Gaming

FIFA 22: Best young players & wonderkids to sign on Career Mode

By Harry Edwards

Published: 23:53, 30 September 2021 | Updated: 21:10, 4 July 2023

FIFA 22 is here! After weeks, months even, of anticipation, the latest edition of EA Sports’ hit game is available for players around the world.

Naturally, a lot of FIFA players flock to Ultimate Team in their quest to… well, build their ultimate team. But there are still a large number of players whose main love in FIFA is Career Mode, with the aim of pushing a team (perhaps already existing or completely created thanks to the new additions) to glory.

But, whether you are starting at Real Madrid or Fake Madrid, who should you be signing? Unlike other game modes, in Career Mode it is vital to pay close attention to a player’s age.

A 90-rated player may be a great acquisition on Ultimate Team where they are essentially ageless (providing they start in a good condition), but that same man might not be worth flashing the cash for on Career Mode if there isn’t too long left on his career (we’re looking at you, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo).

Instead, you’ll be wanting to fill your squad with youth, building it up for however long your Career Mode journey lasts. Of course, the Youth Academy will play its part, but what of the actual players already in the game, and the potential team you could build with them?

We’ve taken a look at the best young players for you to use in each position, aged 21 or under at the start of FIFA 22 Career Mode, with the highest potential overall, and put them into a pretty frightening XI.

Player potential overalls are not set in stone and will vary depending on how often, and well, you use your wonderkids.


World Soccer Shop offer: Manchester City’s 21/22 eSports jersey by Puma for $79.99

CLICK HERE to purchase. Worn this season by the reigning ePremier League champion, Shaun “Shellzz” Springette and his partner Ryan Pessoa as they represent Manchester City in FIFA eSport competitions this season. This is the Citizens’ digital kit. Officially licensed.


Goalkeeper: Maarten Vandevoordt

Age at start of Career Mode: 19
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 71
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 87

With Gianluigi Donnarumma now ancient at the age of 22, there’s a new goalkeeping wonderkid in town in the form of Maarten Vandevoordt. The Genk shot-stopper is still a teenager at the start of FIFA 22’s Career Mode and will need some working on with an overall of 71 — his standout goalkeeping attribute is Diving at 74. However, if you do manage to work on him and get it right, the Belgian can grow to 87 overall.

Right-back: Devyne Rensch

Age at start of Career Mode: 18
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 73
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 85

When Ajax sold Sergiño Dest to Barcelona, there may have been some worries about replacing him, but Devyne Rensch has stepped up. Despite only making his debut last November, Rensch became a regular start for Ajax last season and is tipped to do well in the future. This is mimicked in FIFA 22 with his potential overall of 85 a rise of +12 from his initial rating, which includes 72 Slide Tackle.

Centre-back: Josko Gvardiol

Age at start of Career Mode: 19
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 75
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 87

Josko Gvardiol was a left-back in FIFA 21 and he has been playing there for RB Leipzig, but in FIFA 22 he is down as a centre-back and makes our wonderkid team in that position. The Croatian’s initial overall of 75 brings 87 Sprint Speed and 84 Strength, already an interesting prospect to have at the heart of your defence. And these will only get better as he reaches his potential of 87.

Centre-back: Jurrien Timber

Age at start of Career Mode: 20
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 75
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 86

Ajax are definitely back, with the second of three wonderkids (more on the third later) coming in at centre-back. Jurrien Timber joined Ajax as a 13-year-old from Feyenoord and has risen through the academy to earn his FIFA 22 starting overall of 75. This fairly average rating will make him a bit easier to snag from Ajax, with Timber potentially reaching 86.

Left-back: Alphonso Davies

Age at start of Career Mode: 20
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 82
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 89

Alphonso Davies had a slightly underwhelming 2020/21 but that hasn’t really affected his rating on FIFA. In fact, his starting overall has risen by one to 82, with his potential 89 remaining the same. that may feel a little low, but it’s still one to watch out for especially with the boosts it will bring to his already high Pace, Dribbling and impressive Defending.

Central midfielder: Pedri

FIFA 22: Best young players & wonderkids to sign on Career Mode Pedri

Age at start of Career Mode: 18
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 81
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 91

Perhaps the wonderkid right now, Pedri has been given a boost of +4 from his initial FIFA 21 overall of 77 to break into the 80s this year. That comes with 81 Dribbling, 81 Vision and 80 Short Passing among other good attributes, fully deserved for his excellent year for club and country. What hasn’t changed is his potential, but it remains a high 91 for FIFA 22 and will probably only increase.

