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WORLD SOCCER WINNING ELEVEN 5
MASTER LEAGUE FAQ
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This document Copyright 2001 David Blandy/Nimo
Words by David Blandy
A special thanks to TPuha and Ace 13 for all their intellectual guidance
Version 1.1
30 September 2001
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DISCLAIMER
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This FAQ is written for personal use only. You are not allowed to publish,
copy or alter the contents of this FAQ without asking and confirming from
the author first. Use this FAQ to enjoy the best football game in the world
even more, keep it real, keep it Winning Eleven.
The World Soccer Winning Eleven 5 Master League FAQ can be found at:
www.gamefaqs.com
http://www.crosswinds.net/~gameguides/
If you have found this anywhere else, please contact me, to initiate the
wrath of Nimo. It¹s not a pretty sight.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1.0 FAQ Updates and History
1.1 Introduction
2.0 Explanation of Master League points system
2.1 Hints on the Default Team
3.0 Explanation of key used
3.1 The Best cheap players
3.2 The Best Players in each position
4.0 Master Class in the Art of WE5
4.1 Control
4.2 Attacking
4.3 Defending
4.4 Player condition
5.0 Correct order for hidden players
6.0 Special Thanks
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1.0 FAQ REVISION HISTORY
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Version 1.0 released on September 27.
Version 1.1 released on September 28. Corrections made to spelling and
authorship. Extra information on the points system is added.
Version 1.2 released on September 30. Further minor corrections made.
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1.1 INTRODUCTION TO WE5 Master League FAQ
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After having trawled the net for hours, I realised that there is very
little, in English at least, about the finer points of the best game on the
planet (bar perhaps Miyamoto's creations). I was especially interested in
the Master league, and realised that buying very cheap but good players was
the key to success in the early stages of the game. I therefore decided to
make a list of the best bargains in the game, for the benefit of WE5 players
world wide!
If you need a FAQ covering the translation and basic principles of the game,
look no further than the fantastic FAQ by TPuha (at www.gamefaqs.com),
without whom this FAQ would not have been written.
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2.0 Explanation of Master League points system
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There are two points systems in the master league, one for league position
(where you get 3 pts for a win, 2 for a draw and none for a loss) and one
for points to buy players, which I will call Money Points (MP), as they act
as ³money² for buying and paying players. For the Money points, you get 6 MP
for a win and 3 for a draw in division two, and 10 MP for a win and 5 MP for
a draw in division one, so the sooner you get up there the better. You also
get one extra MP for every goal scored, a real bonus for attacking play, as
points are not deducted for goals conceded. This means that you can get as
many MP for a high scoring draw as for a low scoring win. Also remember that
you only need to be in the top four of the second division at the end of the
season to be promoted, so concentrate on building MP with goal-less draws if
you are having problems affording new players, trying to grab the odd goal
from set-plays and on the break.
You can keep track of your MP status on the player transfer screen, the
option with the little man and two arrows. If you them select the Team
Arrangement option (a clip-board with two arrows) you will see three numbers
at the top of the screen:
White No. Amount of MP you have now
Yellow No. Amount your team would cost to build from scratch
Blue No. Amount you will have to pay in wages at the end of the season
While it's nice to build up an all-star team, remember to watch out for the
player's wages- they are the numbers that are next to the transfer fee,
added up as the blue number on the Team Arrangement screen. I went broke
once, due to astronomical wage demands, and it's game over (I had Pele,
Cryff and Maradonna in the team;))!
You get 120 MP for winning the First division, so try to use that as a guide
to the total wages you can have, and try to get the bonuses (20 MP each) for
having the highest scorer and highest assists in a season. This means
sticking with a consistent striker/provider partnership, such as Hadji and
Mboma. Otherwise, keep some points back until the end of the season to cover
the shortfall. Keeping the team strong within a budget can become a fun
sub-game in itself, as you search or players with the best value for money.
