For the past few months, SEGA’s Football Manager 2021 Mobile has been available (for $8.99 USD or its local equivalent) for iOS and Android players alike, and as you may know by now, it’s packed with even more countries, players, and clubs than ever before, as well as a few new features that further add to its arguably unrivaled depth and realism as an association football/soccer management game.
We’ve already discussed a plethora of tips for beginner, intermediate, and advanced players alike, as well as the best formations and tactics, but there are still some topics that warrant their own separate guide, including the topic of Wonderkids — those players aged 21 and below with potential to blossom as superstars.
Before we proceed with our list of Wonderkids, there are a few things to take note of. First, we have only listed those with potential ratings of 3.5 stars or greater — there are several others whose potential ratings usually end up in the three-star range, but we’ve filtered things out to give you the best of the best. Secondly, you may not see the Wonderkid designation for everyone mentioned in this list, though they nonetheless can be considered as such due to their age and potential. Lastly, depending on which countries you choose for your save game, not all of these Wonderkids may be available.
However, we’re sure you’ll find someone worth adding to your shortlist or making an offer for, so read on for our list of Football Manager 2021 Mobile’s best Wonderkids! We’ve also included one player per position whom we believe offers the best bang for their buck, so do check that out as well.
GOALKEEPERS
1. Vandevoordt, Maarten (KRC Genk, 18, Belgium, 4 stars)
2. Bajic, Stefan (AS Saint-Etienne, 18, France, 3.5 stars)
3. Costa, Diogo (FCP, 20, Portugal, 3.5 stars)
4. Gasparini, Manuel (Udinese, 18, italy, 3.6 stars)
5. Iturbe, Alejandro (A. Madrid, 16, Spain, 3.5 stars)
6. Meslier, Ilian (Leeds, 20, France, 3.5 stars)
BEST VALUE: Maarten Vandevoordt (£4.3M Value, £4.1K Wage) — As time passes, his value keeps increasing, but at 18 years old, this KRC Genk keeper can still be acquired on the cheap if you’re running a first-division club looking for some fresh young legs at the position. Given that goalkeepers usually mature in terms of skill once they reach their mid-20s, he has a long way to get there, but also a long and productive career to look forward to.
CENTRE-BACKS
1. De Ligt, Matthijs (Zebre, 20, Netherlands, 5 stars, D C)
2. Todibo, Jean-Clair (SLB, 20, France, 4.5 stars, D C, DM)
3. Garcia, Eric (Man City, 19, Spain, 4 stars, D C)
4. Gvardiol, Josko (Dinamo, 18, Croatia, 4 stars, D LC)
5. Kumbulla, Marash (Roma, 20, Morocco, 4 stars, D C)
6. Perez, Nehuen (Granada, 20, Argentina, 4 stars, D C)
7. Vanheusden, Zinho (Standard, 21, Belgium, 4 stars, D C)
8. Ampadu, Ethan (Sheff Utd, 19, Wales, 3.5 stars, D C, DM)
9. Badiashile, Benoit (AS Monaco, 19, France, 3.5 stars, D C)
10. Bella-Kotchap, Armel (VfL Bochum, 18, Germany, 3.5 stars, D C)
11. Bettella, Davide (Monza, 20, Italy, 3.5 stars, D C)
12. Carrillo, Alvaro (R. Madrid, 18, Spain, 3.5 stars, D C)
13. Fofana, Wesley (Leicester, 19, France, 3.5 stars, D C)
14. Kabak, Ozan (Schalke 04, 20, Turkey, 3.5 stars, D C)
15. Kamara, Boubacar (OM, 20, France, 3.5 stars, D C, DM)
16. Lovato, Matteo (Verona, 20, Italy, 3.5 stars, D C)
17. Mosquera, Cristhian (Valencia, 16, Spain, 3.5 stars, D RC)
18. Nianzou, Tanguy (FC Bayern, 18, France, 3.5 stars, D C, DM)
19. Nmadi, Collins (Borussia Dortmund, 16, Germany, 3.5 stars, D C)
20. Papetti, Andrea (Brescia, 18, Italy, 3.5 stars, D C)
21. Pavlovic, Strahinja (AS Monaco, 19, Serbia, 3.5 stars, D C)
22. Pembele, Thimothee (Paris SG, 17, France, 3.5 stars, D C)
23. Pirola, Lorenzo (Monza, 18, Italy, 3.5 stars, D C)
24. Quaresma, Eduardo (Sporting, 18, Portugal, 3.5 stars, D C)
25. Rensch, Devyne (Ajax, 17, Netherlands, 3.5 stars, D RLC, DM)
26. Saliba, William (Arsenal, 19, France, 3.5 stars, D C)
27. Sutalo, Bosko (Atalanta, 20, Croatia, 3.5 stars, D RC)
BEST VALUE: Josko Gvardiol (£10.75M Value, £9.25K Wage) — If he’s available in your saved game, he will start out on loan from RB Leipzig, so that means you won’t be able to acquire him just yet. However, at £10.75 million, he’s a comparative bargain for a potential four-star player, and he could easily blossom into a standout, particularly as a skilled passer for his position. Feel free to add him to your shortlist if you’re managing a top-division club.
