It’s back!! Resurrected from the annals of early 5 Star Potential podcasting, the Wonderkid Hall of Fame is officially back in action and here we will bring you all of our nominees and inductees as we continue to build the ultimate list of Championship Manager and Football Manager Wonderkids across the multiverse of games and saves that this beautiful game has brought us down through the years.
The concept is simple: in order to be nominated and judged as a wonderkid, 3 strict criteria are applied by our judging panel each week:
Wonderkidness - how much of a wonderkid they truly were across one or more versions of the game;
Usage - how we each rate our experiences of using and/or encountering each wonderkid in-game
Real Life - how their real-life career transpired in comparison to their in-game wonderkid status.
What follows is a list of all 20 Wonderkid nominees from every Hall of Fame segment covered since our first episode all the way back in August 2017 - strap in folks, it’s time for an epic journey down memory lane…
Freddy Adu (CM0304)
▶️ Pilot Episode - August 2017
Freddy Adu. The boy wonder. Originally appearing in CM0304 as a 13-year-old and appearing as a wonderkid for several further additions (see above), Freddy Adu goes down in CM/FM history as one of the most notorious wonderkids ever to grace our screens in-game. Usually available for a steal throughout multiple versions of the game, he was a cert to dominate anyone’s save and although unfortunately he never fulfilled his in-game potential on the real-life stage, there is little doubt that Freddy had the potential and talent to earn wonderkid status, but the real question is - did our panel agree?
Doop ✅ Dave ✅ Curty ❌ Nerd ✅ Teach ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
2. Robbie Keane (CM9900)
All-Time Top Goalscorer for Ireland. Circa £100m in accumulative transfer fees. Scored wherever he went. Robbie Keane was a top tier Striker both in real life and in CM/FM terms, an in the early days he could be deployed either as an out-an-out Striker or very effectively as a #10. Either way you were guaranteed goals with Robbie - does that guarantee him a place in the Wonderkid Hall of Fame though?
Doop ✅ Dan ✅ Curty ✅ Nerd ✅ Teach ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
3. John Fleck (FM12)
Whatever about his real-life career, FM12 John Fleck was among the most high-potential midfielders in Football Manager 2012 and was regularly seen lifting trophies and playing Champions League football for multiple European giants back in the day - the question is, can his FM exploits outweigh his real-life successes and see him inducted?
Doop ✅ Dave ✅ Curty ❌ Nerd ❌ Teach ❌
Result: Not Inducted 👎
4. Luka Modric (CM0304)
What is there to say about Luka Modric, one of the most decorated footballers of his generation. Modric has simply gotten better with age as the years have gone by, but in early CM0304 he was earmarked as a very high potential wonderkid such was the evident talent he had with the ball at his feet. At the time of writing he has just won his 5th Champions League title with Real Madrid - but did he win a place in the Hall of Fame from our esteemed panel?
Dan ✅ Dave ❌ Curty ❌ Nerd ✅ Teach ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
5. Kerrison (FM09)
Who? Keirrison de Souza Carneiro - a standout forward from FM09 who was not only very signable and affordable in-game but was often the driving force behind countless savesin that version of Football Manager. Despite a real-life move to Barcelona, he never really lived up to his FM potential which casts a slight shadow on his Wonderkid status - do you agree?
Teach ✅ Dan ❌ Dave ❌ Nerd ✅ Curty ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
6. Eder Alvarez Balanta (FM14)
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. The only footballer who has “inducted into the 5 Star Potential Wonderkid Hall of Fame” on his Wikipedia page. Don’t believe us? See for yourself here! Football Manager 2014 saw arguably one of the best bargain Centre-Backs emerge since the days of Taribo West and though he did find his move to Europe via stints at Basel and Club Brugge (where he still currently plays at the time of writing), he never quite matched his in-game potential in real life however so epic a signing and wonderkid he was, we simply had to induct him (albeit via a close call vote!).
