World-class players and Sir Alex Ferguson are often credited as the main reasons for Manchester United’s stellar success in the 2000s.
However, there here was an unexpected secret weapon from the Old Trafford crew: the PlayStation Portable (PSP).
Former United goalkeeper Ben Foster revealed on his Fozcast podcast: “We always used to play a game at Man United on the PSP called SOCOM — an old-school Call of Duty. We used to spend hours on this game.
“I actually still say part of us winning and our culture was down to that game. We were all together in it, like hating each other at times and arguing, people throwing PSPs, it was unbelievable.”
SOCOM, officially titled SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo, became a cult favourite among United’s younger players during away trips and training camps.
Foster, Rio Ferdinand (aka ‘Brrrap’), and Rooney (nicknamed ‘Jack Bauer’) and Ronaldo were regulars, often strategising their in-game roles before kick-off.
Speaking on the club website, as quoted by The Athletic ex-United defender Wes Brown, said: “People were probably wondering what was going on when they were seeing Vida (Nemanja Vidic) and Sheasy (John O’Shea, or ‘Cobra’) pulling out imaginary rocket launchers after they’d scored goals in important games in the Champions League.
“But it was just our little in-joke, our way of having a laugh about the stuff we’d been doing together.
The obsession spilled over into international duty, as Brown added: “We even took it to England with us and all the Chelsea lads would be playing it.
“We used to play United versus Chelsea on SOCOM, and come on, who do you think won those? Let’s put it this way: many a Chelsea PSP was broken in frustration.”
Fast-forward to today, the gaming industry has grown exponentially, especially with titles like EA Sports FC dominating the market.
Gadgets like the POGA — a suitcase with a built-in console and monitor — let players game anywhere.
Stars like Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and Mohamed Salah have all been spotted using them, with many seen carrying one in England’s arrivals videos on YouTube.
But some managers, including Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti, warn of gaming’s risks with one of his players said to have stayed up all night playing games.
Whilst the player wasn’t named, he dropped ex-West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca in March and local newspaper Corriere Bergamo described him as a ‘PlayStation fanatic’.
Pre-POGA days, England’s FA even set up a console room during the 2018 World Cup so players could bring their devices whilst on the move.
Players had Fortnite competitions, fostering a team spirit that helped them reach the semi-final for the first time in 28 years.
For United, the golden generation found their own formula for success — and it just happened to involve a few broken PSPs along the way.
