Videogames Used To Recruit and Train Football Players

From OXCGN:

"In a football and gaming first Everton FC has signed an exclusive deal with Sports Interactive, developers of the football management videogame Football Manager, to give manager David Moyes and his coaches unrivalled access to its database of over 370,000 players and staff.

In the past, Football Manager has accurately identified Wayne Rooney's potential talent when he was just fifteen and has been the first to predict other future stars including Lionel Messi, Ashley Young and Jose Baxter."