Teach ✅ Dave ❌ Doop ❌ Nerd ✅ Curty ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
7. Henri Saivet (FM08)
Henri Saivet. An international wonderkid of mystery. There were few better wonderkids available in Football Manager 2008, where not only was he highly affordable and attainable for most mid-tier clubs, he could play almost anywhere in the Attacking Midfield or Forward line smashing in goals and assists to beat the band. When he made his £5m move to Newcastle in 2016, FM fans all over the world watched with intrigue to see if this was finally the moment that Saivet would match his in-game potential but sadly was not to be as he only managed 5 first team games in a 5 year stint at the club (including 3 loan moves). As unfulfilled wonderkids go, Saivet is up there with the best of them but does it guarantee him a seat in the Hall of Fame?
Teach ✅ Nerd ✅ Dave ✅ Doop ❌ Curty ❌
Result: Inducted 🏅
8. Micah Richards (FM09)
Before he was best mates with Roy Keane, Micah Richards was highly talented and almost one-of-a-kind breakthrough prospect at Man City, at a time when they too were about to embark on an epic journey towards becoming one of the best teams in the world. Ridiculous physicals combined with strong defensive and mental attributes and the ability to play equally at Right or Centre Back, he was a game breaking defender ticking all meta boxes available. Knowing we have a few Man Utd fans on our panel, would they look past the blue to permanently induct him into the Wonderkid Hall of Fame?
Teach ❌ Doop ✅ Nerd ✅ Dave ❌ Curty ❌
Result: Not Inducted 👎
9. Oscar Ustari (FM07)
Wonderkid goalkeepers, they simply don’t make them like they used to. Dionysis Chiotis, Franco Costanzo, Alban Lafont, Predrag Rajkovic - all wonderkids in their own right however they do well to match the ridiculous potential and ability of FM07’s Oscar Ustari. A snip at €2.1m, Ustari could walk into any team and claim the #1 jersey and offer you 10-15 years of rock solid shot-stopping as you navigated your way to FM glory. Despite spells in Spain and two caps for Argentina, he never quite reached the higher echelons of football (not to mention a random spell at Sunderland) which might make it a bit trickier to induct him into our Hall of Fame, would you?
Dan ❌ Nerd ✅ Curty ✅ Dave ❌ Teach ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
10. Freddy Guarin (FM05)
Oh Fredy (yes only one ‘d’). If you played FM05 and subsequent versions that followed, it’s highly unlikely you don’t know the name Fredy Guarin - a Columbian midfield maestro available for measly €1.2m at the start of the game who was guaranteed to go on to footballing greatness in any save. At age 18 the game only had one of his 36 attributes below 10 (finishing yet the boy could score), and thankfully he was one of what seems to be a rarer breed of wonderkid in that he actually did play at the top level with successful spells at FC Porto and Inter Milan. Though never reaching the same world-beating status that he did in the FM universe, surely it’s enough to convince our panel right?
Nerd ✅ Teach ❌ Dave ❌ Curty ✅ Doop ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
11. Carlos Fierro (FM12)
Another FM mystery man who never really made the big time IRL. Despite the fact that he is still only 27 years old at the time of writing, Carlos Eduardo Fierro Guerrero most certainly hasn’t lived up to the hype that surrounded him as a teenager rising through the ranks of Mexican football, but in FM12 he was arguably the first player to be signed in the majority of new saves once he was unearthed as a standout wonderkid in that year’s version of the game. A demon goalscorer who rapidly improved season on season, Fierro evolved to become almost unplayable in-game and it wasn’t long before his name was doing the rounds in FM circles globally. Unfortunately his lack of real-life success puts him in the failed wonderkid bracket, but that doesn’t necessary mean he misses out on the Hall of Fame right? (CC: @Curty, “a stickler for the criteria”)
Teach ✅ Nerd ❌ Curty ✅ Dave ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
12. Igor Akinfeev (FM07)
Just about making “Wonderkid” status at the ripe age of 22 in FM07, Igor Akinfeev is among goalkeeping greatness when it comes to Football Manager down through the years and was as solid a signing one could make between the sticks for multiple versions of the game down through the years. It’s hard to argue that Akinfeev didn’t live up to his FM counterpart considering he racked up over 500 club and 100 international appearances as well as regularly playing in Champions League, Europa League, World Cup and European Championships throughout his career. Perhaps the only doubt in our minds is that Akinfeev was a rare breed of footballer: a one-club man who still to this day plays with the club he started with (CSKA Moscow), therefore having never left Russia you might argue he hasn’t been consistently tested at the highest levels of club football. In FM, there is no doubt he has been consistently among the top keepers, is there room for one more in our HoF?
