The key to having the best save in FM26 is to ensure you’ve grabbed the absolute best Football Manager 26 wonderkids in your team. While it’s not entirely easy to fill a team with the best up-and-coming stars, it’s a worthwhile strategy for bringing your club from nothing to greatness. For those who don’t know, a wonderkid is specifically a younger player below the age of 21 who has a high potential ability. While not every player ends up fulfilling their promise—look at some of the disappointing wonderkids you should avoid in the new game here—but they should be great for this year’s game.
Alongside picking some of the best-of-the-best players for each position, we’ve also included some affordable stars that you should nab for your team. After all, depending on your save, you could be running on very little income, and you’ll need to cut costs with some cheaper talent. Of course, Football Manager 26 wonderkids have to be acquired in a realistic manner. Other clubs often scout these potentially fantastic players and hoard them for themselves, so you may end up paying a lot of money for some of the absolute best players in the game.
Nevertheless, you’ll need a wonderkid or two on your team if you want to bring your team into the spotlight. With that in mind, here are all of the FM26 wonderkids you should try and grab for your team.
Best Football Manager 26 Wonderkids
Best FM26 Wonderkid Strikers
Strikers are your forward attackers, playing the most advanced attacking position on the pitch. As the primary source of most goals in a match, having a strong striker on your team is key to an aggressive strategy. Strikers are usually the stars of the game: think Ronaldo, Pelé, and Shearer.
Most of the best strikers in history start out as wonderkids, as they are usually faster and lighter than everyone else on the field. With this in mind, you’ll want to make sure you grab at least someone off this list for your team, at least one of the cheaper stars, as they’ll make a huge difference.
| Player | Team | Value/Wage | Stat Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Kelsy | Portland Timbers | £4.5 million (Value) £10.75K (Wage) | 19 Jumping Reach, 14 Composure, 13 Finishing |
| Hamza Igamane | LOSC Lille | £11.5 million (Value) £26K (Wage) | 16 Flair, 16 Strength, 15 Finishing |
| Lucas Stassin | Saint-Etienne | £9.6 million (Value) £12K (Wage) | 15 Positioning, 15 Off the Ball, 15 Finishing |
| Calum Osmand | Celtic | £600K (Value) £2.5K (Wage) | 13 First Touch, 13 Off the Ball, 14 Stamina |
Best FM26 Wonderkid Goalkeepers
While strikers offer your main form of attack, the goalkeeper instead is your last wall of defence, and this is key to a defensive strategy in FM. If you’re looking for the best Football Manager wonderkids, you’ll want to pay close attention to the burgeoning talent of goalies available in the game.
For the best goalkeepers in FM26, you’ll want to focus on a few stats. Largely, reflexes are key, allowing the player to actually catch or intercept the ball before it hits the back of the net. However, you’ll also notice that bravery and communication also play a strong part in protecting the goal, as well as composure and determination.
| Player | Team | Value/Wage | Stat Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray Johnson | Hibernian | £250K (Value) £600 (Wages) | 19 Determination,14 Reflexes, 15 Bravery |
| Guillaume Restes | Toulouse | £17.5 million (Value) £10.7K (Wages) | 15 Reflexes, 15 Determination, 15 Bravery |
| Josh Keeley | Luton Town | £9.6 million (Value) £6k (Wages) | 15 Communication, 14 Reflexes, 13 Handling, |
| Chris Brady | Chicago Fire | £6.9 million (Value) £7.5K (Wages) | 18 Communication, 15 Reflexes, 15 Decision |
| Noah Atubolu | Freiburg | £23 million (Value) £20.5K (Wages) | 16 Bravery, 16 Determination, 16 One-on-ones, 15 Reflexes |
Best FM26 Wonderkid Wingers
Alongside strikers, the left and right wing positions are always bursting with wonderkids each and every year. It’s one of the most populated positions on the field—outside of midfield—and these attacking positions are the second-most popular spot for scoring goals. However, a great winger isn’t just an offensive player, but can also manage a strong defence when your team is on the back foot. It’s a complicated spot with a lot more stats to look at compared to other positions, but that’s what we’re here for.
Of course, one of the most important stats to look for in the best wingers for Football Manager 26 is how well they dribble the ball through the pitch, but you’ll also want to look for technique and pace to keep the ball flowing through the pitch.
| Player | Team | Value/Wage | Stat Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giannis Konstantelias | PAOK | £19.5 million (Value) £30.5K (Wages) | 17 Technique, 17 Flair, 16 Dribbling |
| Alexis Manyoma | Colorado Rapids | £5 million (Value) £1.5k (Wage) | 15 Flair, 14 Dribbling, 14 Technique |
| Bazoumana Toure | Hoffenheim | £16 million (Value) £25K (Wages) | 17 Pace, 15 Dribbling, 15 Determination |
| Kwadwo Baah | Watford | £12.5 million (Value) £12K (Wages) | 16 Dribbling, 15 Pace, 15 Strength |
| Daniel Bennie | QPR | £2 million (Value) £500 (Wages) | 16 Work Rate, 15 Technique, 14 Pace |
Best FM26 Wonderkids Centre-Backs
The centre-back position is your last line of defence, the players tasked with intercepting the ball before it gets to your goalie. Just like a winger, the all-time best centre-backs (or central defenders) need to have a fast pace, but they also need to be able to tackle and block shots, often requiring strong aerial skills to intercept with a header.
