If you're starting a new career, you're going to want to look at these Football Manager 2021 wonderkids. Before regens start coming through the ranks, the best young players you can sign in Football Manager 2021 are ones that exist in real life, but aren't too famous yet. Your scouts often won't find them due to them playing in obscure leagues, so we're here to help with this guide to the best Football Manager 2021 wonderkids.
Some wonderkids are already world famous, like Matthijs De Ligt, Mason Greenwood, and Phil Foden. Everyone already knows about these players and they're essentially unattainable for everyone but the biggest clubs, so these global superstars have been excluded from our list. This FM21 wonderkids guide is to help shine a light on players you may not know have high potential. Also, wonderkid means 20 years old or younger, so both Mbappe and Donnarumma are finally too old for these lists.
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Goalkeepers
FM21 wonderkids: Goalkeeper
Since goalkeepers don't peak until late 20s, often early 30s, finding a wonderkid goalkeeper is a risk since they still won't compare to the older players until much later down the line. With that in mind, if you're building for the distant future, here are 10 of the best wonderkid goalkeepers in Football Manager 2021.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maarten Vandevoordt | 18 | KRC Genk | Belgian | 4.1 | 0.1 |
| Manuel Gasparini | 18 | Udinese | Italian | 2 | 0.07 |
| Mikki van Sas | 16 | Manchester City | Dutch | 0.1 | 0.01 |
| Illan Meslier | 20 | Leeds United | French | 20 | 18.4 |
| Alejandro Iturbe | 16 | Atletico Madrid | Spanish | 0.3 | 0.008 |
| Matheus Donelli | 18 | COR (Corinithians) | Brazilian | 0.4 | 0.01 |
| Ivan Martinez | 18 | Atletico Pamplona | Spanish | 1.1 | 0.03 |
| Matej Kovar | 20 | Manchester United | Czech | 2.5 | 0.2 |
| Alessandro Russo | 19 | Sassuolo | Italian | 4.8 | 0.1 |
| Diogo Costa | 20 | FC Porto | Portugeuse | 3.4 | 1 |
Centre Back
FM21 wonderkids: Centre Back
A few of these young centre halves will set you back a pretty penny, but there are also some cheap gems in here. Matthijs de Ligt has been left out because he's already one of the most famous defenders in the world.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josko Gvardiol | 18 | RB Leipzig | Croatian | 13.3 | 0.9 |
| Jean-Clair Todibo | 20 | Barcelona | French | 21.9 | 4.9 |
| Marash Kumbulla | 20 | Verona | Albanian | 31.7 | 5 |
| Nehuen Perez | 20 | Atletico Madrid | Argentinian | 15.1 | 4 |
| Max Normann Williamsen | 17 | Kristiansund | Norwegian | 0.3 | 0.02 |
| Ethan Ampadu | 19 | Chelsea | Welsh | 7.5 | 8.1 |
| Zinho Vanheusden | 20 | Standard Liege | Belgian | 23.7 | 5.7 |
| Andrea Papetti | 18 | Brescia | Italian | 0.2 | 1.6 |
| Matteo Lovato | 20 | Verona | Italian | 2.8 | 0.6 |
| Eric Garcia | 19 | Manchester City | Spanish | 12 | 22.6 |
Right Back
FM21 wonderkids: Right Back
What we've learnt from this list of right backs is that England are sorted for the future. Special shout out goes to Ethan Laird who, by the end of my first season as Manchester United, had become first-choice over Wan-Bissaka.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Aarons | 20 | Norwich | English | 18 | 14.9 |
| Reece James | 20 | Chelsea | English | 60 | 25.6 |
| Tomas Esteves | 18 | FC Porto | Portuguese | 3.4 | 0.3 |
| Rodrigo Pinheiro | 17 | FC Porto | Portuguese | 1.2 | 0.01 |
| Malo Gusto | 17 | Olympique Lyonnais | French | 0.5 | 0.04 |
| Yan Couto | 18 | Manchester City | Brazilian | 5 | 0.2 |
