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Which young players will become the best in FIFA 19's career mode?
This team of wonderkids have great potential –sign them up for your squad.
It's easy enough to sink your Career mode funds into some top players from day one, but it doesn't always result in long-term success. Instead, you need to think about how you’re developing youth, curating a side that will prove utterly dominant in seasons to come.
Each young player comes equipped with a different level of potential, and you’ll want to seek out the best young players in FIFA 19 to enhance your squad going forward. We’ve selected a squad of wonderkids under the age of 22 that boast outstanding promise in Career mode, and are sure to develop into world superstars (if they aren’t already!) with the right training.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan)
Donnarumma is still one of FIFA 19's best young players
© EA Sports
Milan’s 19-year-old keeper has been a high-profile wonderkid for years, and remains the most promising youngster between the sticks in FIFA 19. The Italy international starts out with a perfectly reasonable 82 rating in Career Mode, but this can rise to 90 and above, putting Donnarumma’s potential on par with the likes of Man Utd’s David de Gea. He certainly won’t come cheap though, so you better start saving those pennies!
Squad player: Alban Lafont (Fiorentina)
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
This 19-year-old talent made his first World Cup appearance earlier this year, becoming just the fourth teenager to start for England in the competition’s history. The Liverpool star also featured in last season’s Champions League final, and FIFA 19 recognises his immense promise, fitting him with a potential rating of around 88 in Career Mode. He starts out with a 78 rating, packing a range of impressive stats, including 83 crossing and 82 acceleration.
Squad player: Davide Calabria (Milan)
CB: Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax)
De Light will become a world class centre-back in FIFA 19
© EA Sports
19-year-old de Ligt became the youngest Netherlands debutant since Mauk Weber in 1931 when he featured against Bulgaria last year. The Ajax defender’s 80 overall rating is perfectly respectable in FIFA 19, but his potential is simply stunning, allowing him to reach a high of 90+ in Career Mode. He’s got all the ingredients a good centre-back needs – pace, tackling and physical skills, coupled with impressive work rates and stamina.
Squad player: Alessandro Bastoni (Parma)
CB: Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)
French defender Dayot Upamecano wasn’t even born when his national team won their first World Cup back in 1998, and currently plies his trade for German side RB Leipzig. The 19-year-old is another who sports superb growth in FIFA 19’s Career mode, beginning with a 76 rating that can potentially rise by over ten points. He signed a four-and-a-half year deal back in 2017, however, so you'll struggle to tempt him away from the Bundesliga side.
Squad player: Boubacar Kamara (Marseille)
LB: Kieran Tierney (Celtic)
Kieran Tierney has great pace in FIFA 19
© EA Sports
Celtic defender Tierney has won a string of accolades over his past three seasons with the club, making over 50 appearances in last year’s treble-winning season. The Scotland international is equipped with a 78 overall rating in FIFA 19, and if you stick with him, that rating can increase into the high 80’s in Career Mode. Don't forget to take advantage of his pace – Tierney boasts superb acceleration and sprint speed attributes.
Squad player: Gian-Luca Itter (VFL Wolfsburg)
CDM: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
You probably haven’t heard of Serie B midfielder Tonali – his photo isn't even included in the game! Even so, this 18-year-old wonderkid is equipped with bags of potential in FIFA 19, with the ability to reach a rating of around 88 in Career Mode. That’s a significant level of growth given his initial 66 rating, enabling the young Italian to transform from a relative unknown into a worldwide superstar with as much quality as the likes of Chelsea’s N’Golo Kanté.
Squad player: Sander Berge (Genk)
CM: Riqui Puig (Barcelona)
Riqui Puig has a huge release clause in real life
© EA Sports
Barcelona’s 19-year-old wonderkid has yet to leave a mark on the La Liga stage, but make no mistake – he's one to watch for the future. Riqui Puig has already been fitted with a €100m release clause in real life due to his outstanding potential, represented in FIFA 19 with a potential overall rating growth of approximately +20. That means his rating can jump from 68 to 88 in Career mode, making him a future star in the Barça setup.
Squad player: Rodrigo Bentacur (Juventus)
CAM: Phil Foden (Man City)
At just 18 years of age, Man City's Phil Foden already has a lot of weight on his shoulders. Many expect the English wonderkid (and former BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year) to achieve great things in the game, having officially been voted the best player in last year's U17 World Cup winning campaign. The 73-rated attacking midfielder can eventually attain an overall rating in the high 80s in Career Mode, evolving into a true superstar of English football.
Squad player: Ante Ćorić (Roma)
RW: Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Mbappé is already one of the best players in FIFA 19
© EA Sports
He’s already one of the world’s most recognisable superstars, yet 2018 World Cup winner Kylian Mbappé remains just 19 years of age. That talent comes with a price, of course – he's one of the most expensive players in FIFA 19. If you can find a way to afford him in Career mode, you’ll be getting an outstanding 87-rated talent. Hone his talents further, however, and the former Monaco star’s rating can even eclipse that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s.
Squad player: Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona)
LW: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
Vinícius Júnior could be the next Neymar
© EA Sports
If you were hoping to uncover a potential Brazilian superstar in Vinicius Junior, you’re too late – Real Madrid beat you to it. The 18-year-old actually signed for the La Liga giants back in 2017, but wasn’t officially presented as a member of Los Blancos until July of this year. Big things are expected of the ex-Flamengo winger, who is fitted with a potential 90+ rating. The next Neymar? FIFA 19 seems to think so.
Squad player: Ezequiel Barco (Atlanta United)
ST: Gabriel Jesus (Man City)
Like Mbappé, it’s hard to think of Gabriel Jesus as a wonderkid given all that he’s achieved in the game. At just 21 years old, he’s already notched up tens of national team caps with Brazil, as well as clinching both the Premier League and EFL Cup with Man City. The 83-rated Jesus boasts fantastic pace and dribbling skills in FIFA 19, while his 90+ potential rating can result in him becoming Career mode’s best striker in seasons to come.
Squad player: Patrick Cutrone (A.C. Milan)