It’s more complicated than a position like goalie or striker, and one that often leaves a lot of room for interpretation, but hopefully this list will provide you with some strong options for your team.
| Player | Team | Value/Wage | Stat Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mamadou Barry | Union SG | £3.2 million (Value) £2.2K (Wages) | 15 Decisions, 14 Strength, 13 Marking |
| Abakar Sylla | Strasbourg | £8.5 million (Value) £15K (Wages) | 18 Aggression, 17 Leadership, 15 Pace |
| Finn Jeltsch | Stuttgart | £28 million (Value) £25K (Wages) | 16 Determination, 16 Work Rate, 14 Tackling |
| Bright Arrey-Mbi | BRG (Braga) | £5.5 million (Value) £15.7K (Wages) | 16 Tackling, 16 Pace, 16 Strength |
| Lautaro Rivero | River Plate Reserves | £7 million (Value) £800 (Wages) | 14 Heading, 14 Tackling, 14 Decisions |
Best FM26 Central Defensive Midfielders
Your Central Defensive Midfielders in Football Manager 2025 are the shield for your back line, stopping potential attackers from breaking through to the rear. However, similar to your wingers, this role is transitional, pushing the ball forwards in an aggressive play as they support the rest of the pack.
For this role, passing, teamwork and stamina are often core stats, as well as vision and work rate. It’s another complicated role, and one that is also open to a lot of interpretation for your personal play style.
| Player | Team | Value/Wage | Stat Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petar Sucic | Blu-Neri | £19.5 million (Value) £46K (Wages) | 18 Stamina, 17 Determination, 16 Flair |
| Lamine Fanne | Luton Town | £13 Million (Value) £6K (Wages) | 14 Team Work, 14 Work Rate, 14 Strength |
| Xavier Simons | Bolton Wanderers | £5.8 million (Value) £7.5K (Wages) | 18 Aggression, 16 Team Work, 15 Pace |
| Hugo Larsson | Frankfurt | £55 million (Value) £41.5K (Wages) | 17 Work Rate, 17 Stamina, 16 Teamwork |
| Ayyoub Bouaddi | Lille | £82 million (Value) £4.5K (Wages) | 16 Determination, 15 Passing, 14 Tackling |
Best FM26 Central Attacking Midfielders
Unlike CBMs, CAMs (Central Attacking Midfielders) are some of the most creative players on the pitch, weaving through the opposition’s defenses during an attacking play with clever passes, flair and pushes towards the goals. In fact, some of your best CAMs will be responsible for a fair few goals.
With this in mind, there are obvious key stats to look out for, mainly towards stamina, pace, long shots, flair, and dribbling. However, there’s a lot of creativity in this role that leaves space for some wild plays for your save.
| Player | Team | Value/Wage | Stat Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack McGlynn | Houston Dynamo | £3.8 million (Value) £4.2K (Wages) | 16 Passing, 15 Long Shots, 14 Decisions |
| Marius Broholm | LOSC Lille | £7.8 million (Value) £11.2K (Wages) | 17 Flair, 15 Determination, 15 Dribbling |
| Gianluca Prestianni | Benfica | £30 Million (Value) £16.7K (Wages) | 18 Determination, 15 Vision, 15 Dribbling |
| Assan Ouedraogo | RB Leipzig | £25 million (Value) £41.5K (Wages) | 15 Dribbling, 16 Flair, 15 Agility |
| Nico Paz | Como | £77 Million (Value) £15.5K (Wages) | 17 Dribbling, 17 Technique, 17 Vision |
Best FM26 Left-Backs and Right-Backs
Last but not least, we have left-backs and right-backs, a key position that you’ll probably want to fill with Football Manager 26 wonderkids. These defensive positions are designed to protect against wingers attempting to break through towards your side of the pitch, but they also overlap with midfielders in aggressive plays.
Largely, though, you’ll want to have players with a lot of stamina and strength to protect the rear as they often end up in one-on-ones with enemy players. With this in mind, determination and tackling are key stats alongside bravery and, oftentimes, aggression.
| Player | Team | Value/Wage | Stat Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elias Baum | Frankfurt | £10 million (Value) £8.25K (Wages) | 16 Determination, 16 Bravery, 16 Work Rate |
| Arnau Martinez | Girona | £12.5 Million (Value) £21.5K (Wages) | 15 Determination, 15 Tackling, 15 Work Rate |
| Semm Renders | Royal Antwerp U18 | £750K (Value) £750 (Wages) | 14 Stamina, 13 Crossing, 12 Tackling |
| Martim Fernandes | Porto | £26 Million (Value) £16K (Wages) | 16 Aggression, 16 Determination, 15 Work Rate |
| Alex Freeman | Orlando City | £2.75 Million (Value) £1.5K (Wages) | 15 Pace, 15 Stamina, 12 Tackling |
With everyone still getting stuck into Football Manager 26, and with updates on the way, there is a chance that some of these players may end up being swapped out for new discoveries. However, as for now, these are some of the absolute best Football Manager 26 wonderkids for each and every position in the game, and they should help you achieve ultimate victory.
