Despite being pushed into the background by the overwhelmingly popular Ultimate Team mode, FIFA's Career Mode still manages to attract many players looking to play out a fantasy of taking over their favorite clubs and leading them to domestic and international glory. Loads of players opt to manage the best and richest teams in Europe right away, but many FIFA purists would argue that this is not the best way to enjoy the Career Mode.
Gamers looking for a true managerial challenge usually turn their focus towards struggling teams from top divisions or clubs with a lot of potential that are currently battling it out in some of the lower leagues. Smart navigation of the transfer market and finding the right affordable players that will improve greatly in the future is crucial when building a footballing superpower from the ground up. Thankfully, there is no shortage of cheap, high-potential wonder kids in FIFA 22. It's only a matter of knowing where to find them.
Updated December 15, 2021 by Tom Bowen: As the halfway point of the 2021-22 season approaches, the number of people playing the latest iteration of FIFA should be close to reaching its peak. For anybody just getting into the game, finding the biggest bargains in career mode will likely be a high priority, particularly for those who aren't controlling one of the mega-rich clubs in the game. The wonderkids listed below are chock full of potential and are great options when it comes to building an unstoppable squad or flipping players for profit once their true potential has been realized.
14 Maarten Vandevoordt (GK)
- Age: 19
- Potential: 84
- Price: £3,000,000
Since breaking into the Genk first team a few seasons ago, Maarten Vandevoordt has shown himself to be one of the best young goalkeepers in world football. He's represented his country at every level of youth football and still holds the record for the youngest goalkeeper to have ever featured in a Champions League game; having done so against Napoli at the age of 17 a few seasons ago.
With a rating of 70, Vandevoordt is good enough to start for most Championship teams and can reach as high as 84 with enough training and game time. His short contract and reasonable release clause can also make snapping him up a fairly simple task, making him a great investment for those looking for either a solid shot-stopper or a player to sell on for big profit after a few seasons.
13 Luka Romero (CAM)
- Age: 16
- Potential: 86
- Price: £2,100,000
So many players have been described as "the next Messi" over the past decade or so that the comparison has all but lost meaning. If anyone could live up to that lofty praise, however, it's young Lazio starlet, Luka Romero. Born in Mexico yet raised in Spain, the talented attacking midfielder scored 230 goals in 108 matches during his time with Mallorca's youth setup, before then going on to become the youngest player to ever feature in a La Liga game at 15 years and 219 days.
Though Romero has only made one appearance since moving to Lazio at the start of this season, big things are still expected of the young man in Italy. Whether or not he'll fulfill that potential in real life remains to be seen, but FIFA 22 players can snap him up for just a few million and can expect his rating to jump from 66 to 86 if he's used correctly.
12 Gavi (CM)
- Age: 17
- Potential: 86
- Price: £1,400,000
The latest starlet to emerge from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, a lot is expected of Gavi by the Catalan club. He's already made 20 appearances for Xavi's side this season, featuring in all six of the club's Champions League group stage games. Unfortunately for Gavi, the side didn't make it to the knockout stages of the competition, but he'll no doubt have plenty of time for that in future seasons.
It really has been a fantastic season for Gavi so far, with the young midfielder also becoming the youngest player to ever represent the Spanish national side when he came off the bench against Italy in October. Since then, he's made three more appearances, which has prompted many of Europes biggest clubs to seriously consider triggering his €50 million release clause in the January transfer window. FIFA 22 players can sign him for a lot less than that though, with bids of two or three million likely to be accepted.
11 Youssoufa Moukoko (ST)
- Age: 17
- Potential: 89
- Price: £3,400,000
Youssoufa Moukoko was just 16 years old when the current season began. Despite his young age though, he'd already made 14 league appearances for Borussia Dortmund and, at the time of writing, has gone on to make five more during the opening months of the 2021-22 season. He's also managed three goals for the club, suggesting that the young striker could have a very bright future ahead of him at the club; especially with Haaland expected to leave soon.
