We all love snapping up the latest wonderkid and turning them into world beaters on Football Manager. And there’s nothing more pleasing than smuggly bragging “I discovered him” when said wonderkid fulfils that virtual excellence in real life.
So with Euro 2020 less than a week away, I thought it’d be prudent to have a look at current in-game wonderkids who could be set to make their mark on the international game this summer. In alphabetical order, here are the FM wonderkids you could tell your mates you spotted first this summer.
And to clarify, to be considered a wonderkid players have to be 21 or under and have potential ability of at least 150 out of 200 in the FM Editor.
Jude Bellingham – England
Age: 17
Position: M C (AM RLC)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
FM Current Ability: 131
FM Potential Ability: 150-180 (-9)
Unless you’ve been sat in a cave for the last couple of years, you should be well aware of the talent that Bellingham possesses. The midfielder, who turns 18 later this month, looked like he’d been playing in the England midfield for 10 years in the friendly against Austria last week, and is one of the hottest prospects across Europe. He offers defensive strength, awareness, decent aerial ability and an eye for goal, making him the complete midfielder.
Jérémy Doku – Belgium
Age: 19
Position: AM L (AM R / ST)
Club: Stade Rennais
FM Current Ability: 120
FM Potential Ability: 150-180 (-9)
The young winger became Rennes’ record transfer when they brought him in from Anderlecht for around £20 million last year. He packs plenty of pace but lacks a little in terms of finishing despite scoring twice in six caps (the same tally as in 28 games for Rennes this season) but, with Thierry Henry back on the Belgian coaching staff, don’t bet against him scoring goals this summer. The fitness of Kevin De Bruyne may be a concern, but that could lead to an opportunity for a wildcard like Doku.
Eljif Elmas – North Macedonia
Age: 21
Position: AM C (MC / AM L)
Club: Napoli
FM Current Ability: 139
FM Potential Ability: 161
Not exactly a household name, but the skilful midfielder made 33 league appearances for Napoli this season and was one of the star performers as North Macedonia stunned Germany in a recent World Cup qualifier. He could have a chance to shine if North Macedonia spring more surprises, which is possible in a group with Austria, Netherlands and Ukraine.
Phil Foden – England
Age: 21
Position: AM C (MC / AM RL)
Club: Manchester City
FM Current Ability: 152
FM Potential Ability: 175
Another exciting young English talent, Foden has all-but established himself as one of the first names on the England teamsheet. As expected, he’s had a breakthrough season for Man City and could be one of the biggest stars at Euro 2020. On my FM20 Journeyman save, he racked up the all-time England appearances record and donned himself the honour of becoming Sir Phil Foden after scoring in the World Cup Final.
Billy Gilmour – Scotland
Age: 19
Position: M C (DM / AM C)
Club: Chelsea
FM Current Ability: 122
FM Potential Ability: 140-170 (-85)
As soon as Billy Gilmour takes to the pitch in any match, you’ll hear the commentator mention his performance in that FA Cup game against Liverpool. Frustratingly for him, that’s because he soon picked up a serious injury and has found appearances hard to come by ever since. That much is also proven by him only winning his first Scottish cap in their impressive 2-2 draw with Netherlands last week in which, by all accounts, he had an excellent debut.
Ryan Gravenberch – Netherlands
Age: 19
Position: M C (DM / AM C)
Club: Ajax
FM Current Ability: 134
FM Potential Ability: 150-180 (-9)
Gravenberch is one of those players I just presume is now 25 or 26 after seeing him develop so well in so many of FM saves. However, in the real world he is still only 19 so playing time for Netherlands this summer is likely to be limited. But he had to be on this list as he routinely becomes one of the best midfielders in the world on FM. Although whenever I managed him he didn’t really win me over.
Josko Gvardiol – Croatia
Age: 19
Position: D C (D L)
Club: RB Leipzig (on loan at Dinamo Zagreb)
FM Current Ability: 129
FM Potential Ability: 150-180 (-9)
Gvardiol is a senational defender on FM 21 and that is well and truly coming to fruition in real life. He’s already been snapped up by RB Leipzig and officially joins the German side in July. He’s not the world’s tallest defender at 6ft 1in, but he makes up for that with strength and pace. He looks like an absolute monster of a defender even at 18 at the start of FM 21. Could he be tasked with taking on Harry Kane in Croatia’s opener?
