FC 25 wonderkids: Best young players with high Career Mode potential

Buying low and selling high is also a great way to keep the cash flowing, especially if you're always looking to splash the cash during each transfer window.

To help you out, we've made a list of the best FC 25 wonderkids so you can check out the top young players for each position and know exactly who to sign – let's get into it.

Best young players in FC 25 Career Mode

The best young players in FC 25 Career Mode are Lamine Yamal and Endrick, thanks to their sky-high potential ability. Here are a few more of the top prospects:

• Lamine Yamal: Age 17 | FC Barcelona | RW | 81 OVR | 94 POT
• Endrick: Age 18 | Real Madrid | ST | OVR 77 | 91 POT
• Warren Zaïre-Emery: Age 18 | PSG | CM, CDM | 80 OVR | 90 POT
• Arda Güler: Age 19 | Real Madrid | RW, CAM | 78 OVR | 90 POT
• Kobbie Mainoo: Age 19 | Manchester United | CDM, CM | 77 OVR | 87 POT
• Jorrel Hato: Age 18 | Ajax | CB, LB | 73 OVR | 88 POT
• Nico Williams: Age 21 | Athletic Bilbao | RM, LM | 85 OVR | 89 POT
• Arthur Vermeeren: Age 19 | RB Leipzig | CDM, CM | 76 OVR | 87 POT
• Pau Cubarsi: Age 18 | FC Barcelona | CB | 78 OVR | 90 POT
• Guillaume Restes: Age 19 | Toulouse FC | GK | 78 OVR | 88 POT

We've looked at a variety of factors for these players, including their overall potential (via Futwiz), growth, contract length and prices. While some of these players are already at the top clubs and may be quite expensive to pick up, we have excluded some of the very best that you probably won't be able to sign, who are already some of the highest-rated players overall, such as Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, and João Neves.

We've also defined wonderkids as any player aged 21 or younger – that means a few players like Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and Pedri unfortunately don't make the cut, despite still relatively young.

While you could certainly make a strong attacking team out of these players, it's looking a little light at the back, with Jorrel Hato and Pau Cubarsi being the only defenders – that's why you can check out the best young players for each role further down.

These players won’t be used as much in Division Rivals or FUT Champs unless they fit with an Evolution, but they are sure to set you up for years in Career Mode, especially if you use the right Player Roles.

Best young strikers in FC 25

The best young strikers in FC 25 with high potential are as follows:

• Benjamin Šeško: Age 21 | RB Leipzig | ST | 79 OVR | 88 POT
• Semih Kiliçsoy: Age 19 | Besiktas | ST | 72 OVR | 88 POT
• Mathys Tel: Age 19 | Bayern Munich | ST, RM, LM | 77 OVR | 88 POT
• Vitor Roque: Age 19 | Real Betis (on loan from Barcelona) | ST, LW, RW | 76 OVR| 87 POT
• Evan Ferguson: Age 19 | Brighton and Hove Albion | ST | 74 OVR | 86 POT
• Mustafa Hekimoğlu: Age 17 | Besiktas | ST | 62 OVR | 86 POT
• George Ilenikhena: Age 18 | AS Monaco | ST | 70 OVR | 86 POT
• Youssoufa Moukoko: Age 19 | Borussia Dortmund | ST | 77 OVR | 85 POT
• Samu: Age 20 | Porto | ST | 73 OVR | 84 POT
• Eli Junior Kroupi: Age 18 | Lorient | ST | 68 OVR | 81 POT
• Stefanos Tzimas: Age 18 | 1. FC Nürnberg | ST | 67 OVR | 77 POT

Finding a striker who can get 15/20 goals a season is a priority for any club and the below players will ensure goals and eventually allow you to rake in a tidy profit. All of the above players are pure strikers, and you may even be able to get them on loan in some cases.

Benjamin Šeško is certainly the best choice out of these players, as not only does he have the joint-highest potential, but he's also fairly well-developed already, meaning he can slot right into your team.