| Pierre Kalulu | 20 | AC Milan | French | 16 | 0.1 |
| Ethan Laird | 18 | Manchester United | English | 4 | 4.3 |
| Josha Vagnoman | 19 | Hamburger SV | German | 7 | 0.3 |
| Victor Gomez | 20 | Espanyol | Spanish | 5.6 | 0.3 |
Left Backs
FM21 wonderkids: Left Back
Some outstanding options here at left back, including one chap from New Zealand. Noah Katterbach especially looks to be a bargain choice.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuno Mendes | 18 | Sporting | Portuguese | 4.1 | 4.5 |
| Noah Katterbach | 19 | 1. FC Koln | German | 1.7 | 1 |
| Owen Wijndal | 20 | AZ Alkmaar | Dutch | 3.8 | 2.8 |
| David de la Vibora | 17 | Real Madrid | Spanish | 0.3 | 0.007 |
| Juan Miranda | 20 | Barcelona | Spanish | 7.2 | 0.8 |
| Rayan Ait-Nouri | 19 | Angers SCO | French | 9.8 | 2.2 |
| Riccardo Calafiori | 18 | AS Roma | Italian | 13 | 0.1 |
| Brandon Williams | 19 | Manchester United | English | 40 | 19.7 |
| Tyrick Mitchell | 20 | Crystal Palace | English | 0.5 | 3.7 |
| Liberato Cacace | 19 | Sint-Truidense VV | New Zealander | 6.1 | 0.5 |
Defensive Midfielders
FM21 wonderkids: Defensive Midfield
An eclectic mix of defensive midfielders here from some smaller clubs, along with one or two bigger names. One name has been omitted here – Sandro Tonali – because the chap is on the world stage already and your scouts are likely to have found him if you're looking for a DM.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florentino Luis | 20 | SL Benfica | Portuguese | 16.8 | 6.7 |
| Gustavo Assuncao | 20 | Familicao | Brazilian | 2 | 3.7 |
| Marco Kana | 17 | Anderlecht | Belgian | 4.5 | 0.1 |
| Fausto Vera | 20 | Argentinos Jrs | Argentina | 3.2 | 1.7 |
| Oliver Skipp | 19 | Tottenham Hotspur | English | 25 | 7.5 |
| Nicolo Rovella | 18 | Genoa | Italian | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Manuel Ugarte | 19 | Fenix | Uruguayan | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| Samson Tijani | 18 | RB Salzburg | Nigerian | 2.2 | 0.1 |
| Dennis Lutke-Frie | 17 | Borussia Dortmund | German | 0.06 | 0.01 |
| Andrea Ghion | 20 | Sassuolo | Italian | 2.6 | 0.1 |
Central Midfielders
FM21 wonderkids: Centre Midfield
Two four-letter, sub-16 players in the central midfield category, with both Pipi and Gavi being signings for long in the future. Camavinga is definitely the most high profile name on the list, but any of these midfield maestros will be excellent choices for any team.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eduardo Camavinga | 17 | Rennes | French | 18.9 | 6.5 |
| Pipi | 16 | Real Madrid | Japanese | 1.2 | 0.03 |
| Ilaix Moriba | 17 | Barcelona | Spanish | 11.5 | 0.1 |
| Vitor Ferreira | 20 | FC Porto | Portuguese | 2 | 1 |
| Ryan Gravenberch | 18 | Ajax | Dutch | 2.9 | 1.6 |
| Mickael Cuisance | 20 | Bayern Munich | French | 43.9 | 2.3 |
| Pierre Dwomoh | 16 | KRC Genk | Belgian | 0.05 | 0.1 |
| Charles de Ketelaere | 19 | Club Brugge | Belgian | 7.7 | 1.1 |
| Sergio Gomez | 19 | Borussia Dortmund | Spanish | 14 | 0.8 |
| Gavi | 15 | Barcelona | Spanish | 0.06 | 0.04 |
Attacking Midfielders
FM21 wonderkids: Attacking Midfield
A cracking list of young attacking mids here, though unfortunately most are already at big clubs. A few have been left out too, due to already being pretty well known; Joao Felix, Brahim Diaz, and Phil Foden.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pedri | 17 | Barcelona | Spanish | 22.7 | 7.6 |
| Naci Unuvar | 17 | Ajax | Dutch | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Dejan Kulusevski | 20 | Zebre (Juventus) | Sweden | 81.2 | 22.6 |