Curty ❌ Nerd ✅ Dave ✅ Teach ✅ Doop ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
13. Mike Duff (CM0102)
Mike Duff and Championship Manager. Name a better duo. CM0102 was perhaps the peak of Wonderkid greatness and Mr. Duff was at the forefront of players who somewhat randomly or intentionally were somewhat overhyped by the CM research team in terms of their in-game ability and potential so much so that it was rare Mike Duff wasn’t featuring for the likes of Man Utd, Juventus or Real Madrid in every save imaginable. While it’s fair to say he did play at a very high level with a lengthy career at Burnley, he was never going to match his Champ Man replica and as such our panel couldn’t bring themselves to induct Mike into the Hall of Fame. Harsh or fair?
Dave ❌ Doop ✅ Teach ❌ Curty ❌ Nerd ❌
Result: Not Inducted 👎
14. Mark Kerr (CM0102)
Of course when a CM0102 fan hears Mike Duff, they also unwillingly think of Mark Kerr and a sudden sense of fond nostalgia takes over as you remember these chaps leading your Leyton Orient side to Champions League glory. Mark Kerr was given one of the best potential ratings available in Championship Manager making him arguably THE best midfielder for an entire generation of CM enthusiasts, and snapping him up from Falkirk was par for the course whenever you started a new career - we can’t not have Mark Kerr in it right??
Curty ✅ Doop ✅ Dave ❌ Teach ✅ Nerd ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
15. Anthony Vanden Borre (FM07)
If we were to ask you about the most highly rated Belgian defensive player in the past 20 years, you would most likely think of Vincent Kompany and rightly so looking at what he went on to achieve for club and country over a 17 season career. Back in FM07 times however, it wasn’t Kompany’s name on everyone’s lips but another defensive powerhouse from the same nation. Anthony Vanden Borre. Even at 16 he could do a job, but give it a couple of seasons and you suddenly had quite literally one of the best defensive players imaginable in-game, possessing the ability to play at Right Back, Centre Back or DMC with zero dip in performance in any or all positions. While AVB did get moves to a host of European clubs (as well as being fondly known as the guy Chris Kamara didn’t realise was sent off for Portsmouth) - he struggled to hold down a consistent first team spot or period at any club and bounced around before finally returning to Anderlecht to finish his career. As sticklers for the criteria, can his FM wonderkidness edge him into our HoF or will his IRL status hold him back from eternal FM greatness?
Curty ✅ Doop ❌ Teach ❌ Dave ✅ Nerd ❌
Result: Not Inducted 👎
16. Carlos Vela (FM09)
When I see tweets or questions like “that one player who always scores against you in Football Manager”, Carlos Vela is one of the first names that comes to mind such was his high potential and inevitable ascent into FM stardom from FM09 onwards. Before the likes of Hazard and Salah made the Inside Forward role what it is today, Vela was the bar in terms of a goalscoring winger/forward and there were few players better to sign at the start of the game if you were managing a club that could both afford and attract him from Arsenal. Though he never managed to break into regular first-team football at the Gunners, he went on to have a highly successful impact at Real Sociedad before lighting up MLS at LA Galaxy, and with over 70 caps for Mexico definitely lived up to at least some part of his FM Wonderkid potential IRL - the question is some is enough for our panel.
Doop ✅ Dan ❌ Teach ✅ Joe ✅ Nerd ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
17. Bojan (FM08)
When you think of Bojan, you can either think of the Barcelona hot prospect who featured over 100 times for the Catalan giants, OR you can think of that chap who played for Stoke for a while when they were hanging around the Premier League a few years back. Both are strangely true, which shows the remarkable rise and somewhat fall of a player who became the first ever 90’s born player to score in the Champions League at just 17 years of age and became the youngest ever Spain international until Gavi recently broke his record in 2021. In FM08 the SI researchers got it spot on; Bojan was an outstanding prospect, worthy of the discussions often held comparing him to Messi and David Villa etc. Unfortunately injuries hampered much of his progression which in turn led to his eventual regression, there is little doubt of Bojan’s wonderkidness both in-game and IRL, and he of course was inducted into our Hall of Fame forever.
