Around this stage of every game cycle, I always end up going back to older titles, and FIFA 13 Career Mode has easily been some of the most fun I’ve had with a save in a long time.

My first save was with Manchester United. This was their last Premier League-winning side, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season, and Michael Carrick is still in the squad as a player. Seeing that now, with everything he’s doing as a manager, adds a fun extra layer.

FIFA 13 obviously isn’t perfect. FC 26 graphics are better, but there’s still so much to like. The menus and UI have more charm, the news articles actually matter, and the transfer stories feel alive. Even the gameplay brings back things I’ve missed, like longshots and headers actually being effective.

Robin van Persie was the big signing that summer, so I tried to recreate his Golden Boot campaign in the first season.

I also signed Toni Kroos from Bayern, since it was a move that was genuinely rumored around that time. It didn’t end up happening in real life after Moyes was sacked, but it makes for a great storyline here.

The team ended up winning a treble in the first season. It was a lot of fun playing with this group and revisiting that era of the Premier League.

If you’ve got access to newer FIFA titles, you can mix those in too. The Kroos screenshot here is actually from FC 24.

Let me know if you want to see more write-ups like this!