Football Manager 2019 Wonderkids: Best Greek players to sign

Greece are no one's idea of a world power in football, but they have found success internationally. They famously spoiled Portugal's party in 2004 and claimed the European Championship in what is by far their greatest achievement in football. In recent years they made it to the Round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup, but failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia. Still, Greece have produced some quality players, from Theodoros Zagorakis and Nikos Sarganis to Kostas Manolas and Sokratis Papastathopoulos today. But who are the next generation of stars?

How to choose the best Greek wonderkids in Football Manager 2019

This article will look at the best Greek wonderkids in FM19. These players are all teenagers when you start a new career (July 2018) and are listed by the game as Greek. They all have a potential ability of at least 110, making them useful squad players for most teams, and with potential as high as 140 they can turn into highly influential players for nearly every club around.

For a list of ALL the best Greek wonderkids in FM19, see the table at the bottom of the page.

Panagiotis Retsos (CA 128 - PA 154)

Age: 19

Position: D (RLC)

Club: Bayer 04

Best Attributes: Pace (16), Bravery (16), Tackling (15)

Value: £5.75 million

Wage: £34,500 a week

Panagiotis Retsos started his career with Olympiacos at the age of 10. He made his debut with the club in August 2016 and was soon a regular for them. He made a £15.75 million move to Bayer Leverkusen in August 2017 where he proved his talent and quickly broke into the first team. He was first capped by Greece in August 2017.

In FM 19 Retsos is a quality centre back already. He has strong mental attributes (16 bravery, 15 determination, 15 teamwork, 15 composure) and is physically gifted too (16 pace, 15 stamina, 15 balance). He has good defensive stats (15 tackling, 14 marking, 14 heading) and can move the ball well in possession (13 passing, 13 technique).

Nikolaos Baxevanos (CA 90 - PA Range 130-160)

Age: 18

Position: D (C)

Club: Lazio

Best Attributes: Tackling (14), Heading (14), Positioning (14)

Value: £135,000

Wage: £230 a week

Nikolaos Baxevanos began his career with Aris Thessaloniki, but moved at the age of 17 to Lazio for a fee of £27,000. He is currently with the Lazio Under-20 side. He's also progressed to the Greece Under-20 side, winning six caps with them to date.

In FM 19 Baxevanos is full of potential. He already has good defensive stats (14 tackling, 14 heading, 10 marking) and a couple of solid mental attributes too (14 decisions, 14 positioning). He is a reasonable athlete too (14 acceleration, 13 agility, 12 pace) and with a high potential ability range, he can turn into a star.

Antonis Stergiakis (CA 97 - PA Range 120-150)

Age: 19

Position: GK

Club: Slavia Sofia

Best Attributes: Jumping (17), Aerial Reach (14), Reflexes (13)

Value: £120,000

Wage: £140 a week

Antonis Stergiakis began his career with Aris Thessaloniki at the age of 6. He got his senior debut with third tier side Thyella Filota before taking a trial with Slavia Sofia in 2015 and signing there. He got his debut in August 2016 and has become a regular with the Bulgarian side. He's been capped up to Under-19 level by Greece.

In Football Manager 2019 Stergiakis is a solid goalkeeper already. He has good athletic ability (17 jumping, 12 agility, 12 acceleration) and has a couple of nice mental attributes (12 teamwork, 11 determination, 11 anticipation). He has good technical stats (13 reflexes, 12 one on ones, 12 rushing out) too.

Dimitris Emmanouilidis (CA 95 - PA Range 120-150)

Age: 17

Position: AM (RL), M (RL), ST

Club: Panathinaikos

Best Attributes: Acceleration (15), Pace (14), Determination (14)

Value: £135,000

Wage: £1,400 a week

Dimitris Emmanouilidis has been with Panathinaikos for his whole career. He rose through the youth system and got his first team debut in 2017. He is yet to fully break into the senior side however. He's also reached the Under-19 side with Greece.

In FM 19 Emmanouilidis is a raw winger. He has good speed (15 acceleration, 14 pace) and a couple of nice mental attributes (14 determination, 12 off the ball, 11 work rate). He can deliver a good ball into the box (12 crossing) but the rest of his technical attributes will need to be developed. 

Christos Mandas (CA 70 - PA Range 120-150)

Age: 16

Position: GK

Club: Atromitos

Best Attributes: Decisions (13), Handling (13), Reflexes (13)

Value: £11,000

Wage: £180 a week

Christos Mandas has been with Atromitos for his whole career. He rose through the youth academy quickly and got his first team debut in November 2017, he is yet to claim the #1 jersey however. He has reached the Greece Under-17 side internationally, being capped 12 times at that level.