Doop ✅ Dave ❌ Teach ✅ Joe ✅ Nerd ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
18. Cherno Samba (CM0102)
Where do we even begin with Cherno Samba. In fact, if you haven’t already - buy his book, you can thank us later. Cherno Samba is arguably the most famous CM/FM wonderkid of all time, not only because of how good he was in the game even as a 15 year old prospect at Millwall, but also because of how good he actually was at that age in real-life where he consistently played at youth level for England and scored literally hundreds of goals at academy level. Some say they have never seen a player as powerful and talented he was at that age (Miles even recently told us on Episode 250 that they 100% got Cherno Samba right in terms of his CM potential rating), but regrettably he never came close to replicating his CM potential and ability on the real-life stage despite links to Liverpool and spells both in England and overseas. Injuries, personal issues and pressure all hard to part to play and Cherno has since put a lot of work into helping young players develop and succeed in their careers based on his own experiences, is there a world where we can’t include this Champ Man GOAT in our Hall of Fame?
Doop ✅ Teach ❌ Dave ✅ Curty ✅ Nerd ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
19. Gabriel Barbosa (FM16)
One word. Gabigol. Goal by name, goals by nature. Gabriel Barbosa Almeida was as close to a cheat code as one could get in FM16, where at just 17 years old he was already set up to be one of the most vicious and prolific attacking players that FM enthusiasts have ever seen in the course of Football Manager history. Once snapped up out of Brazil, Gabigol would instantly hit the ground running and we thought the same would be said in real life once a move to Inter Milan materialised while he was still just 19 years of age. Sadly this wasn’t the case, and after a few loan spells he eventually made the decision to return to his native Brazil and has found a new lease of life and love at Flamengo. Still only 25, he has some of his best years ahead of him but it’s never too soon to enter the HoF 👀.
Teach ✅ Dave ✅ Curty ✅ Nerd ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
20. Romelu Lukaku (FM10)
220 episodes it took for us to return to the Wonderkid Hall of Fame and who better to start with than a genuine undeniable Wonderkid both in-game and in real life. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Romelu Lukaku had something special when he burst on the scene as a youngster at Anderlecht and his FM10 story is equally interesting - upon first release he was rated somewhat highly but didn’t overly standout as Wonderkids usually go, however by the time the Spring data update came out he was given a massive attributes boost such was his blatant emergence as an outstanding and powerful young Striker so much so that almost every top European club were vying for his signature before he eventually signed for Chelsea at age 18. As we’ve seen with the likes of Mo Salah and Kevin De Bruyne, life at Chelsea can be tough for young players and Lukaku was no different - it took a couple of loan moves and a transfer to Inter Milan to truly propel him to elite striker status, and while he has had his ups and downs it’s near impossible to find a players that can do what he does on his day. Does this earn him a place in the Wonderkid Hall of Fame however?
Doop ❌ Dave ✅ Nerd ✅ Madd ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
21. Hatem Ben Arfa (FM08)
“The biggest waste in football of the 21st century” - Frederic Guerra, Ben Arfa’s former agent.
What. A. Player. Graduating from the famous Clairefontaine academy (also known for producing the likes of Nicolas Anelka, William Gallas, Abou Diaby, Blaise Matuidi and Kylian Mbappé), Ben Arfa was hailed as one of the most exiting youth prospects of his generation based on his combination of speed and technical ability, and soon made a move to Lyon joining a youth team that included one Karim Benzema and it wasn’t long before he made his first team debut for Lyon at aged 17. He immediately stood out in the crowd and the same could be said for when he came through in Football Manager, almost immediately hitting wonderkid status wherein his speed, dribbling, flair, technique and versatility made him a must-buy youth prospect when loading up a new game anywhere between FM06 and FM09. Unfortunately, real-life on and off-the field issues somewhat marred Ben Arfa’s ascent to footballing greatness and though he played at the very highest level including 15 caps for France wherein he made their Euro 2012 squad, many would say that Ben Arfa was ultimately a wasted talent and never lived up to his original potential and prodigous status - will this prevent our Hall of Fame panel from inducting him into eternal wonderkid notoriety?
