FIFA 22 best young players: Career mode’s top strikers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers

Goal takes a look at the potential abilities of some of the world’s best wonderkids in Career Mode on the latest version of the football game

Career Mode remains one of the most popular game modes in FIFA 22 – especially with the new player development and training options in this year’s game.

As a result, finding the best young players in FIFA 22 and developing them at your club is more important than ever.

To help get you started on your Career Mode journey, Goal has compiled a list of the best young players in FIFA 22. These are the players aged 20 or under who have the highest potential rating in the game and are divided by position in the lists below.

All players are listed by their main position, but any position they can play is shown. For example, Bukayo Saka can play at left-back, but his primary position in the game is right midfield. You can also train him to play on the wing in the game if needed by assigning him that role and giving him minutes there.

All players need the right training and lots of game time to ensure they develop properly and reach their full potential. Substitutes and reserve players will not improve as much if they do not get minutes.

PO. = Position(s)

CR = Current Rating

PR = Potential Rating

VA. = Value

*Clubs listed are the clubs the players are assigned to in FIFA 21 Career Mode, while ages shown are the age at the start of Career Mode

FIFA 22: Best Young Goalkeepers

# Name Age Club PO. CR PR VA.
1 M Vandevoordt 19 Genk GK 71 87 £3.7m
2 C Chatzigavriel 17 Free GK 58 84 Free
3 G Mamardashvili 20 Valencia GK 75 83 £9m
4 D Alemdar 18 Rennes GK 68 83 £2.1m
5 Joan Garcia 20 Espanyol GK 67 83 £2.1m
6 K Tzolakis 18 Olympiacos GK 67 83 £2m
7 B Verbruggen 18 Anderlecht GK 65 83 £1.4m
8 G Bazunu 19 Man City GK 64 83 £1.1m
9 E Green 20 Saint-Etienne GK 72 81 £3.8m
10 Ayesa 20 Real Sociedad B GK 67 81 £1.8m
11 Arnau Tenas 20 Barcelona GK 67 81 £1.8m
12 J Blazquez 20 Atletico Talleres GK 65 81 £1.5m
13 S Lammens 18 Club Brugge GK 64 81 £1.1m
14 Alejandro Iturbe 17 Atletico Madrid GK 62 81 £750k
15 Pere Joan 19 Mallorca GK 62 81 £750k
16 C Boyce-Clarke 18 Reading GK 59 81 £600k
17 E Destanoglu 20 Besiktas GK 72 80 £3.8m
18 Miguel Morro 20 Rayo Vallecano GK 66 80 £1.5m
19 L Chevalier 19 Lille GK 64 80 £1.1m
20 R Neshcheret 19 Dynamo Kyiv GK 64 80 £1.1m
21 C Rushworth 19 Walsall GK 63 80 £950k
22 X Dziekonski 17 Jagiellonia Bialystok GK 63 80 £950k
23 J Olschowsky 19 Borussia M’gladbach GK 63 80 £950k

Gianluigi Donnarumma has been the best young goalkeeper in FIFA for the past few seasons, but he’s now 22-years-old and after signing for Paris Saint-Germain costs more than £100 million in Career Mode.

That means you will have to look elsewhere for a long-term solution between the posts, even if you are a superclub that can compete with PSG for the world’s best players.

Genk’s Maarten Vandevoort is the best young goalkeeper in FIFA 22 as he can reach an overall rating of 87 and can be bought for relatively cheap at the start of the game.

Cypriot teenager Charis Chatzigavriel is available for free in some games as his current club, APOEL Nicosia, is not one of the teams in the game. You may be able to convince him to join your club, but his current rating of 58 means it will take a while for him to reach his potential.

