Re-live your childhood football memories or kick-off on a new adventure in Football Manager 2023 with some of the greatest footballers of the 1990s with the new 1998/99 database for Football Manager 2023 by TheMadScientist.
From the master of throwback databases for Football Manager, we are excited to give you full access to the latest retro database by TheMadScientist; The 1998/99 database for Football Manager 2023!
A Quick Background to the Memorable 1998/99 Season
This is the annual release of his retro database for Football Manager. Throughout the years, he has put in immense effort and work to recreate the full footballing world as how it was at that specific time. Over the years we have been fortunate to release his 1992-93 season in FM22, or the 2001/02 season for FM21, giving you an alternative world in latest edition of Football Manager.
This time, we head back to the memorable 1998/99 season.
We leave behind us an eventful summer where France secured their first FIFA World Cup trophy with Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Marcel Desailly and Fabien Barthez paramount for their success.
In the Premier League, Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United featured the deadly trio of Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole and our beloved Norwegian legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær – the super-sub that would later help the team to become the first club in English football history to win the European treble; Premier League, FA Cup, and the Champions League in the 1998/99 season.
At Liverpool, a new teenage star in the likes of Michael Owen had won both the heart of the fans, the Premier League Golden Boot and the PFA Young Player of the Year award the previous season and looked destined to take Liverpool to new heights by trying to overcome their 3rd place of 1997/98 season.
In Spain, Real Madrid had previously won their seventh European trophy as 21-year old Raúl and 22 -year old Fernando Morientes formed a deadly partnership which helped the team to win the Champions League 1997/98 but not quite living up to Louis van Gaal’s Barcelona side which featured some of the best players at the time: Rivaldo, Figo and Luis Enrique.
The squad included also Josep Guardiola in his prime as well as a young Xavi and Carles Puyol knocking gently on the first team door.
In Italy, Juventus, with Alessandro del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi as their biggest stars, secured the club’s 25th national title. At the time, the Italian Serie A was loaded with legendary players; Ronaldo 9 – Inter Milan, Roberto Baggio – Bologna / A.C Milan, Gabriel Batistuta – Fiorentina, Olivier Bierhoff – Udinese / A.C Milan and Hernan Crespo – Parma.
The stage is literally set for an eventful 1998/99 season as you’re able to re-write history in this throwback database by MadScientist.
Let us take a closer look at the 1998/99 database for Football Manager 2023 and changes made to make it realistic.
A closer look at the 1998/99 Database for Football Manager 2023
Everything in this FM23 database has been reverted back to 1998. All the leagues are as they where back in 1998, with all the teams and players from back then. The player attributes is copied manually from the original Championship Manager 3 1998/99. It’s taken month to re-create the 1998/99 season for Football Manager 2023 but NOW you have the chance to manage all the legends from the late 90s, in the modern Football Manager match engine.
Go and re-live or change football history by entering the world of the 1998-99 season in Football Manager 2023!
PLAYABLE LEAGUES:
To get the full experience please read the instructions below on how to install the 1998/99 database on Football Manager 2023.
Download the Football Manager 2023 1998/99 Retro Database by TMS
Experience the 1998/99 season in Football Manager 2023. Download this brand new retro database and watch your childhood stars from the 90s blossom in FM23.
Updated: Version 2 (Released April 7th, 2023)
How to install MadScientists 1998/99 throwback database for FM23
To help you install MadScientist’s 1998/99 throwback database, we have DodgeeGamer on board to help you get all the necessary mods to enhance the realism of this retro database by adding all the graphics you need to make FM23 look like it’s CM3.
You can either watch the full video guide below or follow the instructions below. Here we’ll cover:
- how to install and run the database
- how to add retro logos, kits and facepacks
- how to install @Warringtini‘s Retro Regen add-on
To use this database, you got two main options to start off a new save. You can either install the save game file, or select the editor data file to embark on your new journey.
1. Installing the Save Game File
The save game file has everything loaded, every playable league and all created players.
Move the file into: Your Documents/Sports Interactive/Football Manager 2023/Games folder
Run FM23 and go to Load game then select the 1998/99 DB file and you’re good to go.
USEFUL TIP! When asked to save your career, make sure to select another name than the default otherwise the database will be overwritten and you need to download it again.
2. Playing with the FMF Editor file
The fmf file can be opened with the editor or to setup a custom career. It’s a viable option to the save game file.
Move the file into: Your Documents/Sports Interactive/Football Manager 2023/Editor data folder.
When using the .fmf file its important that you select the Football Manager 2023 23.0.0 database as it won’t work properly with an updated FM23 database.
- Tick ‘The 1998/99 DB’ box – Make sure no other editor data files are ticked!
