Career Mode has been revamped and upgraded for FIFA 20, with the player database also getting a refresh for the launch of the new game.
This will give FIFA fans the chance to start a new career with their favourite team, turning them into league and continental champions thanks to clever moves on the transfer market and astute management to develop young players into superstars.
Goal has compiled a list of the best young players in FIFA 20, selecting those aged 20 or under who have the highest potential rating. The lists below are sorted by potential and current ability and also divided by position.
Each player is listed by their primary position, but all the positions they can play in are shown. This means that Chelsea's Ethan Ampadu, currently on loan at RB Leipzig, is in the defenders section but can play both centre-back and as a defensive midfielder.
Every player with a high potential rating is shown here, including many lesser-known stars who may be willing to move to smaller clubs if you are playing a long career by starting outside the top flight. Players will need plenty of gametime to develop and reach their full potential. Substitutes and reserves are unlikely to improve if they are not playing.
PO. = Position(s)
CR = Current Rating
PR = Potential Rating
VA. = Value
*Clubs listed are the clubs the players are assigned to in FIFA 20 Career Mode, while ages shown are the age at the start of Career Mode
FIFA 20: Best Young Goalkeepers
| Name | Age | Club | PO. | CR | PR | VA. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G Donnarumma | 20 | AC Milan | GK | 85 | 92 | £35.6m |
| A Lafont | 20 | Fiorentina | GK | 79 | 88 | £13.2m |
| A Lunin | 20 | Real Madrid | GK | 76 | 88 | £9.7m |
| Diogo Costa | 19 | Porto | GK | 70 | 86 | £2.8m |
| A Plizzari | 19 | AC Milan | GK | 66 | 84 | £1m |
| G Bazunu | 17 | Man City | GK | 59 | 84 | £250k |
| M Vandevoort | 17 | Genk | GK | 63 | 83 | £550k |
| Luis Maximiano | 20 | Sporting CP | GK | 70 | 82 | £2.2m |
| A Muric | 20 | Man City | GK | 67 | 82 | £1.2m |
| C Fruchtl | 19 | Bayern Munich II | GK | 65 | 82 | £850k |
| G Couke | 20 | Genk | GK | 65 | 82 | £850k |
| C Olses | 18 | Racing Club | GK | 62 | 82 | £450k |
| M Roffo | 19 | Boca Juniors | GK | 62 | 82 | £500k |
| M Svilar | 19 | Benfica | GK | 68 | 81 | £1.2m |
| K Scherpen | 19 | Ajax | GK | 67 | 81 | £1.2m |
| I Meslier | 19 | Lorient | GK | 66 | 81 | £1m |
| M Carnesecchi | 19 | Atalanta | GK | 65 | 81 | £850k |
| Inaki Pena | 20 | Barcelona | GK | 64 | 81 | £725k |
| K Grabara | 20 | Liverpool | GK | 64 | 81 | £725k |
| L Plogmann | 19 | Werder Bremen | GK | 63 | 81 | £575k |
| J Markovic | 17 | Slavia Praha | GK | 67 | 80 | £900k |
| J Schendelaar | 18 | AZ Alkmaar | GK | 65 | 80 | £800k |
| L Ureta | 20 | O'Higgins | GK | 63 | 80 | £600k |
| N Shinton | 18 | Club Brugge | GK | 62 | 80 | £450k |
| J Pourtau | 19 | Estudiantes | GK | 62 | 80 | £500k |
| S Bajic | 17 | Saint-Etienne | GK | 60 | 80 | £300k |
| L Chevalier | 17 | Lille | GK | 58 | 80 | £200k |
Gianluigi Donnarumma starts FIFA 20 as an excellent shot-stopper but can develop into the world's best after a few years. His potential rating of 92 is higher than the best current ability of any other goalkeeper in the game, with Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak rated 91 in this year's version.
Porto's Diogo Costa is one of the best bargains at the goalkeeper position as he can become 86-rated if developed properly, while Manchester City's Gavin Bazunu may be available to teams outside the top division due to his low current ability and age.
