It’s not often that EA Sports treats us to a new football game that actually improves the Career Mode experience, but this year is one of those times. EA Sports FC 26 introduced the Authentic gameplay mode for better single-player experiences, and amidst the massive changes to how games play out is the fact that you can’t just rely on pace to get past defenders.
To help you build a balanced team in your FC26 career, I put together a list of the ten best players with insane potential so you can sign them early, and sprinkled in some recommendations on what to focus their training on. That way, you don’t end up with a one-trick pony with high overall. And well, if you do, at least you’ll make a profit from the sale, so not everything is lost.
For academic purposes, insane potential here is defined as how much they can grow from their initial overall rating, because if I needed someone to tell me to sign Yamal, I’d ask yer da.
FC 26 uses a dynamic potential system, so take the values here as a ballpark. Depending on how much playing time you give them and their performance, it’s possible to exceed or squander the potential.
10 Joane Gadou
66 OVR, 85 Potential (+19)
|
Position |
CB |
|---|---|
|
Age |
18 |
|
Club |
RB Salzburg |
With headers being back on the menu, you need a big guy who can dominate the box and keep those crosses away. Let me introduce you to Joane Gadou, starting center-back for Red Bull Salzburg.
Gadou towers at 195cm, and matches that with good jumping, strength, and speed stats. His 68 rating on standing tackles is workable if you have a more experienced, technical player next to him.
There’s no harm in leaving Gadou on a Balanced development plan, but you can get the most out of him by training him as a Ball-Playing Defender. He has decent passing stats for a young center-back, and the Long Ball playstyle will come in handy here.
9 Tygo Land
68 OVR, 86 Potential (+18)
|
Position |
CM |
|---|---|
|
Age |
19 |
|
Club |
PSV (on loan at Groningen) |
The Netherlands has a reputation for raising strong technical players, and Land is a testament to that. The diminutive midfielder is a talented playmaker who is ready for big league football right from the start, provided you have someone to cover for him.
Land’s passing, dribbling, and movement skills are in the mid-70s by the start of the season, and his Press Provent and Tiki-Taka playstyles make him the ideal deep playmaker to move the ball forward.
However, all that resistance to pressing won’t matter much if he gets outmuscled before even controlling the ball. At 38 strength, Land needs development plans that boost this stat to at least 60 before moving to a more balanced profile.
8 Pablo García
68 OVR, 87 Potential (+19)
|
Position |
RM |
|---|---|
|
Age |
18 |
|
Club |
Real Betis |
It’s time to acknowledge the most versatile and talented Betis player—after benevolent god Antony, that is. Pablo García is an all-rounder offensive player who can do a job wide or up top, so long as you have a good midfield to feed him.
García is naturally quick and aggressive, but he also has decent technical skills for his age. Given enough playing time, he quickly becomes a fearsome forward who can create chances but also finish them himself as needed.
Although he’s nominally a winger, you can get a lot out of García by retraining him as a striker if your system fits that better. His aggression makes up for his light build until he develops further.
7 Jorthy Mokio
70 OVR, 89 Potential (+19)
|
Position |
CDM |
|---|---|
|
Age |
17 |
|
Club |
Ajax |
Although Ajax has had a nightmare couple of years, fans might find some solace in having one of the most exciting midfield talents in Europe today. Mokio has rightfully earned a starting spot at Ajax since entering the scene last season.
There’s not much to fault here—Mokio is good at defending, strong physically, but also packs strong passing stats, so he can free up other midfielders to push forward while handing the distribution himself.
Leave the kid to develop naturally, or convert him to a central midfielder if you play without defensive ones. If you need a more creative player to place next to him, you’ll like the next guy on this list.
6 Alejandro Granados
65 OVR, 85 Potential (+20)
|
Position |
CM |
|---|---|
|
Age |
19 |
|
Club |
Club Brugge |
This year’s gameplay changes have put extra emphasis on a balanced midfield that can keep possession and cut through the opponent’s defensive lines. If you’re looking for a Pjanić on a budget, Granados is your guy.