FIFA 22: Best Young Defenders

# Name Age Club PO. CR PR VA.
1 A Davies 20 Bayern Munich LB, LM 82 89 £49m
2 Nuno Mendes 19 PSG LWB, LB, LM 78 88 £25m
3 J Gvardiol 19 RB Leipzig CB, LB 75 87 £10.8m
4 W Fofana 20 Leicester CB 78 86 £24.9m
5 Eric Garcia 20 Barcelona CB 77 86 £18.5m
6 Goncalo Inacio 19 Sporting CP CB 76 86 £12.9m
7 J Timber 20 Ajax CB, RB 75 86 £9.9m
8 L Stergiou 19 St Gallen CB 67 86 £2.2m
9 S Dest 20 Barcelona RB, RM 76 85 £13.3m
10 J Bogle 20 Sheffield Utd RWB, RB 74 85 £7.7m
11 D Rensch 18 Ajax RB 73 85 £6m
12 M Vuskovic 19 Hajduk Split CB 72 85 £4.3m
13 T Nianzou 19 Bayern Munich CB, CDM 71 85 £3.6m
14 A Bella Kotchap 19 Bochum CB 71 85 £3.6m
15 L Netz 18 Borussia M’gladbach LB, LM 68 85 £2.5m
16 L Geertruida 20 Feyenoord RB, CB 76 84 £13.3m
17 B Badiashile 20 Monaco CB 76 84 £13.3m
18 W Saliba 20 Arsenal CB 75 84 £9.9m
19 J Frimpong 20 Bayer Leverkusen RB, RWB 74 84 £7.7m
20 T Lamptey 20 Brighton RWB, RB 74 84 £7.7m
21 M Guehi 20 Crystal Palace CB 73 84 £5.2m
22 O Kossonunou 20 Bayer Leverkusen CB, RB 73 84 £5.2m
23 R Ait Nouri 20 Wolves LWB, LB 73 84 £5.6m
24 M van de Ven 20 Wolfsburg CB, LB 68 84 £2.6m
25 Morato 20 Benfica CB 68 84 £2.6m
26 J Branthwaite 19 Everton CB 68 84 £1.8m
27 A Truffert 19 Rennes LB, LW 75 83 £9.9m
28 Manu Sanchez 20 Atletico Madrid LB 73 83 £5.6m
29 L Cacace 20 Sint-Truidense LWB, LB, LM 72 83 £4.2m
30 Eduardo Quaresma 19 Sporting CP CB 71 83 £3.6m
31 H Siquet 18 Standard Liege RB, RWB 69 83 £2.7m
32 M Dardai 19 Hertha Berlin CB, CDM 69 83 £2.7m
33 Z Laci 18 AEK Athens CB 68 83 £2.2m
34 B Omeragic 19 Zurich CB, RB 67 83 £2.2m
35 A Dedic 18 RB Salzburg RB, LB 66 83 £1.8m
36 L Colwill 18 Huddersfield CB 66 83 £1.7m
37 R Tagir 18 Istanbul Basaksehir CB 65 83 £1.5m
38 A Gomez 19 Club Atlas LB, CB 63 83 £1.1m
39 V Barco 16 Boca Juniors LB 63 83 £1.1m
40 R van den Berg 16 PEC Zwolle CB 59 83 £580k

Alphonso Davies is not only one of the quickest players in the game, he’s also the best young defender in FIFA 22.

The Bayern Munich and Canada left-back can also play in left midfield, giving you great versatility and helping you exploit the wings with his pace.

His price tag may put off a lot of teams, so there are good alternatives available at full-back including recent Borussia Monchengladbach signing Luca Netz and Standard Liege’s Hugo Siquet.

There are plenty of good young centre-backs again this year, with Ajax’s Jurrien Timber valued at less than £10m and St Gallen’s Leonidas Stergiou costing just over £2m.

Swiss defender Stergiou can be bought for cheap thanks to his current rating of 67, but can reach 86 overall with the right training and game time. 