FIFA 20: Best Young Defenders
| Name | Age | Club | PO. | CR | PR | VA. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M de Ligt | 19 | Piemonte Calcio | CB | 85 | 93 | £41.8m |
| T Alexander-Arnold | 20 | Liverpool | RB | 83 | 89 | £26.4m |
| I Konate | 20 | RB Leipzig | CB | 79 | 88 | £15m |
| D Upamecano | 20 | RB Leipzig | CB | 77 | 88 | £11.9m |
| W Saliba | 18 | Arsenal | CB | 71 | 88 | £3.9m |
| Eduardo Quaresma | 17 | Sporting CP | CB | 64 | 88 | £800k |
| Z Vanheusden | 19 | Standard Liege | CB | 73 | 87 | £6.6m |
| Tomas Esteves | 17 | Porto | RB | 65 | 87 | £950k |
| D Zagadou | 20 | Borussia Dortmund | CB, LB | 79 | 86 | £13.6m |
| A Hakimi | 20 | Real Madrid | LB, RB | 79 | 86 | £13.2m |
| J Kounde | 20 | Sevilla | CB | 76 | 86 | £9.7m |
| E N'Dicka | 19 | Eintracht Frankfurt | CB | 76 | 86 | £9.2m |
| B Kamara | 19 | Marseille | CB | 75 | 86 | £8.8m |
| R James | 19 | Chelsea | RB, CDM | 73 | 86 | £5.7m |
| J Todibo | 19 | Barcelona | CB, CDM | 71 | 86 | £4m |
| E Ampadu | 18 | Chelsea | CB, CDM | 67 | 86 | £1.2m |
| N Armini | 18 | Lazio | CB | 66 | 86 | £1.1m |
| Diogo Dalot | 20 | Man Utd | RB, LB, RM | 75 | 85 | £8.4m |
| P Retsos | 20 | Bayer Leverkusen | CB, RB, LB | 75 | 85 | £8.4m |
| O Kabak | 19 | Schalke | CB | 74 | 85 | £7m |
| M Aarons | 19 | Norwich | RB | 72 | 85 | £4.4m |
| Nuno Tavares | 19 | Benfica | LB, RB | 70 | 85 | £3m |
| N Cozza | 20 | Montpellier | CB, LWB | 69 | 85 | £1.8m |
| Montero | 20 | Atletico Madrid | CB | 68 | 85 | £1.6m |
| H El Kababri | 19 | Anderlecht | RB | 65 | 85 | £900k |
| A Zagre | 17 | PSG | LB, CM | 62 | 85 | £550k |
| K Hoever | 17 | Liverpool | RB, CB | 62 | 85 | £550k |
| M Sarr | 20 | Nice | CB, LB | 76 | 84 | £8.8m |
| T Tomiyasu | 20 | Bologna | CB, CDM | 73 | 84 | £5.3m |
| A Bastoni | 20 | Inter | CB | 72 | 84 | £4.3m |
| D Maresic | 19 | Sturm Graz | CB | 72 | 84 | £4.2m |
| N Perez | 19 | Atletico Madrid | CB | 70 | 84 | £3m |
| J Bogle | 18 | Derby | RB | 69 | 84 | £1.7m |
| L Kelly | 20 | Bournemouth | LB, CB | 68 | 84 | £1.6m |
| S van der Berg | 17 | Liverpool | CB | 66 | 84 | £1m |
| J Vagnoman | 18 | Hamburg | LB, LM, RB | 65 | 84 | £900k |
| O Solet | 19 | Lyon | CB | 65 | 84 | £925k |
| Diogo Leite | 20 | Porto | CB | 72 | 83 | £4.2m |
| C Dagba | 20 | PSG | RB, RWB | 72 | 83 | £4.1m |
| K Ruegg | 20 | Zurich | RB, CDM | 72 | 83 | £4.1m |
| Emerson | 20 | Real Betis | RB | 71 | 83 | £3.3m |
| Ruben Vinagre | 20 | Wolves | LWB | 70 | 83 | £2.7m |
| Diogo Queiros | 20 | Porto | CB | 68 | 83 | £1.6m |
| M Salisu | 20 | Real Valladolid | CB | 68 | 83 | £1.6m |
| L Mbe Soh | 18 | PSG | CB | 67 | 83 | £1.2m |
| B Badiashile | 18 | Monaco | CB | 67 | 83 | £1.2m |
| L Itter | 20 | Freiburg | LB | 67 | 83 | £1.3m |
| J Beyer | 19 | Borussia M'gladbach | RB, CB | 67 | 83 | £1.3m |
| Eric Garcia | 18 | Man City | CB | 66 | 83 | £1.1m |
| C Cuesta | 20 | Genk | CB | 66 | 83 | £1.1m |
| I Diveev | 19 | CSKA Moscow | CB | 66 | 83 | £1.1m |
| Apa | 19 | Real Valladolid | RB, RM | 66 | 83 | £1.1m |
| Nuno Mendes | 17 | Sporting CP | LB | 64 | 83 | £700k |
New Piemonte Calcio signing Matthijs de Ligt has a current and potential ability to match his real-life price tag and is unlikely to be put up for sale by the Old Lady in FIFA 20 Career Mode.
