There is no position more crucial to a team that a central midfielder. They have so many skills required to play in the role, let alone dictating the temp and running a game for their team.
In this piece we look at the best wonderkid central midfielders in FIFA 20 – these players are aged between 16-19 at the start of the Career mode season and have the highest potential upsides of all the young players.
Remember that these players can outgrow their potentials if they put in excellent performances over an extended period, and if club morale stays at a high enough level.
Riqui Puig (OVR 71 – POT 87)
Age: 19
Positions: CM
Club: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Work rate: High/Medium
Best Stats: 83 Balance, 82 Agility, 79 Short Passing
Value: £4.5 million (Release clause: £12 million)
Wage: £35,000 a week
Young central midfielder Riqui Puig made his La Liga debut earlier this year in April. He joined the Catalan club’s youth system back in 2013, making him Barcelona through and through.
Puig’s movement stats are impressive, boasting 83 Balance
and 82 Agility, in addition to his 79 Passing. Whist his overall rating is 71
this year, his potential upside is listed at a staggering 87 – the highest of
all the young prospects.
Enzo Millot (OVR 63 – POT 86)
Age: 16
Positions: CM
Club: Monaco
Country: France
Work rate: High/Medium
Best Stats: 77 Agility, 76 Balance, 75 Acceleration
Value: £720,000 (Release clause: £2.1 million)
Wage: £900 a week
AS Monaco announced the signing highly-rated 17-year-old central midfielder Enzo Millot over the summer. Millot is highly regarded amongst scouts and pundits alike and has played for France at the U17 level. Despite his young age, he has spent pre-season with Monaco’s first team and is now settling comfortably into French life.
READ MORE: All the best Wonderkid Left Backs (LB & LWB) on FIFA 20 Career Mode
Millot’s strength lies in his athleticism; with 77 Agility, 76 Balance, 75 Acceleration and an eye for a killer ball, the Frenchman could be what your Career Mode squad is crying out for.
Cristian Ferreira (OVR 70 – POT 86)
Age: 19
Positions: CM, CAM
Club: Nunez (River Plate)
Country: Argentina
Work rate: High/Medium
Best Stats: 77 Agility, 76 Composure, 76 FK Accuracy
Value: £3.4 million (Release clause: £6.9 million)
Wage: £6,000 a week
Cristian Ferreira joined River Plate back in 2017, and has
recently found fantastic form, winning fans over with his talent and goals
throughout the 2018-19 season.
Ferreira is skilful with both of his feet and has great
vision, despite his age. He is committed to his team and never shys away from
the ball. His Agility, Composure and Free Kick stats are all above 75, making
this well rounded midfielder a potential star of the future. Playing well with
him will also see his dynamic potential increase to at least 86, separating him
from the rest of the pack.
Morgan Gibbs-White (OVR 70 – POT 86)
Age: 19
Positions: CM, CAM
Club: Wolves
Country: England
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best Stats: 75 Balance, 75 Short Passiing, 74 Agility
Value: £3.4 million (Release clause: £8.6 million)
Wage: £18,000 a week
Morgan Gibbs-White enjoys playing as a box to box midfielder, but he can put in a shift as an attacking midfielder or in an even more advanced position. His versatility enabled him to play as a forward when his team were in China over summer.
The English youngster’s FIFA 20 stats are extremely well rounded; his best stats are his Balance, Short Passing and Agility, but his pace and dribbling ability are not far behind. Gibbs-White is valued at £3.4 million, and a £6.5 million fee is perhaps fair price for the young star.
Marcos Antonio (OVR 65 – POT 85)
Age: 19
Positions: CM
Club: Shakhtar Donetsk
Country: Brazil
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best Stats: 78 Balance, 73 Acceleration, 73 Vision
Value: £1 million (Release clause: £3.2 million)
Wage: £900 a week
Marcos Antonio has been on the radar of scouts and youth football experts for some time after a string of impressive performances for Brazil's U17 World Cup side which finished third in 2017.
READ MORE: All the best Wonderkid Centre Backs (CB) to sign on FIFA 20 Career Mode
With a FIFA 20 Balance rating of 78, 73 Acceleration, 73
Vision, and a pressing game that puts hard working strikers to shame, the
Brazilian youngster is set on a path towards superstardom (his scintillating recent
performances in the Champions league back this statement).
Ante Palaversa (OVR 71 – POT 85)
Age: 19
Positions: CM, CDM, CAM
Club: Oostende (on loan from Manchester City)
Country: Croatia
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best Stats: 79 Long Passing, 76 Short Passing, 74 Shot
Power
Value: £4.5 million
Wage: £5,000 a week
Heralded by Manchester City scouts as the next Fernandinho,
the Croatian youngster Ante Palaversa is the player your Career mode squad is
missing. He is currently on loan from Manchester City at Oostende, getting
valuable experience in the middle of the park.
Palaversa is somewhat of a passing specialist, recording 79
Long Passing and 76 Short Passing on FIFA 20. This man will be able to pick
balls out from anywhere on the pitch, and would be a really effective addition
to your squad. He also boasts an impressive Potential rating of 85.
Lucien Agoume (OVR 63 – POT 85)
Age: 17
Positions: CM
Club: Inter Milan
Country: France
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best Stats: 68 Acceleration, 67 Strength, 66 Ball Control
Value: £720,000 (Release clause: £1.9 million)
Wage: £1,000 a week
Is this French teenager the next big thing? Numerous top
European clubs seemed to think so, with Barcelona, Inter, Lyon and more looking
to sign Lucien Agoume in last year’s January transfer window.
