Football Manager 2023 wonderkids: The best young goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards

James Shearman

Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
4 min read

Borussia Dortmund forward Youssoufa Moukoko — © ProShots

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.

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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.