The young Spaniard comes with strong passing stats right off the bat, so you can throw him into the first team immediately if you fancy that. He’s also good with the ball on his feet, and packs a decent long shot too.
Though you could move Granados up as an attacking midfielder, he’s best paired up with a workhorse central midfielder that can do the wetwork while he brings the magic as a playmaker. A Balanced training plan serves Granados just fine, thanks to his good baseline stats.
5 Rio Ngumoha
68 OVR, 88 Potential (+20)
|
Position |
LM |
|---|---|
|
Age |
16 |
|
Club |
Liverpool |
When I was 16, I was busy burning a hole in Final Fantasy discs. If you take a look at his stats, you’ll see that Ngumoha felt his teenage years were better spent becoming a human rocket.
Despite not being old enough to drink or drive, the Liverpool youngster is already one of the quickest players in the whole game, but he doesn’t use that as a crutch. Ngumoha is also a talented dribbler who can put in a good cross and finish attacks.
How you go about this depends on your tactical needs. If you need a winger, leave the kid on Balanced and go to town. However, his good Attacking Position and Finishing make him a prime candidate for retraining as a striker. Pair him up with a big man and you’re golden.
4 Diego León
64 OVR, 85 Potential (+21)
|
Position |
LB |
|---|---|
|
Age |
18 |
|
Club |
Manchester United |
This Paraguayan defender has to suffer a fate worse than death: playing for Manchester United this year. You can spare him the horrors with a transfer.
Diego León is your classic South American attacking left-back, comfortable pushing forward from the backline and playing further up in three-in-the-back systems.
The only problem is that you need to shape him into something other than a rocket. His physical stats are strong from the get-go, but if you want to have a functional player within a season or two, choose development programs that focus on his passing and defending.
3 Justin Lerma
64 OVR, 85 Potential (+21)
|
Position |
LM |
|---|---|
|
Age |
17 |
|
Club |
Independiente del Valle |
Nothing says ‘European football giant’ like raiding the ranks of South American teams for underpriced talent. Justin Lerma is just the target for that.
Though nominally a winger, Lerma can play down the middle as well, and has decent standing tackle, interception, and long ball stats, should you want to play him as a central mid. This versatility ranks him above León.
The main choice you need to make here is where you want him to play. If you need a winger, it’s safe to leave him on Balanced. Otherwise, don’t waste time putting him on a Position change.
2 Lennart Karl
63 OVR, 86 Potential (+23)
|
Position |
CAM |
|---|---|
|
Age |
17 |
|
Club |
Bayern München |
No other player in FC26 will get you as far as Bayern’s Lennart Karl, whose overall rating skyrockets with time. Despite having a low starting value, his stats are actually rather passable for a youngster.
Karl has insane balance and agility stats, backed up by good initial shooting and crossing. He can play as an attacking, central, or wide midfielder, so pick your ideal position for him early to get the most out of him.
As with all things in life, Karl is not perfect. His technical prowess is offset by abysmal strength, which basically forces you to put him on a development plan that improves that to a workable level. If you don’t, he’ll get eaten alive by defenders, and that’s enough to lose the top spot on this list.
1 Francesco Camarda
65 OVR, 87 Potential (+22)
|
Position |
ST |
|---|---|
|
Age |
17 |
|
Club |
Milan (on loan at Lecce) |
Close enough, welcome back, Pippo Inzaghi. Italy’s hopes and dreams of remaining a relevant national team hinge on having a quality striker, and this is your guy.
Camarda is an extremely balanced #9, with mid-to-high 60s stats on all relevant fields for the position. His standout stat is 76 on penalties, which is good to have if your team is short on takers.
It would be a crime to have Camarda on anything other than a Balanced development plan. With enough playing time, this is an elite striker who can hold his own alone or pair up with someone else to dominate the final third.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
