A Football Manager mix-up turned this French defender into an unlikely Bolivian superstar

Montpellier defender Ruben Aguilar was mistakenly listed as a Bolivian national in the latest version of Football Manager, which resulted in him becoming something of a celebrity

Aguilar in action for Montpellier against Monaco (Getty)

Montpellier’s French right back Ruben Aguilar has become a surprise sensation in Bolivia – and all because of an error on the latest version of Football Manager.

Aguilar, who signed for Montpellier from AJ Auxerre at the beginning of the season, was mistakenly listed as having a Bolivian relation in the popular football management sim, leading to him becoming something of a celebrity in the South American country.

And after his impressive performance in Montpellier’s impressive draw with Paris Saint-Germain – the first time PSG have dropped points this season – Bolivian news channels began running features on how well Aguilar had played and whether he was eligible to play for the national team.

It didn’t take long for the Bolivian FA to sit up and take notice, with Aguilar revealing in a recent interview that the national team had contacted him enquiring into whether he would consider representing the nation.

“Bolivia has contacted me. But it’s a very strange situation,” he told Goal.

“I think basically it all starts from the game Football Manager. They had listed my nationality as Bolivian as well as French and I began receiving messages from Bolivian fans after my matches. And after the PSG game these multiplied by a hundred.

“Apparently I was on Bolivian television a lot and I received a lot of requests to play for them. Eventually I was forced to make a statement on my page to explain that I was not Bolovian, and so I was not available for selection. I am French by my mother and Spanish by my father.”

Bolivia could certainly make use of Aguilar’s services – the nation sit in ninth place in the South American World Cup qualification standings, having last qualified for the tournament in 1994.