Football Manager 2024 best players: All the top forwards, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers

Cameron Smith

Updated: 4 Dec 2023 10:29 CST
5 min read

Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne — © ProShots

Football Manager 2024 is here, with an all-new rating database for fans of the popular game to get their hands on.

As ever, Football Manager is the go-to place for football fans to build a club in their image, signing young talents and watching them develop into world-beaters.

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Starting with clubs such as Real Madrid or Manchester City will give you a huge budget in FM24, although most fans of the game prefer starting with a smaller club and helping them rise up the divisions to glory.

However, while many players will choose to start from the bottom of the managerial ladder, others prefer taking charge of a top team from the beginning as building a team of global superstars can be equally exciting

As you may be aware, Football Manager does not have a rating system like EA FC, for example, which makes the game far more individualistic. However, there is a 'Worldwide Reputation' system to determine which players are regarded at the top of the game.

Players can have a minimum 'Reputation' of 0.5 and a maximum of 5.0. Below, FootballTransfers have listed the best players in Football Manager 2024.

Just be wary, they will cost a fortune!

Football Manager 2024: Best Goalkeepers

There are 10 goalkeepers with 4.5 'Reputation' on Football Manager 2024, and as a result, they are the best goalkeepers on the game.

Ederson, Alisson, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Mike Maignan, Andre Onana, Manuel Neuer, Thibaut Courtois, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Wojciech Szczesny and Edouard Mendy all have 4.5 'Reputation' on Football Manager 2024.

Of those 'keepers, Ederson will cost the most, with Man City valuing the Brazilian at between £217m-£238m in the game. His compatriot Alisson will also cost a fortune, while Manuel Neuer is the cheapest. Bayern value the veteran German at between £9.6m-£14.5m.

Courtois, Ter Stegen, Szczesny and Mendy are all 'Not For Sale.'

Player	Club	Value	Reputation
1. Ederson	Man City	£217m - £238m	4.5
= Alisson	Liverpool	£182m - £217m	4.5
= Gianluigi Donnarumma	PSG	£112m - £134m	4.5
= Mike Maignan	Milan	£72m - £110m	4.5
= Andre Onana	Man Utd	£65m - £99m	4.5
= Manuel Neuer	Bayern	£9.6m - £14.5m	4.5
= Thibaut Courtois	Real Madrid	Not For Sale	4.5
= Marc-Andre ter Stegen	Barcelona	Not For Sale	4.5
= Wojciech Szczęsny	Juventus	Not For Sale	4.5
= Edouard Mendy	Al-Ahli	Not For Sale	4.5

Football Manager 2024: Best Defenders

Just like with the list of goalkeepers, there are also 10 defenders with a 4.5 'Reputation' on Football Manager 2024.

Manchester City pair Ruben Dias and John Stones lead the way, with Pep Guardiola's side demanding £215m-£236m for the former and £172m-£187m for the latter.

PSG duo Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos also have 4.5 'Reputation' and both will likely cost in excess of £100m.

Liverpool's stance on Virgil van Dijk is that he is 'Not For Sale' despite his high reputation.

Player	Club	Value	Reputation
1. Ruben Dias	Man City	£215m - £236m	4.5
= John Stones	Man City	£172m - £187m	4.5
= Marquinhos	PSG	£117m - £147m	4.5
= Achraf Hakimi	PSG	£98m - £147m	4.5
= Ronald Araujo	Barcelona	£84m - £127m	4.5
= Raphael Varane	Man Utd	£88m - £110m	4.5
= Matthijs de Ligt	Bayern	£81m - £102m	4.5
= Milan Skriniar	PSG	£53m - £63m	4.5
= Virgil van Dijk	Liverpool	Not For Sale	4.5
= Kyle Walker	Man City	Not For Sale	4.5

Football Manager 2024: Best Midfielders

Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne is the only midfielder on Football Manager 2024 with a five star reputation. The Belgian is therefore the best midfielder on the game, although he is 'Not For Sale' meaning signing him will not be possible.

His club team-mates Bernardo Silva and Rodri lead the way for midfielders with 4.5 reputation, although they will both cost more than £200m in the game.

Martin Odegaard, Joshua Kimmich, Bruno Fernandes, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Nicolo Barella and Luka Modric complete the top 10 midfielders on Football Manager 2024.

Player	Club	Value	Reputation
1. Kevin de Bruyne	Man City	Not For Sale	5
2. Bernardo Silva	Man City	£255m - £305m	4.5
= Rodri	Man City	£212m - £266m	4.5
= Martin Odegaard	Arsenal	£206m - £225m	4.5
= Joshua Kimmich	Bayern	£184m - £203m	4.5
= Bruno Fernandes	Man Utd	£157m - £173m	4.5
= Jude Bellingham	Real Madrid	£133m - £160m	4.5
= Federico Valverde	Real Madrid	£98m - £149m	4.5
= Nicolo Barella	Inter	£99m - £125m	4.5
= Luka Modric	Real Madrid	£12.5m - £19m	4.5

Football Manager 2024: Best Forwards

Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are the three best forwards on Football Manager 2024. All three players have a five star reputation, although Mbappe is the only player available to sign.

Harry Kane is the highest-valued forward with 4.5 reputation following his summer move from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich.

Vinicius Jr, Heung-min Son, Victor Osimhen, Mohamed Salah, Robert Lewandowski and Neymar also have 4.5 reputation.

Player	Club	Value	Reputation
1. Kylian Mbappe	PSG	£125m - £188m	5
= Lionel Messi	Inter Miami	Not For Sale	5
= Erling Haaland	Man City	Not For Sale	5
4. Harry Kane	Bayern	£176m - £226m	4.5
= Vinicius Jr	Real Madrid	£83m - £125m	4.5
= Heung-min Son	Tottenham	£70m-£105m	4.5
= Victor Osimhen	Napoli	£86m - £103m	4.5
= Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	Not For Sale	4.5
= Robert Lewandowski	Barcelona	Not For Sale	4.5
= Neymar	Al-Hilal	Not For Sale	4.5