The Path To Power

Following my exploits with English side Whitehawk in FM15, a new journey and a new tale awaits me this term. My love for building small teams from lower leagues into internationally recognised footballing giants has certainly been a trait of my FM playing, and you can expect more of the same in this journey. I can promise that this tale will be vastly different to those previous as I look to further explore the world of FM.

Truth be told, I find it very difficult to continuously play and write as I go on a consistent basis, and there won't be a chance of me writing monthly updates from now until the end. I will look to write monthly updates for the first season or two while I look to settle in to the new game, and then perhaps monthly updates for key seasons afterwards. Otherwise, you can expect annual/bi-annual updates from me. Of course, I would like to write monthly updates all the time but that would only restrict my playing time on FM.


Who will be my manager? That will remain a secret for now. It may come as a surprise as to who will be in the spotlight in this story. While I will not be using a factual character, the circumstances will be more than intriguing. Where will I manage? That is yet to be seen, but I can promise that it will be a challenge of sorts for me to begin winning trophies, wherever I may begin. Those of you who have followed my previous stories may be aware of my love for Lower League Management (LLM).

Christian Schäfer

Antonio Benvenuti

intriguing, love a good lower league challenge!

Discovered your Whitehawk story too late & was too lazy to catch up but will be getting in on the ground floor for this one. Good luck mate!

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

YES!

Another Path To Power? NEVER SAW THIS COMING

C.J.Lippo, thank you!
InfraRed, YES
Feliks, ikr!
Walturd,

I grew up in Radeburg, a modest town, full of honest and hard-working people, just north-west of Dresden.
I grew up in Piazza Mincio, one of the finest areas in all of Rome and filled with successful and interesting people.

My father is a mechanic, and my mother a nurse. My two siblings are both in the police force, serving the people.
My father is the CEO of a major logistics company, and my mother a critically acclaimed actress. My older sister has paved her path in the fashion industry, and stars in many magazine cover shoots.

I work in a local library, where I work tirelessly to enhance my knowledge of football and other interests of mine during my free time, when I'm not attending my local side's fixtures.
I live life to the fullest; purchasing the latest sports cars and sleeping with the most coveted models, while visiting the many football stadiums that I own season tickets to.

My job isn't what I had dreamed of when I was a child, but I work hard everyday because that is how an honest man makes an honest living.
Work? I don't need to work. I would not consider spending my time attending an activity which does not interest me.

I love to help others. My main duty as a librarian is to direct people in the direction which they are looking for. In other aspects of life, I do my best to help guide friends and family to live their lives as best as they can.
I enjoy power. I love to control whatever I can and to make certain events run in the way I wish them to. I envisage great things and I know how to make them happen. In many ways, I am a true leader of men.

I love football. I breath it all day every day. When I was younger, I played football for my local side. I was never very good but I enjoyed the activity and the team-aspect. I always worked hard for my team mates, my manager and those who supported us. I am now too old to play much but I still enjoy the occasional five-a-side.
Football is a game of champions. In my eyes, I could be a champion, but I am not destined to play. I see the game as a game of chess; and I see how it is possible to dictate each and every move. I attend games at only the top level. I sit in the director's box at home games of Roma, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, and even PSG. Do I play? No, the physical battles are for brutes and I am not one of them.

I often write football blogs. I don't consider my writing to be anything special and I do not look for any fame but I enjoy sharing my thoughts and opinions with those who would listen to me. I would like to think of myself as open-minded when it comes to different opinions and I like to learn from others.
I know a great deal about football. I see things which others do not. It pleases me when teams show tactical flaws because I know that I would not allow a team of mine to possess such weaknesses. I know my prowess as a football genius, and I don't believe that there are many better opinions on football than my own.

My dream is to become a football manager. I am not so interested in being successful, but I would like to have some good memories with a team and maybe even a cup final or two. Maybe I am not so ambitious but my dream is simple and one which I would love to complete.
I dream of winning many trophies. I dream of becoming the manager who masterminds his team to an endless amount of silverware. I want to be the face of football. I want the glory, I want the title, I want it all. I know I have the skills, I know I have mindset. All I need is the starting point.

My name is Christian Schäfer and this is my story.
My name is Antonio Benvenuti and this is my story.

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Next Update: Where It All Began

This just got very interesting! Love the contrast of characters.

Great start, I love it when people write purposely flawed characters. I have a feeling Benvenuti will fall off his perch very quickly...

That Italian dude knows how the world works Forza Benvenuti

C.J.Lippo, yes that was what I envisaged in having a two-character story and I have a clear idea of what I want them to embody

Feliks, but is arrogance a flaw or a sign of true self-confidence?

Walter, in many regards, yes he does, but I won't reveal anything just yet...

Christian Schäfer is one of our two main characters in the story, and one of those who's managerial career shall be followed with great detail and excitement. Christian Schäfer will be my pathway to an enjoyable and emotional career in FM 16, where I have no rules and no guidelines. Schäfer's only responsibility is to let his heart decide how he manages and while that might see him miss out on a major trophy or two over the years, it'll lead to a memorably thrilling and exciting career, and this will be visible in his preferred style of play.

Christian is of German descent, and was born in Radeburg (a town just a few kilometers north of Dresden) on 28/11/1980. At the age of 34, Christian has certainly become a very mature and well-educated individual. Currently working as a librarian, Christian studied to earn his UEFA Coaching Badges in order to pursue his dream of becoming a professional football manager. He has shown great interest in many areas, and has studied many aspects of social behavior and picked up several other languages including English, French and Italian.

In what was previously portrayed as a good guy/bad guy story, Christian certainly comes across as the good guy. He is a kind and honest individual with plenty of time for others and shows fantastic comradery to others. His second name "Schäfer" translates to "shepherd" in English, and he certainly leads his people well. He cares for who he manages and puts his people first. He's a charismatic and selfless character, and one who most people will grow fond of.

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Antonio Benvenuti is the second character who we will follow closely in this story. While Christian's path will certainly be more emotional, Antonio's will be all about succeeding and winning. He will set himself strict rules to comply to and will not care much for emotions, but only of the end results. He's a born winner and will always look to get the better of his opposition. He pursues victory every single game, and that'll be visible in how his team plays.

Antonio is an Italian, a Roman to be specific. He grew up in one of the wealthier districts of Italy's most historic city, born on 11/03/1988, and lives in great fortune. Still at quite a young age, Antonio is looking to earn his UEFA Coaching Badges and has no job or responsibility to hold him down otherwise. He learned English and French in school, but had no desire to study any more. He has invested a lot of time in to studying football, and is the master tactician.

Antonio is certainly the "bad guy" in this story. His personality comes in to extreme contrast with Christian's, but that does not affect him. He is quite frankly an extremely arrogant and self-assured individual, and always puts himself first. He's a born winner at heart and while he may come across as cold and unlovable to some, his desire to win rubs off on others.

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Previous Update: The Opening Verse
Next Update: The Journey Begins

Loving the character contrasts... hoping they come against eachother one day.

The different characters are interesting and certainly add to the story already. Have to side with Benvenuti though, have to love a bit of ego and arrogance

Feliks, it might take a while but I guess we'll have to wait and see

Walter, of course you would