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FIFA 18's best teenage stars for under €10m
You don't need to break the bank to sign the next Messi. These teenage prospects all have the potential for greatness and won't cost more than €10m.
Watching one of your young players blossom into a bona fide superstar is one of the best things about FIFA 18's career mode. But if you have to pay big money for them, you might as well buy a ready-made player who doesn't require so much patience and development. With that in mind we’ve compiled a squad of players who won't cost you more than €10m and none of whom are over the age of 20 when the game starts.
With many of these teenagers already in the low 70s overall, they can take up a place on the bench at a lot of clubs immediately, but if you nurture their talents correctly they'll eventually be the first name on your team sheet. We haven't included any players currently out on loan or who aren't possible to get in the first transfer window, and don't forget you’ll need to put some work in if you want them to fulfill their potential. Nothing is guaranteed in FIFA.
Goalkeeper: Bartłomiej Drągowski (Fiorentina)
Milan's Gianluigi Donnarumma isn't the only teenage goalkeeper in Serie A. Soon to be 20-year-old Drągowski is third-choice between the sticks at Fiorentina so can be tempted away with an offer of around €5m, with a generous sell-on clause added to sweeten the deal. It's worth it, though, because while the 6'2" U21 international's stats are currently all around the 70 mark (74 for reflexes is his highest) a potential overall rating of 86 would eventually put the Pole just behind some of Europe's best number ones. Bargain.
Defenders
RB: Kelvin Amian Adou (Toulouse)
A product of Toulouse's youth set up, Kelvin Amian should be top of your shopping list if you're looking for a long-term replacement at fullback. Potential of 86 puts him up there with Real Madrid's Daniel Carvajal and Dani Alves, but he's a real all-rounder already, making him handy both in and out of possession. We managed to prise him away from Toulouse for €6.5m with a five percent sell-on clause thrown in just to make sure.
LB: Marc Cucurella (Barcelona B)
The first of three players from Barcelona's B team, Marc Cucurella is a flying fullback for the future. Earning comparisons with Barca legend Carles Puyol, although more for his curly hair than his style of play, this fleet-footed left back has acceleration and sprinting stats that fall just shy of 90. It's that speed, combined with 88 for stamina, that makes him such a potent option on the wing – he'll have no trouble coping with the pace of the game and you won't have to take him off after 70 minutes. €3m is all it takes to get him to leave and with the right training, and game time, he'll hit 86.
CB: Justin Hoogma (TSG Hoffenheim)
Hoogma only moved to Germany this summer so Hoffenheim aren’t interested in hearing offers for their 19-year-old Dutch defender, but thanks to a €9.3m release clause you can bypass the club completely and enter straight into negotiations with the player. That means he'll probably only have his head turned by a big club, but this ball-playing centre-half could go on to be almost as good as Jan Vertonghen or Laurent Koscielny. With tackling, interception and strength stats in the mid-70s, he's already a solid choice at the back.
CB: Panagiotis Retsos (Bayer Leverkusen)
Retsos is another recent signing, but sometimes you can take advantage of a €10m release clause and prise him away from Leverkusen immediately. If not, or you'd just rather not splash that much cash, Mamadou Doucouré at Borussia Monchengladbach could reach 82 and can be had for just €1m. Although, with a starting rating of only 62 overall, he'll need significant development before he's ready for your first team.
The teenage stars you need for under €10m
© EA Sports
Midfielders
CM: Carles Aleñà (Barcelona B)
The La Masia academy hasn't produced a regular first-teamer for Barcelona since Sergei Roberto, and you can extend that run by signing Catalan number 10 Carles Aleñà from their B team for around €5m. A recent call up to the Spanish U21 squad should give you an idea of his pedigree, which sees EA giving him 82 for short passing, 79 for control and 78 for dribbling at the age of 19. A potential maximum of 87 just goes to show that he's very much a future Iniesta.
CM: Tom Davies (Everton)
Everton's Tom Davies has a bad haircut and wears his socks down round his ankles, so he clearly already thinks he's the real deal. To be fair, his stats would support the claim, with high 70s for short passing and ball control, plus good agility and balance, while 81 for stamina means he'll run all day. You'll have to pay a Premier League tax of around €9m to convince Everton to let him go, but if you can get him to reach his potential of 85 it'll certainly be worth it.
CM: Vitinho (Barcelona B)
In reality, Vitinho is only on loan in Catalonia, but in FIFA 18 the back up Blaugrana will sell you the versatile 19-year-old for €5.5m, particularly if you chuck in a sell-on clause. We've put him in central midfield because he doesn't really have the pace to play on the wing, but he's certainly more comfortable pushing forward towards the number 10 position, with 72 for shooting meaning he should chip in with the odd goal from the edge of the box. If everything falls into place, you'll eventually have a player rated 86 overall on your hands.
Stats like this don't crop up often for under €10m
© EA Sports
Attackers
LW: Ezequiel Barco (Independiente)
Don't be put off by the €14m release clause; Independiente can be convinced to part with their lightning left-winger for around half that. With acceleration of 90, plus agility and balance stats in the mid-80s, he's very raw to begin with, but nurture him correctly and you're looking at a player who can break the 90 barrier. Normally you'd have to shell out Mbappe money for an attacker of that quality so let somebody else pick him up at your peril.
ST: Lautaro Martinez (Racing Club)
South America has a habit of producing world-class strikers and in FIFA 18 Lautaro Martinez has the potential to join Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuaín and Carlos Tevez on the list of Argentina's best. At 5'9" and with 85 for strength, Martinez is of similar stature to the former Boca striker, while acceleration and sprinting stats of 79 mean you're looking at a similarly bullish goalscorer. His finishing, shot power and positioning are all in the low 70s for now, but a potential overall rating of 88 makes it well worth splashing out the €6.5m asking price.
RW: Justin Kluivert (Ajax)
The offspring of great players don't always go on to be great themselves – we're looking at you, Jordi Cruyff. But Justin Kluivert, son of former Dutch striker Patrick, is showing great promise at Ajax, the club where his dad was part of a golden generation. With high 80s in the speed, acceleration and agility columns, plus 83 with the ball at his feet he's a menace when running at defenders from either wing, although he's more at home on the right. Last season's Eredivisie runners-up will accept €7.5m for the 18-year-old, which is half of his release clause fee. Nurture him correctly and he'll pay you back to the tune of an 86 overall.
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