The players with the highest potential on Football Manager 2022

Foden has superstar potential on FM22
Foden has superstar potential on FM22 / Visionhaus/GettyImages
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Signing high-potential players is one of the best parts of Football Manager 2022. It's all about buying for a good price and watching your new signing double in value.

In FM22, there are a few different sorts of potential. There are your older players (no older than 23 for the purposes of this article) who are already pretty much superstars, but there are also your younger players who have the potential to get there with the right management.

We've broken it down into four categories:

  • Obvious superstars: Those players who are great already but can keep growing into world beaters.
  • Already great: Ready-made superstars who still have top potential.
  • Guaranteed future superstars: Players who will become superstars with no risk.
  • Definite future stars: Players who might hit superstar status but will definitely be great either way.

Without further ado, here's a cheat sheet for the players with the highest potential in Football Manager 2022.


Obvious superstars

Kilian Mbappe, Erling Haaland
Mbappe & Haaland are obvious answers / Alex Grimm/GettyImages

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
Potential: 189

PSG stopper Donnarumma is still only 22 when the game starts, which is utterly mental.

Matthijs de Ligt (Zebre)
Potential: 185

Dutchman De Ligt is your best bet if you want a young defender capable of ruling the world for the next decade.

Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
Potential: 180

Already one of the top youngsters on the game, Havertz has the potential to blossom into the superstar many expect him to become.

Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Potential: 196

Duh, of course Mbappe's projected to be the best in the business.

Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Potential: 190

Duh, Haaland really isn't far behind him at all.


Already great

Pedri
Pedri shines for club and country / David Ramos/GettyImages

Pedri (Barcelona)
Potential: 175

The 2021 Kopa Trophy winner, Pedri's future - and potentially Barcelona's if he sticks around - is exceptionally bright.

Mason Greenwood (Manchester UFC)
Potential: 178

Great as a striker or as a winger, Greenwood will bring goals wherever you choose to play him.

Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
Potential: 178

Canada international Davies began his career as a winger but has settled into a left-back role in Germany. He's a bit of a cheat code, really.

Wesley Fofana (Leicester)
Potential: 175

Fofana has already started to excel in the English top flight and is still just 20 years old when the game starts.

Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Potential: 175

Foden is already turning into a superstar and has the world at his feet.

Joao Felix
Felix is living up to his potential / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages

Joao Felix (A. Madrid)
Potential: 177

One of the most expensive players in the world, Felix isn't far off living up to his potential in Madrid.

Jadon Sancho (Manchester UFC)
Potential: 177

After shining in Germany, Sancho is looking to take over back on the flanks of England.

Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Potential: 178

Arsenal loved Odegaard during his loan, bringing him back permanently in the summer, and his potential would suggest that was a cracking bit of business.

Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
Potential: 176

Martinez has exploded towards superstardom in recent years and is now among the finest strikers in Italy at just 23 years old.

Theo Hernandez (AC Milan)
Potential: 175

Flying the flag for the defenders is Theo, who has been so much fun to watch over the past few years. The left-back is superb.

Federico Chiesa (Zebre - on loan from Fiorentina)
Potential: 176

Signing Chiesa isn't going to be easy, but he's definitely worth the effort.


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Guaranteed future superstars

Ilaix Moriba
Moriba joined Leipzig in the summer / BSR Agency/GettyImages

Ilaix Moriba (RB Leipzig)
Potential: 185

Now strutting his stuff in Leipzig, Moriba is a good midfielder who is guaranteed to be one of the game's best in a few years. Just how good he can get is up to you.

Eduardo Camavinga (R. Madrid)
Potential: 183

More defensive-minded than Moriba, Camavinga is destined to take over once he starts to find his feet in Spain.

Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund)
Potential: 188

The 16-year-old - yes, 16-year-old - isn't far off being a top-flight striker already, though it'll take a stack of money to persaude Dortmund to sell.

Ansu Fati (Barcelona)
Potential: 187

Barcelona already have one future superstar on the wings, but why stop there when you can have two on the books?


Definite future stars

Jude Bellingham
Bellingham continues to impress / Soccrates Images/GettyImages

Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
Potential: 174

Already a regular for club and country, the future is incredibly bright for Bellingham.

Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
Potential: 172

Breaking into the Bayern setup isn't easy, let alone for an inexperienced teenager. Musiala has smashed it, largely because he's going to be a world beater.

Karim Adeyemi (RB Salzburg)
Potential: 162

Every top side on the planet wants Adeyemi, and it's pretty easy to see why. The German scores goals and has pace to burn up front.

Yusuf Demir (Barcelona - on loan from Rapid Vienna)
Potential: 168

If Barcelona don't trigger their option to sign the winger, you should be all over him.