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FIFA 17 Career Mode: Serie A Wonderkid XI
There’s a new generation of talent on the rise in Serie A, and we’ve picked out 11 of the best.
Although Italian football hasn’t been at the top of the European game in the last few years, with the German Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga leading the way, there are some quality teams coming to the fore in Serie A. Alongside modern day powerhouses like AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, the likes of Lazio, Torino and Sassuolo all have talented youngsters putting in impressive performances, and as a group, this new generation are slowly leading Italian football back to prominence in Europe.
We’ve picked out 11 of the league’s brightest young stars – one in each position on the pitch – but frankly, Serie A is packed with talent right now, and there are plenty more fantastic players to be found, many of whom we fully expect to receive a healthy ratings boost in FIFA 18. Take a look below!
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
There’s not much more to say about AC Milan’s shot-stopper that we haven’t already said in our FIFA 17 Wonderkid XI and Bargain Goalkeepers pieces. Already considered to be one of the best keepers in the world, Donnarumma is only 17 years old and yet, he stands at an intimidating 6’5” tall in front of goal. Throw in his 86 reflexes, 83 diving and his 88 potential overall, and you’re looking at a top class keeper who is only going to improve over the next decade.
Centre Back: Daniele Rugani
Interest in Juventus’ star centre back may have cooled slightly since last year, but he’s still a top quality investment in Career Mode, and one of the best young centre backs in the game. He’s not the quickest centre half around, but he makes up for that with outstanding defensive stats in other areas, including 85 standing tackle, 83 sliding tackle, 85 marking and 85 interceptions. You can’t do much about his lack of pace – other than pairing him with someone a bit quicker – but at 22 years old and 79 overall, he’s already worthy of a place in your starting XI, and he’ll grow up to 88 overall within the next few years.
Centre Back: Alessio Romagnoli
While Rugani was impressing at a younger age, Romagnoli has been a slightly later bloomer at AC Milan – though he was always talented, his form last season put all of Europe’s elite on notice. He’s not as defensively stout as Rugani – he’s not quite as physical, and his defensive stats are a few points lower than his compatriot across the board, but Romagnoli is much more comfortable on the ball, with better passing stats. He’ll also be available for a cheaper fee – Rugani is undoubtedly the most desirable centre back in Serie A at the moment, but Romagnoli is a great option if you don’t have the funds, and he’ll still get up to an 87 overall rating at his peak.
Right Back: Pol Lirola
Sassuolo’s Lirola is just 19 years old, and came to prominence so improbably that FIFA 17 doesn’t even have his portrait in the game! As you’d expect, he’s probably not ready for first team action just yet, but he’s a fantastic buy if you have the time and patience to train him up. For a young full back, Lirola has a fantastic foundation of stats to build on, including 81 acceleration, 83 sprint speed, 78 crossing, 74 sliding tackle and 75 standing tackle. The benefit of picking up a player at such a young age is that you have time to mould him into whatever you need – whether you’re after an attacking wingback or a more defensively-minded player, Lirola can become either, or both, depending how you train him on his way to a potential 85 overall rating.
Left Back: Federico Mattiello
There’s a slight dearth of quality young full backs in Serie A, but alongside Lirola, Juventus’ Federico Mattiello is another youngster with some promise. He’s even further from regular first team action than Lirola, so you’ll need to dedicate a significant amount of time to expanding his skills via the training pitch and loan spells, but with a bit of patience you can make something from nothing in terms of his value. His key stats all fall around the mid-70s, so he’s in a good place for you to mould as you like, and he’ll reach a potential overall of around 84.
FIFA 17 Career Mode: Serie A Wonderkid XI
© EA Sports
Centre Midfield: Lorenzo Pellegrini
Alongside Pol Liroli and Domenico Berardi, Pellegrini is another member of Sassuolo’s young talents, and has been excellent for them over the last year. Although he’s only 20 and rated just 77 overall at the beginning of Career Mode, Pellegrini is already an excellent passer, with 82 short passing, 79 long passing and 75 vision, and the rest of his stats are all around the low to mid-70s. By the time he reaches his 86 overall potential he’ll be a fantastic addition to your squad, just don’t put him on set piece duty – he’s a woeful free kick and penalty taker!
Centre Midfield: Franck Kessie
This isn’t the first time we’ve mentioned Kessie – Atalanta’s dynamic box-to-box midfielder has been lighting up Serie A with a series of dominant performances, and the Ghanaian has been linked with a big money move to the likes of Chelsea, Juventus and Roma as a result. We mentioned in our piece on players who deserve a ratings boost in FIFA 18 that Kessie’s rating was still too low at 75 overall and 85 potential, but he’s still an excellent buy, especially given the price you could nab him for early in the game.
Right Midfield: Felipe Anderson
Lazio’s Brazilian winger is a deadly combination of pace, skill and long range shooting. His 94 acceleration and 91 sprint speed doesn’t put him among the absolute speed demons of the game, but he’s more than fast enough to give most defenders a serious fright, and that’s before you get to his four-star skill moves, four-star weak foot rating, 86 ball control and 87 dribbling. Once you’ve got your opposition on the back foot, Anderson can cut inside and unleash long range bolts thanks to his 84 long shots and 84 shot power. There’s no question that Anderson is one of the most enjoyable players to use in FIFA 17, and he’ll grow up to an 86 overall rating in a few years time.
Left Midfield: Keita Balde Diao
Across the pitch from Felipe Anderson, Diao has been a darling of Football Manager and Career Mode players for years, and is finally starting to come into his own in Serie A. As FIFA 17 goes, they’re astonishingly similar players – Diao doesn’t have the long-shooting pedigree that his team-mate does, but he has plenty technique and skill with 88 ball control, 86 dribbling, four-star skill moves and four-star weak foot rating. He’s quick too – 90 acceleration and 92 sprint speed quick – and at 21 years old, he’s slightly younger than Anderson, and he has a slightly higher potential rating of 88 overall.
Striker: Paulo Dybala
Dybala is another player we’ve raved about for well over a year. Now 23 years old, Dybala is starting to fulfil his prodigious talent, and has been handed a whopping stats boost by EA in FIFA 17 as a result. As if starting the game at 85 overall wasn’t enough, his 92 potential overall rating is one of the highest in the game, putting him right up there with the likes of Neymar, Paul Pogba and Thibaut Courtois as the most promising players in the game. On top of that, his stats are just all around scary – 91 acceleration and agility, 91 ball control, 90 dribbling, 89 finishing and 86 long shots, just to pick out a few, and he can hit a mean free kick as well. However much he’ll cost you, he’s almost worth buying just to make sure you don’t have to face him.
Striker: Andrea Belotti
Belotti is arguably one of Europe’s form players this year, and his fantastic scoring record for Torino – 14 goals in 19 games this season – has earned him interest from a variety of Europe’s big guns, as well as a call-up to the national team. His 80 overall rating doesn’t look too bad on the surface, but he’s another player who’s well-deserving of a stat boost in FIFA 18 with his pace – currently rated at 80 acceleration and 82 sprint speed – in need of a major upgrade. Still, he’ll grow up to 87 in a couple of years, and he’s got solid all around stats to become a threat in multiple positions.
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