Germany. The World Champions. Die Mannschaft won the Confederations Cup in 2017 with a virtual B team without Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Sami Khedira and Thomas Muller. That success has opened the door to a whole host of young German stars and may have made the 2014 World Cup winners the most talented footballing nation on the planet.
What is a wonderkid?
We look at the best German wonderkids to sign on Football Manager 2018. These are the best youngsters aged 23 and under with a potential ability (PA) of at least 150.
For a full list of our German wonderkids, visit the table towards the end of this page.
Christian Fruchtl (CA 106 – PA 150-180)
Age: 17
Positions: GK
Club: Bayern
Best attributes: 18 temperament, 16 ambition, 16 rushing out
Value: £290,000
Wage: £400 a week
A youngster you may not have heard of, but the 17-year-old Christian Fruchtl is the man waiting in the wings for when Manuel Neuer finally leaves Bayern Munich. Fruchtl is a German U18 international, and although he is yet to feature for the Bayern first team, with Neuer now 31, in four years’ time it could be the perfect moment to hand the goalkeeping reins on to Fruchtl.
The ‘keeper has a current ability score of 106 and this can rise to a potential between 150 and 180. Fruchtl’s attributes of 18 temperament, 16 ambition and 16 rushing out can be purchased for a reasonable £11 million with starting wages of just £400 a week.
Leroy Sane (CA 151 – PA 176)
Age: 21
Positions: AM (LRC), M (RL)
Club: Manchester City
Best attributes: 18 pace, 17 ambition, 16 off the ball
Value: £41 million
Wage: £95,000 a week
Leroy Sane looks completely at home in this Manchester City side. The winger’s pace makes him deadly on the counter-attack, and he chips in with goals as shown by his 11 so far this season. The 21-year-old now looks to be starter for the World Cup next summer and he can show his talents on the biggest stage of them all.
Sane’s 151 CA can improve to a 176 PA, which will cost you around £140 million and wages of £95,000 a week. With attributes of 18 pace, 17 ambition and 16 off the ball, Sane is already one of the most dangerous wingers in the game.
Kai Havertz (CA 133 – PA 176)
Age: 18
Positions: AM (CR), M (RC)
Club: Leverkusen
Best attributes: 17 temperament, 16 creativity, 16 versatility
Value: £6 million
Wage: £26,000 a week
A player you may not be familiar with, but the 18-year-old Kai Havertz is one of Germany’s brightest prospects. The 18-year-old is already a regular for Bayer Leverkusen and has six goals in just five games for Germany U19s.
The attacking midfielder will set you back over £150 million with wages upwards of £26,000 a week. His 133 CA already makes him a valuable first team player and his 176 potential can take him into the world class category. Havertz holds attributes of 17 temperament, 16 creativity and 16 versatility.
Jonathan Tah (CA 142 – PA 175)
Age: 21
Positions: D (CR)
Club: Leverkusen
Best attributes: 17 jumping, 17 pace, 17 strength
Value: £12 million
Wage: £21,000 a week
One of many centre back options for Germany, Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah is likely to be the man to come in once Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels move on from the national team. The 21-year-old Tah has only been capped three times, but with over 100 appearances across his spells at Leverkusen and Hamburg, he has plenty of experience behind him.
Tah’s 17 jumping, 17 pace and 17 strength give him a CA of 142, which can grow to a potential of 175. That will cost you around £100 million with his wages of £21,000 a week needing improvement.
Leon Goretzka (CA 151 – PA 173)
Age: 22
Positions: M (C), DM, AM (C)
Club: Gelsenkirchen (Schalke)
Best attributes: 18 ambition, 18 stamina, 18 work rate
Value: £18 million
Wage: £31,000 a week
He may have recently agreed to join Bayern Munich, but you can still sign Leon Goretzka on FM 18. The Schalke central midfielder has chalked up 135 appearances for the Gelsenkirchen club in less than five years, an incredible achievement for a 22-year-old.
Despite his contract being up at the end of the season, you will still need around £80 million for the talented Goretzka, with wages upwards of £31,000 a week. That will get you his 151 CA, which consists of 18 ambition, 18 stamina and 18 work rate and can rise to a 173 potential.
Julian Brandt (CA 145 – PA 172)
Age: 21
Positions: M (LR), AM (LRC)
Club: Leverkusen
Best attributes: 17 first touch, 17 ambition, 16 dribbling
Value: £16 million
Wage: £17,000 a week
Julian Brandt has a had a successful couple of years. After first claiming silver in the Olympics in 2016, the 21-year-old was then part of the youthful squad that won the Confederations Cup last summer. The Leverkusen man is now becoming a regular for his country, and he will be competing with the likes of Leroy Sane, Julian Draxler, Marco Reus and Serge Gnabry for a place at the World Cup in Russia.
