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Snap up the FIFA 19 Primeira Liga wonderkid XI
Buy these young players from Portugal's top flight for your FIFA 19 Career Mode and watch them become stars.
One of the best things about FIFA 19's Career Mode is seeing a player you signed as a youngster becoming a bonafide world beater, and thanks to low wages and reasonable transfer fees Portugal's top division is one of the best places to go shopping.
We've scoured the Primeira Liga for the best talents aged 21 or under available to buy from the very first transfer window in a Career Mode game. The prices we've quoted are ones we've managed to settle on, although no negotiation is the same so you might find you can snap them up for less, especially if you throw in a sell-on clause as part of the deal.
If you're looking for immediate impact then not all of these players will be your best option, but there are gems here, and none of them will set you back more than €15,000,000.
FIFA 19's Primeira Liga Wonderkid XI
© EA Sports
Goalkeeper
GK: Mile Svilar (Benfica)
Benfica have a habit of unearthing world-class goalkeepers. Both Jan Oblak and Ederson spent time at the Estádio da Luz, and while Mile Svilar is currently rated just 67 overall, the 18-year-old could be next. Admittedly, he still has a long way to go, with a 71 for diving his highest stat right now, but with the potential to reach 84 overall the promise is very obviously there. Benfica only want €1,000,000 for him so he's a good option if you're planning ahead and want a young 'keeper to play in the cups.
Defence
LB: Yuri Ribeiro (Benfica)
Benfica's Grimaldo has been the most exciting full-back in Portugal for a number of years now, but when he eventually moves on to one of Europe's super clubs Yuri Ribeiro will be aiming to take his place.
Unlike many modern full-backs, his stats are pretty well-balanced in and out of possession, with 75 for crossing and 74 for dribbling, plus 71 for marking and both types of tackling. With 78 for acceleration and 77 for sprint speed there are faster full-backs out there, but as an all-rounder with the potential to hit 81 overall, the 21-year-old is hard to beat. An asking price of €8,500,000 makes him affordable, too.
CB: Rúben Dias (Benfica)
You only have to note the €31.9 million release clause that Benfica have slapped on Rúben Dias to realise how much promise the 21-year-old centre-back has. Fortunately, you don’t need to trigger it if you want to sign him. Currently rated 79 overall, his 80 for standing tackles, 78 for strength, and a whopping 94 for aggression make him a defender who's not to be messed with. 76 for interceptions and 75 for reactions mean he's good at reading the game, too. If Dias can reach his potential of 85, the €15,000,000 you'll have to pay Benfica for him will seem like an absolute bargain.
CB: Diogo Leite (Porto)
If Dias is a bit out of your price range, but you want a defender with even more potential, Porto's Diogo Leite is the one to go for.
At just 19-years-old his current rating of 74 is a bit lower, but he's still good enough for plenty of squads, with 77 for standing tackles, 75 for strength, and 74 for marking. 80 for aggression means he's not exactly a shrinking violet either, and with the potential to reach 87 overall, he's actually got slightly more promise than Dias – it'll just take him longer to reach it. An offer of around the €10,500,000 mark should be enough to convince the Portuguese champions to let him leave.
RB: Diga (CD Feirense)
There are better young right-backs in Portugal right now, namely Porto's João Pedro and Dodô at Vitória Guimarães, but Diga is one of the only ones who's actually available to buy. His overall rating of 63 means he'll only be of interest to smaller teams operating on tighter budgets, but with the potential to get to 72 there's clear room for improvement, while 79 for balance and 78 for agility mean he won't get tied in knots by opposition wingers too easily.
With 70 for acceleration and 68 for sprint speed he’s not slow either, although, with just 54 for stamina, you'll want to work on his fitness. Offer Feirense just under €500,000 and they'll soon sign on the dotted line.
FIFA 19's Primeira Liga Wonderkid XI
© EA Sports
Midfield
CDM: João Gamboa (Marítimo)
João Gamboa turned 22 at the end of August so he only just sneaks into this list on a technicality, but he's a solid CDM who won't cost the earth. Saying that, offer the Marítimo boss much less than €5,000,000 for him and he'll storm out so make sure you're wearing your bargaining trousers.
Gamboa only has the potential to reach 79 overall so he's not exactly world class, but with passing stats in the mid-70s, 74 for ball control, and 72 for dribbling, he'll help you keep possession, while 75 for strength and 71 for standing tackles should mean he can win the ball back again.
CM: Gedson Fernandes (Benfica)
Another gem from Benfica's academy, Gedson Fernandes is a very hardworking, but technically gifted box-to-box midfielder, although he can play pretty much anywhere on the pitch if you really need him to. 88 for stamina is his standout stat, which is handy for a player who needs to cover a lot of ground, but the 19-year-old doesn't really have any major weak areas to his game: he's quick, with a good range of passing, and he's not afraid to get stuck in.
Considering he's already rated 76 overall and has the potential to add 10 to that number, Benfica's asking price of €9,000,000 is an absolute steal.
CM: Bruno Costa (Porto)
If you're low on cash and looking for a tidy central midfielder with room to improve, Porto's Bruno Costa will only set you back €1,000,000, but has a decent set of stats for a player currently rated 67 overall.
Good acceleration, agility and balance allow him to operate in tight spaces, while 73 for short passing and ball control mean he'll be able to feed other players in more dangerous positions ahead of him. A low stamina rating of 55 means Costa will need more than one team-mate alongside him to share the running, but if you can get him to reach his potential of 76, you'll have a very handy player with decent resale value on your books.
Attack
LW: João Félix (Benfica)
One of the most promising teenagers in world football, Benfica's João Félix isn't the kind of winger who’ll burn past opponents with sheer pace, but with 78 for dribbling, 77 for ball control, and 84 for agility, he should be able to ghost his way into dangerous areas. The 18-year-old is only rated 72 at the moment, but he's got the potential to hit 88 overall, and with a price tag of just over €5,000,000 plus very reasonable wage demands, he's a future superstar who's well within reach for plenty of teams.
RW: Jovane Cabral (Sporting CP)
An attack on Sporting's training ground led to a fairly substantial exodus last summer, but that doesn't mean the Lisbon club has been left short of young talent. Pick of the bunch is Jovane Cabral, a 20-year-old wide man with huge potential.
As you might expect, his pace and dribbling skills are the stand out features, with 87 for acceleration, 86 for sprint speed, and 81 for dribbling, while 88 for agility and 83 for balance should keep him on his feet. A current rating of 75 means he's already good enough for plenty of sides, while a potential rating of 87 puts him right up there with the best, making the €11,500,000 asking price all the more reasonable.
ST: Óscar Estupiñán (Vitória Guimarães)
Portugal isn't awash with young strikers – the most promising, Gelson Dala, is on loan from Sporting at Rio Ave, and therefore unavailable for transfer – but with an asking price of just under €3.5m, Óscar Estupiñán is a decent option if you're looking for an affordable target man with scope to improve.
87 for jumping, 74 for jumping, and 76 for heading accuracy mean you'll probably want to swing some crosses towards him as Plan A, but he's not too slow to cover the ground either. Although he's more of a winger, Braga's Luther Singh can also play through the middle, and has the potential to hit 81 overall. He's yours for just under €2,000,000.
