Finding promising young centre backs in football is incredibly difficult, and it’s the same case on FIFA 18’s Career Mode. You never know how a defender is going to develop, look at England’s Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and John Stones – given how much hype they received early in their careers, they just haven’t come to fruition. However, some go on to become superb players, Sergio Ramos, David Alaba and Raphael Varane being the prime examples. Those players may be a bit out of your budget on Career Mode, so you need to plan for the future.
READ: FIFA 19 Wonderkids: Best Defenders (CB, RB & LB) to sign in career mode
How to choose the best wonderkid defender for FIFA 18 Career Mode
On this page we are looking at the best wonderkid defenders on FIFA 18. We are looking at all of centre backs (CB), right backs (RB) and left backs (LB). These are players aged 16–19 who have overall ratings higher than 65 but have the potential to go one to hit 80 and beyond.
Do note that players can outgrow their potential if they are playing incredibly well. Also be braced that just because these players are young they may not come cheap, as they have very high potentials. In drawing up our best wonderkids, we looked at player stats, potential and age.
We’ve also included a list of the other wonderkid defenders available in the game who are rated 65 or higher at the bottom of the page.
Centre backs (CB)
Massive football fans may recognise one or two names on our best wonderkid centre backs list.
Matthijs de Ligt (OVR 76 – POT 89)
Age: 18
Positions: CB
Club: Ajax
Country: Netherlands
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best stats: 83 strength, 83 shot power, 78 heading accuracy
Cost: £20.5 million (release clause)
Wage: £6,000
One of the hottest defensive prospects in the world, Matthijs de Ligt is a regular for Ajax and he's only 18. The centre back made his debut for the Dutch national team just two games into his professional career, highlighting how high the youngster is rated.
De Ligt started the Europa League final last season against Manchester United, partnering Davinson Sanchez in defence, who moved to Tottenham this past summer in a £42 million deal. With Sanchez departing, it is now up to de Ligt to lead the Ajax defence.
On FIFA 18, the youngster has a sound 76 overall rating, but with a superb potential of 89 – that’s higher than Jerome Boateng or Leonardo Bonucci. De Ligt has 83 strength, 83 shot power and 80 jumping making a solid defender. His release clause of £20.5 million is 100% worth it for a player who can become one of the best defenders in the world.
Malang Sarr (OVR 75 – POT 88)
Age: 18
Positions: CB, LB
Club: Nice
Country: France
Work rate: Low/High
Best stats: 80 stamina, 79 strength, 79 composure
Cost: £23.3 million (release clause)
Wage: £13,000
France have produced a number of great centre halves over the years, with Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc and Raphael Varane the biggest names. Nice defender Malang Sarr could be the next on the conveyor belt, with the 18-year-old racking up the appearances in Ligue 1.
Nice finished third in the French top flight last season, with Sarr featuring 32 times in his debut season in professional football. On FIFA 18 the centre or left back has a starting overall of 75, but also holds a superb 88 potential. His best stats include 80 stamina, 79 strength and 79 composure. A £23.3 million fee looks slightly steep for an 18-year-old, but with such great potential he is absolutely worth it.
Axel Tuanzebe (OVR 73 – POT 84)
Age: 19
Positions: CB, CDM
Club: Manchester United
Country: England
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best stats: 76 acceleration, 74 standing tackle, 74 strength
Cost: £10.8 million (release clause)
Wage: £39,000
Manchester United fans will be familiar with defender Axel Tuanzebe. The centre back or defensive midfielder was handed four appearances by Jose Mourinho last season during an injury crisis, but with Victor Lindelof arriving in the summer, the 19-year-old will struggle for first team minutes this season.
Tuanzebe has a respectful starting overall of 73, with a more than decent potential of 84. The England U20 international has 76 sprint speed, 74 acceleration and 74 standing tackle rating on the game. His £10.8 million transfer fee is a fair price, but his hefty wages of £39,000 a week could scare you off.
