TheFootball Managerseries lets gamers live their fantasies and become something that they have always dreamed of, managing a football club.The best way to do this is to sign young prodigies or ‘wonderkids’to grow into the best players in the game.
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There is always a new wonderkid in each edition of the game, but some from past versions have not gone on to live up to their in-game potential. Gareth Bale, Neymar, and Mohamed Salah are examples of the wonderkids that did make it inFootball Manager, but many didn’t…
10Emre Mor
The Turkish winger was hot off the press when he moved to German giants Borussia Dortmund in 2016 from Danish club Nordsjælland. InFootball Manager 23he has an okay potential, but now at 25, he is 63 rated with a potential of 75. Not quite how it was meant to go.
Born in Denmark, Mor was meant to be one of the best young players in football and his stats were reflected inFootball Manager 2017. Able to reach insane heights, Mor just didn’t do it in further editions of the game and in real life,Borussia Dortmund sold him after just one season. He now plays in Turkey for Fenerbahce, definitely not reaching hisFM17potential.
9Cherno Samba
Cherno Samba is an absolute icon and older fans will remember his name! Back inChampionship Manager 01/02, before its name change, Samba would grow to become one of the best strikers in the game.
A youth player at Millwall at the time, everyone would pick up Samba for an insanely cheap price and watch his transformation into a goal-scoring machine. Samba in real life never made a name for himself in the game, never actually played for Millwall, and only played 52 games in his career at the club level.
8Freddy Adu
Dubbed the ‘next Pele’Freddy Adu signed for MLS club DC United at just the age of 14 in 2006and inFootball Manager 2007his stats and potential were reflective of this.
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Growing to become the best attacking midfielder in the game, Adu never hit those heights and the expectation of him at such a young age hindered his career. Now at 33, Adu is without a club and never reached the top level. What a shame.
7Anthony Vanden Borre
An absolute defensive beast inFootball Manager 2005, Vanden Borre is a Belgium defender who would become the best right back in the game and a must-pick-up back in 2005.
However, although he forged a decent career in real life, mainly playing in the top league in Belgium, theFM05wonderkid did not match his in-game potential, and he is now retired from the game at the age of 35. He initially retired at just 29, claiming he has fallen out of love with the game. A common theme for these former wonderkids.
6Kerlon
In real-life football, Kerlon was known for his ‘seal-dribbling’ skill, he would kick the ball onto his head and carry the ball on his face, just like a seal would. His emphatic skills and great dribbling were reflected inFootball Manager 2007.
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The Brazilian was playing for Cruzeiro over in Brazil and the winger was a cheap pickup and would grow into a deadly winger in gamer’sFootball Managersave. Big money in real life, Kerlon never made an appearance and faded into obscurity, he is 34 and has not had a club since 2017.
5Hachim Mastour
Hachim Mastour had something special about him back in 2014 when the youngster was included in AC Milan’s squad at such a young age.His early signs of promise were reflected inFootball Manager 2015when the 16-year-old had massive potential in the game.
The Italian-born Moroccan would go on to become an amazing attacking midfielder, but in real life, he didn’t match this. Released from AC Milan in 2018, he went on to play in the lower Italian leagues and now finds himself in the Morrocan second division. An excellent talent went to waste.
4Ravel Morrison
Attacking midfielder Ravel Morrison was tipped to be the next big star for Manchester United, he possessed insane talent, and it was said he was a better player than Paul Pogba at the youth level.
From around 2014-2017 hisFootball Managerstats reflected this, and he was a must-pick-up in the game as he would grow superbly.Attitude problems got the better of Morrison, and he never matched that potential,Football Manager 23rates him at 57 with a potential of 69. Now 29, he has bounced around different countries a lot andWayne Rooney signed him for DC United in the MLS. Is he the next Freddy Adu?
3Mark Kerr
Just like Cherno Samba, Mark Kerr was an amazing pickup inChampionship Manager 01/02the midfielder was playing for Falkirk in Scotland from a young age. Fans could snatch him for a cheap fee, and he would become one of the best players in the world.
But with all due respect, Kerr never did anything of note in the game, nothing like he could do inCM 01/02.He mainly played in the Scottish Leagues and is now retired from playing at the age of 40. What could have been?
2Yaya Sanogo
After scoring 11 goals in 21 games for French side AuxerreEnglish Premier League side Arsenal took a chance on the youngsterin 2013. But back in 2011,Football Manager 2011already rated the young Frenchmen, and he would be a goal machine for any gamers save.
In real-life, Sanogo was released from Arsenal and moved on to Toulouse back in France in 2017, it didn’t work out for him there either and after a short spell with Huddersfield Town, Sanogo finds himself without a club at 29 years old.
1Federico Macheda
Another Manchester UnitedFootball Managerwonderkid. Federico Macheda looked like the next big striker for his club in the late 00s.Football Manager’s 06/08had him as one of the best young forwards to pick up. Available for a cheap price too.
Macheda did not meet this potential and in real life was let go by his club in 2014 and mainly made a name for himself playing over in Greece. What could have been for the Premier League if Macheda could meet the stats he could reach onFootball Manager?In this year’s edition of the game, he has a 60 rating and a potential of 65. Safe to say they got this one wrong.
Football Manager 23is available now on Steam, Windows, Stadia, Xbox Series X/S, Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.