The Serie A side is referred to Piemonte Calcio in FIFA 20 due to an exclusive naming rights deal the club has with EA Sports' rivals Konami for Pro Evolution Soccer.
RB Leipzig centre-back pairing Ibahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano may be more willing to move clubs, while Dan-Axel Zagadou's versatility makes the Borussia Dortmund defender an interesting target.
Bayer Leverkusen's Panagiotis Retsos is similarly appealing as he can play anywhere across the backline, but is the same price as Manchester United's Diogo Dalot and may be out of some club's budgets. Benfica's Nuno Tavares is a more affordable option with a value of £3 million.
FIFA 20: Best Young Midfielders
| Name | Age | Club | PO. | CR | PR | VA. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K Havertz | 20 | Bayer Leverkusen | CAM, RM | 84 | 92 | £40.5m |
| J Sancho | 19 | Borussia Dortmund | RM, LM | 84 | 92 | £39.2m |
| T Almada | 18 | Velez Sarsfield | CAM, LW, ST | 72 | 92 | £5.7m |
| P Foden | 19 | Man City | CAM, CM | 76 | 90 | £14.5m |
| S Tonali | 19 | Brescia | CDM, CM | 75 | 89 | £11.4m |
| A Mac Allister | 20 | Brighton | CAM, CM | 75 | 89 | £12.8m |
| Kangin Lee | 18 | Valencia | CAM, LM, RM | 76 | 88 | £11m |
| A Maier | 20 | Hertha Berlin | CM, CDM | 76 | 88 | £11.9m |
| N Zaniolo | 19 | Roma | CAM, CM, RW | 74 | 88 | £10.6m |
| T Kubo | 18 | Real Madrid | RM, CF, CAM | 70 | 88 | £3.2m |
| E Palacios | 20 | River Plate | CM, RM, CAM | 77 | 87 | £12.3m |
| D Rice | 20 | West Ham | CDM, CB, CM | 77 | 87 | £11m |
| Ferran Torres | 19 | Valencia | RM | 75 | 87 | £10.1m |
| A Davies | 18 | Bayern Munich | LM, RM | 72 | 87 | £5.7m |
| Y Verschaeren | 17 | Anderlecht | CAM, RM, LM | 72 | 87 | £5.3m |
| Riqui Puig | 19 | Barcelona | CM | 71 | 87 | £4.4m |
| A Hlozek | 16 | Sparta Praha | LM, ST, RM | 70 | 87 | £3.1m |
| A Urzi | 19 | Banfield | LM | 69 | 87 | £2m |
| C Pulisic | 20 | Chelsea | RM, LM | 79 | 86 | £15.8m |
| F Valverde | 20 | Real Madrid | CM, LM, CDM | 77 | 86 | £11.9m |
| T Adams | 20 | RB Leipzig | CDM, RWB | 76 | 86 | £9.7m |
| W McKennie | 20 | Schalke | CM, CB, CAM | 76 | 86 | £11m |
| M Guendouzi | 20 | Arsenal | CM, CDM | 75 | 86 | £10.1m |
| R Sessegnon | 19 | Spurs | LM, LW, LB | 75 | 86 | £9.7m |
| Florentino | 19 | Benfica | CDM, CM | 75 | 86 | £8.8m |
| G Chakvetadze | 19 | Gent | LM, CAM | 74 | 86 | £8.8m |
| M Mount | 20 | Chelsea | CAM, CM | 74 | 86 | £8.8m |
| Paulinho | 18 | Bayer Leverkusen | RM | 71 | 86 | £4.3m |
| D Szoboszlai | 18 | Red Bull Salzburg | CAM, RM, CM | 71 | 86 | £4.3m |
| G Maroni | 20 | Sampdoria | CAM, LW, ST | 71 | 86 | £4.4m |