LEFT FULL-BACKS
1. Davies, Alphonso (FC Bayern, 19, Canada, 4 stars, D/WB L, AM RL)
2. Mendes, Nuno (Sporting, 18, Portugal, 4 stars, D/WB L)
3. Ait-Nouri, Rayan (Wolves, 19, France, 3.5 stars, D L)
4. Cacace, Liberato (STVV, 19, New Zealand, 3.5 stars, D/WB L)
5. Calafiori, Riccardo (Roma, 18, Italy, 3.5 stars, D/WB/M L)
6. De la Vibora, David (R. Madrid, 17, Spain, 3.5 stars, D/WB/M L)
7. Katterbach, Noah (1. FC Koln, 19, Germany, 3.5 stars, D/WB L)
8. Miranda, Juan (Real Hispalis, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, D/WB/M L)
9. Vazquez, Jesus (Valencia, 17, Spain, 3.5 stars, D/WB/M L)
10. Wijndal, Owen (AZ, 20, Netherlands, 3.5 stars, D/WB/M L)
BEST VALUE: Nuno Mendes (£10.5M Value, £4.1K Wage) — It was a toss-up between him and Calafiori, but Mendes has quite a versatile set of attributes and no real weakness at this point in his in-game career. He also has a lot of experience in under-21 competition. Managers with high budgets should at least shortlist him, or maybe make an approach for him to address any defensive weaknesses on the left side.
RIGHT FULL-BACKS
1. Aarons, Max (Norwich, 20, England, 4 stars, D/WB R)
2. James, Reece (Chelsea, 20, England, 4 stars, D/WB R, M C)
3. Dest, Sergino (Barcelona, 19, USA, 3.5 stars, D/WB RL, M R)
4. Esteves, Tomas (Reading, 18, Portugal, 3.5 stars, D/WB R)
5. Hoever, Ki-Jana (Wolves, 18, Netherlands, 3.5 stars, D RC)
6. Lamptey, Tariq (Brighton, 19, England, 3.5 stars, D/WB RL, M R)
7. Porro, Pedro (Sporting, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, D/WB R, AM RC)
8. Vagnoman, Josha (Hamburger SV, 19, Germany, 3.5 stars, D/WB RL)
BEST VALUE: Tariq Lamptey (£14.5M Value, £5K Wage) — If you’re managing a top contender in the upper divisions, Lamptey would be worth the effort and worth the investment — he’s one of the more expensive Wonderkids in FM2021 Mobile. And it does help that he can play both right and left sides of the field and can be lined up as a full-back, wing-back, or midfielder. Be warned, though — given his status as a regular starter for Brighton, expect a lot of resistance from their side.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
1. Luis, Florentino (AS Monaco, 20, Portugal, 4 stars, DM)
2. Tonali, Sandro (Milan, 20, Italy, 4 stars, DM)
3. Gustavo Assuncao (Famalicao, 20, Brazil, 3.5 stars, DM)
4. Kana, Marco (Anderlecht, 17, Belgium, 3.5 stars, D C, DM)
5. Rovella, Nicolo (Genoa, 18, Italy, 3.5 stars, DM)
6. Skipp, Oliver (Norwich, 19, England, 3.5 stars, DM)
7. Ugarte, Manuel (Fenix, 19, Uruguay, 3.5 stars, DM)
8. Vera, Fausto (Argentinos Jrs., 20, Argentina, 3.5 stars, DM)
BEST VALUE: Marco Kana (£3.4M Value, £4.6K Wage) — The pickings are rather slim in this position, at least among those that were qualified for this list. But at 17 years old with a solid Leadership rating of 14, Kana has the makings of a future team captain, and doesn’t have too many areas for improvement in his game. He’s also quite affordable at the start of saved games, so make sure you develop him and give him some opportunities in your starting eleven.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS
1. Camavinga, Eduardo (Rennes, 17, France, 5 stars, DM, M C)
2. Ilaix Moriba (Barcelona, 17, Spain, 4.5 stars, DM, AM C)
3. Bellingham, Jude (Borussia Dortmund, 17, England, 4 stars, AM RLC)
4. Blanco, Antonio (R. Madrid, 20, Spain, 4 stars, DM, M C)
5. Cuisance, Mickael (OM, 20, France, 4 stars, DM, AM C)
6. Elmas, Eljif (Napoli, 20, North Macedonia, 4 stars, AM C)
7. Ferreira, Vitor (Wolves, 20, Portugal, 4 stars, DM, M C)
8. Gravenbach, Ryan (Ajax, 18, Netherlands, 4 stars, DM, AM LC)
9. Pipi (R. Madrid, 16, Japan, 4 stars, AM C)
10. Szoboszlai, Dominik (FC RB Salzburg, 19, Hungary, 4 stars, AM LC)
11. Adli, Yacine (Bordeaux, 19, France, 3.5 stars, AM RC)
12. Agourne, Lucien (Spezia, 18, France, 3.5 stars, DM, AM C)
13. Aouchiche, Adil (AS Saint-Etienne, 18, France, 3.5 stars, AM C)
14. Baro, Romario (FCP, 20, Portugal, 3.5 stars, M C)
15. Cajuste, Jens (FC Midtjylland, 20, Sweden, 3.5 stars, D/WB R, DM, M RC)
16. Caqueret, Maxence (OL, 20, France, 3.5 stars, DM, AM C)
17. Dantas, Tiago (FC Bayern, 19, Portugal, 3.5 stars, M C)
18. De Ketelaere, Charles (Club Brugge, 19, Belgium, 3.5 stars, AM LC)
19. Dwomoh, Pierre (KRC Genk, 16, Belgium, 3.5 stars, AM RC, F C)
20. Gabriel Menino (SEP, 19, Brazil, 3.5 stars, D/WB R, R, DM)
21. Gavi (Barcelona, 15, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM C)
22. Gilmour, Billy (Chelsea, 19, Scotland, 3.5 stars, AM C)
23. Gomez, Sergio (Huesca, 19, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
24. Hannibal (Man Utd, 17, France, 3.5 stars, AM C)
25. Koba Lein (Valencia, 18, France, 3.5 stars, M C)
26. Marcos Antonio (Shakhtar, 20, Brazil, 3.5 stars, DM, M C)
27. Musah, Yunus (Valencia, 17, USA, 3.5 stars, AM RC)
28. Monchu (Girona, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, DM, M C)
29. Nico (Barcelona, 18, Spain, 3.5 stars, DM, M C)
30. Patrick de Paula (SEP, 20, Brazil, 3.5 stars, DM, M C)
31. Puig, Riqui (Barcelona, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM C)
32. Sancet, Oihan (A. Bilbao, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM C)
33. Shackleton, Jamie (Leeds, 20, England, 3.5 stars, M C)
34. Stamenic, Marko (FC Kobenhavn, 18, New Zealand, 3.5 stars, DM, AM C)
35. Taylor, Kenneth (Ajax, 18, Netherlands, 3.5 stars, D C, DM, M RLC)
36. Vranckx, Aster (KV Mechelen, 17, Belgium, 3.5 stars, DM, AM C)
37. Willock, Joe (Arsenal, 20, England, 3.5 stars, M C)
BEST VALUE: Eduardo Camavinga (£30.5M Value, £15K Wage) — Now you may be wondering how someone valued at £30.5 million is considered a bargain. However, we’re talking about a future five-star-rated 17-year-old who’s already in the green level when it comes to his Tackling and Technique, has good physical attributes, and could potentially turn out to be a player with absolutely no weaknesses. Go grab him if you’ve got the budget.
