Football Manager 2021 wonderkids: the best, highest potential players in FM21 listed

Publish date: 2022-09-10

Wonderkids are as important as ever in FM21, with tracking down the talents of the future still one of the most satisfying reasons to play the game.

As always in Football Manager, the only way you can reach championship glory - whichever league you choose to dive into - is by building up your team with loyal, talented players.

n the game, the only way you'd be able to find some of these players is by having the best scouts possible, and so below we've done the some of the hard work for you and compiled a wonderkids list of the 50 best young players in FM21.

On this page:

A look at what's new in FM21

If you're after a bargain, mind, it's worth giving our guide to FM21 free agents and bargain transfers a look.

FM21 wonderkids: the best, highest potential young players in Football Manager 2021 listed

Here's our list of the best wonderkids in FM21, sorted by highest potential to lowest potential rating - a hidden number as found in the database editor.

FM21 wonderkids list: the best young players in Football Manager 2021

RankNamePositionCurrent abilityPotential abilityAgeClub
1Kylian MbappeAM (RL), ST (C)18119621Paris Saint-Germain
2Erling HaalandST (C)164160-19020Borussia Dortmund
3Dejan KulusevskiM (R), AM (RC)152160-19020Juventus (Zebre)
4Ansu FatiAM (RL), ST (C)148160-19017Barcelona
5Vinicius JuniorAM (L), ST (C)146160-19020Real Madrid
6RodrygoAM (RL), ST (C)136160-19019Real Madrid
7PedriM (C), AM (RLC)138160-19017Barcelona
8Ilaix MoriboDM, M/AM (C)120160-19017Barcelona B
9Yusuf DemirAM (RC), ST (C)115160-19017Rapid Vienna
10Matthijs de LigtD (C)16318520Juventus (Zebre)
11Frenkie de JongD (C), DM, M (C)16018323Barcelona
12Gianluigi DonnarummaGK15618221AC Milan
13Kai HavertzM/AM (C)15318021Chelsea
14Jonathan DavidAM (RLC), ST (C)138150-18020Lille
15Alphonso DaviesD/WB/M/AM (L)152150-18019Bayern Munich
16Dominik SzoboszlaiM (LC), AM (C)140150-18019RB Salzburg
17Callum Hudson-OdoiAM (RLC)140150-18019Chelsea
18Myron BoaduAM (RL), ST (C)137150-18019AZ Alkmaar
19AntonyM (R), AM (RC), ST (C)137150-18020AFC Ajax
20Francisco TrincaoAM (RL), ST (C)136150-18018Barcelona
21Nuno MendesD/WB (L)133150-18018Sporting
22Giovanni ReynaM/AM (LC)132150-18017Borussia Dortmund
23Mohamed IhattarenM/AM (RLC)130150-18018PSV Eindhoven
24Jude BellinghamM/AM (RLC)129150-18017Borussia Dortmund
25Karim AdeyemiAM (R), ST (C)127150-18018RB Salzburg
26Jamal MusialaAM (RLC), ST (C)126150-18017Bayern Munich
27ReinierAM (C)125150-18018Real Madrid B
28Joao PedroAM (RL), ST (C)125150-18018Watford
29Ryan GravenberchDM, M (C), AM (LC)124150-18018AFC Ajax
30Curtis JonesM (C), AM (RLC)124150-18019Liverpool
31Joshua ZirkzeeST (C)124150-18019Bayern Munich
32Diego LainezAM (RL)124150-18020Real Hispalis
33Troy ParrottST (C)123150-18018Tottenham Hotspur
34Jeremy DokuAM (RL), ST (C)120150-18018Rennes
35Josko GvardiolD (LC)119150-18018RB Leipzig
36Tanguy NianzouD (C), DM119150-18018Bayern Munich
37Fabio SilvaST (C)115150-18018Wolves
38Sebastiano EspositoST (C)114150-18018Inter Milan
39Rayan CherkiAM (RLC), ST (C)106150-18016Lyon
40Maarten VandevoordtGK105150-18018KRC Genk
41Naci UnuvarM (C), AM (LC), ST (C)97150-18017AFC Ajax
42PipiM/AM (C)84150-18016Real Madrid B
43Trent Alexander-ArnoldD/WB (R), DM, M (C)16017821Liverpool
44Jadon SanchoM/AM (RL)15817820Borussia Dortmund
45Martin OdegaardM (RC), AM (C)15517821Real Madrid
46Nicolo ZanioloM (C), AM (RLC)15017621AS Roma
47Lautaro MartinezST (C)16017522Inter Milan
48Joao FelixAM (RLC), ST (C)15917520Atletico Madrid
49Marcus RashfordAM (L), ST (C)15717522Manchester United
50Gabriel JesusAM (RL), ST (C)15617523Manchester City

Scroll right on mobile to view full table.

FM21 wonderkids explained: what are wonderkids and how do you find them?

Now, you're probably thinking: names that “could” end up as the best players? What does this mean? Well, Football Manager 2021, like previous entries, shows you how good every player is in the game thanks to attribute ratings. These cover technical, mental and physical abilities, such as how good a player is at passing the ball or if they show leadership in the team.

However, there's also a hidden ratings system in the game's database. At the beginning, each player is given a “current ability” rating, which is a score out of 200. But, more importantly, there's also a “potential ability” rating. Should a player receive the right squad and staff support, run of results and other variables, they could achieve a rating much higher than the one assigned to them at the beginning of the season.

Once again, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the highest rated players in the game. However, Kylian Mbappe's potential score of 196 matches Ronaldo's, so it could prove worthwhile to try and snatch him early on (provided you have an endless pit of resources of course). But there are some gems that could end up being better buys, such as Pipi and Ajax's Naci Unuvar, particularly as their ratings aren't high at the start of the season. It looks like the first thing you'll be doing is requesting a bigger transfer budget from the board.

For more Football Manager 2021 guides like this, meanwhile, our FM21 free agents and bargain transfers page is worth checking out.

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