One of the most enjoyable facets of Football Manager is signing a wonderkid and seeing them develop into world-class players.
With FM26 on the horizon, and with the help of our friends at EFEM, we will be examining which players are predicted to have the highest potential rating in the game. They use growth attributes, age and maximum potential to make an algorithm that looks at how a player can grow in the game.
This gives a more realistic list than other websites which just uses maximum potential – even if it’s highly unlikely they’ll achieve this.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) Predicted rating of 99
It will come as no surprise that Barcelona and Spain wonderkid Lamine Yamal is the player with the highest predicted potential ability on FM26. His current ability is likely to be among the best of any player on FM26, so a predicted rating of 99 is definitely justified.
Since the last game was released, the winger has helped Barcelona win La Liga in the 2024/25 season, playing a starring role at times.
FM24 was released so long ago that Yamal was just 15 on that edition of the game. He had a relatively high potential, but obviously not as high as it is now, after he became a superstar.
Estêvão (Chelsea) Predicted rating of 96
The Brazilian forward is regarded as one of the best young up-and-coming players of his generation. He impressed so much at his former club Palmeiras that he earned himself a big-money move to Premier League Chelsea, who he joined this summer.
He has made an underwhelming start to life in south west London, but he has plenty of time to prove himself with the Blues.
The youngster was just 16 years of age on FM24, and his current and potential abilities were relatively low compared to what they will be on FM26. In fact, he wasn’t even regarded as a wonderkid in the last edition.
João Neves (PSG) Predicted rating of 97
The Portuguese midfield maestro has become a vital player in the PSG midfield. His displays in the centre of the park were pivotal in the French giants becoming European champions for the first time in 2025.
Neves has been a wonderkid for some time on FM. In the last few editions of the game, he has generally gone on to fulfil his potential and become one of the best midfielders in the game.
His potential on FM26 could well be slightly higher than on previous editions, though, as could his current ability, due to his excellent performances for the Parisians.
Désiré Doué (PSG) Predicted rating of 96
The French international has established himself as one of the best young players in the world game. Doué was another player who played a key role in PSG’s historic first Champions League triumph in 2025, producing a man-of-the-match performance in the 5-0 hammering of Inter in the final.
Doue was already a highly regarded 18-year-old at Rennes in FM24, with good current statistics and considerable potential.
The versatile forward’s current stats and potential are likely to see a significant increase in FM26, with a predicted rating of around 96 seeming highly realistic.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) Predicted rating of 94
Like many of the players on our list, Lewis-Skelly was very young when FM24 was released, as he was just 16 years old when the game came out. His potential and current stats on FM24 were relatively low, so a rise in both his current stats and potential ability was inevitable.
However, the fact that he established himself as a regular first-team player at Arsenal last season will undoubtedly lead to an increase in both his current ability and potential.
If the prediction of 94 for his potential is correct, then the versatile Lewis-Skelly could well become one of the best players on FM26.