Adam Hložek – Czech Republic
Age: 18
Position: AM L (AM R / ST)
Club: Sparta Prague
FM Current Ability: 121
FM Potential Ability: 130-160 (-8)
If there was one lesser-known player that I could pick to take this tournament by storm, it would be Hlozek. He was phenomenal on FM 20 and I can only assume he is this time around too. But in real life he’s earning rave reviews with his astounding performances in the Czech First League, which began by becoming the youngest goalscorer in the competition’s history. Then this season, he racked up an incredible 15 goals and 7 assists in just 19 games at the age of 18 – which saw him finish joint top scorer despite missing 4 months with an injury. He’s yet to score for Czech Republic after just two caps, but expect that to change, and fast.
Alexander Isak – Sweden
Age: 21
Position: ST
Club: Real Sociedad
FM Current Ability: 147
FM Potential Ability: 166
In the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, look for Sweden’s hopes of goals to rest on the young shoulders of Isak. He’s another player who I’m surprised is still only 21 and I remember him banging goals in for me on an AC Milan save on FM. He’s one of the more established players on this list with 6 goals in 21 caps, but expect him to be a threat this summer.
João Félix – Portugal
Age: 21
Position: AM C (AM RL / ST)
Club: Atlético Madrid
FM Current Ability: 159
FM Potential Ability: 175
Félix has struggled for form a little since his eye-watering £113 million move to Atlético but expect big things from him this summer, if he gets enough opportunities. I’ve never managed him on FM but his attributes look absolutely incredible. The Portuguese squad is packed with former FM wonderkids like Ruben Neves, Goncalo Guedes and Renato Sanches, as well as another man to watch out for later in this list.
Orkun Kökçü – Turkey
Age: 20
Position: M / AM C
Club: Feyenoord
FM Current Ability: 125
FM Potential Ability: 130-160 (-8)
I find Turkey always seems to produce good young players on FM and they even won the World Cup early on in my FM Journeyman save on FM20. Midfielder Kökçü is the best talent in the current squad and is rated as a solid prospect in the game. The youngster is considered a skilful playmaker who makes very few mistakes on the ball and also has an eye for goal with shots from outside the box. However, he only scored 2 in 22 for Feyenoord last season and only has one cap for Turkey, so maybe don’t expect too much.
Kacper Kozłowski- Poland
Age: 17
Position: M / AM C
Club: Pogon Szczecin
FM Current Ability: 86
FM Potential Ability: 130-160 (-8)
It’s relatively unlike Poland to have an exciting young player in their ranks, but in Kozłowski they have one of the youngest players at the tournament. He doesn’t turn 18 until October and I confess I’d never heard of him until putting him on this list, but he’s been labelled “the Polish Pogba” and linked with a move to Man United. If gets on the pitch at Euro 2020, Kozłowski will become the youngest player in tournament history, currently held by Jetro Willems at the age of 18 years and 71 days in 2012.
Dejan Kulusevski – Sweden
Age: 21
Position: AM RC (M R)
Club: Juventus
FM Current Ability: 152
FM Potential Ability: 179
Kulusevski is the player with the highest fixed ability on this list but, in real life, hasn’t really done that justice. He played 35 league games for Juventus this season, scoring 4 goals and getting 3 assists, but only started 19. Style-wise, Kulusevski seems like a dream attacker, offering strength, skill and pace alongside a high work rate and he can feasibly play anywhere across the midfield and attack. He already has 12 caps and expect him to be a breakthrough talent this summer as Sweden have winnable group games against Poland and Slovakia in addition to facing Spain.
Jamal Musiala – Germany
Age: 18
Position: ST (AM RLC)
Club: Bayern Munich
FM Current Ability: 126
FM Potential Ability: 150-180 (-9)
Oh what could have been for England. Having come through the Chelsea youth system, Musiala not only rejected south-west London for Munich but also chose to represent Germany, having been born in Stuttgart. He’s since become Bayern’s all-time youngest league player and goalscorer, then scored 6 goals in 26 league games this season. He’s won 2 German caps already but, being the youngest player in the squad by 3 years, will Euro 2020 be a step too soon for him?
