The Big Names Missing From Football Manager 26

There are some big names missing from Football Manager 26 after the latest update. Familiar players you’d expect to find are suddenly nowhere to be seen in the database. So who’s gone, and what’s actually behind it?

(All info from the guys at efem.club, who run an incredible Football Manager database.)

 

James Rodriguez

The name’s Bond… James Rodríguez. His absence from FM26 looks far more like a quirk of the winter update than anything happening in real life. His deal with Club León ended at the close of the 2025 season, leaving him unattached heading into January. Minnesota United then signed him on 6 February 2026 on a short-term deal with an option to extend.

The key detail sits in FM’s own 26.2 update notes. Certain licensed leagues that run on a calendar-year basis are only updated up to the end of 2025, meaning transfers completed in 2026 aren’t fully reflected. Rodríguez moved clubs right in that gap. The result? He’s effectively fallen between two database snapshots. No longer at León, but not properly carried over to Minnesota.

 

Fernandinho

This one is far more straightforward. Premier League legend Fernandinho has officially retired from professional football.

The former Manchester City captain confirmed his decision in November 2025 at the age of 40, having been without a club since his contract with Athletico Paranaense expired at the end of 2024. His last competitive appearance came nearly a year before that announcement, so by the time the winter update dropped, he was no longer active in any real sense.

 

Héctor Herrera

Héctor Herrera’s disappearance looks like another timing issue rather than anything more significant. He left Toluca at the start of January 2026 after his contract expired, briefly becoming a free agent, before rejoining Houston Dynamo on 14 January on a deal running through the 2026 season.

The most likely explanation is simple: the database locked while he was in that in-between period.

 

Rafinha

The former Barcelona and PSG midfielder officially retired from professional football on 22 December 2025, bringing his career to an early end at just 32.

In his retirement statement, Rafinha pointed to a serious knee injury suffered more than a year earlier, which left him unable to compete at the level he expected of himself. That ultimately forced the decision.

 

Kevin Kampl

Kevin Kampl’s situation is tragically less about football and more about life outside it.

In January 2026, the 35-year-old mutually terminated his contract with RB Leipzig after barely featuring this season, citing personal reasons. He has since stepped away from the professional game, with no club and no immediate return expected. The decision has been shaped by serious off-pitch circumstances, including the death of his brother and ongoing family issues, leading him to prioritise time at home. Thoughts are with him and his family.

 

Simon Banza, Mohamed Elneny & Nemanja Maksimović

This is where things stop making sense.

Mohamed Elneny and Simon Banza are both actively playing for Al Jazira in the UAE Pro League during the 2025/26 season. That alone makes their omission odd. However, the UAE Pro League is also fully licensed in FM26, which removes the usual explanation.

Nemanja Maksimović falls into a similar category. He signed for Shabab Al Ahli from Panathinaikos on 18 August 2025 and has been a regular presence for them throughout the 2025/26 campaign.

There isn’t a neat real-world reason here. The most likely explanation isn’t anything player-specific, but a broader database issue affecting players in that league. Still, for three active internationals to be missing at once, it’s a bit weird and I must be missing something

 

Facundo Torres

Facundo Torres is another case that doesn’t neatly fit the usual patterns.

He remains fully active, having left Palmeiras in January 2026 to join Austin FC on a long-term Designated Player deal running through the 2029/30 season. The move was officially announced on 23 January 2026 and positioned as a major signing. It followed a strong 2025 campaign in Brazil, where he recorded 10 goals and six assists.

Again, the most plausible explanation is timing. A transfer between Brazil and MLS, completed close to the data lock, appears to have left him in limbo.

 

Andrés Guardado

Andrés Guardado has officially called time on his career, although it wasn’t entirely straightforward.

He initially announced his intention to retire at the end of Club León’s season, briefly reversed that decision in early 2025 in an attempt to feature at the FIFA Club World Cup, and then ultimately followed through after León’s Clausura campaign concluded.

 

Conclusion

There’s no single explanation tying all of this together.

Some players are gone because they’ve retired. Others have been caught mid-transfer at the worst possible time. And a handful… particularly those in the UAE… don’t have a clear reason at all, which points to database inconsistencies rather than real-world logic.

It does double as a strange roll call of names you haven’t thought about in a while. The kind you end up bringing up with your mates when trying to remember old players. Beyond James Rodríguez and Fernandinho, though, most of these aren’t exactly long-term headline names.

 

Check out our Feature Articles section for more FM26 Updates and Tips.