Captain Mane makes Irish Liverpool fan FPL champion

An inspired decision to captain Sadio Mane (£11.8m) helped Irish manager Michael Coone become 2020/21 Fantasy Premier League champion on a dramatic final day.

Sitting third going into Gameweek 38, Michael needed to make up nine points on leader Ola Hovde. 

And Michael's armband choice of Mane proved decisive as the two managers above him both put their faith in Mohamed Salah (£12.9m).

Mane scored twice as Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 2-0, firing Michael to the top of the leaderboard, outscoring Salah by 16 points to six.

Mane was the best performer in Michael’s team, Teddy Bears Utd, his 16-point return doubled for a captain haul of 32.

Three more players also made double-figure contributions. Vladimir Coufal (£4.8m) and Harry Kane (£11.9m) supplied 10 points each, while a penalty save helped Ederson (£6.1m) to 12 points.

Liverpool fan Michael scored 88 points on the last day of the season, giving him a Gameweek rank of 17,773, his highest of the campaign. 

Michael’s final tally of 2,680 points is in fact the most accumulated in a single season, beating Jon Reeson’s winning total of 2,668 from 2009/10.

13th time lucky

Michael first entered the top 10 in Gameweek 22 and twice held the No 1 spot in the overall standings. After reaching the summit in Gameweek 29, he remained in the top three throughout.

An experienced Fantasy manager, this was Michael’s 13th year playing FPL.

He took nine hits on his way to victory, spending 36 points on transfers, the majority of those coming in the final eight rounds.

Record-breaking total

Michael's closest challengers Mohamad Abdallah and Viktor Johansson also broke Reeson's record on their way to a top-three finish, totalling 2,675 and 2,669 points respectively.

Abdallah, from Lebanon, claimed 75 points on Sunday, with Joe Willock (£4.9m) and Patrick Bamford (£6.6m) among his goal scorers.

Swedish manager Johansson recorded an impressive 94 points on the final day but ultimately fell short.

A move for Gareth Bale (£9.2m) paid dividends as the Welshman scored twice and was awarded two bonus for a 13-point haul in Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-2 win over Leicester City.

Hovde heartbreak

However, spare a thought for his fellow Scandinavian Ola Hovde. 

The Norwegian manager led for 23 Gameweeks this season but suffered a disappointing finish to his campaign, dropping from first to 10th.

Nonetheless, it was a successful year for him and many of his countrymen. 

Twelve Norwegians finished among the top 80 managers, the best performance of any nation after England.

But the ultimate glory remained with Irishman Michael, the 2020/21 FPL champion.

What the FPL champion wins

- A seven-night break in the UK including VIP hospitality at two 2021/22 Premier League matches
- A week’s worth of experiences at popular tourist attractions courtesy of Visit Britain, including travel and seven nights’ accommodation
- Hublot connected watch
- Copy of FIFA 21 and a games console
- Nike manager jacket
- FPL goody bag consisting of a rucksack, t-shirt, mug, water bottle, stress ball, pen, pad and key ring

See: Final 2020/21 FPL standings

See: Get your FPL season in review

Also in this series

Part 2: FPL champion: It came down to the last kick
Part 3: FPL champion's tips: Look for value in defence early on
Part 4: FPL champion's tips: Don’t take risks with the captaincy
Part 5: FPL champion's tips: Plan ahead with transfers