| Takefusa Kubo | 19 | Real Madrid | Japanese | 38.3 | 4.5 |
| Reinier | 18 | Real Madrid | Brazilian | 9.2 | 1.1 |
| Giovanni Reyna | 17 | Borussia Dortmund | American | 15.3 | 1 |
| Yusuf Demir | 17 | SK Rapid Vienna | Austrian | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Miguel Baeza | 20 | Celta Vigo | Spanish | 2.7 | 0.1 |
| Fabio Vieira | 20 | FC Porto | Portuguese | 4.6 | 1.6 |
| Angel Gomes | 19 | LOSC Lille | English | 20 | 7.9 |
Right Wingers
FM21 wonderkids: Right Wing
Manchester United fans will recognise two of the players here, with Pellistri signing over the summer and Amad Diallo having a transfer arranged to the club in January. There are another few big names missing here: Rodrygo, Ferran Torres, Pedro Neto, and Reiss Nelson are all huge names already, with hefty price tags attached.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francisco Trincao | 20 | Barcelona | Portuguese | 20.2 | 6.5 |
| Antony | 20 | Ajax | Brazilian | 13.7 | 6.8 |
| Emanuel Vignato | 19 | Bologna | Italian | 9.7 | 0.7 |
| Savio | 16 | ATM (Atletico Mineiro) | Brazilian | 0.7 | 0.06 |
| Harvey Elliott | 17 | Liverpool | English | 12 | 5 |
| Amad Diallo | 18 | Atalanta | Ivorian | 4.6 | 0.2 |
| Yeremi Pino | 17 | Villareal | Spanish | 3.2 | 0.1 |
| Facundo Pellistri | 18 | Manchester United | Uruguayan | 25 | 5 |
| Ilias Akhomach | 16 | Barcelona | Spanish | 0.7 | 0.06 |
| Raul Moro | 17 | Lazio | Spanish | 0.2 | 0.1 |
Left Wingers
FM21 wonderkids: Left Wing
Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi have been omitted from this list because let's face it – they've both stolen the spotlight already. But that would increase the number of English players on this list up to five, which bodes well for the future... right?
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis Jones | 19 | Liverpool | English | 20 | 7.3 |
| Shola Shoretire | 16 | Manchester United | English | 0.1 | 0.09 |
| Jens Petter Hauge | 20 | AC Milan | Norwegian | 26.7 | 4.4 |
| Dwight McNeil | 20 | Burnley | English | 45 | 19.3 |
| Rayan Cherki | 16 | Olympique Lyonnais | French | 8.7 | 0.2 |
| Exequiel Zeballos | 18 | Boca Juniors | Argentinian | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Nico Serrano | 17 | Athletic Bilbao | Spanish | 1.4 | 0.06 |
| Diego Lainez | 20 | Real Hispalis (Real Betis) | Mexican | 7.3 | 0.9 |
| Francisco Concelcao | 17 | FC Porto | Portuguese | 1.6 | 0.03 |
| Oscar Aranda | 18 | Real Madrid | Spanish | 0.5 | 0.01 |
Strikers
FM21 wonderkids: Striker
Finally, there are the young goalscorers up to. The two best players – Erling Braut Haaland and Mason Greenwood – have been omitted for obvious reasons, but the rest of the players on the list are great shouts if you need someone to stick the ball in the back of the net.
| Name | Age | Club | Nationality | Wage (K) | Value (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastiano Esposito | 18 | Inter Milan | Italian | 3.2 | 0.5 |
| Alexander Isak | 20 | Real San Sebastian (Real Sociedad) | Swedish | 15.9 | 5.5 |
| Evanilson | 20 | FC Porto | Brazilian | 18.1 | 5.5 |
| Joshua Zirkzee | 19 | Bayern Munich | Dutch | 14 | 1.1 |
| Luis Carbonell | 17 | Real Zaragoza | Spanish | 0.3 | 0.01 |
| Fabio Silva | 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Portuguese | 35 | 2.2 |
| Dusan Vlahovic | 20 | Fiorentina | Serbia | 26 | 4.8 |
| Wilfried Gnonto | 16 | Zurich | Italian | 0.2 | 0.03 |
| Myron Boadu | 19 | AZ Alkmaar | Dutch | 9.3 | 7.7 |
| Kaio Jorge | 18 | SAN (Santos) | Brazilian | 2.5 | 1.2 |
