Check out the best FIFA 18 wonderkids! Browse this definitive guide to buying the top youth players at the cheapest price in Career Mode.
FIFA 18’s career mode is a battleground – a place where pride, purpose, and points are on the line.
The quest for greatness is an arduous one, so you need to take advantage wherever you can. That means jumping into the cut-throat transfer market and making the right deals. This is likely the only edge you’ll be able to get on the harder difficulties. There’s little point trying to pry players off the big boys so it pays to be a little shrewder.
For this particular list we’ve honed in on a batch of eleven youngsters tailor made for mid-to-high tier teams. Are you looking to take the next step in search of eternal glory?
So with that said, let’s take a look at the FIFA 18 wonderkids we recommend.
Best FIFA 18 wonderkids to improve your team
Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper top pick – Alex Meret
Our goalkeeping choice surely has to be SPAL’s Alex Meret. Situated somewhere between Simone Scuffet and Gianluigi Donnarumma, Meret is a quintessential Italian shot stopper. And he rises up to an 88 from his stock rating of 74. The right-footed 20-year-old possesses 77-rated reflexes, 76 diving, and 74 positioning from the off. This is more than enough reason to shell out the £9-or-so million it’ll take to enlist his services. Alternatively, go for Toulouse’s Alban Lafont, who’ll cost you a little bit extra but ascends to a lovely 89.
Check out our defensive FIFA 18 wonderkids.
Top FIFA 18 young defenders
Left-back top pick – Kieran Tierney
A necessity for modern full-backs is to have pace, attacking intuition, and the ability to speed up and down the entire flank. Luckily for us, Celtic’s Kieran Tierney fits the bill. The 20-year-old Scot rises to a composed 85, and his current rating of 74 is nothing to turn your nose up. He has excellent stats across pace, dribbling, passing, and even physical despite his size. Available for around £15 million, Tierney should be in serious contender as a starter for any FIFA 18 wonderkids team. You should see how bizarre he looks in career mode when you’re trying to negotiate with him. You’ll hardly recognize him.
CB top pick – Malang Sarr
Costing just over £9 million, Nice’s man mountain Malang Sarr is the typical sort of dynamic defender all teams could do with. The 18-year-old is two-footed, imposing, composed beyond his years, and quick off the mark. He can also slot in at left-back and does a job there with his agility and short passing attributes. As the above would led you to believe, Sarr climbs from 75 up to a rating of 88. This puts him around the highest-rated young defenders in the game – only topped by the player mentioned directly below. All that being said, Sarr can command a starting place in any budding side and it’ll be hard to take him out once he gets going.
CB top pick – Matthijs de Ligt
The academy conveyor belt over at Ajax never ceases to amaze, and its latest product is truly something special for any manager willing to foot a bill of around £10 million to guarantee defensive solidity for the best part of fifteen years. 18-year-old centre-half Matthijs de Ligt may come across as relatively standard with a rating of 76. However, play him often and he jumps a massive 13 points to a very commendable 89. Standing at a commanding 6′ 2″ with well-rounded base stats for all things physical and defensive too boot, de Ligt is a natural, vital component of any centre-half partnership. Most importantly his short passing is up to snuff, too, meaning he’s one of the best all-rounders out there.
Right-back top pick – Kelvin Amian Adou
Matching the other flank, we’ve went for another pacey customer who’s got the pace, physicality and defensive nous to make the right-back slot his for as long as he wants. Hailing from Toulouse, 19-year-old Frenchman Kelvin Amian Adou has been earning real-life rave reviews since his debut back in 2016. It’s safe to say with a rating going from 73 to 86 his ascent looks set to continue. Costing just around £5.7 million, he’s yet another French youth international to keep a look out for. There’s also an outside chance he could give the likes of Sidibe and Debuchy a run for their money in the future.
Check out our midfield FIFA 18 wonderkids.
