Games
Who's in front of your sticks matters. Here are the best young goalies for you to snap up immediately.
Goalkeeper isn’t the most glamorous position on a football pitch, but as many teams have found out – usually the hard way – it can be one of the most important. In career mode, you need to build a complete team to compete for titles, and that starts between the sticks.
Here, we run down the best young players to buy in terms of current ability and potential, in neatly packaged categories. Looking to build a team on a shoestring or break the bank? We’ve got everything you need right here...
Best young keepers: £1 million and under
Anatoliy Trubin – £975,000
Players go for silly money these days, so you have to keep in mind that you’re buying someone for the future, not someone to walk into your team immediately when spending less than £1 million,. Shakhtar keeper Trubin, starting out at 63 but with a potential of 80, is a great example of that. His stats aren’t much right now, all in the middling 60s, but he’s cheap, commands a low wage, and is happy to sit on the bench and play in cups or head out on loan. Buy him with the plan to play him a few seasons down the line.
Diego Altube – £1 million
Like Trubin, Altube has a low price and low stats, but with the potential for big returns. The Real Madrid keeper has a higher wage than most keepers around him thanks to Real’s deep pockets, but he’s prepared to take a pay cut to play for you. You’re just that good. Altube starts off bang average, and like Trubin is 63 rated with the potential to rise to 80. He’s an investment and compared to many other keepers here, a relatively cheap one.
Best young keepers: £1-5m
Illan Meslier – £3 million
Leeds United’s back up keeper Meslier seems like the kind of player ready to have a break out season if an injury to someone above him thrusts him into the spotlight. His FIFA 21 rating and potential, starting out at 70 and able to rise to 82, mimics that. His reflexes and diving are his best assets, both clearing 70, and he’s another future star, but one just about good enough to be your number one, depending on what team you’re taking on career mode with.
Diogo Costa – £3 million
There’s too many D. Costas in world football right now, and the young Porto goalkeeper is a rising star who could be flying the D. Costa flag for years to come. He comes rated 70 and can rise to 82 in time. He’s already in good enough nick for mid-table teams, and at a value of £3 million, comes well within most clubs in that position’s budget. At a bigger club, he’s good competition and excels at reflexes and positioning, so is a good shot-stopper.
Best young keepers: £5-10m
Herve Koffi – £6 million
Koffi starts career mode out on loan, so can’t be snapped up immediately, but is definitely worth keeping an eye on. Kicking is his only GK stat below 70, and even that sits at a respectable 68. He starts out a 75, and while his middling potential will only take him to 80, at such a young age he could be a reliable face between the posts for years to come.
Ionut Andrei Radu – £9.5 million
Inter’s cross-city rivals feature later down the list (no prizes for guessing who that might be), but if you want a more cost-effective young keeper ready to walk into a half-decent team, Radu could be your man. He starts at a healthy 75 and can make a considerable leap to 85 through training thanks to a high potential. He's a bit of a jack of all trades in goal – all GK stats sit between 80 and 69. He has a release clause of £18 million but is only valued at just over half that.
Best young keepers: £10-20m
Andriy Lunin – £11 million
The second Real Madrid keeper on the list, 75-rated Lunin has the potential to be one of the game’s best keepers at 87. With a value of £11 million, he’s not a bargain basement acquisition, but you won’t need to remortgage the training ground either. All of his GK stats clear 70, with reflexes his best, and he’s one for the right now as much as he’s one for the future.
Alban Lafont – £16.5 million
Lafont is another stopper who starts off career mode out on loan, but with a current rating of 78 and a 84 potential, he shouldn’t be discounted just because you can’t sign him in the first window. He doesn’t come cheap, but he’s got the talent to play at a big club, meaning managers who can get the most use out of him probably have a big budget. His reflexes already clear 80, while diving and handling aren’t close behind.
Best young superstar keeper
Gianluigi Donnarumma – £84 million
If you really want to break the bank for a young goalkeeper, look no further than AC Milan shot stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma. He’s been a between the sticks for the Rossoneri for a few seasons now, so it’s easy to forget he’s still only 21. He starts as one of the game’s best keepers at 85 and has the potential to rise to a whopping 92 if nurtured. That 85 rating doesn’t come cheap at £84 million though; think of it as a million per rating point, with one thrown in for free.