LEFT WINGERS
1. Fati, Ansu (Barcelona, 17, Spain, 4.5 stars, AM RL, ST)
2. Sancho, Jadon (Borussia Dortmund, 20, England, 4.5 stars, AM RL)
3. Vinicius Junior (R. Madrid, 20, Brazil, 4.5 stars, AM L ST)
4. Cherki, Rayan (OL, 16, France, 4 stars, AM RLC, F C)
5. Doku, Jeremy (Rennes, 18, Belgium, 4 stars, AM RL, ST)
6. Hauge, Jens Petter (Milan, 20, Norway, 4 stars, AM RL)
7. Hudson-Odoi, Callum (Chelsea, 19, England, 4 stars, AM RLC)
8. Jones, Curtis (Liverpool, 19, England, 4 stars, AM RLC)
9. Lainez, Diego (Real Hispalis, 20, Mexico, 4 stars, AM RL)
10. Martinelli, Gabriel (Arsenal, 19, Brazil, 4 stars, AM RLC, F C)
11. McNeil, Dwight (Burnley, 20, England, 4 stars, AM RL, ST)
12. Saka, Bukayo (Arsenal, 18, England, WB L, AM RL)
13. Serrano, Nico (A. Bilbao, 17, Spain, 4 stars, AM RL, ST)
14. Aranda, Oscar (R. Madrid, 18, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM L, ST)
15. Bryan Gil (Eibar, 19, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
16. Bynoe-Gittens, Jamie (Borussia Dortmund, 15, England, 3.5 stars, AM RL)
17. Conceicao, Francisco (FCP, 17, Portugal, 3.5 stars, AM RL)
18. Damsgaard, Mikkel (Sampdoria, 20, Denmark, 3.5 stars, AM RLC, F C)
19. De la Fuente, Konrad (Barcelona, 19, USA, 3.5 stars, AM RL)
20. De la Vega, Pedro (Lanus, 19, Argentina, 3.5 stars, AM RL, ST)
21. Gouiri, Amine (OGC Nice, 20, France, 3.5 stars, AM L, ST)
22. Kaminski, Jakub (Lech, 18, Poland, 3.5 stars, WB R, AM RL)
23. Kvaratskhelia, Khvicha (Rubin, 19, Georgia, 3.5 stars, AM RL)
24. Paulinho (Bayer 04, 20, Brazil, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
25. Poku, Ernest (AZ, 16, Netherlands, 3.5 stars, AM RL, ST)
26. Sessegnon, Ryan (Hoffenheim, 20, England, 3.5 stars, D/WB/AM L)
27. Shoretire, Shola (Man Utd, 16, England, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
28. Stevanovic, Filip (Partizan, 17, Serbia, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
29. Talles Magno (VDG, 18, Brazil, 3.5 stars, AM RLC, F C)
30. Zeballos, Exequiel (Boca, 18, Argentina, 3.5 stars, AM RL, ST)
BEST VALUE: Rayan Cherki (£11.25M Value, £8.75K Wage) — He may have a lot of holes in his game in terms of his attributes, but you’ll have to remember that he’s only 16 years old and has excellent Technique for someone his age. He has lots of room for improvement, and in this case, that’s a good thing. That said, top clubs might not have much use for him in the starting eleven, which means you’ll need to closely monitor his training progress and perhaps give him some playing time against weaker opponents.
