From Championship Manager wonderkids to PES speedsters, a senior BBC Sport journalist has ranked the most iconic footballers in video game history. The list spans FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer and Football Manager, celebrating the virtual legends who defined generations of gaming.

Cherno Samba tops the rankings as arguably the most renowned cult hero from Championship Manager 01-02, transforming into a global superstar on screen while his real career zigzagged through Millwall, Plymouth, Wrexham and Scandinavia. Juninho Pernambucano earns recognition for his PES free-kick mastery, boasting 99 accuracy and a curling stat that made him unstoppable. Tijani Babangida was celebrated as the fastest player in early Pro Evolution titles, with Konami reintroducing him in 2016 to mark the series' 20th anniversary.

The list also features fascinating stories of fictional players like To Madeira, a bargain wonderkid created by a local researcher who never actually existed, and real players who became legends through gaming attributes. Marvell Wynne's 96 pace in FIFA 12 turned him into a one-on-one phenomenon, while Tonton Zola Moukoko's virtual career at Derby County still sees fans contacting him from around the world decades later.