A good way of increasing your number of assists is to keep the same player
for all dead-ball situations, corners, free kicks, as, over a season, quite
a number of those go in. Also, consider buying the player just before the
end of the season who is winning the Assist Ranking table, as you will be
getting a good player for a knock down price: e.g. Effenburg has a 5 assist
lead in the Assist Ranking (he often does!), and costs 31 MP, so, as you
will be winning the assist bonus, you will be getting him for 11 MP! Not
bad, huh?
From: laputa01
Did anyone know what the colour coding in the Master League Transfer Market
meant?
If the players price is
RED= 1st Division Player
BLUE= 2nd Division Player
WHITE= Free Agent
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2.1 Hints on the Default Team
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Before you play your first game, be sure to rearrange the default players on
the player transfer screen into the strongest possible team: For example,
the reserve goalie has better stats than the first team one. I believe that
the default formation is perfect with a weak team, as the three tall CB's
make quite a sturdy wall, and 4-4-2 is only strong once you have two
excellent CB's and a good DH, such as Roy Keane. Attacking on the break is
key in the early stages of the Master League, so be prepared to defend hard
until the opportunity arises to counter attack.
If you feel it is necessary, you can also buy one key player with the
starting money, 20 MP. Personally, I would either buy Nakata (18/3)
immediately, a great OH with good passing accuracy, or wait one game and buy
Mbo Mpenza (24/5), a pure striker with very good stats for shooting and
heading the ball. Below, I have compiled a list of solid cheap players to
help strengthen your squad in the early stages, but it can also be used to
add depth to a squad once you have a few players with high wage demands,
such as Batistuta or Ronaldo!
Remember that, with weak strikers, placement is all important, as they have
no power, and a shot from range will probably go way wide anyway- better to
stick to less than half power shots to roll past the keepers hands, or go
for the aerial attack.
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3.0 Explanation of key used
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In these two lists, the numbers are player number, buying price, "wage"(what
you pay for them at the end of each season)and average statistic score e.g.:
Name Player number, Price/Wage, Team, Position, Average, Comments
Definition of terms:
FW FORWARD (PURE ATTACKER) Michael Owen
WG WINGER (ATTACKER ON THE BYLINE) Ryan Giggs
OH OFFENSIVE HALF (ATTACKING MIDFIELDER) Zidane
SH SIDE HALF (CROSS-SUPPLYING MIDFIELDER) Beckham
DH DEFENSIVE HALF (DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER) Roy Keane
SB SIDE BACK (DEFENDER THAT RUNS UP THE WINGS) R. Carlos
CB CENTRE BACK (CENTRAL DEFENDER) Jaap Stam
GK GOALKEEPER (a.k.a The Wall) Fabian Barthez
Many players are suitable for several positions- some are even better suited
to positions that are not assigned to them! The key is to read their stats
carefully and experiment.
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3.1 The Best cheap players
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Cheap CF
Neeskens #9 20/3 Classic NDL CF/OH/DF 16.64 good FK/ V. cheap!
Silmaen #21 23/5 Tunisia CF 16.55