RIGHT WINGERS
1. Rodrygo (R. Madrid, 19, Brazil, 4.5 stars, AM RL, ST)
2. Antony (Ajax, 20, Brazil, 4 stars, AM RC, F C)
3. Nelson, Reiss (Arsenal, 20, England, 4 stars, AM RL)
4. Torres, Fernan (Man City, 20, Spain, 4 stars, AM RL)
5. Trincao, Francisco (Barcelona, 20, Portugal, 4 stars, AM RL)
6. Akhomach, Ilias (Barcelona, 16, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM RLC, F C)
7. Artola, Juan (A. Bilbao, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM RL)
8. Diallo, Amad (Atalanta, 18, Ivory Coast, 3.5 stars, AM RL, ST)
9. Elliott, Harvey (Blackburn, 17, England, 3.5 stars, AM RL, ST)
10. Matondo, Rabbi (Schalke 04, 19, Wales, 3.5 stars, AM RL)
11. Moro, Raul (Lazio, 17, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM RC, F C)
12. Neto, Pedro (Wolves, 20, Portugal, 3.5 stars, AM RL, ST)
13. Oddei, Brian (Sassuolo, 17, Ghana, 3.5 stars, AM R, ST)
14. Pellistri, Facundo (Man Utd, 18, Uruguay, 3.5 stars, AM R, ST)
15. Pino, Yeremi (Villarreal, 17, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM RLC, F C)
16. Tete (Shakhtar, 20, Brazil, 3.5 stars, AM R)
17. Vignato, Emanuel (Bologna, 19, Italy, 3.5 stars, AM RC)
BEST VALUE: Brian Oddei (£7.25M Value, £3.7K Wage) — Likewise, this is another player with a lot of attributes that may leave a lot to be desired at the start of your saved game. But that’s largely on account of his youth (17 years old), and he has pretty good Technique (13) and Pace (14) and is solidly rated in other key areas. If you choose to sign him, prioritize monitoring his training progress, and if you can’t give him any shots as a starter, feel free to loan-list him.
CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS
1. Felix, Joao (A. Madrid, 20, Portugal, 4.5 stars, AM RLC, F C)
2. Foden, Phil (Man City, 20, England, 4.5 stars, AM RC)
3. Kulusevski, Dejan (Zebre, 20, Sweden, 4.5 stars, AM RC)
4. Pedri (Barcelona, 17, Spain, 4.5 stars, AM RLC)
5. David, Jonathan (LOSC, 20, Canada, 4 stars, AM RLC, F C)
6. Demir, Yusuf (SK Rapid Vienna, 17, Austria, 4 stars, AM RC, F C)
7. Reinier (Borussia Dortmund, 18, Brazil, 4 stars, AM C)
8. Reyna, Giovanni (Borussia Dortmund, 17, USA, 4 stars, AM LC)
9. Unuvar, Naci (Ajax, 17, Netherlands, 4 stars, AM LC, F C)
10. Almada, Thiago (Velez, 19, Argentina, 3.5 stars, AM RLC, F C)
11. Anjorin, Faustino (Chelsea, 18, England, 3.5 stars, AM C)
12. Baeza, Miguel (Vigo, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
13. Diaz, Brahim (Milan, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
14. Gomes, Angel (Boavista, 19, England, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
15. Ihattaren, Mohamed (PSV, 18, Netherlands, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
16. Kubo, Takefusa (Villarreal, 19, Japan, 3.5 stars, AM/F C)
17. Kudus, Mohammed (Ajax, 19, Ghana, 3.5 stars, AM C)
18. Lee Kang-In (Valencia, 19, South Korea, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
19. Matondo, Rabbi (Schalke 04, 19, Wales, 3.5 stars, AM RL)
20. Morilla, Pelayo (S. Gijon, 19, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM LC)