This does mean he'll be expensive, however, so if you're a little strapped for cash, then Semih Kiliçsoy of Besiktas is a much more affordable option, though he'll take a bit longer to develop.

Best young wingers in FC 25

If you need one of the best young wingers in FC 25, these are who we'd suggest picking up in Career Mode:

• Johan Bakayoko: Age 21| PSV | RW | 79 OVR | 88 POT
• Matias Soule: Age 21 | Roma | RM, RW | 77 OVR | 88 POT
• Alberto Moleiro: Age 20 | Las Palmas | LM | 77 OVR | 77 POT | 87 POT
• Alejandro Garnacho: Age 20 | Manchester United | LM, RM | 79 OVR | 87 POT
• Julien Duranville: Age 18 | Borussia Dortmund | LM, RM, ST | 66 OVR | 87 POT
• Yeremy Pino: Age 21 | Villareal | LM, LW | 79 OVR | 87 POT
• Newerton: Age 19 | Shakhtar Donetsk | LW, LM | 69 OVR | 82 POT
• Jamie Bynoe-Gittens: Age 19 | Borussia Dortmund | LM | 75 OVR| 86 POT

If you play with width in FC 25, then tricky wingers are going to be real difference-makers. They will pitch in with goals, assists, and stretching the play to create space for the rest of your team. Each of these players will help add dynamism and quality to any attack.

Both Johan Bakayoko and Matias Soule represent excellent choices, with both eventually capable of developing to an overall rating of 88, and will be a fair bit cheaper than Lamine Yamal.

If you're looking for a club to manage in Career Mode, you might want to go for Dortmund, as they have a wonderkid winger for both flanks of the pitch in the form of Julien Duranville and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who has recently earned himself a TOTS card in Ultimate Team.

Best young midfielders in FC 25

We have grouped defensive, attacking, and traditional midfielders together, but regardless of how you play, these players are the heartbeat of your side in FC 25 Career mode. We have included their positions to help narrow down what you’re looking for.

• Gavi: Age 19 | FC Barcelona | CM, LW | 83 OVR | 90 POT
• João Neves: Age 19 | PSG | CM | 79 OVR | 88 POT
• Assan Ouédraogo: Age 18 | RB Leipzig | CAM, CM | 69 OVR | 87 POT
• Oscar Gloukh: Age 20 | RB Salzburg | CAM | 76 OVR | 87 POT
• Archie Gray: Age 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | CM, RB, CDM | 73 OVR | 87 POT
• Lucas Bergvall: Age 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | CM | 68 OVR | 87 POT
• Pablo Barrios: Age 21 | Atletico Madrid | CM, CDM | 76 OVR | 86 POT
• Etahn Nwaneri: Age 17 | Arsenal | CAM | 64 OVR | 86 POT
• Pablo Torre: Age 21 | Barcelona | CAM, LM, CM | 74 OVR | 86 POT
• Lewis Miley: Age 18 | Newcastle United | CM, CDM, CAM | 72 OVR | 86 POT
• Sverre Halseth Nypan: Age 17 | Rosenborg | CAM, CM | 66 OVR | 86 POT
• Hugo Larsson: Age 20 | Eintracht Frankfurt | CM, CDM | 74 OVR | 86 POT
• Javi Guerra: Age 21 | Valencia | CM, CDM | 75 OVR | 86 POT
• Harvey Elliott: Age 21 | Liverpool | CAM, CM | 78 OVR | 86 POT
• Tommaso Baldanzi: Age 21 | Roma | CAM | 76 OVR | 83 POT

Gavi is far and away the best option here, with a whopping 90 overall rating, but because of that, he's also going to cost you an arm and a leg – João Neves and Oscar Gloukh won't be much cheaper either.

For more of a bargain, you're better off looking at Assan Ouédraogo of RB Leipzig or Newcastle's Lewis Miley, so long as you have the patience to develop them.

You may also recognise Rosenborg's Sverre Halseth Nypan if you're a big Football Manager fan, as the Norwegian has made quite a name for himself as an FM24 wonderkid too.

