The next stop on our journey of FM26 wonderkids takes us to Belgium, a country that, in the last few decades, has produced some major world stars who have been truly elite performers at the top of the game.
Here are our favourite FM26 wonderkids from Belgium:
Nathan De Cat (Anderlecht)
For a 16-year-old at the start of the game, the defensive midfielder has highly impressive stats. It’s not that many of his stats stand out. It’s more that so many of his stats are around the 12-13 mark, which wouldn’t be impressive, except that this is a 16-year-old we are talking about.
His three highest stats are teamwork, composure, and work rate, all of which are 14. His other stats quickly catch up, though, after a few seasons of experience in first-team football.
As you would expect, his stats rise rapidly, and ten years into the game, he is generally one of the best midfielders. Incredible to think that, ten years in, De Cat is still only 26.
Amazing: due to his age, you can sign him for an initial fee of around £700,000, plus add-ons, which usually bring the total transfer fee to around £1.5m. De Cat is a tremendous long-term prospect, so signing him in the first summer is a no-brainer.
Malick Fofana (Lyon)
The young winger has caught the attention in recent seasons for OL, after making a move to France from boyhood club Gent. The diminutive star’s form has already earned him five caps for the Belgium national team.
The versatile player, who can play on both wings, starts the game with decent attributes, which only grow with experience. He becomes a very good player, who briefly plays for elite clubs before moving down the ladder slightly to teams that challenge for Champions League spots.
The highlight of his attributes is a 16 rating for both acceleration and pace. I mean, who doesn’t love a pacey wideman?
Fofana also has 15 in technique, dribbling, determination, and off-the-ball. All these attributes are handy for a winger.
Unfortunately, OL is not keen on selling their promising young winger in the opening transfer window. In fact, they demand over £150m, including add-ons, which is obviously not an appropriate fee for a youngster.
Wait until a few seasons in, and his fee will be slightly less prohibitive, as he is undoubtedly a player worth pursuing.
Zeno Debast (Sporting CP)
Debast is one of my favourite young centre-backs on FM26. Unfortunately, I am often priced out of signing him in the early transfer window, or I miss out because other clubs can offer higher fees and wages.
The 21-year-old has excellent stats all around, not just the ones which are most prominent for a centre-back. In fact, his two highest attributes are passing and vision, both rated 16.
The fact that he also has 14 for technique, marking, first touch and heading shows that he is a good all-around player. With the proper coaching and first-team experience, he becomes a truly world-class centre-back.
Given his already high stats and phenomenal potential, Debast comes at a steep price. The centre-back has a minimum fee release clause of £69m in his contract.
Usually, I would say don’t spend that much on a youngster. However, if you are managing an elite club, Debast may well be a player worth signing for that sort of fee, as he can be a starting centre-back for a decade.
Romeo Lavia (Chelsea)
Lavia has been another favourite of mine in recent FMs. The defensive midfielder has the starting foundations to become one of the best players in his position. The Chelsea youngster generally fulfils that potential in most of my saves.
The 21-year-old’s starting stats are strong, with 15+ in work rate, teamwork, determination, technique, first touch, balance and pace. Those are a good set of stats for any player, let alone a player of 21.
Understandably, given his strong starting stats and potential, Chelsea are not keen to sell Lavia. In fact, he is likely to cost you £70m+ plus 40 per cent of any sell-on fee.
Diego Moreira (Strasbourg)
The versatile left-side player’s stats at the start of the game are not extraordinary, but with experience and proper handling, they improve significantly.
However, the 20-year-old has +14 in technique, flair, work rate, acceleration, pace, and stamina. His other stats do improve over time.
Another advantage of Moreira is that he not only plays in his primary role as a left-winger, but also as a wing-back, and I have even used him as a makeshift left-back.
He is not the best defensively, but as a winger, he obviously provides a major attacking threat from a deeper position.
I actually signed him a few seasons in as a free agent when his contract expired, and he proved to be one of my best signings of that particular save.
To sign Moreira in the first transfer, it will cost between £30-35m, plus a pretty hefty sell-on fee. My advice would be to wait for a couple of seasons, as his stats improve, and he may well run down his contract.
However, if you can get him for around £30m, then it’s not an outrageous fee, especially if you have the luxury of loaning him out for a few seasons so he can gain some first-team experience.
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