| H Traore | 19 | Empoli | CAM, CM | 70 | 86 | £3.3m |
| C Ferreira | 19 | River Plate | CM, CAM | 70 | 86 | £3.3m |
| M Gibbs-White | 19 | Arsenal | Wolves | 70 | 86 | £3.3m |
| A Gomes | 18 | Man Utd | CAM, CM, LW | 68 | 86 | £1.6m |
| P Pomykal | 19 | Dallas | CAM, CM, RM | 68 | 86 | £1.7m |
| J Sands | 18 | New York City FC | CDM, CB | 66 | 86 | £1.1m |
| Gelson Fernandes | 20 | Benfica | CM | 76 | 85 | £10.6m |
| S Chukwueze | 20 | Villarreal | RM, CF, RW | 76 | 85 | £10.6m |
| K Diatta | 20 | Club Brugge | LM, RM, ST | 75 | 85 | £9.7m |
| J Larsen | 20 | Borussia Dortmund | LM | 75 | 85 | £9.7m |
| I Hagi | 20 | Genk | CAM, LW, RW | 74 | 85 | £8.4m |
| H Wolf | 20 | RB Leipzig | CAM | 74 | 85 | £8.4m |
| M Diaby | 19 | Bayer Leverkusen | LM | 74 | 85 | £8.4m |
| D McNeil | 19 | Burnley | LM | 73 | 85 | £6.2m |
| M Shaparenko | 20 | Dynamo Kyiv | CM, CDM, CAM | 73 | 85 | £6.2m |
| Jota | 20 | Benfica | LM, RM, CF | 72 | 85 | £5.3m |
| Tete | 19 | Shakhtar Donetsk | LM, CAM | 72 | 85 | £5.3m |
| D Lainez | 19 | Real Betis | RM, LM, CAM | 72 | 85 | £5.3m |
| A Palaversa | 19 | Man City | CM, CDM, CAM | 71 | 85 | £4.4m |
| Fernando | 20 | Shakhtar Donetsk | LM | 71 | 85 | £4.4m |
| Miguel Luis | 20 | Sporting CP | CM | 70 | 85 | £3.4m |
| B Soumare | 20 | Lille | CM, CDM | 70 | 85 | £3.4m |
| R Vargas | 20 | Augsburg | RM, LM | 70 | 85 | £3.4m |
| A Almendra | 19 | Boca Juniors | CM, CDM | 69 | 85 | £2m |
| Sergio Gomez | 18 | Borussia Dortmund | CAM, CM, LM | 68 | 85 | £1.6m |
| M Pellegrini | 19 | Estudiantes | LM, CM, RW | 68 | 85 | £1.7m |
| Daniel Braganca | 20 | Sporting CP | CM | 68 | 85 | £1.7m |
| R Gravenberch | 17 | Ajax | CM, CDM | 67 | 85 | £1.3m |
| M Caqueret | 19 | Lyon | CM, CDM | 67 | 85 | £1.4m |
| M Ihatteren | 17 | PSV | CAM | 67 | 85 | £1.3m |
| Y Adli | 18 | Bordeaux | CM, CAM | 66 | 85 | £1.2m |
| R Matondo | 18 | Schalke | RM, LM | 65 | 85 | £1.2m |
| Marcos Antonio | 19 | Shakhtar Donetsk | CM | 65 | 85 | £1m |
| L Agoume | 17 | Inter | CM | 63 | 85 | £700k |
| A Perea | 18 | Atletico Nacional | CDM, CM | 62 | 85 | £550k |
The Bundesliga's top two young players are also FIFA 20's best midfield prospects. Both Kai Havertz and Jadon Sancho can reach 92 overall, but have pricetags to match their high ceiling and clubs will need to break the bank to sign them.
Thiago Almada was linked to Man City in real life as one of South America's most exciting young players. He will also be hugely in demand in FIFA 20 as the 18-year-old midfielder can also play up front and on the wing and is valued at less than £6m at the start of Career Mode.
