First, a quick clarification. The original CM 01/02 shipped as version 3.9.02. The official 3.9.68 patch was the final SI release, fixing major bugs (like the "Tapani" loan bug and the Swedish division 2 crash). However, in modern parlance, "Patch 3.9.68" often refers to community updates (like the CM 01/02 October 2021 Update by the ChampMan Update team) that use the 3.9.68 engine but feature 2021/2022 season data.
So, when we talk about "best players" being "better," we mean:
Based on raw match engine performance, not reputation: cm 01 02 patch 3968 best players better
Maxim Tsigalko (ST) – 70+ goals/season
To Madeira (F) – 50 goals/season
Bakircioglü (AM L) – 30 assists Mark Kerr (DM) – 8.7 rating
Petre (AM C) – 20 goals from mid
Mike Duff (DR) Jonas Lundén (DL)
Okoronkwo (DC) – Taribo West (DC)
Costanzo (GK – Racing Club)
Cost of this XI: ~£2M total.
Cost of Real Madrid's Galácticos in-game: ~£150M.
Performance: This team wins the Champions League year 1.
You cannot find a better pure striker than Maxim Tsigalko (unless Anatoli Todorov—PA 185, but less physical—develops perfectly). But you can find a better defensive midfielder than Mark Kerr? Kerr is cheap, young, and has great teamwork. However, for a top-tier club, Fabio Celestini (Lausanne) offers superior passing and creativity from deep. For a pure destroyer, Jamie Victory (Cheltenham) has monstrous physical stats for a DMC, better than Kerr in tackling and stamina. Similarly, in goal, everyone takes Costanzo (River) or Chiotis (AEK). But Dida (on a free after season 1) or Sebastián Saja have better aerial ability and command of area—stats that prevent the "corner glitch" goals. First, a quick clarification
Instead of memorizing names, learn the system to find players better than the ones on any forum:
For fans of Championship Manager 01/02, the version with patch 3.9.68 is not just a game; it’s a living legend. Two decades later, the community has exhaustively mapped its digital universe. Ask any veteran for the “best players,” and you’ll hear the same sacred names: Maxim Tsigalko, Tó Madeira, Mark Kerr, Kim Källström, Taribo West, and Isaac Okoronkwo. These are the cheat codes, the game-breakers who guarantee goals, clean sheets, and trophies. Cost of this XI: ~£2M total
But the title of this essay asks for something more: better. Can you get better than a 200-goal season from Tsigalko? Not really. So what does “better” mean in this context? It means better for your specific system, better value for money, better long-term consistency, or better hidden gems that the standard lists overlook. This essay will guide you beyond the mainstream superstars to find players who are, in some ways, better for the art of true CM mastery.