Merseyside Red, Man Blue and Rekordmeister are all memorable mentions for previous fake team names on PES and Pro Evo due to naming rights
In honour of Juventus being named Piemonte Calcio in FIFA 20 due to the end of the partnership between the Serie A champions and EA Sports, we've rounded up some of the best fake football team names in Pro Evolution Soccer.
Licensing deals and sponsorships mean that gaming platforms do not get naming rights for the team, forcing them to think of a different, alternate name – and some of the results are amusing, while the rest just hilariously unimaginative.
GettyDublin | Aston Villa
With a name like "Dublin" in PES 2, you'd rightly think that it would be the name given to an Irish team. But no – it was, in fact, Aston Villa who were christened with such a moniker, most likely after their striker Dion Dublin.
Konami seemed to have realised how silly it was naming a football club after a player, however, so in latter PES editions, Aston Villa were given names such as West Midlands Village.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRekordmeister | Bayern
PES' relationship with Bayern Munich has certainly been a trying one, with the German side having been given a number of nicknames – and at one point being removed from the game entirely. One of the most famous names, however, was "Rekordmeister", which means "The Record Champions".
It was a no-hassle name given to the German giants, though a new partnership with the Bundesliga winners and PES 2020 was recently announced.
GettyLake District | West Ham
When you think of Lake District, you'd think of the mountainous region in North West England that is home to… a whole lot of lakes, and not West Ham United.
West Ham have gone through a lot of name iterations in PES editions, but certainly the most amusing is their "Lake District" moniker. Over the years, they've been renamed to something more geographically sensible and accurate, such as simply "East London".
EurogamerPM Black White | JuventusBehold, before PES acquired the naming rights for Juventus, their previous name for the Serie A champions was… "PM Black White". Extremely imaginative!