21. Nascimento, Diogo (SLB, 17, Portugal, 3.5 stars, AM C)
22. Oroz, Aimar (Atletico Pamplona, 18, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM LC)
23. Palacios, Matias (San Lorenzo, 18, Argentina, 3.5 stars, AM C)
24. Roberto Lopez (Real San Sebastian, 20, Spain, 3.5 stars, AM LC)
25. Ruiz, Marcel (Tijuana, 19, Mexico, 3.5 stars, AM RC)
26. Sarmiento, Dario (Estudiantes LP, 17, Argentina, 3.5 stars, AM LC)
27. Smith-Rowe, Emile (Arsenal, 20, England, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
28. Tongya, Franco (Zebre, 18, Italy, 3.5 stars, AM RC)
29. Traore, Hamed Junior (Sassuolo, 20, Ivory Coast, 3.5 stars, AM C)
30. Verschaeren, Yari (Anderlecht, 19, Belgium, 3.5 stars, AM RLC)
31. Vieira, Fabio (FCP, 20, Portugal, 3.5 stars, AM LC)
BEST VALUE: Yusuf Demir (£6M Value, £625 Wage) — Considering he plays in the Austrian Premier Division, it’s no surprise that he’s more under-the-radar than the average Wonderkid. But he’s also one of the bigger bargains among four-star-rated Wonderkids, so if you’re looking for someone who can play multiple offense-oriented positions and multiple sides, you may want to shortlist Demir and, if you sign him, give him a few chances to show his worth as a starter.
STRIKERS
1. Greenwood, Mason (Man Utd, 18, England, 4.5 stars, AM R ST)
2. Haaland, Erling (Borussia Dortmund, 20, Norway, 4.5 stars, ST)
3. Adeyemi, Karim (FC RB Salzburg, 18, Germany, 4 stars, AM R, ST)
4. Boadu, Myron (AZ, 19, Netherlands, 4 stars, AM RL, ST)
5. Esposito, Sebastiano (SPAL, 18, Italy, 4 stars, ST)
6. Evanilson (FCP, 20, Brazil, 4 stars, AM L, ST)
7. Isak, Alexander (Real San Sebastian, 20, Sweden, 4 stars, ST)
8. Joao Pedro (Watford, 18, Brazil, 4 stars, AM RL, ST)
9. Parrott, Troy (Millwall, 18, Ireland, 4 stars, ST)
10. Silva, Fabio (Wolves, 18, Portugal, 4 stars, ST)
11. Vlahovic, Dusan (Fiorentina, 20, Serbia, 4 stars, ST)
12. Zirkee, Joshua (FC Bayern, 19, Netherlands, 4 stars, ST)
13. Arezo, Matias (River Plate de Montevideo, 17, Uruguay, 3.5 stars, ST)
14. Badji, Youssouph (Club Brugge, 18, Senegal, 3.5 stars, ST)
15. Delap, Liam (Man City, 17, England, 3.5 stars, ST)
16. Gnonto, Wilfried (Zurich, 16, Italy, 3.5 stars, AM/F C)
17. Kaio Jorge (SAN, 18, Brazil, 3.5 stars, ST)
18. Macias, Jose Juan (Chivas, 20, Mexico, 3.5 stars, AM L, ST)
19. Pellegri, Pietro (AS Monaco, 19, Italy, 3.5 stars, ST)
20. Ramos, Goncalo (SLB, 19, Portugal, 3.5 stars, AM/F C)
21. Salcedo, Eddie (Verona, 18, Italy, 3.5 stars, AM LC, F C)
22. Wamangituka, Silas (VfB Stuttgart, 20, DR Congo, 3.5 stars, ST)
BEST VALUE: Mason Greenwood (£30.5M, £25K Wage) — Others have suggested Esposito as the best bang-for-buck striker Wonderkid in FM2021 Mobile, and he is indeed a bargain for a four-star player. But Greenwood, despite his high valuation, is a top-rate 18-year-old striker with great Shooting, Technique, and Pace, and can be seen as affordable for someone who usually has a potential 4.5-star rating. Consider that he is valued at less than a third of the similarly rated and more familiar Erling Haaland.