Although the release of FM25 is likely months away, we at The Higher Tempo Press like to look to the future, and possibilities for the game.
In our latest article, we look at highly-rated young players who could well be the wonderkids of FM25.
Franco Mastantuono (River Plate)
River Plate has a fine tradition of producing talented young players. The latest is 16-year-old starlet Franco Mastantuono.
The youngster, who can play as a midfielder or forward, has made just 21 first-team appearances for River but is already attracting the attention of European clubs.
The fact he has a release clause of £30m at such tender years illustrates his potential to become a future star.
On February 8th 2024, the youngster made history by becoming the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer, scoring in a 3-0 Copa Argentina win over Excursionistas.
Chidozie Obi-Martin (Manchester United)
Born in Denmark to Nigerian parents, Obi-Martin joined Arsenal’s academy from FC Copenhagen when he was 14 years old.
The forward, who is now 16, made waves in Arsenal’s youth ranks last season for his prolific goalscoring record.
However, he made headlines for one particular performance when he scored ten goals in an under-16 game in a 14-3 victory over Liverpool.
Watch Chido Obi-Martin’s TEN Goals here against Liverpool 😳 https://t.co/LRFCO3EkQF pic.twitter.com/HuMDJz1uX1
— TheSecretScout (@TheSecretScout_) November 18, 2023
A short time later, Obi-Martin was at it again, as he scored an incredible seven goals in a 9-0 under-18 win over Norwich City.
He finished the season with 32 goals in just 20 appearances in the U-18 Premier League.
At international level, the starlet is eligible to represent Denmark, England and Nigeria.
Despite representing England at under-16 level, he now seems to be set for the country of his birth after scoring ten goals in 14 appearances for the Scandinavian nation at under-17 level.
He looked to have a bright future at Arsenal. However, the highly-rated youngster decided to leave the Gunners this summer when his youth contract in north London expired.
Despite interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, Obi-Martin has decided to join Arsenal’s Premier League rivals Manchester United.
Francesco Camarda (Milan)
The forward has established a reputation as potentially one of the best young players of his generation.
Camarda is so highly rated that he became Serie A’s youngest-ever player in November 2023, when he came on as a substitute against Fiorentina at the age of just 15 years, 260 days of age.
The Rossoneri had to seek authorisation from the Italian Football Federation, as players usually have to be over 16 to play in the Italian top flight.
The appearance was one of two that Camarda has made for the men from Milan’s first team.
@fcwonderkid Francesco Camarda, World Class Talent. 🇮🇹 💎 ⚽️ #Wonderkids #italia #acm #acmilan #serieA
His goalscoring feats in the junior ranks have made the forward so highly regarded. Camarda scored 22 goals in 24 appearances for Milan’s under-15, as they won the under-15 Scudetto.
It is also highly impressive that he scored a reported 489 goals in just 89 appearances in Milan’s academy.
Camarda has impressed in junior international football, having represented the Azzurrini at all youth stages up to under-19.
He scored 11 goals in 17 appearances for Italy’s u-17 team before moving into the u-19s, for whom he has already scored two goals in three appearances.
Gianluca Prestianni (Benfica)
The highly-rated winger started his career at Velez Sarsfield in his homeland before attracting the attention of Portuguese giants Benfica.
After his 18th birthday in January 2024, he moved to the Portuguese capital for a fee in the region of €9 million, plus €2 million in potential add-ons. Despite his tender years, Prestianni had already featured 39 times at senior level with Velez.
Prestianni played only once for Benfica’s first team in season 2023/24 but six times for the club’s B team. He could feature more heavily for the first team in season 2024/25.
Nicknamed ‘The Flea,’ Prestianni has also represented Argentina at the u-17 level on six occasions, but due to his Italian heritage, he is eligible to play for Italy.
Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham)
The Swedish youngster came through the youth ranks at Brommapojkarna and Djurgarden. He impressed during his time in his homeland, and in February 2024, Premier League Tottenham agreed to pay Djurgarden a reported fee of £8.5m.
He had already made 49 appearances for Djurgarden before the switch to the Premier League club.
Bergvall officially joined Spurs on 1st July and impressed in pre-season with the north London club. He was so talented at a young age that the midfielder was reportedly offered a trial at Manchester United when he was just 14.
Desire Doue (Rennes)
Although he is slightly older than his contemporaries on our list at 19, Doue is regarded as an immense talent in French football. He has already made a big impressive at Rennes, scoring seven goals in 63 first-team appearances over the last two seasons.
The attacking midfielder’s performances have already reportedly attracted the interest of European giants Barcelona and PSG.
Rennes also rejected a bid from German champions Bayer Leverkusen in the January transfer window.
There is a good chance that Doue will have made a big money move by the time FM25 is released, with Dortmund also believed to be interested in signing the talented youngster.
Luis Guilherme (West Ham)
With all the furore surrounding Endrick at Palmeiras, the talented midfielder quietly went about his business developing his game.
The 18-year-old impressed with his pace and technique in the 45 first-team games in which he featured for Palmeiras.
His performances for his club side, and also for his national team at youth level attracted the interest of Premier League West Ham, who paid a reported fee of around £30m to acquire his services in the summer transfer window.
Vitor Reis (Palmeiras)
A former teammate of Guilherme’s at Palmeiras, the 16-year-old defender may not be as high-profile as some of the other players on our list, but he could shine in the future.
Despite his young age, Reis has already played twice for the Palmeiras first team, having started his youth career at the R10 academy, which is run by former Real Madrid and Manchester City star Robinho.
He joined Palmeiras at age ten and has enjoyed an impressive rise through the youth ranks. He has already represented Brazil at the u-16 and u-17 international levels.
Who will be the biggest FM25 wonderkid?