Ljunberg #9 24/5 Sweden OH/SH/CF 16.50
Bassir #14 24/5 Morocco CF 16.68
Mbo Mpenza #21 24/4 Belgium CF/OH/SH 16.27 a pure striker
Tomassen #9 24/5 Denmark CF/OH 16.27
Michael Hughes #20 26/6 N. Ireland OH/SH 16.32 Good stats for CF
Babangida #13 27/6 Nigeria WG 16.64 Very fast!Use as CF too
Di Canio #10 28/7 West Ham CF/OH 16.55
Henrik Larsson #10 28/7 Sweden. OH/CF 17.00 a great choice
Claudio Pizarro #9 28/7 Peru CF 16.45
Zenden #5 28/7 Netherlands WG/SH 16.59
Dark Kovacevic #18 30/7 Yugoslavia CF 16.50 v.tall, great header
Hernandez #15 30/7 Mexico CF 16.77
Signori #NA 30/7 EXTRA CF 16.82
Angel #9 30/7 Colombia CF 16.59
Cheap OH
Nataka #7 18/3 Japan subs OH/DH 17.00 A must-great DH too
Balaban #20 20/3 Croatia CF 15.77 a CF but better in OH
Whitmore #11 22/4 Jamaica OH/SH 16.64
Roberto Acuna #10 23/5 Paraguay OH/DH 16.59
Beya #8 24/5 Tunisia OH/SH 16.68
Jorgensen #20 25/6 Denmark OH/SH 16.64 Great Technique
Palacios #10 26/6 Peru OH 16.59
Herzog #10 27/6 Austria OH 16.68
Tsartas #10 27/6 Greece OH/CF 16.68
Jugovic #21 27/6 Yugoslavia OH 16.73
David Pizarro #8 27/6 Chile OH 16.55
Bagheri #6 28/7 Iran OH/DH 16.77
Hadji #7 30/7 Morocco OH/SH 17.05
Djan Stankovic #10 30/7 Yugoslavia OH/SH 16.77
Cheap SH
Nakamura #14 18/3 Japan OH/SH 16.50 V.good FK and Cross
Ramon Ramirez #7 24/5 Mexico SH/SB 16.64 Very fast
Mahadavikia #2 24/5 Iran SH/WG 16.59
Tarnat #18 24/5 B.Munich SH/OH 16.59
Kily Gonzalez #18 24/5 Argentina SH 16.41
Solano #7 26/6 Peru OH/SH/DH 16.77
Finidi #7 26/6 Nigeria SH 16.59
Stanic #7 26/6 Croatia SH/CF 16.55
Dyer #15 27/6 England SH/SB 16.59
Mendieta #8 27/7 Spain SH/SB/DH 16.55
Salihamidzic #20 28/7 B.Munich SH/OH 16.64
Nedved #4 30/7 Czech.Rep SH/DH/OH 16.77
Cheap DH
Nanami #10 18/3 Japan DH/OH 16.50
Chippo #17 18/3 Morocco DH/SH 16.27
Viveros #4 22/4 Columbia DH/SH 16.45
Dabo #12 22/4 Monaco DH/SB 16.09
Biscan #16 23/5 Croatia DH/CB/OH 16.45
Gerrard #21 23/5 England DH/SH 16.14
Oliseh #15 24/5 Nigeria DH 16.50
Petit #17 27/6 France DH/SH 16.50
Di Francesco #7 27/6 Roma DH/OH/SH 16.55
Deschamps #4 27/6 Valencia DH 16.50
Jeremies #16 30/7 B.Munich DH 16.55
Cocu #7 30/7 Netherlands DH/OH/SH 16.55
Cheap SB
Ahned Al Doukhi #12 18/3 S.Arabia SB/SH 16.09 Very fast & cheap
Nenem #2 19/3 Palmieras SB/SH 16.32
Ashley Cole #29 20/3 Arsenal SB 15.73
Ibarra #4 22/4 Boca Junior SB 16.32
Babayaro #3 22/4 Nigeria SB 16.14
Arce #2 24/5 Paraguay SB/SH 16.73
Junior #19 27/6 Brazil SB/SH 16.36
Panucci #2 28/7 Chelsea SB/SH 16.59
Cheap CB
Hofland #29 18/3 Eindhoven CB 15.18
Pensse Billong #16 19/3 Cameroon CB 15.55 a must in CB
Onopko #7 20/3 Russia CB 15.55
Stimac #5 20/3 Croatia CB 15.73
Taggard #4 21/4 N.Ireland CB 15.77
Biscan #16 23/5 Croatia DH/CB/OH 16.45 Great solid player
Hyppia #4 24/5 Finland CB 15.91
Ferdinand #20 24/5 England CB/SB 16.05
Ayala #5 24/5 Paraguay CB/SB 15.91
Igor Tudor #15 26/6 Croatia CB/DH 16.00 great header
Paulo Montero #4. 30/7 Uraguay CB 16.18
CheapGK
Roy Caroll #1 12/1 N.Ireland GK 14.41 cheap/tall/consistent
Westerwelt #22 20/3 Netherlands GK 14.77 has GK special ability
Pletikosa #1 20/3 Croatia GK 14.73 has GK special ability
Kiraly #1 22/4 Hungary GK 15.00
Songo'o #22 22/4 Cameroon GK 15.32
Al Deayea #1 22/4 S.Arabia GK 15.50
F. Carini #1 24/5 Uraguay GK 15.14 v.good GK skills
Kahn #1 24/5 Germany GK/DH 15.00
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3.2 The Best Players in each position- slightly subjective opinions!
