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FIFA 16 Career Mode: Eredivisie Wonderkid XI
The Eredivisie may not be one of Europe’s elite leagues, but there are still gems to be found.
Speak to football fans of a certain generation, and they’ll wax lyrical about a time when Dutch football ruled the roost in Europe. After all, Ajax dominated the '70s in European football, winning three consecutive European cups, and Eredivisie clubs like Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven got in on the act too, staying competitive through the '80s and '90s.
Nowadays, many of the best talents leave early in their careers for higher profile clubs abroad, but if you’re quick off the mark, you might be able to bag yourself a serious talent. Looking for pointers? Take a look at our pick of the best young talent from the Eredivisie below.
Goalkeeper
Joël Drommel
Drommel is only 18 and very raw, but he’s got solid potential and you’ll be able to pick up him for next to nothing in the transfer market thanks to his low overall rating. His reflexes need a bit of work, but they’re saved in part by his good diving stat, and his handling, kicking and positioning is all relatively good. Put in lots of work on the training pitch, and in time, Drommel could becoming the solid base of an excellent side, reaching 83 overall.
Left Back
Jetro Willems
Willems has been long tipped for greatness by EA, and he’s a real Career Mode favourite thanks to his athleticism. Not only is he reasonably quick, but he’s a physical monster with a 90 jumping stat as well as 82 stamina. Throw in his four-star skill moves – pretty unique for a left back – a fantastic 85 crossing stat and solid defending and dribbling, and Willems is right up there with José Gaya and Luke Shaw as one of the best young left backs in the game, with a potential overall of 86.
Centre Back
Jaïro Riedewald
Riedewald has fantastic stats across the board, and his strength is in his all-round ability, rather than any one or two stand-out numbers. He’s a solid if unspectacular defender – that’s our way of saying that we’d probably train that area some more – but aside from his poor balance, he’s decent on the ball as well, and his 74 short and long passing numbers make him very capable bringing the ball out of defence. Starting at 75 overall, he still has 11 points of growth up to his 86 potential, giving you room to mould him into a formidable defender.
Eredivisie Wonderkid Defence
© EA Sports
Centre Back
Jeremiah St. Juste
St. Juste is young and raw and will need some training, but anyone ready to invest some time in the young Dutchman will reap some serious rewards. St. Juste is a capable defender but will definitely benefit from more training, but he’s slightly quicker than his centre half partner Riedewald thanks to his 78 acceleration and 77 sprint speed. If you’re ready and willing to invest plenty of time in St. Juste, he’ll go from 70 overall all the way up to 84, making him one of the Eredivisie’s brightest talents.
Right Back
Kenny Tete
Tete isn’t as quick as you’d like a right back to be, but he’s a brick wall of a defender – in fact, he’d likely be a centre back if he wasn’t only 5’10” (1.78m) in height. His 80 standing tackle and 85 sliding tackle are outstanding for his 19 years of age, and he has good all-round physical stats on top. He’s not going to give you much going forward, but if you’re looking for a steady right back to compliment an attacking formation, Tete is your man, and he’ll grow up to a respectable 83 overall.
Left Mid
Václav Černý
Look at his stats and you could be forgiven for thinking we’ve made a mistake here, but trust us, Černý is a star in the making. He starts with blistering pace stats of 87 acceleration and 83 sprint speed, and his dribbling isn’t half bad either when you consider his 91 agility and 80 balance. Everything else is a bit 'undeveloped' at the moment, but Černý will grow 20 points from 66 to 86 overall, so you can build him into a monster left-winger with some training. Word of warning though, you might want to focus on his awful stamina, otherwise he’ll only give you about 55 minutes a game.
Eredivisie Wonderkid Attack
© EA Sports
Centre Mid
Riechedly Bazoer
You may have noticed there’s a revival going on at Ajax, and it all starts with this man. At just 19 years old, Bazoer is rapidly becoming the thumping heartbeat of a resurgent Ajax team, and has already earned a senior international call-up. His stocky build and energetic game have seen comparisons made with Dutch legend Frank Rijkaard, but Bazoer has plenty more to his game than that – incisive passing, vision and an eye for goal. His stats are pretty excellent across the board – though his 57 finishing admittedly needs some work, and drags down his overall shooting numbers – and he should be a priority signing for anyone who’s interested in having one of the best midfielders on the planet for the next decade, as his potential is a massive 88 overall.
Centre Mid
Jorrit Hendrix
Hendrix is listed as a defensive midfielder by FIFA, but he’s really more of a deep-lying central midfielder in the Xabi Alonso mould. His 84 long passing stat reflects that, and he excels at picking the ball up from deep and playing raking cross field balls to open up the opposition defence. The rest of his game is very well rounded, and you could make him into a more physical defensive midfielder, or a play-making attacker if you wanted. He’ll grow from 74 to 84 overall with some solid training.
Centre Attacking Mid
Nathan
The young Brazilian from Vitesse is typically tricky and elusive on the ball, but boasts a good turn of pace too. His 89 acceleration makes him very effective in the hole between the opposition midfield and defence, where he can pick up the ball and run at defenders with his 86 dribbling and four-star skill moves. His passing needs a bit of work, particularly his vision which is just 65, but if you get him on the training pitch, he can become one of the world’s best attacking midfielders, rising up to 85 overall.
Right Mid
Anwar El Ghazi
El Ghazi has been another big part of Ajax's recent success, and his scintillating form has him on the wanted list of a number of big European clubs. He’s not your prototypical winger – for a start, he’s 6’2” (1.88m), and his 75 heading makes him an aerial threat – but he’s still quick enough to threaten a full back or two, and his 80 crossing makes him a dual threat coming off the wing. That 78 dribbling stat is dragged down by his awful 52 balance (presumably a result of his height), but his 84 shot power and 77 long shots work together nicely and with a bit of work on his finishing, El Ghazi could be a real winner, reaching 85 overall in time.
Striker
Arkadiusz Milik
Milik has been in fine form for Ajax this term, and he’s a solid buy in Career Mode, both in terms of potential and current ability. He’s not the quickest striker in the game, but his strengths lie elsewhere, for example, in his outstanding 83 finishing and 84 shot power, and his capable heading, long shooting and free kick and penalty taking stats. There’s nothing flashy about Milik, but with a bit of work you can make him into a deadly finisher by the time he reaches his 84 overall potential ceiling.
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