Nuno Mendes – Portugal
Age: 18
Position: D / WB L
Club: Sporting Lisbon
FM Current Ability: 138
FM Potential Ability: 150-180 (-9)
Anyone who’s used or even seen Nuno Mendes on this year’s FM will know how just how good this kid is. I had him on my Sporting save last year, when no-one really knew too much about him, and he became an exceptional left-back. In real life, he’s had an equally meteoric rise as part of the Sporting side that won Liga NOS last season. He turns 19 during the tournament and possesses speed, skill and technique, which make him the ideal modern full-back, so expect him to be one of the breakout stars this summer.
Pedri – Spain
Age: 18
Position: AM C (M C / AM RL)
Club: Barcelona
FM Current Ability: 143
FM Potential Ability: 160-190 (-95)
The Barcelona midfielder is the only player on this last with a potential ability of up to 190 out of 200. And that virtual potential is firmly being delivered in real life as he appeared in all but one of Barcelona’s league games this season – which, at the age of 18, is something not even Lionel Messi achieved. He’s also made it into Luis Enrique’s 24-man Spanish squad, which tells you this really is a player to get excited about. FM lists him as a natural AM C, but in real life he’s settled into a deeper central midfield role. And, in the absence of Ansu Fati, he’s the best young talent in this Spanish squad. He also looks really special as a 17-year-old at the start of FM, which is almost enough for me to fire up the game and start one of those Rebuilding Barcelona saves.
Giacomo Raspadori – Italy
Age: 21
Position: ST
Club: Sassuolo
FM Current Ability: 15
FM Potential Ability: 130-160 (-8)
Probably one of the least recognisable names on this list, I’d never heard of him before pulling this together. However, the uncapped Sassuolo striker has been handed a surprise call-up to the Italian squad after 6 goals in 27 games in Serie A this season – after only making his Under 21 debut in September. He’ll likely offer support to FM favourites Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti, but you never know, he could get a chance to make a name for himself.
Andreas Skov Olsen – Denmark
Age: 21
Position: AM R
Club: Bologna
FM Current Ability: 125
FM Potential Ability: 148
Skov Olsen was exceptional in my brief stint as Denmark manager on my FM 20 journeyman save, offering assists and goals from wide positions. The tall winger nearly gave up football completely when he was 14, but surgery not only gave him the opportunity to become a professional footballer and one of the unlikely stars of Euro 2020. Injuries and negative tactics of Sinisa Mihajlovic have held him back in Italy, but he thrives on playing for Denmark and could be the Danes’ trump card.
Anatoliy Trubin – Ukraine
Age: 19
Position: M C (M L / AM C)
Club: Shakhtar Donetsk
FM Current Ability: 140
FM Potential Ability: 130-160 (-8)
The only goalkeeper on this list (Donnarumma was too obvious), the Shakhtar stopper is the third-youngest player in the Ukrainian squad behind two 18-year-olds centre-back Illya Zabarnyi and midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov. The youngest goalkeeper at Euro 2020, 6ft 6in Trubin has already played 29 league games for Shakhtar, including 21 this season, captained his club aged just 18, and has two caps for his country. But he’s likely to remain backup to Georgiy Bushchan this summer.
Owen Wijndal – Netherlands
Age: 21
Position: D L (WB / M L)
Club: AZ Alkmaar
FM Current Ability: 134
FM Potential Ability: 159
This Dutch side looks absolutely packed with young talent, with Wijndal and joining the likes of Cody Gakpo, Donyell Malen, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek. Wijndal is one of the top talents to come through the exciting AZ Alkmaar academy, along with Calvin Stengs and Myron Boadu. Also look out for young Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, who’s been selected at the age of 19.
Do you have any favourite players from this list of FM Wonderkids? And which players are you looking out for at Euro 2020 this summer?
Football Manager Addict 
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