FIFA 22’s best young strikers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers for your consideration.

By Rob Leane

Published: Thursday, 30 September 2021 at 12:00 am


If you’re just starting Career Mode in FIFA 22, chances are that you’re on the lookout for young players that will grow into the leaders of your squad. You’ll want to lock down the potential superstar strikers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers as a matter of urgency.

After all, there’s always a rush to sign these so-called wonderkids, so you’ll want to get your offers in nice and early before the asking prices go up and up.

Even though the FIFA 22 player ratings are out in the world now, you might need a bit of extra help if you’re trying to snare the hottest young talent in the game before your rival clubs get a sniff in Career Mode.

You might already have some former favourites in mind – the speedy Belgian winger Jérémy Doku became a staple of my Career Mode squad in FIFA 21, for example, and I’ve already signed him again in FIFA 22.

But if you’re looking for some helpful information on which players are technically the best in terms of Overall rating and potential, you’ve come to the right place for details. Read on to discover them!

Best young strikers in FIFA 22 Career Mode

If you’re looking for a striker in FIFA 22 that is young, fun and ready to run, you’ll want to snap up one of the players below fairly early on in your Career Mode. They’ll only get more expensive and harder to buy as you progress!

Note: Kylian Mbappe is 22 years old now, so he’s not technically a wonderkid anymore. But with an overall rating of 91 and a potential score of 95, he’d still be a great pick.

Best young midfielders in FIFA 22 Career Mode

Midfielders are the core of your team, and buying yourself a few wonderkids in this area will always be a wise investment. These are the young players that will grow into the best midfield in the game, so you’ll want to install them in your set-up sooner rather than later.

Best young defenders in FIFA 22 Career Mode

The best offence is a good defence – is that right? Whether or not that phrase is correct, you should always factor a handful of solid defenders into your Career Mode squad. If you’re looking for the best young defenders in FIFA 22, these are the ones to look out for.

Best young goalkeepers in FIFA 22 Career Mode

You can’t go wrong with a great goalie. The man between the sticks can make or break your team, and investing in a young option could pay off down the line – if you’re currently playing an older keeper who might retire soon, it’s time to start training up a successor. These would all be great choices.

Best young players in FIFA 22 Career Mode overall

The best of the bunch. The crème de la crème. If you’re looking for the very best young players in FIFA 22, you’ll want to know which footballers in the game have the best overall rating. This is the list of talented fellas you’d do very well to sign:

Best young players in FIFA 22 Career Mode by potential

A slightly different stat here: these are the young players with the highest potential rating in FIFA 22. They may not be perfect now, but they’ll rise up to be superstars if you play them enough and help them develop.

Hidden gems with the biggest potential growth in FIFA 22

And here’s one final thing to think about: it’s not just about nabbing the players with the highest scores, especially if you’re working from a club that doesn’t have much budget to work with. It’s also worth considering players that have huge leaps between their current rating and their biggest potential rating – these hidden gems might not be great to start with, but they could go a long way!

With so many top young players to choose from, you’ll surely have a stunning FIFA 22 career mode before long – it’ll be stuffed to the brim with wonderkids, and the world will be your oyster. Enjoy!

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