In FM 19 Mandas has a lot of potential. Despite his extreme youth he already has some good goalkeeping stats (13 communication, 13 handling, 13 reflexes) and some nice mental attributes (13 decisions, 13 bravery). He has a high potential ability range, so given time and some good training he can turn into a really effective goalkeeper.

Vangelis Pavlidis (CA 95 - PA Range 110-140)

Age: 19

Position: AM (LC), M (L), ST

Club: Borussia Dortmund II

Best Attributes: Dribbling (12), Technique (12), Pace (12)

Value: £135,000

Wage: £825 a week

Vangelis Pavlidis began his career with Bebides Saloniki at the age of 6, and in 2014 he moved to Bochum in Germany. He has been sent out on loan with Borussia Dortmund where he is starring for the reserves. He was promoted to the Greece Under-20 side this year.

In FM 19 Pavlidis is a solid attacking midfielder. He has decent speed (12 pace, 11 acceleration) and is good on the ball (12 dribbling, 11 first touch). When it comes to unlocking a defence, he is a little underdeveloped (12 technique, 11 vision, 10 passing) but he has the potential to become a very effective creative midfielder.

Christos Giousis (CA 90 - PA Range 110-140)

Age: 19

Position: AM (C), M (C)

Club: AEK

Best Attributes: Flair (14), Technique (14), Dribbling (13)

Value: £100,000

Wage: £275 a week

Christos Giousis has played his whole career with AEK Athens, joining in 2013 and rising through their youth system. He got his debut in December 2017 but is yet to become a regular. He has been a regular with the Greece Under-19 side though, playing over 10 games.

In FM 19 Giousis is a well-developed creative midfielder. he has good creative stats (14 flair, 13 dribbling, 12 vision) and can pick a pass out too (14 technique, 12 passing). He's good from dead balls (13 corners, 13 penalty taking, 12 free kick taking) and can find the back of the net (11 finishing).

Kostas Dimitriou (CA 85 - PA Range 110-140)

Age: 19

Position: D (C)

Club: Basel

Best Attributes: Aggression (14), Determination (14), Strength (13)

Value: £57,000

Wage: £3,400 a week

Kostas Dimitriou began his career with PAOK, but left on a free transfer in July 2018 for Basel and first team opportunities, which he quickly won. He has progressed to the Greece Under-20 side this year as well.

In FM 19 Dimitriou has a lot of potential at centre back. He's got solid physical traits (13 strength, 12 stamina, 11 pace) and a couple of good mental attributes too (14 aggression, 14 determination, 12 work rate). His defensive stats are ok for a young player (11 tackling, 11 marking) and will develop in time.

Giorgos Antzoulas (CA 85 - PA Range 110-140)

Age: 18

Position: D (C), DM

Club: Fiorentina

Best Attributes: Heading (15), Determination (14), Marking (14)

Value: £61,000

Wage: £725 a week

Giorgos Antzoulas began his career with Patraikos, and moved to Asteras Tripolis in 2014. He got his professional debut there in January 2018. In July 2018 he was loaned to Italian side Fiorentina with a €2 million purchase option. He's currently with the Greece Under-17 side.

In FM 19 is a decent defender now, with the potential to get a lot better. He has some good mental attributes (14 determination, 13 aggression, 12 positioning) and defensive stats (15 heading, 14 marking). He doesn't have a lot of athleticism (13 jumping, 12 natural fitness, 9 pace) but that can develop along with everything else as he gets game time.

Tasos Douvikas (CA 85 - PA Range 110-140)

Age: 18

Position: AM (R), ST

Club: Asteras Tripolis

Best Attributes: Pace (14), Natural Fitness (13), Determination (13)

Value: £100,000

Wage: £1,100 a week

Tasos Douvikas has been with Asteras Tripolis for his whole career. He gained his senior debut in August 2017 and has since become a regular for the first team. Internationally he has progressed to the Greece Under-19 side.

In FM 19 Douvikas is a good striker already. He can find the back of the net (12 finishing, 12 penalty taking, 11 heading) and has some nice mental attributes too (13 determination, 12 off the ball, 12 flair). He also has some really good physical traits (14 pace, 13 natural fitness, 12 jumping, 12 acceleration) to beat defenders to the ball.

All the best Greek wonderkids on Football Manager 2019