Ranking the 10 Most Iconic Football Video Game Stars from FIFA, PES and Football Manager

Childhood bunk beds tracked late-night video game victories in felt-tip pen on oak frames, marking endless brotherly championships on FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer.

Those battle records vanished with the beds, replaced by grown-up tastes that rejected the Man Red versus Merseyside Blue decor. Still, favorite teams, formations and cult players resurface in conversations.

Ranking the most iconic football video game stars proves subjective. Players form bonds with pixel heroes who deliver virtual glory or grow into stars under their guidance.

Some demand wider fame: FIFA speedsters, PES net-busters and Football Manager prospects with huge potential. Here is a ranking from 10 to 1.

10. To Madeira (Championship Manager 01-02)

A future Ballon d'Or contender hid in Portugal's lower leagues. To Madeira emerged as a bargain wonderkid on Championship Manager 01-02, a goal machine for a few hundred thousand pounds who became one of the game's top strikers.

The player never existed. A local researcher named Antonio Madeira added him to the database. The real Madeira likely did not realize his prank would birth a cult figure for early-2000s managers.

9. Marvell Wynne (FIFA 12)

Marvell Wynne built a solid Major League Soccer career from 2006 to 2016 with New York Red Bulls, Toronto, Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes.

His FIFA 12 stats seemed average, except for 96 pace. That turned him into a one-on-one defensive star and game legend. Wynne gets tagged in Instagram posts about the fastest players. No glitch: he ran the 100m in 10.39 seconds in high school.

7. Roberto Larcos (Pro Evolution Soccer)

Early Pro Evolution Soccer games peaked with arcade play and Konami's creative unlicensed names like Ryan Greggs, Ruud Vom Mistelroum and Ronarid.

Roberto Larcos, the Brazilian left-back opposite Facu, stood in for the real star on MD White. The game captured his stuttering free-kick run-up and swerving shots off the boot's outside.

6. Anthony Vanden Borre (Football Manager)

Championship Manager 01-02 wonderkids like Maksim Tsigalko, Mark Kerr, Mike Duff and Kennedy Bakircioglu deserve nods.

Football Manager claims Anthony Vanden Borre. From the Anderlecht side of Vincent Kompany, the Belgian grew into a right-back blending Cafu's attack, Lilian Thuram's defense and Zinedine Zidane's passing. Billed as a bigger talent than Kompany, he fell short in reality but dominated virtually.

3. Tonton Zola Moukoko (Championship Manager 01-02)

"We went to a small village in Malaysia," Tonton Zola Moukoko said. "I gave my passport to the officer. He was shocked. 'Are you really Tonton Zola Moukoko?' he asked. 'You can't be the one that was playing at Derby!'"

His fame spread via forums among Championship Manager fans. Derby signed the 15-year-old from Sweden's Djurgardens ahead of AC Milan and Bologna. He had moved there from Democratic Republic of Congo to join his brother after losing both parents.

A County academy star, his game traits made him a skillful number 10 like Lionel Messi, landing at Europe's top clubs. Fans sought his signature at youth games, but he never played senior minutes for Derby. His brother's death sent him back to Sweden for lower leagues.

"Things happened around me which changed me a lot, changed my football career," he said. "I didn't really enjoy football any more. I found it very difficult to sleep for a long time after my brother died. Football was not the right thing for me after that."

Moukoko welcomes fans from Australia, France and beyond who signed him in the game.

1. Adriano (Pro Evolution Soccer)

Adriano's boot shattered virtual nets on Pro Evolution Soccer. The Inter Milan forward served as a cheat code with exaggerated real-life traits.

At his peak, he tallied 48 caps and 27 goals for Brazil as a skillful, powerful striker. In the game, his 99 shot power let him rocket balls into the top corner from 40 yards. Adriano reigns as the top video game football icon.