Like many other young players after their breakthrough season, Moukoko's rating in FIFA is perhaps a little on the low side at just 69. This does mean that he can be snapped up fairly easily, however, with his short contract and release clause allowing players to force the issue if Dortmund decide to play hardball. With potential growth of 20 capping out at a massive 89 rating, there's arguably no better player to invest in in FIFA 22.
10 Kayky (RW)
- Age: 18
- Potential: 87
- Price: £800,000
Manchester City is mainly known for spending loads of money on the transfer market, oftentimes without achieving the intended results. It isn't uncommon for this club to spend tens of millions on unproven players just so to prevent their rivals from signing these potentially prospective players.
However, Man City's youth academy has developed a reputation for putting out incredibly talented footballers in recent years. Kayky, a pacey Brazilian winger who can play both on both wings is the best example of that. At just 18 years old, his initial overall rating is only 66, but with enough game time and a proper training regimen, he can become a world-class player and reach an overall rating of 87. A price tag of only £800,000 makes him a must-buy for any club with a long-term plan of making it to the top.
9 Kacper Kozlowski (CAM)
- Age: 17
- Potential: 85
- Price: £1,100,000
Most European football wonder kids tend to get snapped up by the rich and powerful clubs very early on in their careers. Sometimes, however, these players blow up before they even show up on the radars of the scouts of Premier League, La Liga, or Serie A clubs. Such was the case with Kacper Kozlowski, a Polish central midfielder currently playing for Pogon Szczecin, a mid-table club from Poland's Ekstraklasa.
At just 17 years old, his strongest attributes are acceleration, agility, dribbling, and balance. His maximum potential of 85 makes Kozlowski an attractive prospect for any second (or even third) division club managers wanting to build a team around a talented CM whose skills will grow alongside the reputation and ability of the entire club.
8 Caden Clark (CAM)
- Age: 18
- Potential: 83
- Price: £800,000
Currently plying his trade at New York Red Bulls, this American youngster is a player with a profile that is very similar to that of Kacper Kozlowski. The only exception is that Caden Clark is a much more versatile footballer -- not only can he play as a central attacking midfielder, but he's also got the acceleration and sprint speed of a talented winger. This makes him an excellent choice for teams with very limited transfer budgets that need players who can fill up more than one position on the pitch.
In terms of maximum potential, Clark can reach an overall rating of 83 within the span of three or four seasons. At a price of £2,100,000, he's a bargain for virtually any second division team. Even the poorer, English Football League 1 and 2 clubs should be able to snatch him up with a loan-to-buy option due to his low overall rating at the start of the game.
7 Leonidas Stergiou (CB)
- Age: 19
- Potential: 86
- Price: £2,200,000
All football clubs, even the strongest ones on the planet, need a defensive player they can rely on no matter what. Manchester United's defensive woes prior to the arrival of Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are the perfect example of this role. Solid defenders simply cannot be overlooked. Not every club can afford to snatch up the best-performing defensive players from top Premier League sides, though.
Those playing in lower divisions often don't have more than 5 million to spend on players altogether, forcing them to broaden their scope when it comes to scouting center backs. This is where Leonidas Stergiou comes in. Despite starting out at a modest 67 overall rating, he can grow into one of the best CBs in the world, and with his initial jumping and strength stats of 86 and 74 respectively, he can be considered reliable from the very first season at any club.
6 Rayan Cherki (RM)
- Age: 18
- Potential: 88
- Price: £6,500,000
Cherki is one of those incredibly versatile players that is often overlooked in discussions about the most promising young footballers in Ligue 1 and all of Europe. At only 18 years old, he's already a footballer boasting impeccable ball control (79) and dribbling (84) skills. With a price tag of 6.5 million pounds and a starting overall of 73, he should be the main transfer target of managers looking for a high potential player they can include in their starting eleven from the get-go.
Rayan Cherki is a speedy winger who can run circles around the opposition's defenders, but these are not his only merits. He does just as well as a central attacking midfielder who can provide vital assists in the final third of the pitch. His potential rating of 88 overall makes him a future Ballon D'Or candidate, too!