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Best CF
Patrick Mboma #10 34/9 Cameroon CF/DH 16.86
Salas #11 38/11 Chile CF 17.14
Van Nistelrooy #8 38/11 Eindhoven CF 16.64 great header
Javier Saviola #7 41/12 River Plate CF 16.73 cause he's very fast
A. Shevchenko #7 48/16 Ukraine CF/OH/WG 17.09 fast and accurate
M. Owen #18 56/20 England CF 16.77 Great dribber
Batistuta #9 57/21 Argentina CF 17.14
Ronaldo #9 61/23 Inter Milan CF 16.73 fast accurate striker
WG
Babangida #13 27/6 Nigeria WG 16.64 Very fast! Use as CF
too
Ryan Giggs #11 41/12 Wales WG/OH/CF 17.14 Excellent all round
Best OHs
Rui Costa #10 44/14 Portugal OH/SH 17.18 strong, fast,accurate
Juan Veron #11 44/14 Argentina OH/DH 17.05
Figo #7 48/16 Portugal OH/SH/WG 17.05
Zidane #10 54/19 France OH 17.14
Best SHs:
Ginola #NA 35/10 EXTRA SH/OH/WG 16.81 I just think he's cool
Giresse #12 41/12 EuroClassic SH/OH 17.14
Ryan Giggs #11 41/12 Wales WG/OH/CF 17.14 Left sided player
Roberto Carlos #6 43/13 Brazil SB/SH 17.41 Try him! He's so fast!
David Beckham #7 57/21 England SH/OH 17.00 Great passing
Best DH
Effenburg #11 33/9 B.Munich DH/OH 16.68
Roy Keane #6 35/10 Ireland DH 16.73
Edgar Davids #8 44/14 Netherlands DH/OH 17.14 great shot power
Best SB
Roberto Carlos #6 43/13 Brazil SB/SH 17.41 Try him! He's so fast!
Best CBs
Igor Tudor #15 26/6 Croatia CB/DH 16.00 great header
Jaap Stam #3 35/10 Netherlands CB 15.77
Rijkaard #17 35/10 NDL Classic CB/LIB/DH16.68
Desailly #8 33/9 France CB/DH 15.82
Beckenbauer #4 54/19 Classic Ger LIB/DH 17.27
Maldini #4 34/9 Italy SB/CB/SH 16.55 see how tough he is!
Nesta #6 31/8 Italy CB 16.18 Controls def. line
Fabio Cannavaro #5 30/7 Italy CB 16.18 Can Pass cut well
Thuram #15 33/9 France SB/CB 16.64
Best GK
F. Carini #1 24/5 Uraguay GK 15.14 v.good GK skills
Kahn #1 24/5 Germany GK/DH 15.00
Peter Schmeichel#1 33/9 Denmark GK 15.14
Chilavert #1 35/10 Paraguay GK 16.64
Best Free-Kickers
Beckham
Giresse
Maradona
Mihailovic
Platini
Veron
Zola
Roberto Carlos
Nakamura
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4.1 Control
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1) Use the digital control for movement (the D-pad)
The fundamental bug in the game seems to be that the analogue stick does not
work to direct shots when playing on a horizontal axis (bizarrely, they do
seem to when playing the game vertically!). As most players, like me, seem
to prefer the side-on view, it is then imperative that you use the digital
control pad. When I switched from one to the other, it was a revelation, as
suddenly I could do an Owen, sliding it past the goalie into the opposite
side netting! I cannot state this enough- USE THE D-PAD!!!
2) Don't run
Try not to run (the L1 button) at all, unless in plenty of space, such as
running down the wings or past the last defender. At all other times it
leads to instant dispossession.
