Gaming
Games
Football Manager 2020's best wonderkids for every position
Stuff your team with young talent from this list
Football Manager is an encyclopaedia of knowledge, a font of league records, and the best place to find out about what clubs your real-life team’s star player covets - just in case he makes a move.
It’s also home to the satisfaction of plucking a player from relative obscurity and watching them drag your lower league team by the bootstraps, or surprise the world by scoring on their debut.
Yes, we’re talking about “wonderkids” – those wonderful signings that no one else seems all that interested in, until they’ve made it big.
A word of warning, though. A player’s value is different to their asking price – so just because a player is valued at £2m doesn’t mean the club will entertain anything less than, say, £30m.
We’ve put together a list of the best youngsters in the game. Despite some of them still being barely old enough to legally sell you alcohol without a supervisor present, they could still cost you a fortune. With that in mind, consider checking out our bargain players guide, too.
It’s also worth noting that wonderkids don’t just become superstars overnight – they’ll need the right training, team talks, and motivation.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Donnarumma – AC Milan
Gianluigi Donnarumma
© Sega
Gigi Donnarumma occupied this spot in last year’s list, and it feels surreal that he’s only 20 years old at the start of the game.
He’s been at AC Milan a while, but they’re not quite ready to let him go yet. The Italian is valued at close to £30m and will set you back almost £200k in wages. If you can afford him, though, he can be a safe pair of hands between the sticks for a decade and a half – maybe longer.
Backup – Ivan Martinez – Atletico Pamplona (Osasuna)
A Spanish keeper found at Atletico Pamplona (that’s Osasuna to you or I), he’s valued at just £150k – but at 17 has a lot of learning to do.
Left Back
Gian-Luca Itter – SC Freiburg
Gian-Luca Itter
© Sega
A player comfortable at left-back or left-wing back, Itter can be found plying his trade at SC Freiburg.
The kind of dependable, no-nonsense full-back that allows your left-winger to not have to track back, he’s a hard-worker and a cool head. He’s valued at £1.9m but could cost you upwards of £20m to sign.
Backup – Rayan Ait-Nouri – Angers
An 18-year-old that’s a decent crosser, Ait-Nouri could be a great shout if you play with a target man. He’s valued at £1m.
Centre Back
Matthijs de Ligt – Zebre (Juventus)
Matthijs de Ligt
© Sega
The first “well, duh” entry on this list, de Ligt helped Ajax to a Champions League semi-final last season before earning himself a move to Juventus (known in Football Manager 2020 as Zebre).
As a result, it’s nigh-on impossible to pick him up at the start of the game – but with incredible stats for heading, determination, marking and bravery, you could easily build a defence around him.
Unfortunately, he’s on over £200k a week at just 20 years old and is valued at over £30m.
Backup – Jean-Clair Todibo – Barcelona
A centre half that can also move into defensive midfield territory, Todibo can be snapped up from Barca but is already valued at over £5m – and he’s only 19.
Right Back
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool
Trent Alexander-Arnold
© Sega
Is there anything this young man can’t do? He’s only 20, but has already won the Champions League and looks likely to win the Premier League, too.
Solid defensively and capable of giving any team an edge in dead-ball situations, he’s valued at over £40m – and is on £75k per week. If you can get him though, Football Manager reckons he’d make a decent defensive midfielder, too.
Backup – Max Aarons – Norwich
A Football Manager wonderkid that’s finally getting his dues in reality, Max Aarons is a great all-rounder.
He’s valued at £5m but is worth shelling out for – with impressive pace, determination, and crossing stats for a 19-year-old.
Defensive Midfield
Florentino Luis – Benfica
Florentino Luis
© sega
A Portuguese defensive midfielder currently playing for Benfica, this youngster hasn’t been capped by his country yet – but it won’t be long.
He reads the game well and does the simple things superbly. Not one for overplaying, he calls to mind a young Sergio Busquets – always concentrating, always composed.
Backup - Sandro Tonali - Brescia
Only just beating out Declan Rice, Tonali has been a Football Manager favourite for some time. Valued at under £4m, he’s the kind of defensive midfielder you can build a team around – with his close control and range of passing making him a key cog in any midfield machine.
Central Midfielder
Sergio Gomez - Borussia Dortmund
Sergio Gomez
© sega
Games are lost and won in midfield, and this 18-year old gives you a better chance of being on the winning side.
Capable of playing on the left as well as centrally, he’s valued at £2m but can easily become the playmaker your team needs – along with Mesut Ozil-esque vision.
Backup - Matteo Guendouzi - Arsenal
On the subject of Arsenal players, Matteo Guendouzi (AKA the one with the hair that ISN’T David Luiz) is another potential signing. He’s ideal for box-to-box play, and never seems to run out of energy – but is valued at almost £30m.
Attacking Midfielder
Joao Felix – Atlético Madrid
Joao Felix
© Sega
Atlético Madrid spent a lot on Joao Felix, but considering he can play all across the front and in midfield (and do it with style), it’s likely to have been a shrewd investment.
He may be valued at just under £30m, but you’ll need to spend a lot more than that to pry him away.
Backup – Pedri – Barcelona
Another Barca youngster, and another with plenty of versatility, Pedro may sound like Pedro’s non-evolved Pokemon form but he’s actually a 16-year old with bags of pace and dribbling ability valued at around £600k.
Left-Wing
Jadon Sancho – Borussia Dortmund
Jadon Sancho
© Sega
Just as comfortable on the right as on the left, Sancho has made a name for himself in the Bundesliga since leaving Man City – and with his stats, it’s easy to see why.
With excellent dribbling and technique, he can terrorise full-backs – although his crossing could do with some work.
He’s valued at just under £30m, but you’ll be spending well over double that to sign him at the start of the game.
Backup – Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid
An all-singing, all-dancing winger with incredible dribbling ability despite being just 18, Vinicius Jr will run you £80m – despite his value being £22.5m.
Right-Wing
Kylian Mbappe – Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe
© Sega
Another of those “well, duh” choices, Mbappe is the second-coming of Thierry Henry – and may just eclipse his compatriot’s impact if the early signs are to be believed.
Able to be deployed on either flank or up front, he’s lightning-fast and incredibly composed. He’s also valued at £86m and earning over £350k per week – so you might want to wait until his contract expires in 2022 before making your move.
Backup – Emanuel Vignato – Chievo
Not quite the household name that Mbappe is, Vignato is valued at £600k and has pretty steady stats in all the key areas you’d want in a winger – he’s agile, dribbles well, and isn’t a slouch in the finishing department, either.
Centre Forward
Mason Greenwood – Manchester United
Mason Greenwood
© Sega
A player currently forging an impressive reputation in real life, Mason Greenwood might be valued at just shy of £20m but expect to pay a lot more to prise him away from Old Trafford.
His stats at 17 aren’t too much to write home about (aside from his finishing), but with the right training and assistance, he can easily blossom into a deadly goalscorer with an equal mix of pace and acceleration.
Backup – Fiete Arp – Bayern Munich
This 19-year-old German striker is a goalscorer through and through - or at least, he could be. Valued at just £2.8m, he already has impressive stats for finishing, long shots, and penalties - and works hard for the team, too.
Related