FIFA 22: Best Young Midfielders

# Name Age Club PO. CR PR VA.
1 Pedri 18 Barcelona CM 81 91 £46.4m
2 R Gravenberch 19 Ajax CM, CDM 78 90 £28.4m
3 J Bellingham 18 Borussia Dortmund CM, LM 79 89 £31.8m
4 F Wirtz 18 Bayer Leverkusen CAM, CM 78 89 £25.4m
5 M Greenwood 19 Man Utd RM, ST 78 89 £26.2m
6 E Camavinga 18 Real Madrid CM, CDM 78 89 £25.4m
7 B Saka 19 Arsenal RM, LM, LB 80 88 £39.1m
8 N Madueke 19 PSV RM, ST 77 88 £19.8m
9 J Musiala 18 Bayern Munich LM, CAM 76 88 £15.1m
10 Gabriel Martinelli 20 Arsenal LM, LW 76 88 £15.5m
11 T Kubo 20 Real Madrid RM, CM, CAM 75 88 £11.6m
12 G Reyna 18 Borussia Dortmund CAM, LM, RM 77 87 £18.9m
13 M Damsgaard 20 Sampdoria LM, LW 77 87 £19.8m
14 D Szoboszlai 20 RB Leipzig CAM, LM 77 87 £19.8m
15 C Tzolis 19 Norwich LM, RM, ST 74 87 £8.6m
16 N Rovella 19 Juventus CM, CDM 70 87 £3.5m
17 M Kudus 20 Ajax CAM, CM 77 86 £19.8m
18 Bryan Gil 20 Tottenham LM, RM, CAM 76 86 £14.2m
19 E Smith Rowe 20 Arsenal CAM 76 86 £14.2m
20 T Almada 20 Velez Sarsfield CAM, LW, RW 74 86 £8.6m
21 Nico Melamed 20 Espanyol LM, CAM, RM 74 86 £8.6m
22 A Sima 20 Brighton RM, ST 73 86 £6.5m
23 B Gilmour 20 Chelsea CM, CDM 72 86 £4.7m
24 F Pellistri 19 Man Utd RM 70 86 £3.5m
25 Francisco Conceicao 18 Porto RM 70 86 £3.4m
26 F Carvalho 18 Fulham CAM, CM 67 86 £2.2m
27 C Clark 18 RB Leipzig CAM, CM 66 86 £2.1m
28 O Skipp 20 Tottenham CDM, CM 75 85 £9.9m
29 M Ihattaren 19 Juventus CAM, RM, CM 75 85 £10.3m
30 C Jones 20 Liverpool CM 73 85 £6.5m
31 M Olise 19 Crystal Palace CAM, RM, LM 73 85 £6m
32 A Velasco 18 Atletico Independiente LM, LW, ST 73 85 £6m
33 I Moriba 18 RB Leipzig CM 73 85 £6m
34 Y Demir 18 Barcelona CAM, RM 70 85 £3.2m
35 K Kozlowski 17 Pogon Szczecin CAM, CM 68 85 £2.6m
36 A Diallo 18 Man Utd RM 68 85 £2.7m
37 S Biuk 18 Hajduk Split LM, LW 68 85 £2.7m
38 Talles Magno 19 New York City LM, CF 68 85 £2.7m
39 A Vranckx 18 Wolfsburg CM, CDM 67 85 £2.2m
40 Gavi 16 Barcelona CM 66 85 £1.8m
41 C Patino 17 Arsenal CM, CDM 62 85 £1m
42 R Lavia 17 Man City CDM 62 85 £1m
43 P Dwomoh 17 Antwerp CAM, CM 60 85 £670k

Unsurprisingly, Barcelona have the best young midfielder in FIFA 22 with Pedri already a high-rated star even before he reaches his full potential.

Unlike the real world where he could burn out after playing so many games for club and country, FIFA 22 will not punish you for starting him in every single game and more minutes will actually help him reach his potential rating of 91 even quicker.

A lot of the best young midfielders in FIFA 22 are quite expensive as they have high current ratings, such as Jude Bellingham, Mason Greenwood and Eduardo Camavinga.

However, there are some players available for less than £10m, including Norwich’s versatile Christos Tzolis and Velez Sarsfield’s Thiago Almada.

Cheaper again are Juventus’s defensive-minded midfielder Nicolo Rovella and Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour. Both of these are on loan at the start of the first season, but may become available options before your second season begins.

Fulham’s Fabio Carvalho and Kacper Kozlowski are reasonable options for the first summer and may even be willing to join lower league clubs on loan.