Right backs (RB)
The right backs are a bit more unknown, but one is emerging as a Premier League regular.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah (OVR 74 – POT 86)
Age: 19
Positions: RB, CB, CDM
Club: Crystal Palace (on loan from Manchester United)
Country: Netherlands
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best stats: 85 sprint speed, 84 aggression, 82 acceleration
Cost: £18 million
Wage: £39,000
Sticking with the Manchester United theme, United loanee Timothy Fosu-Mensah kicks off our best right backs. That being said, the 19-year-old can also play at centre back or defensive midfield, so hopefully, his loan spell at Crystal Palace will allow him to narrow down where he is to play for the rest of his career.
Fosu-Mensah has already featured over 21 times for United, and has started all five of Palace’s league games this season. He received his first cap for the Netherlands national team earlier in the season, as the Dutch start planning for the future.
Fosu-Mensah is rated at 74 on FIFA 18, with a stunning potential of 86. His best stats are 85 sprint speed, 84 aggression and 82 acceleration. You will have to wait until the end of the season to get hold of him, but his wages of £39,000 a week puts a move for him up in the air.
Pol Lirola (OVR 74 – POT 80)
Age: 19
Positions: RB
Club: Sassuolo (on loan from Juventus)
Country: Spain
Work rate: High/Medium
Best stats: 83 sprint speed, 80 acceleration, 76 crossing
Cost: £12 million
Wage: £33,000
Right back Pol Lirola continues his loan spell from Juventus at Sassuolo after becoming a regular for the Neroverdi last season. The 19-year-old made 30 appearances last season, grabbing five assists in the process. The Spaniard has already represented his country at U17 and U21 levels,as well as representing the Catalonia regional team.
Lirola has a decent rating of 74, with the potential to hit 80, making him a solid squad player for any top tier mid-table club. He holds 83 sprint speed, 80 acceleration and 76 crossing in his arsenal. A price of £12 million seems reasonable, but wages of £33,000 a week may force you to look elsewhere.
Kelvin Amian Adou (OVR 73 – POT 86)
Age: 19
Positions: RB
Club: Toulouse
Country: France
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best stats: 76 stamina, 76 marking, 75 standing tackle
Cost: £15 million (release clause)
Wage: £12,000
A similar option to Lirola but with a higher potential is Toulouse right back Kelvin Amian Adou. The Frenchman became a regular for Toulouse last season, his first campaign in professional football. The 19-year-old has passed through the French youth teams from U17 to U21, and don’t be surprised if he gets a shot with the full national team after the 2018 World Cup next summer.
Amian Adou has a 73 overall starting rating but with a potential of 86 which is only topped by fellow right backs Dani Carvajal, Joshua Kimmich, Nelson Semedo and Hector Bellerin on the game. A £15 million fee is about right for the full back, and his current wages of £12,000 should be low enough for you to negotiate a deal.
Left backs (LB)
A summer signing and two wing back options appear in our best wonderkid left backs.
Theo Hernandez (OVR 75 – POT 85)
Age: 19
Positions: LB
Club: Real Madrid
Country: France
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best stats: 85 sprint speed, 82 acceleration, 78 sliding tackle
Cost: £17.8 million (release clause)
Wage: £46,000
Real Madrid nailed down the transfer of Theo Hernandez from rivals Atletico Madrid early on in the transfer window, after the 19-year-old impressed on loan at Alaves last season. The Frenchman featured 38 times over the campaign, creating four goals and notching two himself.
Like Amian Adou, Hernandez is very much on France’s radar, coming through the U18s, U19s and U20s. However with Benjamin Mendy, Layvin Kurzawa and Lucas Digne already fighting it out for the French left back spot, Hernandez will have to be patient for his chance.
On this year’s FIFA, Hernandez has a 75 overall and 85 potential made up by his 85 rated sprint speed, 82 acceleration and 78 sliding tackle. Having just joined from Atletico Madrid, you will have to wait a season before you can sign Hernandez, but his £17.8 million release clause should be music to your ears. His wages of £46,000 a week are steep, but they will be worth it in the long run.