- Click Confirm and Choose Advanced Setup
- Choose your preferred leagues out of the playable leagues.
- Then press Approximate Player Count and choose ‘Advanced’
- Select the nations you want to load players from besides the active leagues, to make sure that as many players as possible will be loaded.
- Tick the boxes saying Players Based in Nation – Even if your computer says that the number of players exceeds the recommended level it will only load the approximately 10.000 players which is created in the DB.
- Finally, press Start Game and enjoy the nostalgia trip.
Hope you’ll enjoy this classic database!
NB! MAKE SURE TO CHOOSE THE FOOTBALL MANAGER 2023 DEFAULT 23.0.0. DATABASE WHEN SETTING UP A NEW CAREER. IF YOU CHOOSE A FM DATABASE WITH AN UPDATE, IT WILL CONFLICT WITH THE 1998/99 DB.
3. Install the Retro Kit & Logo Pack by Marc Biagioni
Along with the retro database, you’ll be able to download the retro kits and logos as playable clubs used for the 1998-99 season. These graphics megapack enables you to see the former Chelsea or PSG logo or get the actual kits the team used at the time. For instance, the iconic Parma kit of 1998/99 will be present if you download this file. Or you’ll be able to get on another nostaliga trip by seeing the Sharp logo on the Manchester United jersey, Blackburn’s white and blue kit or Barcelona’s famous shirt in their legendary Bara colours.
Download the file and move them into:
Kits: Your Documents /Sports Interactive/Football Manager 2023/Graphics/kits
Logos: Your Documents /Sports Interactive/Football Manager 2023/Graphics/logos
*create the folders if they doesn’t exist.
NB! If you have any other graphics within the FM Graphics folder – make sure to move these files outside the folder. you can do as DodgeeGamer and create a folder for your FM23 assets, or zip everything up in a zipped folder which creates a backup of all your Football Manager 2023 graphics.
3.1 Preferences
Once the graphics are downloaded and placed in the correct folder, load up Football Manager 2023 and select Preferences.
Go to Advanced – Interface – Browse down to Skin Options
- Untick or leave ‘Use Caching to decrease page loading time’ off
- Tick ‘Reload skin when confirming changes to Preferneces’
- Click Reload Skin
- Confirm & start your new game!
4. Download Player Faces for 98/99 Database
To get the real player faces of players and staff for the 1998/99 database, you will need to download the faces megapack by Jomo. He has made a free facepack for the 1998-99 database with a limited number of players. In fact, the limited facepack includes around 2000 player faces of the best players from top division clubs. Basically, you’ll see the player face of Ronaldo 9 and more!
If you want the full megpack, you’ll need to support him with a few bucks by becoming a Patreon member. This megapack includes 5000 player faces for the 98/99 database.
To download the free 1998-99 facepack simply click the button below:
Version 3 of JoMo’s 98/99 facepack includes over 200 new player faces. This release will contain 207 more pictures (Miro Klose, Owen Hargreaves, David Villa….)
You can unlock the mod by becoming a JoMo Patreon subscriber by getting access here.
5. Install the Regen Mod by Warringtini
Thanks to Warringtini, you’ll be able to download an unique regen mod that will make the game even more engaging and fun by adding over 20000 future talents in the 2000s and 2010s entering the game as newgens.
By downloading this mod, you’ll be able to get real life players added as regens for the next 24 seasons in the 1998/99 DB! Quite amazing, right?!
The regen mod must be installed to:
Windows: \Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Football Manager 2023\data\database\db\2300\edt\permanent
NB! Make sure to remove the file if you’re going to start a new Football Manager 2023 save with the default FM23 database. If not, you’ll experience some players appearing twice as a younger version of e.g. Lionel Messi will come through into your save.
Social Medias & Credit
Huge thanks to the MadScientistFM for giving us permission to showcase his amazing work to our audience. Despite the database is provided for free, he spends thousands of hours to recreate the footballing world for your pleasure, so show him your gratitude.
make sure to support him by making donations to either Paypal or by subscribing to his Patreon.
For the latest updates, announcements of future projects or additions to the database, make sure to drop a follow to MadScientist and his associates down below.
►Follow My Twitter – @MadScientistFM
►Website – themadscientistfm.wixsite.com
►Watch my Livestreams on Twitch – http://www.twitch.tv/themadscientistfm
►Browse my Steam Workshop Library – Steam
►Subscribe on YouTube – The Mad Scientist
►Support on Patreon – ThemadscientistFM
►Join my Discord – tHeMAdSCienTiSt
► Jomo Patreon (for 98/99 Facepack) – /aewjomo
► Subscribe to JoMo’s Twitter – @JoMo
► Warringtini (for Retro Regen mod file) – @Warringtini