What are FIFA 23 wonderkids?

Wonderkid is a cliché term that's synonymous with Football Manager. They're young prospects – usually aged 16 to 18 – that have elite-level potential in the game. Freddy Adu is a prominent example for older managers, while Youssoufa Moukoko is a current case. They're the superstar youngsters that are must-buys on every save. But it's also subjective. A wonderkid at Accrington Stanley is completely different to a wonderkid at Manchester City. Essentially, the surroundings dictate the status.

How do you search for wonderkids in FIFA 23?

You should start by getting your hands on a Scouted Football Handbook. We've profiled over 300 young players over the last three years, ranging from the lower level, like Harry Pickering, to the absolute elite like Erling Braut Haaland. We will be your external scout, and scouts are equally important in the game. Building up a good core of talent-spotters and recruitment analysts should be a priority when building your club. No scouts on the search, no wonderkids.

How do you develop young players in FIFA 23?

As always, pathways are paramount. You have to make sure that your youngsters have access to meaningful minutes at the appropriate levels. If you have a first-team ready talent, phase him into the team gradually, during pre-season ideally. If your prospect needs a bit more polishing, the loan system is a valuable tool. But pathways to senior level minutes are key. Assess your youngsters on a case-by-case basis, decide what they need, and enact your decision.

How do you loan out young players in FIFA 23?

Loans are an important tool in youth development, and they can be difficult to get right. It's all about accurately assessing the levels your prospects can play at, then finding suitable environment for them to develop in. It's especially important you consider the styles and shapes teams play, and league style is a factor too. One way to ensure greater success is by building a network of clubs, like Red Bull and Manchester City have. Get your board to find affiliate clubs.

How do you sign young players on FIFA 23?

Squad planning is crucial. Check your depth charts, keep your shortlits updated, sort them by position even, and assess which areas you need to strengthen. Once you've done that, you can start signing young players that fit your demands. Work to your budgets as well – don't overstretch your club's financial capabilities. If you're a smaller club, future incentives and clauses (like fees after milestons, sell-on percentages, and even buy-backs) are a great tools to utilise.

How do you sell young players on FIFA 23?

Again, squad planning is key. Making sure your young players are playing, whether at your club or elsewhere, is important; more minutes increases their value. Sell at the right time too, set a defined policy and stick to it. Don't be afraid to sell young players too. If you haven't got the right pathway for them, move them on (with a chunky sell-on percentage or accessible buy-back clause) to generate even more profits.

Who are the best wonderkids in FIFA 23?

Alberto Moleiro (Las Palmas) is one of them; he has incredible potential and growth.

How do you find the best wonderkids in FIFA 2023?

The best way is by building a strong scouting team, then assigning them to search for players under the age of 21 with at least four star potential.

Which player should you buy in FIFA 23?

Alberto Moleiro is a bargain signing that you can sign from Spain's second division. He can grow from 75 to a 90 overall.

Football Manager 2024 Best Centre-Backs

Some of our favourite centre-backs to sign in Football Manager 2024

Home - Best Young Players - FM24 Best Centre-Backs

We’re ardent coverers of youth football and avid Football Manager fans. We’ve combined both to compile a list of the young centre-backs that you should start scouting on your Football Manager 2024 saves.

These aren’t exclusively the “best” but they’re intriguing prospects for clubs across the spectrum of football, available at a range of prices. They’re players that we like in real-life that look great in FM24.

For more, check out our talent lists and player profiles. Scroll down to see our lists.

Who are the best wonderkids in Football Manager 2024?

Here are the highest potential rated players in FC 24 Career Mode.