Lato (OVR 74 – POT 83)
Age: 19
Positions: LB, LWB, LM
Club: Valencia
Country: Spain
Work rate: High/Medium
Best stats: 82 acceleration, 79 stamina, 78 crossing
Cost: £14.2 million (release clause)
Wage: £12,000
For Career Mode managers looking to play wing-backs, you should consider Valencia man Lato. The 19-year-old left back can also play as a left wing-back or left midfielder with a high attacking work rate. Despite just 12 appearances at The Mestalla, Lato is turning heads around Europe, and has already recorded an assist from his two games this season.
Lato has a 74 overall rating, but with the potential to reach a very respectable 83 rating. He has 82 rated acceleration, 79 sprint speed and 78 crossing on the game, with a generous release clause of £14.2 million. His starting wages of £12,000 a week make him an very safe option.
Marcelo Saracchi (OVR 70 – POT 85)
Age: 19
Positions: LB, LWB
Club: River Plate
Country: Uruguay
Work rate: High/Medium
Best stats: 75 stamina, 75 heading accuracy, 74 agility
Cost: £6.4 million (release clause)
Wage: £6,000
Another wing-back option is River Plate’s Marcelo Saracchi who can play as a left back or left wing back, again with a high attacking work rate. Despite being just 19 years old, Saracchi had already played for former club Danubio 57 times, and his experience at such a young age is perhaps what earned him the move to Argentine giants River Plate.
On FIFA 18 he's rated at 70, but with a super potential of 85, he is a player any club should consider. His overall is made up by his 75 stamina, 75 heading accuracy and 74 agility. A £6.4 million fee is a bargain for a player with such a high potential, with his wages of £6,000 not an issue at all.
Other wonderkid centre backs (CB)
Player | Age | Pos . | Club | Country | OVR | POT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panagiotis Retsos | 18 | CB RB | B. Leverkusen | Greece | 72 | 85 |
Justin Hoogma | 19 | CB | Hoffenheim | Netherlands | 71 | 84 |
Olivier Boscagli | 19 | CB LB | Nimes* | France | 71 | 83 |
Nikola Milenkovic | 19 | CB | Fiorentina | Serbia | 70 | 81 |
Dayot Upamecano | 18 | CB CDM | RB Leipzig | France | 69 | 86 |
Juan Foyth | 19 | CM | Tottenham | Argentina | 68 | 86 |
Cameron Carter-Vickers | 19 | CB | Sheffield United* | USA | 68 | 85 |
Rick van Drongelen | 18 | CB LB | Hamburg | Netherlands | 68 | 82 |
Other wonderkid right backs (RB)
Player | Age | Pos. | Club | Country | OVR | POT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pablo Maffeo | 19 | RB RWB RM | Girona* | Spain | 72 | 85 |
Nordi Mukiele | 19 | RB CB | Montpellier | France | 72 | 83 |
Achraf Hakimi | 18 | RB LB | Real Madrid | Morocco | 71 | 81 |
Ronael Pierre-Gabriel | 19 | RB LB | Saint-Etienne | France | 71 | 81 |
Giovanni Troupee | 19 | RB | Utrecht | Netherlands | 71 | 81 |
Trent Alexander-Arnold | 18 | RB RM CM | Liverpool | England | 69 | 85 |
Pedro Pereira | 19 | RB | Benfica | Portugal | 69 | 82 |
Felix Passlack | 18 | RM RM LB | Hoffenheim* | Germany | 69 | 84 |
Diogo Dalot | 18 | RB | Porto | Portugal | 68 | 83 |
Aitor Bunuel | 19 | RWB RB | Osasuna | Spain | 68 | 82 |
Other wonderkid left backs (LB)
Player | Age | Pos. | Club | Country | OVR | POT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rico Henry | 19 | LB LWB LM | Brentford | England | 68 | 84 |
Mathias Olivera | 19 | LB | Getafe | Uruguay | 68 | 80 |
Blas Riveros | 19 | LB | Basel | Paraguay | 68 | 84 |
Ryan Sessegnon | 17 | LB LW | Fulham | England | 67 | 86 |
Marc Cucurella | 18 | LB | Barcelona B | Spain | 67 | 85 |
*Denotes players who are on loan
Looking for FIFA 18 wonderkids? Just click the link below:
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Who are you going to sign on Career Mode? Who have been the best signings? Let us know in the comments section below.