'Getting Altrincham to the Champions League!' - Ryder Cup star Matt Fitzpatrick reveals love of Football Manager as golfing sensation admits he's 'not a very good' coach

Piecing the right team together is vital for any manager or captain, with Luke Donald hoping that he has assembled another successful Team Europe at Bethpage Black. Fitzpatrick forms part of that squad, at what is his fourth Ryder Cup and third on American soil. He will be desperate to improve what is a rather disappointing record.

Fitzpatrick has only picked up one point across his Ryder Cup appearances to date, although that did help Europe to victory at Marco Simeone on the outskirts of Rome in 2023. The 31-year-old will not want any distractions while on Long Island, but football is never far from his thoughts.

That includes coaching simulators, with Fitzpatrick telling Team Europe’s official media team when asked to pick out his greatest achievement on Football Manager: "Oh god. Let me get the list out… nah, I’m kidding. It was a long time ago but, yeah, getting Altrincham to the Champions League. I think that was a big one."

Pressed on what kind of manager he is, with it difficult to see the softly-spoken 2022 US Open winner losing his temper: "Not a very good one, to be honest. I’m good at transfers but outside of that it’s not my bag, managing a team is actually not my speciality."

Quizzed on whether he will be joining the clamour to get Football Manager 26 when the latest release from Sports Interactive drops on November 4: "Yes, definitely, 100 per cent. My wife will not be happy. I only kind of got into it at the end of last year really, as I was getting married, so as you can imagine, again, my wife was delighted."

Yorkshire native Fitzpatrick is a big Sheffield United fan and watches the Blades whenever he can. While he is an elite golfer, with a major title to his name, football has always been a big passion in his life. He has previously told BBC Sport: "People think its a joke but I love football way more than golf. I'm obsessed with football. It's brilliant for me. I love supporting Sheffield United, over here in the States they show every game I could wish to see, which is amazing."

Fitzpatrick has spoken to some of the finest brains in football about transferable skills that could be taken into his golf game. He added, having visited the performance team at Liverpool and spent time at Brentford: "How they use data, how culture is so important. Just fascinating. Finding little things that maybe we could take into golf - I feel like we've taken a lot from it."

The plan is to enjoy many more years at the top of world golf, but Fitzpatrick is not ruling out a future in football - as he chases his first boyhood dream. He said when asked about a sporting crossover: "I don't know when I'll ever get time to do this, but I'd love to work in football if the opportunity ever arose in some way, shape or form. That's extremely wishful thinking, but I just find it so interesting to be part of. I love reading about it and everything about it."

Fitzpatrick will be hugely disappointed with Sheffield United’s start to the 2025-26 campaign, as they sit bottom of the Championship table with no points to their name. Few saw a run of six straight defeats coming, with club legend Chris Wilder back at the helm for a third spell as manager. The Blades will be back in action on Saturday - as Fitzpatrick pushes for Ryder Cup glory - when taking in a trip to Oxford United.