Highlights

• Football Manager almost caused a real-life divorce for Andros Townsend when his partner saw a screenshot of a fine from the game and thought it was real.
• Townsend was actually involved in a touchline argument with his club's fitness coach at the time and had fallen out of favor with the manager.
• Townsend has since moved to different clubs, including Newcastle and Crystal Palace, and is currently playing for Luton in the Premier League.

Football Manager has been cited as a reason behind divorces down the years. Usually, one person in the relationship gets far too addicted to the popular video game that their partner gets fed up and leaves. However, the game almost caused a divorce for an entirely different reason involving footballer Andros Townsend.

If you haven’t heard this story before, you’re in for an absolute treat. The winger was at Tottenham when he received a message asking why he’s been fined for not showing up to training. He soon worked out that she had seen a screenshot from Football Manager.

Townsend appeared on talkSPORT to tell the story. “I get a text from her one day and I receive a screenshot from Twitter,” he said. “As you do, she was searching my name on Twitter and a fine came up – Andros Townsend accepts his fine for reporting late to training. So her mind is going off; if he wasn’t at training and he wasn’t at home then where was he? It could have been a real sticky one! But she’s messaged me and it turns out the screen grab is from the popular video game Football Manager.

“Someone’s obviously posted in on Twitter having a laugh on Football Manager and she’s thought it was real!”

Back in 2015, Townsend posted the conversation with his partner, Hazel O'Sullivan, which told the whole story.

Hazel: "When did you get fined for not showing up to training".

Hazel: "Just saw on Twitter".

Andros: "Huh?’"

Andros: "I got fined?’"

Andros: "Show me".

*Hazel attaches the Football Manager screenshot*

Hazel: "???’"

Hazel: "Maybe it’s a joke is it?’"

Andros: "Hahahahaha are you joking??’"

Hazel: "I dunno??"

Absolutely brilliant.

What happened to Andros Townsend

Back in September 2015, Townsend was at Tottenham but had fallen out of favour under new manager, Mauricio Pochettino. And a couple of months after his partner thought he had missed training, Towsend was actually involved in a touchline argument with the club's fitness coach. He hadn't started a league game during the 2015/16 campaign and was clearly frustrated. But Townsend was dropped from the squad but later returned after apologising to Pochettino. He didn't make another first-team appearance for Spurs, though.

In January, he moved to Newcastle in a deal worth a reported £12 million but inadvertenly announced the deal himself the day before. On Twitter, he wrote: "As soon as I knew of Newcastle's interest they were the only club I wanted to join...Two of the best positions you can play in football are centre-forward and left wing at Newcastle. I've got the chance. I could never turn that down. I can't wait to play my first game at St James' Park." Townsend signed a five-and-a-half year deal at the club but would only last six months as he couldn't prevent the Magpies from being relegation to the Championship. Townsend scored four goals in 13 appearances before a £13 million move to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2016.

Townsend spent five seasons at Selhurst Park, scoring 16 goals in 185 appearances. In his first three seasons, he missed just four Premier League matches. He played in all 38 games during the 2018/19 season. The following campaign, he scored an incredible 30-yard volley in a 3–2 win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. It was voted the Premier League Goal of the Month for December and Premier League Goal of the Season, as well as making the shortlist for the 2019 FIFA Puskás Award.

When his Palace contract expired after five years, Townsend signed for Everton on a two-year deal in 2021. But he would play his final game for the club in March 2022 when was forced off the pitch in the 16th minute in the FA Cup quarter final against Crystal Palace. Everton lost 4-0 and it was later revealed that Townsend had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury. He missed the remainder of the 2021/22 season and the entire 2022/23 campaign, leaving Everton having not played for 18 months.

In the summer of 2023, Townsend was a free agent and had trials at newly promoted Burnley. After verbally agreeing a deal, Burnley withdrew their offer leaving Townsend devastated. "It was probably one of the toughest conversations I've had in my career," he said.

"If I was bad and knew I wasn't going to get a contract I could prepare myself. But to be looking at houses, looking at schools, talking about squad numbers and then to be told the contract is no longer on offer, it rocked my world. I argued my point, put my case forward. That I offer something different, that I'm comfortable being a squad player and good around the squad even when not playing.

"But now after watching Burnley's first five games, I understand. With Luca Koleosho and Zeki Amdouni, these young players they have brought in. Burnley are a club that like sellable assets, so begrudgingly I understand why he [Kompany] made that decision not to block their pathway by signing a 32-year-old."

But in October 2023, Townsend signed a short-term deal with Premier League side Luton, that will expire in January 2024.