The prodigies of Football Manager 2023 are some of the best finds in the game.
These are the best young players available at the start of the new season in the game, and finding these players makes you feel like you have the upper hand immediately.
The only way to lead your team to league glory in Football Manager – even if you take control of Barcelona and Manchester City – is to build a team with long-term ambitions. This means having to use your scouting system to find the most talented players in the world.
We set out to find these young and future greats, and collected 50 of the best young players and prodigies of FM23.
Football Manager 2023 wonderkids and best young players list
Here is our recommendation for the Top 50 Football Manager 2023 Wonders and Best Players:
| Rank | Last name | Position | Current capacity | Potential capacity | Age | club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | AM(RL),ST(C) | 188 | 197 | 23 | Paris Saint Germain |
| 2 | Erling Haaland | ST(C) | 185 | 195 | 22 | Manchester City |
| 3 | Junior Vinicius | AM (LR) | 174 | 184 | 22 | real Madrid |
| 4 | Kai Havertz | AM(C), ST(C) | 167 | 180 | 23 | chelsea |
| 5 | Phil Foot | M(C), AM(RLC) | 163 | 180 | 22 | Manchester City |
| 6 | Wesley Fofana | D(C) | 161 | 180 | 21 | chelsea |
| seven | Aurelien Tchouameni | SM, M (C) | 159 | 180 | 22 | real Madrid |
| 8 | Jamal Musiala | M(C), AM(RLC) | 155 | 180 | 19 | Bayern Munich |
| 9 | Eduardo Camavinga | SM/M (C) | 147 | 180 | 19 | real Madrid |
| ten | Declan Rice | D/DM/M (C) | 162 | 178 | 23 | West Ham United |
| 11 | Gianluigi Donnarumma | GC | 162 | 178 | 23 | Paris Saint Germain |
| 12 | Martin Odegaard | M/AM (C) | 160 | 178 | 23 | Arsenal |
| 13 | Bukayo Saka | AM (RL) | 161 | 177 | 20 | Arsenal |
| 14 | Joao Felix | AM(RLC),ST(C) | 159 | 177 | 22 | Atlético Madrid |
| 15 | Jadon Sancho | M/AM (RL) | 155 | 177 | 22 | Manchester United |
| 16 | Raphael Leao | AM(L),ST(C) | 163 | 176 | 23 | AC Milan |
| 17 | Pedri | M(C), AM(RLC) | 159 | 176 | 19 | Barcelona |
| 18 | Matthijs de Ligt | D(C) | 158 | 176 | 22 | Bayern Munich |
| 19 | Jules Kounde | D(RC), WB(R) | 162 | 175 | 23 | Barcelona |
| 20 | Rodrygo | AM(RL),ST(C) | 152 | 175 | 21 | real Madrid |
| 21 | Guillaume Saliba | D(C) | 145 | 175 | 21 | Arsenal |
| 22 | Jurrien Bois | D(RC), WB(R), DM | 149 | 175 | 21 | AFC Ajax |
| 23 | Trent Alexandre-Arnold | D/WB(R), M(C) | 160 | 174 | 23 | liverpool |
| 24 | Ronald Araujo | D(C) | 160 | 174 | 23 | Barcelona |
| 25 | Khvisha Kvaratskhelia | AM (RLC) | 153 | 174 | 21 | Parthenope |
| 26 | Diogo Costa | GC | 150 | 174 | 22 | FCPorto |
| 27 | Gabriel Martinelli | AM(RL),ST(C) | 148 | 174 | 21 | Arsenal |
| 28 | Vitinha | SM, M (C) | 150 | 173 | 22 | Paris Saint Germain |
| 29 | Ashraf Hakimi | D/WB/M(R) | 160 | 172 | 23 | Paris Saint Germain |
| 30 | Alphonse Davies | D/WB/M/AM (L) | 160 | 172 | 21 | Bayern Munich |
| 31 | Sandro Tonali | SM/M (C) | 156 | 172 | 22 | AC Milan |
| 32 | Unai Winner | SM, M (C) | 145 | 172 | 21 | Athletic Bilbao |
| 33 | Jude Bellingham | SM/M (C) | 155 | 160-190 | 19 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 34 | Ansu Fati | AM(RL),ST(C) | 149 | 160-190 | 19 | Barcelona |
| 35 | Gavi | SM, M/AM (C) | 148 | 160-190 | 17 | Barcelona |
| 36 | Youssoufa Moukoko | ST(C) | 121 | 160-190 | 17 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 37 | Florian Wirtz | M/AM (C) | 143 | 150-180 | 19 | Bayer Leverkusen |
| 38 | Nicholas Williams | M/AM (RL) | 139 | 150-180 | 19 | Athletic Bilbao |
| 39 | Domink Szoboszlai | M/AM (LC) | 143 | 150-180 | 21 | RB Leipzig |
| 40 | John Reina | M/AM (LC) | 140 | 150-180 | 19 | Borussia Dortmund |
| 41 | If Guardiol | D (CL) | 139 | 150-180 | 20 | RB Leipzig |
| 42 | Michael Olise | AM (RC) | 138 | 150-180 | 20 | crystal palace |
| 43 | Nuno Mendes | D/WB (L) | 149 | 150-180 | 20 | Paris Saint Germain |
| 44 | Deliverance from Tino | D/WB(R) | 134 | 150-180 | 19 | Southampton |
| 45 | Ryan Gravenberch | SM, M/AM (C) | 138 | 150-180 | 20 | Bayern Munich |
| 46 | Joe Pedro | AM(RLC), ST(C) | 133 | 150-180 | 20 | watford |
| 47 | Noni Madueke | M(RL), AM(RLC) | 139 | 150-180 | 20 | PSV Eindhoven |
| 48 | Destiny Udogy | D/WB/M (L) | 142 | 150-180 | 19 | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 49 | Mathys Phone | AM(RL),ST(C) | 120 | 150-180 | 17 | Bayern Munich |
| 50 | Benjamin Sesko | ST(C) | 133 | 150-180 | 19 | Salzburg |
You are probably wondering why there are two player rankings in our Wonderkids list. This is because the game’s first season starts with each player’s current ability rating based on all the player attributes you see in-game.
These include things like tackling skills, passing, leadership, fatigue – anything important in an athlete’s overall ranking.
However, there is a hidden in-game player rating systembased on a score out of 200. This is called the ability rating.
However, each player also has a potential ability rating (also rated out of 200), which means that with the right team and the right training setup, they can perform even better for your team which excels their quality of departure.
We have set an age limit of 23 years old to ensure that you are able to recruit players who are starting to prove themselves and who will not ruin you at the start of your new game save in the first season.
This list includes global stars like PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, as well as newcomers like 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko from Borussia Dortmund.
Diogo Costa is a new young goalkeeper included in this year’s list, so getting him back from Porto could be the first thing you need to do in your new managerial reign.
Looking for more help? We have an explainer on the best free agents and best trading players as well as how to install kits and logo packs in Football Manager 2023.
