The Director of Football has been part of Football Manager for a few versions now. The role has been fleshed out to incorporate their responsibilities throughout the game. The Director of Football forms part of your Recruitment Team on Football Manager which consists of the staff member responsible for player scouting and contracts.

In days gone by, it used to be that the manager was the supreme leader of a football club. They would be directly involved in almost every aspect of the club, be it training sessions, working on transfers and contracts or laying foundations for the future. The buck stopped with them. The presence of a director of football acts as an intermediary between the manager and the board and may relieve pressure on a manager by handling aspects away from day-to-day coaching, allowing a manager to focus on on-pitch performance. Those who take up roles as directors of football usually have a history in the sport and a wide network of contacts, while others simply have a background in similar administrative roles.

Compared to the Technical Director who has more responsibility regarding staff recruitment, the Director of Football has responsibilities linked to players. If you have the luxury of being able to recruit or your club already has a Technical Director and Director of Football recruited then it is vital that you disseminate their responsibilities in a way that uses the roles to their full effect.

The Director of Football can undertake numerous roles on Football Manager including:

  • Recruiting players
  • Handling incoming transfer offers
  • Negotiating player contracts
  • Assigning scouts assignments
  • Attending press conferences
  • Support with tactical decisions including opposition instructions
  • Support with touchline instructions during matches

Understanding staff responsibilities can be difficult if you do not know where to look. In order to assign the Director of Football to the roles that you would like to undertake navigate to the following page on Football Manager:
Staff > Responsibilities

Within the staff responsibilities, if you have a Director of Football recruited you'll be able to assign certain responsibilities.

Historically, the recruitment of a Director of Football and how effective the role is has mixed results. Arguably, the most successful Director of Football is Manchester City's Txiki Begiristain. Begiristain is the man responsible for some great Barcelona signings, including Dani Alves, Rafa Marquez, Yaya Toure and Eric Abidal. At Manchester City he has been responsible for many successful transfers since being their Director of Football.

What staff attributes should I look for when recruiting a Director of Football?

Given the responsibilities that can be assigned to a Director of Football, it stands to reason that Judging Player Ability, Judging Player Potential and Negotiating are the main staff attributes to look for.

See table below which includes staff with the recommended staff attributes rated at least 15.

Name Nation Team Job
Kaise, Alberto Netherlands / Suriname - Director of Football
de Oliveira Junior, Michael Brazil - Director of Football
Paratici, Fabio Italy Zebre Director of Football
Shorthouse, Niall England - Director of Football
Dien, Valentino South Africa - Director of Football
Rauball, Reinhard Germany Borussia Dortmund Director of Football
Henrique, Antero Portugal - Director of Football
Ryskin, Alexey Russia Rostov Director of Football
Schneider, Jochen Germany Schalke 04 Director of Football
Ahmad, Abdul Samad Malaysia - Director of Football
Jacquot, Romain France - Director of Football
Schmidt, Alexander Austria - Director of Football
Uslu, Ersan Turkey - Director of Football
Monchi Spain Sevilla Director of Football
Voskamp, Marc Netherlands / Australia - Director of Football
Horton, Neville England - Director of Football
Çerçioglu, Tuna Turkey - Director of Football
Pasquali, Rodrigo Argentina - Director of Football
Gómez, Miguel Ángel Spain Valladolid Director of Football
Edwards, Michael England Liverpool Director of Football
Gialias, Stavros Greece - Director of Football
Berta, Andrea Italy A. Madrid Director of Football
Jones, Harry England - Director of Football
Post, Emre Netherlands - Director of Football
Tare, Igli Albania / Italy Lazio Director of Football
Mooney, Sam England - Director of Football
Miñambres, Felipe Spain Vigo Director of Football
Giuntoli, Cristiano Italy Napoli Director of Football
Campos, Luís Portugal LOSC Director of Football
Kabongo, Chérubin Belgium / DR Congo - Director of Football
Guichard, Florent France / Italy - Director of Football
Sela, Avraham Israel - Director of Football
Kayembe-Bokungu, Geslin Belgium / DR Congo - Director of Football
Gutiérrez, Jacobo Spain - Director of Football
Leonardo Brazil / Portugal / Italy Paris SG Director of Football
van Geel, Martin Netherlands Willem II Director of Football
Rudkin, Jon England Leicester Director of Football
Gonçalves, Luís Portugal FCP Director of Football
Orta, Victor Spain Leeds Director of Football
Arroyo, Christian Colombia - Director of Football
Maurice, Florian France Rennes Director of Football
Alexandre Mattos Brazil Atlético Mineiro Director of Football
Harding, Tim Wales - Director of Football
Schmadtke, Jörg Germany VfL Wolfsburg Director of Football
Osti, Carlo Italy Sampdoria Director of Football
Menezes, Kérdson Brazil - Director of Football
Vandamme, Jean-Michel France - Director of Football

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