3) Play a possession game
Short, accurate passing to players in space is the key, especially at the
highest level: If the opponent doesn't have the ball, he can't score. This
also gives many opportunities for opening up play, giving yourself space to
cross or play the decisive through ball, or even go for a long range shot if
near the box.
From: DanBhoy
When you select a competition, no matter what it is, you will always be
asked to select a side, by pressing the joypad left or right. There is a
button next to the side you have selected, it will either be yellow with an
"M", or green with a "S" in it. The "M" is manual, while the "S" is
semi-automatic. It can be changed by pressing square, I think.
When you attempt a longer pass, you have to hold down the X button to make
the player come to the ball. Otherwise the defenders intercept it every
time!
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4.2 Attacking
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From:laputa01
Pass the ball around to create the spaces outside the 'D'. The defenders get
drawn away very easily. When the moment comes (a gap in the defence that is)
BOOM. You'll need players with good accuracy for this one, players such as
Ginola, Hadji, Stanic, Nakata, Bagheri etc. I usually have 2 'OH' for this
to work effectively.
Also-anyone notice any bugs in the game?
I think i have: When the CPU team takes a defensive 'Throw in', if you close
them off they will always whack the ball out of play, giving you an
offensive advantage out of nothing. The "bug" - only occurs when the throw
in is near the opponents penalty area.
From: Ace13th
It's easy to score with shots just outside the penalty area and very low
crossings are quite effective, too (double or triple tap the circle button).
From: wolverine7
I like playing an attacking formation, so the ideal attacking formation for
me is the 4-3-3 A with 1 DH and 2 OH. And if I have problems in defence from
this system, I give my 4 Defenders and my 1 DH a defensive attitude (you
know with the arrow). So I have 4 very defensive players, 1 DH who plays for
the defence, 2 play makers and 3 forwards and so I consider this formation
the most balanced and the most suitable for me. Especially if you have fast
RW and LW, it is an excellent formation!
From: soup27
I play 3-4-3 using Batistuta, Bierhoff and Ronaldo as CF. I like to attack
from the side using the SH to cross, that will give me around 3 CF in the
box waiting for the ball.
From: Nimo
My favourite attack method is quick passing play, feeding the ball to a
striker to draw defenders out, then knocking a sly through ball to the SH
going up the wing into space, often on a virtual off-side position, giving
plenty of time to cross, or better still, working into the side of the box
to cross or double tap cross from short range, or even go for a direct shot.
Also, the through ball can go to a striker in space, for a cute dink past
the goalie! Marbelous, suupa, be-ut-i-fol goal!
>From GMT8
A few general points:
1) Flank attacks: the method of attacking the flanks and crossing for big CF
to score headers is probably the most mechanical and easiest to implement in
this game. One thing that can help is cross-field pass. Switching your
attack from between flanks can frequently open up space, even against a back
four which has more width than a back three. I usually play the cross-field
ball at SB positions.
2) Note the formation of the opponent and see if there may be weakness. For
example, against a 3-*-* formation, the flanks are usually very easy to
exploit. Up against a team with only 1 DH, there may be more space near the
box for you to shoot.
3) Movements off the ball: Compared with flank attacks, setting up a chance
inside the box by going through the middle tends to be more difficult and
less mechanical. Creating appropriate movements off the ball definitely
helps. You can add movements by (i) the 1-2 move (L1+X) (ii) use a strategy
to change formation (iii) use a strategy to "change sides" (iv) your players
can swap positions, e.g., when you bring your CF to the OH position, the OH
may make a run forward to fill the CF position. For (ii) & (iii), I find it
difficult to trigger the strategy at the right time in the R2+button mode.
So, I'm forced to keep it simple and just choose 1 strategy to trigger with
L2. Of course, the difficult part is to make the appropriate movements at
the right time. I haven't mastered this art yet but I've seen enough to know
this method has good potential and above all (IMHO), make the game more
interesting.
From: GottZero
The best tactic is 3-4-3 with two OH and DH, this tactic is good to play
against the PSX2 but if you are playing against a friend I recommend the
3-6-1 making an ultra passing team.
