The best wonderkids in every position in Football Manager 2026

BLAST.tv

January 01, 1970

12:00 AM

Singing the best wonderkids is important for any Football Manager save, and that hasn't changed one bit in Football Manager 26.

Given that it's been two years since a Football Manager game released, there's plenty of new wonderkids to sign and try out, but of course, some faces will still be very familiar thanks to bursting onto the scene at such young ages.

From Brazilian wingers with plenty of flair to Lille's rock at the centre of midfield, here are the best wonderkids in every positon on Football Manager 26.

The best wonderkid Goalkeeper in Football Manager 26

Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro

Starting off with the base of the team, we have the best wonderkid Goalkeeper in FM 26. For our pick for the positon, we've gone with one of two wonderkid Goalkeepers at AZ Alkmaar, Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro.

One of the best wonderkid keepers in FM24, Owusu-Oduro has since broken into the AZ Alkmaar first team, so his current ability is also higher on FM26.

A solid keeper with exceptional aerial reach, he might not be quite ready for Premier League football at the start of your game, but could easily adapt to life in France or Germany. Either way, if you play him enough, you'll have one of the best Goalkeepers in the world on your hands.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid Goalkeepers in FM26:

Ferran Quetglas - Real Madrid
Quenten Attigah - AZ Alkmaar
Dennis Seimen - Stuttgart
Guillaume Restes - Toulouse
Mike Penders - Chelsea

The best wonderkid Right Back in Football Manager 26

Alberto Costa

Moving onto the first defensive position, our choice for the best wonderkid Right Back in Football Manager 26 is Porto's Alberto Costa - although we could have easily gone with their other Right Back, Martim Fernandes.

Like most wonderkids in the Portuguese league, Costa will come at a hefty price (£38-56m), but by signing him you will be signing one of the best attacking Full Backs in the game.

Costa excels on the ball thanks to his 15 Dribbling, but can also efficiently get back to fulfill his defensive duties thanks to 16 Acceleration and 15 Tackling. Best utilised in the new Advanced Wing Back role, he can easily provide you with 15+ assists in the right system.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid Right Backs in FM26:

Martim Fernandes - Porto
Hector Fort - Barcelona
Josh Acheampong - Chelsea
Ivan Fresneda - Sporting
Elias Baum - Frankfurt

The best wonderkid Centre Back in Football Manager 26

Dean Huijsen

Whilst we could have picked a number of players for the best wonderkid Centreback in Football Manager 26, our choice is Real Madrid's new signing, Dean Huijsen.

Given the club that he plays for and the recency of his move, you'd presume that Huijsen is near-impossible to pry from the Spanish titans, however, due to the extensive list of defensive prowess they already possess, Huijsen often looks to move away for more play time.

Of course, you'll still have to pay a pretty hefty price for him, but for your money you'll get a player with incredible Composure and all-round defensive capabilities, as well as one who can be a rock at the heart of your defence for years to come.

Photo Interactive

More wonderkid Centre Backs in FM26:

Leny Yoro - Man United
Pau Cubarsi - Barcelona
Giovanni Leoni - Liverpool
Matteo Palma - Udinese
Joane Gadou - RB Salzburg

The best wonderkid Left Back in Football Manager 26

Saba Kharebashvili

Although Myles Lewis-Skelly is technically the highest potential wonderkid Left Back in Football Manager 26, Saba Kharebashvili is one name we couldn't ignore because of his easy availability.

Kharebashvili starts the game with an unprotected contract at Dinamo Tbilisi, meaning that you can offer him a contract whenever and you will just have to pay a compensation fee of around £1.5m in order to get the deal over the line.

An extremely versatile Left Back, the young Georgian operates best as a Wing Back due to his high Crossing, but his solid Positioning and Passing attributes mean you can also get a lot out of him by inverting him into your midfield.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid Left Backs in FM26:

Honest Ahanor - Atalanta (Bergamo)
Myles Lewis-Skelly - Arsenal
Lewis Hall - Newcastle
Nico O'Reilly - Man City
El Hadji Malick Diouf - West Ham

The best wonderkid Defensive Midfielder in Football Manager 26

Nathan De Cat

Whilst Stuttgart and Barcelona both have Spanish offerings for the title of the best wonderkid Defensive Midfielder in Football Manager 26, our choice is Anderlecht's fantastically named Nathan De Cat. If only he was a Goalkeeper.

At just 17, De Cat begins your FM26 save as a player more than capable of playing first team games for his team, and would also be a capable Breakthrough Prospect who would soon become a Squad Player if you signed him for a Premier League team.