FIFA 22: Best Young Forwards

# Name Age Club PO. CR PR VA.
1 E Haaland 20 Borussia Dortmund ST 88 93 £118.3m
2 Vinicius Jr 20 Real Madrid LW 80 90 £40m
3 A Fati 18 Barcelona LW 76 90 £15.1m
4 Rodrygo 20 Real Madrid RW 79 88 £33.1m
5 J Doku 19 Rennes RW, RM 77 88 £19.8m
6 R Cherki 17 Lyon RW, LW 73 88 £6m
7 C Hudson-Odoi 20 Chelsea RW, LW 77 87 £19.8m
8 A Hlozek 18 Sparta Praha ST, LM, RM 74 87 £8.6m
9 H Elliott 18 Liverpool RW, CM 73 87 £6m
10 Kayky 18 Man City RW 66 87 £2.3m
11 P De la Vega 20 Atletico Lanus RW, LW, RM 74 86 £8.6m
12 Concalo Ramos 20 Benfica CF, ST 72 86 £4.7m
13 S Gimenez 20 Cruz Azul ST, CF, CAM 71 86 £3.9m
14 B Sesko 18 RB Salzburg ST 68 86 £2.7m
15 D Scarlett 17 Tottenham ST 63 86 £1.3m
16 M Boadu 20 Monaco ST 76 85 £14.2m
17 C De Ketelaere 20 Club Brugge LW, CAM, ST 75 85 £10.8m
18 B Brobbey 19 RB Leipzig ST 73 85 £6.5m
19 K Adeyemi 19 RB Salzburg ST 71 85 £3.9m
20 O Popescu 18 FCSB LW, RW 70 85 £3.2m
21 Fabio Silva 18 Wolves ST 70 85 £3.2m
22 S Esposito 18 Inter ST, CAM 68 85 £2.7m
23 M Juwara 19 Crotone ST 67 85 £2.3m
24 L Delap 18 Man City ST 64 85 £1.6m
25 G Plata 20 Sporting CP RW 74 84 £8.2m
26 F Farias 18 Atletico Colon ST, CF 72 84 £4.7m
27 K Sulemana 19 Rennes LW, ST 72 84 £4.7m
28 Reinier 19 Real Madrid CF, CAM 71 84 £3.9m
29 Joao Pedro 19 Watford ST 71 84 £3.9m
30 A Broja 19 Chelsea ST 70 84 £3.3m
31 M Rogers 18 Bournemouth LW 66 84 £1.9m
32 Karrikaburu 18 Real Sociedad B ST 65 84 £1.5m
33 F Orozco 19 Atletico Lanus LW, RW 65 84 £1.5m
34 F Fofana 18 PSV ST 64 84 £1.4m
35 J Braaf 18 Man City LW, RW 64 84 £1.4m
36 W Faghir 17 Stuttgart ST 64 84 £1.4m
37 C Palmer 19 Man City RW, CAM 64 84 £1.4m
38 L Barry 18 Aston Villa ST, LW 63 84 £1.3m
39 Barrenetxea 19 Real Sociedad LW, ST, RW 74 83 £7.7m
40 K de la Fuente 19 Marseille LW, RW 72 83 £4.3m

Not only is Erling Haaland the best young forward in FIFA 22, he can also become the best player in FIFA 22.

His potential rating of 93 is Lionel Messi’s current rating in the game, meaning Haaland can become one of the game’s GOATs – at least virtually anyway!

He’s valued at over £100m as a result, so may not be the striker you need in Career Mode unless you’re managing a club with lots and lots of money.

Sparta Praha’s Adam Hlozek might be a much cheaper alternative at £8.6m and his versatility means you can also play him on either side of midfield as you look to develop his attributes.

Ansu Fati has a surprisingly low value at the start of the game, but it could be tricky to convince Barcelona to sell their new No. 10.

Red Bull Salzburg have a pair of exciting, young attackers in Karim Adeyemi and Benjamin Sesko, while Steaua Bucharest’s Ovidiu Popescu can play on either wing and will be tempted by a move to one of Europe’s bigger leagues.

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