Central midfielder: Ryan Gravenberch

FIFA 22: Best young players & wonderkids to sign on Career Mode Ryan Gravenberch

Age at start of Career Mode: 19
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 78
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 90

Yep, it’s Ajax again and perhaps the biggest wonderkid on their books right now. Ryan Gravenberch has been a must-sign on Football Manager for some time and that carries over to Career Mode in FIFA 22. The central midfielder has a fairly decent starting rating of 78 with four-star Skill Moves and four-star Weak Foot and has the potential to grow to 90 overall.

Right-winger: Jadon Sancho

FIFA 22: Best young players & wonderkids to sign on Career Mode Jadon Sancho

Age at start of Career Mode: 21
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 87
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 91

Alright, Jadon Sancho is a right-midfielder but you can push him a bit further forward as we have in our wonderkid 4-2-3-1. The Englishman may have had a rocky start to life at Manchester United but he remains one of the best young players in the world, which is mirrored on FIFA 22 with his starting overall as high as 87. With it being so high already, there isn’t too much room for improvement but Sancho can still reach 91 and become one of the best in FIFA.

Attacking midfielder: Phil Foden

FIFA 22: Best young players & wonderkids to sign on Career Mode Phil Foden

Age at start of Career Mode: 21
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 84
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 92

It took a while for Phil Foden to earn his place in Manchester City’s first-team squad after years of promise in the academy, but it has finally happened and he has had a big boost from his FIFA 21 starting overall of 79. Now 84-rated with 84 Short Passing, 84 Pace, 87 Dribbling and 79 Finishing, Foden is one of the best English players in FIFA 22 and can be one of the top stars full stop with his potential to reach 92.

Bet £10, Get £20 in Free Bets T&Cs apply

18+, UK only. Deposit and place a minimum £10 cash bet at single or accumulated odds of 1/1 or greater and we will give you 1 x £5 in free bets plus an extra 3 x £5 Free Bets the following day. Applies to first cash bet only. Free bets credited as 4 x £5 bets to use on 3x Any sport & 1x Virtuals. Cashed Out, Void or Draw No Bet wagers do not qualify for this promotion. 1 x £5 Free Bets are credited upon qualifying first bet settlement, other free bets credited by midday the day after your first bet settles. 7-day free bet expiry. Available once per customer. This offer cannot be combined with any other promotion. Full T&C’s apply.

18+ only. New UK customers only. T&Cs apply. Claim Here
Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets T&Cs apply

18+ only. Use code BET30. New Players Only. Minimum stake $/€/£ 10, minimum odds1.5, stake not returned.1X wagering the winnings from the free bet. Wagering occurs from real balance first. Wagering requirement is calculated on bonus bets only, wagering starts from real funds. Free bet is valid for 7 Days from issue. Max conversion: $/€/£ 200. Excluded Skrill deposits. Withdrawal requests voids all active/pending bonuses. Full Terms Apply

18+ only. New customers only. T&Cs apply. Claim Here
£20 in free bets when you place a £10 bet T&Cs apply

18+ only. £10 min. deposit required. 1 x £10 qualifying bet required. Qualifying bet must be placed on selection with min. odds of 1.8 (4/5). 4 x £5 Free Bets will be credited once the qualifying bet has been settled. 1 x Free Bet valid for any Football Match Result market. 1 x Free Bet valid on any Football Correct Score market. 1 x Free Bet valid on any Horse Racing market. 1 x Free Bet valid on any Tennis market. Free Bets valid for 7 days once credited. T&Cs apply.

18+ only. New customers only. T&Cs apply. Claim Here

Left-winger: Ansu Fati

FIFA 22: Best young players & wonderkids to sign on Career Mode Ansu Fati

Age at start of Career Mode: 18
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 76
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 90

Ansu Fati could already be one of La Liga’s star players in FIFA 22, but he was robbed of almost a year of action due to injury. As a result, his initial rating has stayed at 76, with 88 Pace, 80 Finishing and 79 Dribbling just some of the standout stats. If you get him to his potential overall of 90, Fati could become one of the most unstoppable players in Career Mode and we don’t expect his potential to be as “low” as 90 come FIFA 23.

Striker: Erling Haaland

FIFA 22: Best young players & wonderkids to sign on Career Mode Erling Haaland

Age at start of Career Mode: 21
Initial FIFA 22 rating: 88
Potential FIFA 22 rating: 93

Only Kylian Mbappe (95) has a higher potential overall than Erling Haaland, but the Frenchman has joined Donnarumma in being too old to be a wonderkid — so it’s the android who leads our line. There’s not much to say about Haaland that hasn’t already been said, but in FIFA his goalscoring record has seen the Norwegian’s overall climb from 84 to 88 within the space of a year. His Finishing is already 92 while his Pace is pretty explosive at 87. And he won’t turn 22 until the end of your first season!

FIFA 22: Best young players & wonderkids to sign on Career Mode