Best young full-backs in FC 25

These are the best young LBs and RBs in FC 25 to sign:

• Jorrel Hato: Age 18 | Ajax | LB | 76 OVR | 88 POT
• Alejandro Balde: Age 20 | Barcelona | LB | 81 OVR | 89 POT
• Destiny Udogie: Age 21 | Tottenham Hotspur | LB | 82 OVR | 86 POT
• Malo Gusto: Age 21 | Chelsea | RB | 80 OVR | 86 POT
• Rico Lewis: Age 19 | Manchester City | RB | 76 OVR | 85 POT
• Milos Kerkez: Age 20 | AFC Bournemouth | LB | 77 OVR | 84 POT
• Max Johnston: Age 20 | Sturm Graz | RB | 64 OVR | 74 OVR

There was a time when full-backs weren’t considered fashionable positions, but that changed recently. Now, your full-back or wing-back is instrumental to a team's success, equally contributing at both ends of the pitch and even inverting to add extra bodies in midfield.

If you have cash to burn, Ajax's Jorrel Hato and Barca's Alejandro Balde have the highest potential ratings, but both are left-backs, so you'll probably only need one.

On the right flank, Malo Gusto and Rico Lewis are the best options, although both will also be rather expensive.

Best young centre-backs in FC 25

Now that Player Roles have been added into FC 25, it’s vital to sign defenders who fit the way you want to play. If you want to build from the back, ensure the players are comfortable with the ball at their feet and can pass, whilst other defenders are more traditional destroyers. These are the top young CBs we'd pick up:

• Jorrel Hato: Age 18 | Ajax | 73 OVR | 88 POT
• Giorgio Scalvini: Age 20 | Atalanta | 78 OVR | 88 POT
• Luka Vušcović: Age 17 | Westerlo (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) | 64 OVR | 88 POT
• Leny Yoro: Age 18 | Manchester United | 78 OVR | 86 POT
• António Silva: Age 20 | Benfica | 79 OVR | 86 POT
• Tobías Palacio: Age 17 | Argentinos Jrs | 68 OVR | 84 POT
• Giovanni Leoni: Age 17 | Sampdoria | 65 OVR | 80 POT
• Håkon Volden: Age 17 | Rosenborg | 53 OVR | 79 POT

Jorrel Hato is back again, as the versatile defender can do a job at centre-back as well as left-back, and he's joined by Atalanta's domineering young Giorgio Scalvini.

Luka Vušcović represents the best value, though you'll have to wait until he finishes his loan at Westerlo – if you can't wait that long, then you should take a look at Tobías Palacio instead.

Giovanni Leoni and Håkon Volden both don't have particularly high potentials, but this makes them ideal signings for lower-league clubs with smaller budgets, as they'll improve with you as you climb the leagues.

Best young goalkeepers in FC 25

Other than full-back, the goalkeeper position has evolved the most in modern football, with some keepers, like Ederson, being just as comfortable with the ball at their feet as the average player. Therefore, if you want to begin attacks from the very start, you must have a youngster who can develop into the modern keeper in FC 25. Here are the goalkeeping wonderkids we'd suggest:

• Guillaume Restes: Age 19 | Toulouse FC | 78 OVR | 88 POT
• Gabriel Slonina: Age 20 | Barnsley (on loan from Chelsea) | 68 OVR | 81 POT
• André Gomes: Age 19 | Benfica | 65 OVR | 81 POT
• Ewen Jaouen: Age 18 | Dunkerque | 66 OVR | 82 POT
• Robin Risser: Age 19 | Strasbourg | 67 OVR | 81 POT
• James Beadle: Age 20 | Sheffield Wednesday | 70 OVR | 82 POT
• Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro: Age 20 | AZ | 69 OVR | 82 POT

Unfortunately, the goalkeeper offering isn't quite as rich as many other positions, with only Toulouse's Guillaume Restes possessing a truly impressive potential ability of 89.