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4.3 Defending
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At first I found that it is easier to play a 3-5-2 tactic, with two DH's to
bolster the defense. Here are more advanced tactics, mostly courtesy of GMT
8. Thanks geezer :).
1) Avoid challenging for the ball rashly. Try not to commit too early, and
hold the back line.
2) If possible, try to bring midfielders back to challenge for the ball
instead of bringing out a defender to do it (especially when the CPU is
attacking through the centre). This leaves the defenders in a position to
cover should you fail to get the ball. To do this effectively, player
selection needs to be manual instead of semi-auto.
3) Use 2 defensive midfielders to reduce space around the penalty box.
4) I know many people prefer a back three (3 CB's). But I think that only
works if your opponent does not exploit the flanks too much. A back four has
the width needed to combat that. Purchase tall central defenders (CB's) to
beat those long balls, in between 188-190cm+.
5) My formation is usually something like 4-2-3-1, and this brings me to
another point. In this game, players assigned as forwards tend to stand far
up the pitch waiting for the ball when you're defending in your own half.
Players designated as midfielders, even if you edit their position and push
them higher up-field, will come back to defend more. That's one reason why
I'd rather push the midfielders further up and only keep one out-and-out
striker. If you feel there may not be enough players in opponent's penalty
box in attack, then set a strategy so that you can change to a formation
(eg. 4-4-2B) with more strikers on-the-fly.
6) The pushed-up SH's in 4-2-3-1 have another advantage in their
positioning. When you have possession, they tend to be somewhere between
opponent's SH's and SB's and don't get properly marked. It's quite easy to
pass the ball to them (may be via your own SB's). One important thing for
defending is when you get the ball you should have a reliable way to channel
the ball out of your own half and to a team-mate. Those SH's will serve this
purpose well.
However, I do feel that if the CPU really decides to dribble past you, there
isn't too much you can do because the CPU always knows what buttons you have
pressed and can do exactly the right moves to get past your players.
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4.4 Player condition
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From: laputa01
Was anyone aware of what the forms mean?
If not ....read on!!
Red Arrow (UP)
Balance +2
Stamina +2
Acceleration +1
Accuracy +1
Response +1
Orange Arrow (Diagonal UP)
Balance +1
Stamina +1
Acceleration 0
Accuracy +1
Response +0
Green Arrow (Horizontal)
Balance +0
Stamina +0
Acceleration +0
Accuracy +0
Response +0
Blue Arrow (Diagonal DOWN)
Balance +0
Stamina -1
Acceleration -2
Accuracy -2
Response -1
Grey Arrow (Down)
Balance +0
Stamina -2
Acceleration -3
Accuracy -3
Response -3
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5.0 Correct order for hidden players
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Here's the sequence of all 33 hidden players you gain from beating the
Master League three times, as the sequence in the impeccable Roster FAQ is
slightly wrong in regards to the order that they are placed in the Name Edit
menu. Also, if you play the final game in Division One, see the celebration,
quit, then play the final game another three times, then all the players
will be unlocked and instantly selectable!
Pagliuca, Illgner, Taffarel, Raveli, Preud'Homme
Sol Campbell, G. Popescu, Matthaus, Ince
P. Sousa, Dunga, Ginola, Savicevic, Hagi
Stojkovic, Gascoigne, Valderrama, Rai
Scifo, M. Laudrup, Ventola, R. Baggio, Cassano
Signori, Jardel, Denilson, Stoichkov, Asprilla
Vialli, Schillaci, Mancini, Papin, Klinsmann
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6.0 SPECIAL THANKS
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Thanks to all of you on the gamefaq's WE5 board, all true fans of my
favourite game. If there's anyone I have missed out, I'm sorry, just e-mail
me and I'll put you into the next version- any help or comments would be
greatly appreciated!
Nikaka Goooaaal!!!
laputa01 player advice+ small defensive tips & player form & attacking play
Ace13th much cool info and dedication to football statistics.
soup27 Cheap player advice
GMT 8 excellent defensive/attacking/formation master classes
Mckit good ML purchasing advice
Smashy submitted favourite players+ formation advice
GottZero For formation advice
DanBhoy For control advice- BTW Henrik Larsson Rules as OH!
