- 14 hours ago
Football Manager 2023 wonderkids: The best young goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards
James Shearman
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 4 min read
The Football Manager 2023 winter update has now been released, with over three million database changes.
These include new features, gameplay improvements and updates to squads after the January transfer window.
But players will still be able to sign their own players, whether it be high-profile stars or wonderkids who can develop into club legends.
READ MORE: Football Manager 2022 wonderkids
These prospects can be difficult to find, especially with a limited scouting budget, so FootballTransfers has you covered.
What is a wonderkid on Football Manager?
A player earns a ‘Wonderkid’ tag within Football Manager due to their potential ability being high.
Wonderkids have been ranked using the FMScout rating system as a guide, while we have kept our list to players who are 20 or younger as of 1 October 2022.
The potential ratings below are based on recommendation levels from 1 to 100 given by scouts on FM 2023.
Football Manager 2023 wonderkid goalkeepers
Goalkeepers
| Player | Potential Rating |
| Elia Caprile, 20, Bari | 84 |
| Faaris Yusufu, 17, Schalke | 84 |
| Gavin Bazunu, 20 Sourthampton | 83 |
| Gabriel Slonina, 20, Chelsea | 83 |
| Nathaniel Nwosu, 16, Water F.C. | 83 |
| Andre Gomes, 17 Benfica | 82 |
| Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro, 17, AZ | 82 |
| Iker Alvarez, 20, Villarreal | 82 |
| Charlie Setford, 18, Ajax | 82 |
| Dennis Seimen, 16, Stuttgart | 82 |
| Lucas Canizares, 20, Real Madrid | 81 |
| Anatolii Trubin, 20, Shakthar | 81 |
17-year-old Faaris Yusufu looks like the best wonderkid on the list, and should be affordable at bottom-half Bundesliga side Schalke.
Chelsea's Gabriel Slonina arrived from Chicago Fire in MLS recently with a reputation as one of the position's brightest prospects in world football.
Football Manager 2023 wonderkid defenders
Centre-backs/Right-backs/Left-backs
| Player | Potential Rating |
| Tanguy Nianzou (CB), 20, Sevilla | 85 |
| Giorgio Scalvini (CB), 18, Atalanta | 85 |
| Caleb Okoli (CB), 20, Atalanta | 84 |
| Malick Thiaw (CB), 20, Milan | 84 |
| Morato (CB), 20, Benfica | 83 |
| Tino Livramento (RB), 19, Southampton | 85 |
| Martim Fernandes (RB), 16, Porto | 85 |
| Devyne Rensch (RB), 19, Ajax | 83 |
| Alejandro Frances (RB), 19, Zaragoza | 83 |
| Nathan Patterson (RB), 20, Everton | 83 |
| Josko Gvardiol (LB), 20, RB Leipzig | 88 |
| Nuno Mendes (LB), 20, PSG | 86 |
| Destiny Udogie (LB), 19, Tottenham | 85 |
| Nicola Zalewski (LB), 20, Roma | 85 |
| Miguel Gutierrez (LB), 20, Girona | 84 |
The highest rated young centre-back in Football Manager 2023 is Sevilla's Tanguy Nianzou.
At full-back, Chelsea made a big mistake in letting Tino Livramento go as, according to FM Scout, the Southampton defender will develop into one of the best right-backs in the game.
Josko Gvardiol was one of the top wonderkids in FM22 and his development has continued to the point where he will undoubtedly become one of the best players in the game in FM23.
Football Manager 2023 wonderkid midfielders
Defensive Mids/Centre Mids
| Player | Potential |
| Eduardo Camavinga, 19, Real Madrid | 91 |
| Warren Zaire-Emery, 16, PSG | 87 |
| Giacomo Faticanti, 17, Roma | 85 |
| Romeo Lavia, 18, Southampton | 84 |
| Maxim Mukhin, 19, CSKA Moscow | 84 |
| Jude Bellingham, 18, Dortmund | 90 |
| Cesare Casadei, 20, Chelsea | 89 |
| Gavi, 17, Barcelona | 89 |
| Fabio Miretti, 18, Juventus | 87 |
| Moises Caicedo, 20, Brighton | 87 |
The above list is split into defensive midfielders and then central midfielders.
Chelsea could have a superstar on their hands if the rating for Cesare Casadei is anything to go by here. The young Italian midfielder signed from Inter in the summer transfer window.
England international Jude Bellingham is already an excellent player, but expect him to develop into a Ballon d'Or contender once he moves clubs.
Barcelona's Kopa Trophy winner Gavi was a star wonderkid in FM22 and retains that status in FM23.
Attacking midfielders
| Player | Potential |
| Pedri, 19, Barcelona | 92 |
| Jamal Musiala, 19, Bayern | 92 |
| Arda Guler, 17, Fenerbahce | 92 |
| Julen Jon Guerrero, 18, Real Madrid | 88 |
| Lazar Samardzic, 20, Udinese | 87 |
| Florian Wirtz, 19, Leverkusen | 87 |
| Arsen Zakharyan, 19, Dinamo Moscow | 87 |
| Bruno Iglesias, 19, Real Madrid | 87 |
No prizes for guessing the top two on the list for this one as Pedri and Jamal Musiala are already two of the most exciting players in the world.
17-year-old Arda Guler is one of the top wonderkids in the game and could be in contention for the most signed player come the end of FM23.
Football Manager 2023 wonderkid forwards
Wingers
| Player | Potential |
| Bukayo Saka, 20, Arsenal | 90 |
| Yeremi Pino, 20, Villarreal | 90 |
| Ansu Fati, 19, Barcelona | 90 |
| Andreas Schjelderup, 18, Nordsjaelland | 90 |
| Harvey Elliott, 19, Liverpool | 89 |
| Giovanni Reyna, Dortmund, 19 | 88 |
| Alberto Moleiro, 18, Las Palmas | 88 |
| Kayky, 19, Man City | 88 |
| Michael Olise, 20, Crystal Palace | 88 |
| Roony Bardghji, 16, Copenhagne | 88 |
| Joao Rego, 17, Benfica | 88 |
Bukayo Saka and Ansu Fati are already two very well known names.The Spaniard even has a 1 billion euro release clause, so good luck trying to sign him!
Yeremi Pino, too, has already made a name for himself after a breakthrough season at Villarreal.
Harvey Elliott and Michael Olise represent interesting options for the future of the Premier League.
Strikers
| Player | Potential |
| Endrick, 15, SEP | 95 |
| Youssoufa Moukoko, 17, Dortmund | 91 |
| Joe Gelhardt, 20, Leeds | 88 |
| Liam Delap, 19, Man City | 88 |
| Rodrigo Ribeiro, 17, Sporting | 88 |
| Mathys Tel, 17, Bayern | 88 |
| Emre Tezgel, 16, Stoke | 88 |
| Karim Adeyemi, 20, Dortmund | 87 |
| Joao Pedro, 20, Watford | 87 |
| Sebastiano Esposito, 19, Inter | 87 |
| Benjamin Sesko, 19, Salzburg | 87 |
If managed well, Endrick and Youssoufa Moukoko will probably become the best strikers in the game as the years progress, so if you can get them early, go for it.
Karim Adeyemi and Benjamin Sesko can still be labelled as wonderkids due to their age, but you know all about them.
Sebastiano Esposito has been an FM Wonderkid for a few seasons now and it is time he developed into a top striker.
