Pro Evolution Soccer - Remembering the Master League Originals Who Entertained Us in the Early 2000s

There's been a hell of a lot of chat among the 90min editorial team recently about two games.

Football Manager 2020, inevitably, and FIFA 20 - championed by the creation of a pro clubs team that is helping to amuse us in this brave new world we're living in.

But for those of us with a few more years of life under our belt, we all remember the other game that hauled us away from our families and the game mode that we loved and loathed at the same time.

Yes, we're talking about Pro Evolution Soccer and yes, we're talking about the world famous 'Master League'. So with our nostalgia hats on - and with time very much on our hands - we're here to remind you of that legendary XI who you couldn't wait to replace and upgrade.

Let's see if you can remember them...

GK - Ivarov

One of the more reliable players of what was a very bad bunch, Ivarov surprisingly had things under control in goal - most of the time anyway. Wasn't advisable to let shots pepper down on his goal, mind you.

To get fully comfortable with him, you could always just indulge in a spot of training in the deliciously picturesque Swiss mountains.

CBs - Valeny, Jaric & Stremer

Before playing Pro Evo, English audiences had never really been exposed to the concept of a three-man defence. The Premier League had only ever seen a bog standard 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or perhaps a 4-4-1-1 if it was a really sunny day.

So the partnership of Valeny, Jaric and Stremer wasn't just three bang average players thrown together, it was revolutionary. In fact, hearsay suggests that playing Pro Evo is what inspired Antonio Conte - serial winner at the highest level if you've forgotten - to adopt this tactic.

As far as ability went, they weren't the greatest - but Valeny had a decent lick of pace and ability in the tackle while Jaric used the 40-yard run-up when whacked on free kick duties. Stremer, on the other hand, was the pretty boy of the trio, floating around in his own little virtual bubble.

DMs - Dodo & Iouga

Forget about your Claude Makelele's, N'Golo Kante's, Javier Mascherano's and Hayden Mullins', Dodo and Iouga were the original innovators of sitting deep in midfield.

What made them so special in this role is that they could do absolutely nothing but tackle, often at the wrong times. Mobility was an issue, passing straight was unheard of and getting up the pitch to support was pretty much a no-no.

HOWEVER.

They could both strike a mean ball from 30 yards - and you did have enough time to pop the kettle on and come back before the net was bulging. Thoughtful buggers.

AMs - Espimas, Ximelez & Minanda

The world of football has seen some iconic midfield trios, but none of them hold a candle to the sheer brilliance of pace merchant Espimas, one trick pony Ximelez and all-around superstar Minanda.

Master League's concept may have been to rebuild, improve and regenerate your team, but where was the need when you could run these three into the ground instead?

Undoubtedly the star of this attacking triumvirate, Minanda had the technical ability of Ronaldo, the artistry of Messi and the eye for a pass of Tom Huddlestone - and I know, without even asking you, that replacing him never once crossed your mind.

CFs - Ordaz & Castolo

A quick scour of Twitter will quickly tell you that Ordaz and Castolo is a strike partnership etched into the memories of millions around the world.

Unfortunately, neither of the two had any real standout qualities, and we all remember that sinking feeling of wasting 25 chances while we got to grips with how bad they were at finishing.

But when you finally did have a grasp on the mechanics of the game, you realised - with Castolo especially - that the only thing you needed up front was cracking cornrow hair, a little bit of stamina and someone who could profit at close range from the abundance of chances that Minanda would create for you.

Once you had that little cheat code sorted, you could become a nifty little Master League fiend - quietly picking up win after win to work your way to glory.

Bugger Henry, Adriano and all those other Pro Evo 'legends', succeeding with mediocrity is where it was really at. Now, do the decent thing and stop reading this, go find your PlayStation and rewind to an era where we could go out and buy a Match magazine whenever we wanted.