1. Erling Haaland – Manchester City – Age 22 – ST – 91 Overall/94 Potential

2. Vinicus Jr. – Real Madrid – Age 22 – LW – 89 Overall/94 Potential

3. Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich – Age 20 – 86 Overall/93 Potential

4. Pedri – FC Barcelona – Age 20 – CM – 86 Overall/92 Potential

5. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – SSC Napoli – Age 22 – LW/RW – 86 Overall/92 Potential

6. Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen – Age 20 – CAM/CM – 85 Overall/91 Potential

7. Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid – Age 20 – CAM/CM – 87 Overall/91 Potential

8. Rodrygo Goes – Real Madrid – Age 22 – RW/LW/ST – 85 Overall/91 Potential

9. Gavi – FC Barcelona – Age 18 – CM/LW – 83 Overall/90 Potential

10. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal – Age 21 – RW/RM – 86 Overall/90 Potential

11. Phil Foden – Manchester City – Age 23 – LW/RW – 85 Overall/90 Potential

12. Alex Balde – FC Barcelona – Age 19 – LB/RB – 81 Overall/89 Potential

13. Rasmus Hojlund – Manchester United – Age 20 – ST – 76 Overall/89 Potential

14. Gabri Veiga – Al-Ahli – Age 21 – CM/CAM – 78 Overall/89 Potential

15. Eduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid – Age 20 – CDM/CM/LB – 82 Overal 89 Potential

16. Enzo Fernandez – Chelsea FC- Age 22 – CM/CDM/CAM – 83 Overall/89 Potential

17. Xavi Simons – RB Leipzig – Age 20 – CAM/LW/RW – 80 Overall/89 Potential

18. William Saliba – Arsenal – Age 22 – CB – 83 Overall/89 Potential

19. Aurelien Tchouameni – Real Madrid – Age 23 – CDM/CM – 84 Overall/89 Potential

20. Sandro Tonali – Newcastle United – Age 23 – CDM/CM – 86 Overall/89 Potential

21. Matthijs de Ligt – Bayern Munich – Age 23 – CB – 86 Overall/89 Potential

22. Warren Zaire-Emery – Paris Saint-Germain – Age 17 – CM/CDM – 75 Overall/88 Potential

23. Antonio Silva – SL Benfica- Age 19 – CB – 78 Overall/88 Potential

24. Fabio Miretti – Juventus – Age 19 – CM/CAM – 75 Overall/88 Potential

25. Alejandro Garnacho – Manchester United – Age 19 – LW/LM – 75 Overall/88 Potential

26. Ansu Fati – Age 20 – Brighton – LW/ST – 78 Overall/88 Potential

Sebastián Boselli

Sebastián Boselli starred at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He was a key starter in a really good team that won it all, and his performances earned him a move to Argentinian giants River Plate.

As in real life, Boselli is an accomplished defender in FM24. He’s mobile, front-footed, intelligent and tenacious. The bonus? His ability to play at right-back, making him a prime candidate for a wide centre-back or brand-new inverted full-back roles. He shouldn’t cost much more than €15 million.

Levi Colwill

Described in-game as a “wonderkid”, Levi Colwill is by all accounts an outstanding centre-back talent on FM24. That’s reflected in his transfer value at the start of the game, which comes in at a whopping €143 million.

What do you get for a tenth of a billion? A 20-year-old with the core attributes of an elite-level starter. He’s tall, athletic, an intelligent defender, fantastic on the ball, and comes with the bonus of being left-footed. You’ll have to spend a bomb to sign him, but you’ll be getting one of the best that the game has to offer.

Zeno Debast

Zeno Debast has the hopes of Belgium pinned on him. As the old guard of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are phased out, Debast has been earmarked as the long-term replacement for both in due course. He has the potential to be so, too.

A starter at Anderlecht for two seasons, Debast stands out for his quality on the ball and general balance at the back; 15 for passing, 14 for composure and 13 for vision make him a good ball-player in FM24 already. His defensive style is predicated on brains rather than brute force. €20 million is the fee to get him out of Brussels.

