When it comes to FIFA’s Career Mode, some players prefer their stars to be born ready and shine at 17, a la Kylian Mbappe. Let’s be real, every FIFA player wants that. But not all of us play with PSG and sometimes, just sometimes, there’s a budget we need to defer to. These are the moments when you need to dig in and find that kid with high potential playing his football in some low-level Sunday league.
There are tons of youngsters to keep a close look at, but for the purposes of this article we’re going to stick to the top of the bunch and show you who are the top three academy players with the most room to grow from their initial stats in FIFA 20.
Ronan McKinley – Derry City (48 – 74)
Coventry-born Irishman McKinley holds the title of best prospect in FIFA 20. Starting at just 48 overall, joint lowest for any of the players mentioned in this article, he can rise up to an incredible 26 points, taking his overall stats to a respectable 74.
Even then, the midfielder is hardly going to be a world beater, but if you’re one of those who like to start in the lower divisions, McKinley is your best value for money option in the quest to rise through the echelons.
Slavi Spasov – Oxford United (49 – 74)
Young Bulgarian striker Slavi Spasov is pretty much McKinley, but in attack. Starting at one point higher than the Irishman, Spasov’s potential peaks at the same number – 74. This 25-point jump is tied with another player, whom we’ll speak about in a moment, for second highest in the game.
Spasov already bagged his first goal for the Ox and only time will show if he’ll match what the EA staff expect of him. For this year at least, he’s a viable investment in the future of your career mode squad, especially in lower tiers.
Gavin Bazunu – Manchester City (59 - 84)
Now we’re talking. Here we find another product of Ireland – Gavin Bazunu. The goalkeeper joined English champions Manchester City from Shamrock Rovers and according to EA, he’s bound for stardom.
While McKinley and Spasov are really only an option for low-to-mid tier teams, Bazunu, with his 59 starting overall and 84 potential, could be guarding the net for pretty much any team in the game. You might want to snatch him from Pep Guardiola while he’s still cheap!
Spotting a talent is one thing, grooming him to become the best version of himself is another. Now that we’ve given you a hint where to look, it’s your turn to turn these youngsters into stars!