A giant a 6'4", De Cat has solid Jumping Reach and defensive attributes that could see him effectively deployed as a Half Back. However, he is also versatile thanks to his strong Passing, Off The Ball, and Vision attributes, so you could also play him further up the pitch as a Deep Lying Playmaker, too.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid Defensive Midfielders in FM26

Chema Andres - Stuttgart
Marc Bernal - Barcelona
Kennet Eichorn - Hertha BSC
Jorthy Mokio - Ajax
Jack Hinshelwood - Brighton

The best wonderkid Central Midfielder in Football Manager 26

Ayyoub Bouaddi

Our choice for the best wonderkid Central Midfielder in Football Manager 26 could have gone in any midfield position - he's just that good. One of only four players on the game with -10 Potential Ability, that means that Lille's Bouaddi will always grow into a player with somewhere between 170-200 Current Ability.

Exceptional as a more defensive option or as a playmaker, Bouaddi is so versatile you could even retrain him to be a Right Back if you wanted to, although we're not sure why you'd ever sacrifice having such a good player in midfield.

Just be aware of the fact you're going to have to shell out your entire Summer budget in. Lille are aware of how good he can be, so they don't let him go for cheap. You can expect to pay upwards of £100m in order to bring him to your club.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid Central Midfielders in FM26:

Niccolo Pisilli - Roma
Tom Bischoff - Bayern
Guille Fernandez - Barcelona
Kees Smit - AZ Alkmaar
Archie Gray - Tottenham

The best wonderkid Attacking Midfielder in Football Manager 26

Rodrigo Mora

We could've chosen any number of players for the best wonderkid Attacking Midfielder in Football Manager 26, from two different Tottenham players to four separate Argentinians.

However, our pick is Porto's Rodrigo Mora, who starts the game with a £60m release clause that you should be looking to activate as soon as you can.

Best utilised in either the Free Role or as a Second Striker, Mora is better looked at as a goal scorer, rather than creator. A player who can provide you with plenty of goals from midfield, if you're playing with a Deep Lying Forward or Target Forward, expect them to get plenty of assists when providing him with chances to write his name in the headlines.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid Attacking Midfielders in FM26:

Nico Paz - Como
Franco Mastantuono - Real Madrid
Luca Williams-Barnett - Tottenham
Lucas Bergvall - Tottenham
Can Uzun - Frankfurt

The best wonderkid Right Winger in Football Manager 26

Rayan

Although two of the remaining three -10 players in Football Manager 26 are Right Wingers, we haven't chosen either of them as the best wonderkid Right Winger in Football Manager 26. Instead, similarly to our choice for Left Back, we've gone with a player who is much more available.

That player, Rayan, is an 18 year old Brazilian who begins your save with Vasco da Gama (VDG). He has a £69m release clause for foreign clubs, but don't let that put you off, you can expect to sign him for between £12-17m within the first season.

Naturally left footed and a strong finisher, Rayan as a goalscoring outlet for your team. Try him in either the Wide Forward or Inside Forward roles and watch him bang in the goals left, right, and centre.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid Right Wingers in FM26:

Estevao - Chelsea
Lamine Yamal - Barcelona
Desire Doue - PSG
Geovany Quenda - Sporting / Chelsea
Ben Gannon Doak - Bournemouth

The best wonderkid Left Winger in Football Manager 26

Said El Mala

For our pick for the best wonderkid Left Winger in Football Manager 26, you'll have to look at FC Koln's Spanish winger, Said El Mala.

Valued at around £20m at the start of your save, El Mala is already a solid squad option for any top division side thanks to his high Flair, Dribbling, and physical attributes.

Best used as a Winger at the start of your game, as he develops El Mala can also become proficient at cutting inside and adding to the scoresheet, making him one of the most versatile attackers you can sign in FM26.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid Left Wingers in FM26:

Gabriel Mec - Gremio (GRE)
Kenan Yildiz - Juventus
Jamie Gittens - Chelsea
Rio Ngumoha - Liverpool
Jeremy Monga - Leicester

The best wonderkid Striker in Football Manager 26

Franceso Pio Esposito

Another name that was one of the best wonderkids in Football Manager 24, Inter's Francesco Pio Esposito is our choice for the best wonderkid Striker in Football Manager 26.

Strong, tall, and fast, Espositio is an incredibly versatile forward who excels in every area of his game. Whilst his physicals are more than impressive, he's also technically excellent, and has the mental attributes to perform at the highest level straight away.

Even better still, Esposito is available for just £20m at the start of your game, and because Inter have two great strikers ahead of him, that value doesn't really increase due to his lack of playing time.

Photo: Sports Interactive

More wonderkid strikers in FM26:

Endrick - Real Madrid
Jayden Danns - Liverpool
Vitor Roque - Palmeiras (SEP)
Evan Ferguson - Brighton
Harry Gray - Leeds

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