Agoume’s desire to show for the ball, awareness to find passes and ability to link up play sets him apart from his competition; he is mature ahead of his years, and has a buyout clause of less than £2 million, making him an absolute steal in this year’s Career Mode.
Maxence Caqueret (OVR 69 – POT 85)
Age: 19
Positions: CM,
CDM
Club: Lyon
Country: France
Work rate: High/High
Best Stats: 85 Balance, 84 Agility, 74 Long Passing
Value: £2 million (Release clause: £5.1 million)
Wage: £13,000 a week
Maxence Caqueret is a product of Lyon's youth system. He made his first team debut on 5 January 2019 in a 2–0 away win against Bourges 18 in the Coupe de France.
READ MORE: All the best Wonderkid Attacking Midfielders (CAM) to sign on FIFA 20 Career Mode
Now that Caqueret is mature and experienced enough, he has
started to break into Lyon’s starting team, putting his 85 Balance, 84 Agility
and 74 Long Passing to the test. His high work rate makes him any manager’s
dream, and his potential rating of 85 labels him as a potential star of
tomorrow.
Ryan Gravenberch (OVR 67 – POT 85)
Age: 17
Positions: CM, CDM
Club: Ajax
Country: Netherlands
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best Stats: 75 Sprint Speed, 75 Shot Power, 74 Ball
Control
Value: £1.3 million (Release clause: £2.7 million)
Wage: £900 a week
Ryan Gravenberch has played football in his home country his whole life, and represents Ajax in the Eredivsie. Despite being so young, there are numerous clubs lining up for him. One of the teams is Juventus, who believe that he could be part of their squad in the near future.
Gravenberch is a speed merchant with excellent ball control,
backed up by his stats listed above. His physicality and touch have earned him
comparisons to Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, and with a potential rating of
85, we can already see the similarities.
Yacine Adli (OVR 66 – POT 85)
Age: 18
Positions: CM, CAM
Club: Bordeaux
Country: France
Work rate: Low/Medium
Best Stats: 74 Dribbling, 72 Ball Control, 70 Vision
Value: £1.2 million (Release clause: £3 million)
Wage: £3,000 a week
Over the past couple of seasons, Yacine Adli had reportedly caught the eye of Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus with his technique, deft touches and silky dribbling. Despite all of the hype, he signed for Bordeaux on the last day of the 2018-19 winter transfer window.
READ MORE: All the best 2020 Contract Expiry signings on FIFA 20 Career Mode
He can go past opposing players with ease and can quickly
help his side transition from defence to attack, which is reflected by his 74
Dribbling, 72 Ball Control and 70 Vision in this year’s addition of FIFA.
All the Wonderkid Centre Midfielders above 84 POT
Player | Pos | Age | OVR | POT | Club | Country | V | W |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Riqui Puig | CM | 19 | 71 | 87 | Barcelona | Spain | £4.5m | £35k |
C. Ferreira | CM CAM | 19 | 70 | 86 | Nunez | Argentina | £3.4m | £6k |
M. Gibbs-White | CM CAM | 19 | 70 | 86 | Wolves | England | £3.4m | £18k |
E. Millot | CM | 16 | 63 | 86 | Monaco | France | £720k | £900 |
A. Palaversa | CM CDM CAM | 19 | 71 | 85 | Oostende | Croatia | £4.5m | £5k |
A. Almendra | CM CDM | 19 | 69 | 85 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | £2m | £5k |
M. Caqueret | CM CDM | 19 | 69 | 85 | Lyon | France | £2m | £13k |
R. Gravenberch | CM | 17 | 67 | 85 | Ajax | Nethrlands | £1.3m | £900 |
Marcos Antonio | CM | 19 | 65 | 85 | Shakhtar Donetsk | Brazil | £1m | £900 |
Y. Adli | CM CAM | 18 | 66 | 85 | Bordeaux | France | £1.2m | £3k |
L. Agoume | CM | 17 | 63 | 85 | Inter Milan | France | £720k | £1k |
M. Cuisance | CM | 19 | 72 | 84 | Bayern Munich | France | £5m | £26k |
E. Elmas | CM CAM | 19 | 71 | 84 | Napoli | Macedonia | £3.9m | £17k |
A. Tchouaméni | CM | 19 | 70 | 84 | Bordeaux | France | £3.4m | £8k |
Sancet | CM CAM | 19 | 69 | 84 | Athletic Bilbao | England | £2m | £5k |
D. Turnbull | CM CAM | 19 | 69 | 84 | Motherwell | Scotland | £2m | £2k |
L. Ferguson | CM CDM CAM | 19 | 69 | 84 | Aberdeen | Scotland | £2m | £2k |
J. Willock | CM | 19 | 67 | 84 | Arsenal | England | £1.5m | £11k |
H. Cochrane | CM CDM CAM | 18 | 64 | 84 | Hearts | Scotland | £833k | £900 |
E. Loiodice | CM CDM | 18 | 64 | 84 | Dijon | France | £833k | £1k |
A. Riccardi | CM CAM | 18 | 63 | 84 | Roma | Italy | £743k | £2k |
B. Gilmour | CM CAM | 18 | 62 | 84 | Chelsea | Scotland | £608k | £5k |
READ MORE: All the Best Young Central Midfielders (CM) on FIFA 20 Career Mode