with optimized gear.
- Inverted Wing-Back should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- The 2020/21 season database optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Brazilian leagues.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Inverted Wing-Back upgraded to max
- German leagues fully cleared
- Ready for Brazilian leagues
Phase 5: Endgame (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.
Level/Difficulty: Playable top flight, primarily a recruitment market Key Rewards: High volume of cheap wonderkids for clubs that cannot compete in Europe
What to Do in Brazilian leagues
- Brazilian leagues tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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.
- The endgame loop: run Brazilian leagues, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Wing Play for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where The 2020/21 season database mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Brazilian leagues fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Football Manager 2021 Guides
- Football Manager 2021 Football Manager 2021 Overview
- Football Manager 2021 Best Builds
- Football Manager 2021 Tier List
- 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
Similar Games
If you enjoy Football Manager 2021, check out these related guides:
- Beat the Champions Walkthrough: sports game with similar mechanics
- Rocket League Walkthrough: sports game with similar mechanics
- Football Manager 2024 Walkthrough: sports game with similar mechanics