FIFA 20: Best Young Forwards
| Name | Age | Club | PO. | CR | PR | VA. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K Mbappe | 20 | PSG | ST, RW | 89 | 95 | £82.3m |
| Joao Felix | 19 | Atletico Madrid | CF, ST | 80 | 93 | £24.6m |
| Vinicius Jr | 18 | Real Madrid | LW | 79 | 92 | £19.8m |
| Rodrygo | 18 | Real Madrid | LW, RW, ST | 76 | 89 | £12.3m |
| C Hudson-Odoi | 18 | Chelsea | RW, LW | 73 | 89 | £7m |
| Moise Kean | 18 | Everton | ST | 76 | 89 | £12.8m |
| P De la Vega | 18 | Lanus | RW | 70 | 88 | £3.2m |
| J David | 19 | Gent | CF, ST, CAM | 73 | 87 | £7.5m |
| M Greenwood | 17 | Man Utd | CF, RW, ST | 67 | 87 | £1.3m |
| Rafael Leao | 20 | Lille | ST | 75 | 86 | £10.1m |
| J Kluivert | 20 | Roma | LW, RW | 75 | 86 | £10.1m |
| Brahim | 19 | Real Madrid | LW, RW | 73 | 86 | £6.6m |
| A Pinamonti | 20 | Inter | ST | 71 | 86 | £4.4m |
| G Plata | 18 | Sporting CP | LW, RW | 70 | 86 | £3.2m |
| J Hurtado | 19 | Boca Juniors | ST | 70 | 86 | £3.4m |
| E Haland | 18 | Red Bull Salzburg | ST | 69 | 86 | £1.9m |
| J Carranza | 19 | Banfield | ST | 68 | 86 | £1.7m |
| A Gouiri | 19 | Lyon | ST | 68 | 86 | £1.7m |
| P Pellegri | 18 | Monaco | ST | 67 | 86 | £1.4m |
| B Saka | 17 | Arsenal | LW, RW | 66 | 86 | £1.1m |
| J Doku | 17 | Anderlecht | RW | 66 | 86 | £1.1m |
| M Odegaard | 20 | Real Madrid | RW, CAM | 78 | 85 | £12.8m |
| C Stengs | 20 | AZ Alkmaar | RW | 74 | 85 | £8.4m |
| M Cunha | 74 | RB Leipzig | ST, CAM | 74 | 85 | £8.4m |
| R Nelson | 19 | Arsenal | RW, LW | 72 | 85 | £5.3m |
| T Weah | 19 | Lille | ST, LM | 69 | 85 | £2m |
| M Barrow | 20 | Atalanta | ST | 69 | 85 | £2m |
| A Kutucu | 19 | Schalke | ST, CF, RW | 68 | 85 | £1.7m |
| M Boadu | 18 | AZ Alkmaar | ST | 67 | 85 | £1.4m |
| J Arp | 19 | Bayern Munich | ST, LM | 67 | 85 | £1.4m |
| J Alvarez | 19 | River Plate | ST | 67 | 85 | £1.4m |
| A Marin | 18 | Dinamo Zagreb | LW, RW, CAM | 66 | 85 | £1.2m |
| R Brewster | 19 | Liverpool | ST | 65 | 85 | £1m |
| Fabio Silva | 16 | Porto | ST | 65 | 85 | £950k |
| E Smith Rowe | 18 | Arsenal | LW, RW, CAM | 65 | 85 | £975k |
| R Piccoli | 18 | Atalanta | ST | 64 | 85 | £900k |
| T Parrott | 17 | Spurs | ST | 64 | 85 | £875k |
| Mollejo | 18 | Atletico Madrid | RW | 64 | 85 | £900k |
| F Amuzu | 19 | Anderlecht | LW | 70 | 84 | £3.3m |
| Abel Ruiz | 19 | Barcelona | ST, LW | 68 | 84 | £1.7m |
| J Sargent | 18 | Werder Bremen | ST | 67 | 84 | £1.4m |
| E Nketiah | 20 | Arsenal | ST | 67 | 84 | £1.4m |
| D Jastrzembski | 19 | Hertha Berlin | LW, LM, CAM | 66 | 84 | £1.2m |
| W Guebbels | 17 | Monaco | ST | 64 | 84 | £800k |
| A Idah | 18 | Norwich | ST | 63 | 84 | £750k |
Once again, Kylian Mbappe is one of the best players in the game and has the potential ability to match. He's rated 89 overall at the start of Career Mode, so will be expensive or nearly impossible to buy for nearly every club.
Joao Felix is a new arrival at Atletico Madrid and thus they will not be willing to sell him during the first transfer window, but Manchester United's Mason Greenwood may be available for a reasonable fee and can be developed into one of the best strikers in FIFA 20.
There is great value to be had in many of the strikers with 86 potential ability, especially if you are willing to throw them in at the deep end early in the game despite their relatively low current ratings.