5 Giacomo Raspadori (ST)
- Age: 21
- Potential: 87
- Price: £9,500,000
The modern striker is a player who can be relied on to provide at least twenty goals per season, regardless of his fitness, morale, or overall performance levels throughout the season. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, or Erling Haaland can be invisible for the majority of any match and still contribute with a vital goal or two to secure the three points for their respective teams. That's the kind of player Giacomo Raspadori can become, if he's handled correctly.
With a price tag of 9.5 million pounds, most Championship or La Liga 2 sides could comfortably afford him, whereas clubs with less financial backing might have to settle for a loan-to-buy offer. Either way, the young Italian center forward should be able to prove his worth right away with shooting stats reaching well into the high seventies. Upon reaching his full potential of 87, he should be in contention for the European Golden Boot on a regular basis, especially with quality midfielders providing him with plentiful scoring opportunities.
4 Josko Gvardiol (CB)
- Age: 19
- Potential: 87
- Price: £19,000,000
While Leonidas Stergiou is a viable budget CB option, he will end up needing a partner in central defense sooner rather than later. Josko Gvardiol is the perfect candidate for that job, as not only is he a young, high-potential center-back, but he also possesses the qualities that Stergiou lacks.
With starting acceleration and sprint speed stats of 78 and 87, he will have no problem catching up even with the fastest strikers in the game, and his overall physicality rating of 83 will ensure that he does not get easily trampled by bulky attackers, the likes of Adama Traore or Robert Lewandowski.
3 Takefusa Kubo (RM)
- Age: 20
- Potential: 88
- Price: £12,000,000
This 20-year-old Japanese midfielder who currently plays for RCD Mallorca already has the stats of a world-class player, despite being a little rough around the edges in terms of things like crossing (61) or long shots (60). With a potential of 88, it's pretty much guaranteed that these shortcomings will improve over time, and even at the very start of the game, Kubo is a player that any manager would love to have on their team.
89-rated acceleration, 86 agility and 85 dribbling stats are all one needs to know about Takefusa Kubo to realize that his skillset can be used to startle opponents and open up areas of the pitch that other central midfielders simply don't have the ball control skills to gain access to. The only downside is the fact that players interested in his services will need to make an offer of £12,000,000 or more, which is affordable but may require selling some footballers to finance the deal.
2 Jamal Musiala (LM)
- Age: 18
- Potential: 88
- Price: £20,000,000
Bayern Munich is known for aggressively pursuing young German talents from the earliest stages of their career. It didn't surprise anyone that when the Bavarian club secured the signature of Jamal Musiala, he started proving his worth on the field right away. This young left midfielder already has the ball control skills of a football superstar, and with the capacity to reach an 88 overall rating, he can become the hottest thing in European football in three seasons or less.
Financing the transfer of Jamal Musiala to a lower-division side can be a difficult achievement to pull off, but some of the teams in the Championship (especially the recently-relegated Premier League sides) do have the funds to make it happen. As a young player in a team full of superstars, promising Musiala a crucial role in the squad may be the main factor convincing him to leave Bayern for a lower-tiered club.
1 Ansu Fati (LW)
- Age: 18
- Potential: 90
- Price: £29,500,000
The monetary value of Ansu Fati in FIFA 22 just shows how detached the EA Sports franchise is from the reality of the football transfer market in 2021. This Barcelona wonder kid, widely hailed as the "next coming of Messi", is currently valued at 60 million euros, and given that his contract doesn't run out until the end of this season, any club looking to buy him in the 2021/22 transfer window would have to shell out no less than 100 million euros for Fati.
Thankfully, FIFA is not real life, and managers with 30 million pounds in their budgets can easily swoop in and secure the services of arguably the most promising player in the world for pennies on the dollar. Of course, seeing as he features quite regularly for FC Barcelona, convincing him to move to a Championship side would require a hefty signing-on bonus and a promise of increasing his weekly wages.