James Beadle and Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro represent the next best options, as they're the most developed of the remaining goalkeepers on our list.

After that, the rest aren't particularly worth looking at – it might just be worth getting yourself an older player to put between the sticks if you find yourself unable to sign Restes.

Best cheap young players in EA FC 25 with highest potential: Hidden gems

The majority of the players listed already will cost a fair amount; if you’re not a big side, many will be out of reach. Therefore, we’ve listed some more affordable players who will make great signings for smaller sides climbing the ranks to success. These are the hidden gems we'd buy in Career Mode:

• Mustafa Hekimoğlu: Age 17 | Besiktas | ST | 62 OVR | 86 POT
• Chris Rigg: Age 17 | Sunderland | CM, RW, RM | 61 OVR | 84 POT
• Arroyo: Age 18 | Independiente | LW, RB, LM, CAM | 58 OVR | 82 POT
• Myles Lewis-Skelly: Age 17 | Arsenal | CM, CDM | 58 OVR | 81 POT
• Felipe Rodríguez-Gentile: Age 17 | Preston North End | ST | 57 OVR | 81 POT
• Trevan Sanusi: Age 17 | Newcastle United | LW | 57 OVR | 81 POT
• Franciszek Franczak: Age 17 | St Johnstone | RM, RB, RW | 57 OVR | 81 POT
• Håkon Volden: Age 17 | Rosenborg | CB | 53 OVR | 79 POT
• Mateo Joseph: Age 21 | Leeds United | ST | 70 OVR | 81 POT

If you don't have a massive transfer budget to spend on the likes of Gavi and Yamal, there are still plenty of cheaper players with a decent potential if you're willing to put the work in.

Mustafa Hekimoglu and Chris Rigg are probably the best examples of this, as both will eventually grow into very solid players.

These players are worth signing for a team in a league like the EFL Championship, so that they develop alongside the team, growing into Premier League players as you get promoted, and then once you've got a higher transfer budget later down the line, you can replace them with someone a bit better.

Best young women to sign in FC 25

You can now play Career Mode as women's teams in FC 25, so we've included a selection of the best young women players to sign across all positions.

• Linda Caicedo: Age 19 | Real Madrid | LW, LM, CAM | 79 OVR | 90 POT
• Andrea Medina: Age 20 | Atlético de Madrid | LB | 80 OVR | 88 POT
• Khiara Keating: Age 20 | Manchester City | GK | 80 OVR | 88 POT
• Maite Zubieta: Age 20 | Athletic Club | CB, CDM | 75 OVR | 87 POT
• Silvia Lloris: Age 20 | Atlético de Madrid | CB, LB | 77 OVR | 84 POT
• Luany: Age 21 | Atlético de Madrid | ST | 77 OVR | 81 POT
• Pia Lucassen: Age 18 | SGS Essen | GK | 69 OVR | 79 POT
• Leela Egli: Age 17 | Freiburg | LM, CAM, LW | 72 OVR | 79 POT
• Chancelle Effa Effa: Age 18 | Havre AC | ST | 69 OVR | 76 POT
• Kennedy Fuller: Age 17 | Angel City | CAM, CM | 65 OVR | 73 POT

Linda Caicedo is definitely the best pick here, not only because of her high potential ability of 90, but because she's a versatile player who can play in a number of positions.

If you're looking for a particular club to manage, then you really can't get much better than Athletico Madrid, who boast three players on this list: Andrea Medina, Silvia Lloris and Luany.

Despite their prowess on the international stage, the US is surprisingly lacking in young talent, with Angel City's Kennedy Fuller the only option on our list.

Read more on FC 25:

• FC 25 ratings: The very best players
• FC 25 soundtrack: Full list of songs
• FC 25 strikers: Best forwards to use
• FC 25 midfielders: Best CDM, CM and CAM
• FC 25 defenders: Best CB, RB and LB
• Best kits in FC 25: Our favourite shirts
• FC 25 evolutions: Who should you upgrade?

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.