Winger Brandt has a 17 first touch, 17 ambition and 16 dribbling on the game, giving him a 145 current ability rating. His potential of 172 will set you back around the £90 million mark, and you will need to improve his £17,000 a week wages.
Julian Draxler (CA 153 – PA 169)
Age: 23
Positions: M (LR), AM (LRC)
Club: Paris SG
Best attributes: 17 long shots, 17 first touch, 17 ambition
Value: £34 million
Wage: £86,000 a week
After making his Germany debut back in 2012, it’s amazing that Julian Draxler is just 23 years’ old. The winger captained Germany to Confederations Cup success last summer, and competing for minutes with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe at Angel Di Maria has certainly improved his game. Expect the youngster to move on soon though as he looks for more regular game time.
Draxler has a price tag of over £150 million along with wages of £86,000 a week, so an immediate move for him is very unlikely. 17 long shots, 17 first touch and 17 ambition give the German a 153 current ability rating which can grow to a 169 PA.
Joshua Kimmich (CA 151 – PA 169)
Age: 22
Positions: D (R), DM, WB (R), M (C)
Club: Bayern
Best attributes: 18 ambition, 18 versatility, 18 teamwork
Value: £34 million
Wage: £26,000 a week
Initially a defensive midfielder, Joshua Kimmich has made the right back position his own at Bayern Munich. The 22-year-old is now a certain starter for both club and country in the role, in part due to his seven Bundesliga assists this season.
Kimmich’s 151 CA and 169 PA will cost you close to £80 million along with wages upwards of £26,000 a week. His best attributes include 18 ambition, 18 versatility and 18 teamwork.
Niklas Sule (CA 146 – PA 168)
Age: 21
Positions: D (C)
Club: Bayern
Best attributes: 18 strength, 17 pace, 17 jumping
Value: £23 million
Wage: £51,000 a week
Niklas Sule made the switch from Hoffenheim to Bayern Munich last summer, and his performances at the Allianz Arena have put pressure on starting centre back pairing Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels. At 21, Bayern and Germany’s defences will be in safe hands for the next decade with the six foot five defender.
18 strength, 17 pace and 17 jumping give Sule a 146 current ability rating, which can increase to a 168 potential. To sign him you will need around £60 million and wages of £51,000 a week.
Benjamin Henrichs (CA 141 – PA 167)
Age: 20
Positions: D (RL), WB (R), M (C)
Club: Leverkusen
Best attributes: 18 versatility, 16 important matches, 16 teamwork
Value: £10 million
Wage: £26,000 a week
The final talented youngster in Bayer Leverkusen’s squad is Benjamin Henrichs, the 20-year-old right back broke through as a regular starter last season, leading to a call-up to the national side. With limited options for Joachim Low at right back, the versatile Henrichs could be with in a strong claim of going to the World Cup next summer.
Henrichs’ 18 versatility, 16 important matches and 16 teamwork help him to a 141 current ability rating. His 167 potential make him a youngster Leverkusen are desperate to keep hold of so you will need over £150 million to snatch him from their grasp. His wages are currently £26,000 a week.
More German wonderkids
Player | Age | Pos | Club | CA/ PA | Value | Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Timo Werner | 21 | ST M (L) AM (L) | RBL | 146/ 165 | £18m | £34k |
Mahmoud Dahoud | 21 | M (C) DM AM (C) | Dortmund | 139/ 164 | £15m | £85k |
Emre Can | 23 | DM M (C) | Liverpool | 152/ 163 | £26m | £45k |
Felix Passlack | 19 | D (R) WB (R) M (R) AM (R) | Dortmund | 131/ 161 | £5m | £17k |
Julian Weigl | 21 | DM M (C) | Dortmund | 148/ 160 | £19m | £68k |
Matthias Ginter | 23 | D (CR) DM M (C) | BMG | 144/ 160 | £19m | £51k |
Maximilian Meyer | 21 | AM (CL) M (LC) | Schalke | 143/ 160 | £7m | £53k |
Nadiem Amiri | 20 | AM (C) M (RL) AM (RL) | Hoffenheim | 135/ 160 | £8m | £26k |
Mitchell Weiser | 23 | D (R) WB (R) M (R) AM (R) | Hertha | 146/ 159 | £17m | £21k |
Timo Baumgartl | 21 | D (C) | Stuttgart | 127/ 157 | £3m | £21k |
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