Doop ❌ Madd ✅ Nerd ❌
Result: Not Inducted 👎
22. Javier Saviola (CM 99/00)
There’s probably not a Football Manager player older than 28 that doesn’t have a story to tell about Javier Saviola - CM/FM royalty and that’s not something we say lightly.
His rise to stardom began at River Plate where he made his debut at 16 and quickly became a prolific goalscorer alongside players such as Ariel Ortega, Juan Pablo Angel and Pablo Aimar. In 2001 he made the move to a struggling Barcelona – if you class 4th in La Liga as struggling – where he scored 21 goals in his first season playing alongside Patrick Kluivert in a classic big man-little man partnership. His first 3 seasons at Barcelona saw him return 44 goals but it wasn’t nearly enough for Barcelona to build a team around him. Subsequent loans to Monaco and Sevilla proved unsuccessful with neither team making a move permanent but it was in his final year with Barcelona where he decided to make the move to rivals Real Madrid. Over the course of two seasons he played a bit-part role but did finally get his hands on a La Liga trophy, something that evaded him while at Barcelona. He then moved to Benfica in 2009 for regular game time where he got back amongst the goals scoring around 1 goal in every 3 games. He followed his time in Benfica with short spells at Malaga, back when Manuel Pellegrini & Al Thani started building that wonderful side, Olympiacos & Verona before bowing out where it all began at River Plate.
From a CM/FM perspective - CM99/00 gave us our first glimpse of 17-year-old Saviola, and looking at his attributes above you can see why Saviola was special. Speed, Technique, Flair, Finishing, Off the Ball, Determination - if we dropped him into modern day Football Manager he would literally break the game, and though his real-life career didn’t quite go as expected he continued to be a Wonderkid for several versions of FM but let’s see if our judges are in agreement 👀
Doop ✅ Madd ✅ Nerd ✅ Joe ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
Check out Joe’s full Saviola post here
24. Gareth Bale (FM08)
After starting his career at Southampton, it didn’t take long for the young left back with a burgeoning reputation as a free-kick specialist to start making an impact in the first team. At 16 years old Bale became the youngest ever Wales international, and by the end of the 2006/2007 season he helped Southampton reach the promotion playoffs and a single season in the Championship was enough to convince Tottenham to part with a reported £10 million for his signature. Under manager Harry Redknapp, Bale overcame numerous injury issues to break into the first team and become instantly recognised as one of the fastest players in the world, so much so that Redknapp made the now ingenius move of converting Bale to a more attacking role. By 2009 he had broken into the first-team and never looked back once he established himself on that left-hand side, putting in repeat blistering appearances in both the Premier League and Champions League including his first ever professional hat-trick against European Champions Inter Milan, as well as two PFA Player of the Year awards in three seasons at the club. By this point Bale was repeatedly touted with a big move abroad and it was Real Madrid who eventually were willing to hand over a world record €101m fee to sign the Welshman. During his time in Spain he won 3 La Liga titles, 1 Copa Del Rey, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 5 Champions League titles during a remarkable period where Real Madrid finally returned to Galactico status globally. While his final days at Madrid were somewhat clouded in scrutiny which led to moves to Tottenham and LAFC, there is little doubt that Bale was world class at his peak, frequently regarded as the best British player of his generation which was further illustrated by his contribution at international level amassing 111 caps and 41 goals helping them to reach the Euro 2016 semi-final.
In Football Manager 2008, Gareth Bale is a fresh-faced 17-year-old on the books at Southampton and is one of a rarer breed in that he initially wasn’t set up for greatness in terms of attributes and potential, however a few noteworthy free-kicks and his breakthrough to the first team led to a substantial boost in the Winter Update and from that point on there was little doubt on Bale’s in-game ability and potential to grow - particularly the recognition of his explosiveness and of course his set-piece excellence. The bigger question is - does Bale merit a place in our Wonderkid Hall of Fame?
Doop ✅ Joe ✅ Madd ❌ Nerd ✅
Result: Inducted 🏅
Want to hear more? 5 Star Potential is available on iTunes, Spotify and most other podcast platforms with a new episode released every week. Be sure to let us know if you have any thoughts or fond memories of any of the aforementioned wonderkids by tweeting us via @5StarPod on Twitter.