The best wonderkids to sign on Football Manager 2024

FM24 Wonderkids

The best bargain cheap players to buy in Football Manager 2024

FM24 Bargains

The best free agents to sign in Football Manager 2024

FM24 Free Agents

Giorgio Scalvini

If you’re not aware of Giorgio Scalvini, where have you been? He’s been a sure-thing wonderkid on Football Manager for a couple of years already, and FM24 is no different. The 2003-born defender has all the qualities of an elite-level centre-back already.

He has size and athleticism, a decisive reading of the game, intelligent positional sense, as well as a ‘professional’ mentality which should ensure his development will be strong and steady. There’s also scope to mould him as a midfielder, or at least use him in the vastly-improved libero role. His price reserves him for the elite of the elite.

António Silva

Like the aforementioned Scalvini, António Silva has been one of Football Manager’s best young players – let alone centre-backs – since the 2023 version. A year older, Silva remains one of the very best you can buy on FM24.

And similar to Scalvini, Silva has the skillset that the elite-level teams demand from their centre-backs. He’s already a good defender – good in duels, solid in the air, quick over longer distances – and a valuable ball-player from the back. His two-footedness adds another layer to his game as well.

Benfica will drive a hard bargain, but you won’t go much wrong for somewhere between €40-50 million.

Martin Vitík

A starter at Sparta Praha for a couple of seasons now, Martin Vitík has been an increasingly prominent prospect on Football Manager for a few years now, and he’s better than ever in FM24.

His skillset is an interesting one because it comes with some significant highs and some worrying lows. He’s fast yet lacks stamina; he has good positional nous but little in terms of decision-making; he’s a promising ball-player yet is very one-footed. If you’re a talent-developing club, Vitík is worth a look if you’re in need of a centre-back.

FM24 Wonderkids

FM24 Bargains

FM24 Free Agents

What roles can centre-backs play in Football Manager 2024?

Centre-backs are one of the easiest roles to get wrong in your tactic, especially when playing at a lower level. The different roles available give scope for playing in different ways, setting foundations for how your teams play.

The different roles are:

Central Defender
Libero
Ball Playing Defender
No-Nonsense Centre-Back
Wide Centre-Back

The three ‘traditional’ roles are Central Defender, Ball Playing Defender and No-Nonsense Centre-Back. The downfall of many amateur FM24 players is leaning too heavily on Ball Playing Defenders, especially with personnel that are not equipped to play that way.

Sometimes, especially when playing at a lower level with technically limited players, it’s best to commit to playing No-Nonsense Centre-Backs and letting them focus on their defensive work.

Central Defenders and Ball Playing Defenders are the natural progression past this, as is the vastly-improved Libero role which will now step into the midfield line in certain situations, owing to FM24’s new positional play innovations.

These three roles all have a defend, stopper and cover duty. Stoppers will look to step into midfield and break up attacks early; covering defenders will look to sweep up from behind; centre-backs on the defend duty will hold the defensive line as normal. Be careful with how you mix these duties up!

The other two roles are more unconventional. The improved Libero role can act as a traditional sweeper when utilised in a back three, dropping deep and stepping on when possible. In a two, it will actively step into midfield to create overloads when combined with the correct full-back roles.

Lastly, there is the Wide Centre-Back role, which can only be used in a back three. The Wide Centre-Back really changes up how your team can play with possession, encouraging the WCB to support the attack in different ways depending on what duty they are set on.

On defend, they will look to support the attack from wide areas but stay deep. On support they will look to push further forward and overlap out wide, while on attack duty they will also look to dribble more.

What attributes are important for centre-backs in Football Manager 2024?

The base core attributes are pretty simple: Jumping reach, pace, strength, heading, marking, tackling, positioning, aggression, anticipation and concentration – essentially the best attributes for playing as a No-Nonsense Centre-Back are the core fundamentals.

But as you move up the divisions and acquire better players, other attributes – primary technical ones – will become important. The popular ball-playing defender role requires vision, technique, passing and first touch.

A Wide Centre-Back on attack duty will even require dribbling as an important attribute. And the Libero role requires a bit of everything: even flair.