Top FIFA 18 midfielders
CAM top pick – Ezequiel Barco
Independiente’s Ezequiel Barco is our pick for our first of three midfielders but to be honest he’d be suited just as well on a wing. A diminutive figure, standing at just 5’5", Barco’s low centre of gravity means he’s incredibly quick and agile. He’s also adept at passing and movement, and has a ferocious shot once upgraded to his maximum potential of 90. With four-star skills to boot, Barco’s base skill set is quite similar to a certain other South American compatriot. However, his propensity to dictate play from the middle means we’d rather have him holed up in the centre of the park than further up front or on the wing. With a base rating of 72, Barco improves quickly, and will guarantee goals once he’s given the chance. He’s an absolute must given his potential so don’t let the chance to sign pass you by.
RM top pick – Kai Havertz
A more measured midfielder but with a remarkably similar range of skills, Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz is another pick for our midfield – with him feeling most at home along the right-hand side of a three. The 18-year-old has immaculate dribbling skills, vision, short-passing, but also four-star skills and a humdinger of a left foot. Havertz’s base rating of 73 isn’t great for a team of this caliber but given the time and nurturement you’ll see a hefty return of 88. This makes him one of the top midfielders in the game. He’s surprisingly malleable, too, with FIFA 18 penning him down as a right-sided midfielder, a central attacking midfielder, and a centre forward. He’s worth it for the rotation options alone!
CDM top pick – Santiago Ascacibar
Given the fact that both other midfield options are rather attacking it would be negligent of us not to include a defensive stalwart with the ranks and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Stuttgart’s Argentine diamond Santiago Ascacibar is the sort of no-nonsense character necessary for all teams. Harbouring 92 jumping, 92 stamina, 83 interceptions, and 87 balance all from the get-go the 20-year-old’s got all the hallmarks needed to go far in the game. Starting at a rating of 73, Ascacibar’s ceiling of 86 means it’s a no-brainer for recruitment. Thankfully, he’s available for under £15 million and will a job straight from the off if given the chance.
Check out our attacking FIFA 18 wonderkids.
Best FIFA 18 young attackers
RW top pick – Justin Kluivert
The son of legendary Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert, Justin has big, big shoes to fill – thankfully FIFA 18’s seen the potential and has thus ensured that he turns into a top notch forward in his own right. The 17-year-old 73-rated youngster is blessed with a high work rate. Enjoy four-star skills/weak foot, and a whole host of dribbling and pace-based stats to boot. Under the right conditions Kluivert can rise up to 86 and is one of the more complete customers for right-wing play in FIFA 18. Costing around £6 million, he’s also just as comfortable on the left-hand side. For a relatively low outlay, you get a dynamic forward who has all the hallmarks to be a top player.
LW top pick – Amath Ndiaye Diedhiou
Having burst onto the scene during a loan spell at Tenerife, Getafe’s Amath Ndiaye Diedhiou is one of the more malleable forwards. The Senegalese winger is equally proficient all across the front three and even behind. The 21-year-old has high defensive and offensive work rates, four-star skills/weak foot, blistering pace, excellent dribbling, and he’s physical, too. The 74-rated technician eventually rises to 87 and costs just over £9.5 million, a paltry sum for what you get. Especially if you’re in one of the mid-tier clubs looking to breach the upper echelons of the league. Simply put, he’s one of the best all-rounders the team has to offer and a great addition to your FIFA 18 wonderkids line-up. So, don’t rest on your laurels, pick him up as soon as possible!
Striker top pick – Lautaro Martínez
We like our strikers to have power and movement in spades. That’s exactly what you get with Racing Club’s wonder kid Lautaro Martínez – a bundle of energy, strength, finesse and agility. The 20-year-old’s got a stock rating of 72 which some may dismiss out of hand but they’d be foolish to do so. The Argentine rises to a rating of 88! On top of that, the 72 rating is misleading because of Martínez’s surprisingly great base stats. Consequently, he’s someone who will go under the radar a little and thus you can get for cheaper than he’s probably worth. He’s an absolute workhorse too which combines beautifully with his acceleration, positioning and finishing. What we’re trying to say is, pick him up as soon as you can and he’s sure to mimic the likes of Agüero and Dybala in no time at all.
Are you managing a lower team and don’t happen to have the transfer budget necessary to facilitate any of the above? Check out our transfer tips for cheaper players right here in our FIFA 18 career mode bargain buys guide.
If you have your own FIFA 18 wonderkids you’d like to let us know about, give us a shout in the comments below.