The midfield battle is where many football matches are won and lost. Good attacking midfielders are capable of unlocking opponents, while defensive midfielders can stop attacks before they even begin.
FIFA 21's new dribbling mechanics mean that the midfield battle is even more important in the game this season, and the values of high-calibre midfielders reflect that in Career Mode.
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The best midfield talent will be expensive, as seen by Chelsea spending £70 million ($91m) on Kai Havertz in real life, making him the most expensive signing of summer 2020.
Jadon Sancho remains the best young midfielder in the game, capable of playing on either flank as well as through the middle. He will cost at least £100m, meaning many teams will not be able to afford or attract him.
Players like Sancho's team-mate Jude Bellingham or Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz are cheaper wonderkid options, but will need plenty of minutes and the right kind of training to reach their potential.
Here are all the best young midfielders in FIFA 21 Career Mode, ordered by their potential rating in the game.
PO. = Position(s)
CR = Current Rating
PR = Potential Rating
VA. = Value
*Clubs listed are the clubs the players are assigned to in FIFA 21 Career Mode, while ages shown are the age at the start of Career Mode
FIFA 21: Best young midfielders
table.tableizer-table { font-size: 14px; border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } .tableizer-table td { padding: 4px; margin: 3px; border: 1px solid #CCC; } .tableizer-table th { background-color: #00A9CE; color: #FFF; font-weight: bold; }# | Name | Age | Club | PO. | CR | PR | VA. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | J Sancho | 20 | Borussia Dortmund | RM, CF, LM | 87 | 92 | £106m |
2 | P Foden | 20 | Man City | CAM, LW, CM | 83 | 92 | £71.6m |
3 | Pedri | 17 | Barcelona | CM, LM, CAM | 77 | 91 | £21.6m |
4 | E Camavinga | 17 | Rennes | CM, CDM | 78 | 89 | £26.1m |
5 | M Greenwood | 18 | Man Utd | RM, ST | 78 | 89 | £26.6m |
6 | R Gravenbach | 18 | Ajax | CM, CDM | 77 | 89 | £22.1m |
7 | F Wirtz | 17 | Bayer Leverkusen | CAM, RM | 76 | 89 | £15.3m |
8 | M Diaby | 20 | Bayer Leverkusen | LM, LW | 81 | 88 | £45.9m |
9 | B Saka | 18 | Arsenal | RM, LM, LB | 79 | 88 | £33.3m |
10 | J Bellingham | 17 | Borussia Dortmund | CM, LM, RM | 76 | 88 | £15.33m |
11 | T Kubo | 19 | Real Madrid | RM, CM, CAM | 75 | 89 | £13.1m |
12 | R Cherki | 16 | Lyon | CAM, RW | 71 | 88 | £4.2m |
13 | Y Demir | 17 | Rapid Wien | CAM, RM | 67 | 88 | £2.9m |
14 | S Tonali | 20 | AC Milan | CDM, CM | 77 | 87 | £16.7m |
15 | Ferran Torres | 20 | Man City | RM, LM, CF | 81 | 87 | £23.9m |
16 | T Almada | 19 | Velez Sarsfield | CAM, CM, LW | 73 | 87 | £7.7m |
17 | M Ihattaren | 18 | PSV | CAM, RM, CM | 77 | 87 | £12.6m |
18 | Riqui Puig | 20 | Barcelona | CM, CAM | 75 | 87 | £11.3m |
19 | A Urzi | 20 | Atletico Banfield | LM, CM, RM | 73 | 87 | £8.1m |
20 | B Kamara | 20 | Marseille | CDM, CB | 79 | 87 | £15.3m |
21 | D Szoboszlai | 19 | Red Bull Salzburg | CAM, LM | 75 | 87 | £10.4m |
22 | M Caqueret | 20 | Lyon | CM, CDM | 75 | 87 | £10.8m |
23 | A Hlozek | 17 | Sparta Praha | RM, ST, LM | 74 | 87 | £8.6m |
24 | F Pellestri | 18 | Penarol | RM, RW | 71 | 87 | £4.4m |
25 | G Reyna | 17 | Borussia Dortmund | LM, CAM | 68 | 87 | £1.7m |
26 | D McNeil | 20 | Burnley | LM | 78 | 86 | £14m |
27 | N Zaniolo | 20 | Roma | CAM, RM | 76 | 86 | £11.3m |
28 | Florentino | 20 | Benfica | CDM, CM | 76 | 86 | £10.4m |
29 | R Sessegnon | 20 | Spurs | LM, LW, LB | 75 | 86 | £10.4m |
30 | Tete | 20 | Shakhtar Donetsk | RM, CAM | 75 | 86 | £10.4m |
31 | Gustavo Assuncao | 20 | Familiaco | CDM | 74 | 86 | £8.6m |
32 | M Solomon | 20 | Shakhtar Donetsk | RM, LM, CAM | 73 | 86 | £6.8m |
33 | G Tsitaishvili | 19 | Dynamo Kyiv | RM, LM | 72 | 86 | £5.9m |
34 | B Gilmour | 19 | Chelsea | CM, CAM | 71 | 86 | £4.5m |
35 | N Madueke | 18 | PSV | RM, ST | 70 | 86 | £3.3m |
36 | D Caciedo | 20 | Deportivo Cali | RM | 68 | 86 | £1.8m |
37 | A Vranckx | 17 | Mechelen | CM, CDM | 66 | 86 | £1.2m |
38 | O Kokcu | 19 | Feyenoord | CAM, CM | 75 | 85 | £9.5m |
39 | M Kudus | 19 | Ajax | CAM, CM | 75 | 85 | £9.5m |
40 | Paulinho | 19 | Bayer Leverkusen | CAM, RM | 74 | 85 | £8.6m |
41 | Romario Baro | 20 | Porto | RM, CAM | 73 | 85 | £6.3m |
42 | Marcos Antonio | 20 | Shakhtar Donetsk | CM | 72 | 85 | £5.4m |
43 | Y Verscharen | 18 | Anderlecht | CAM, RW, LW | 72 | 85 | £5m |
44 | M Longstaff | 20 | Newcastle | CM, CDM | 72 | 85 | £5.4m |
45 | J Willock | 20 | Arsenal | CAM, CM | 71 | 85 | £4.5m |
46 | H Traore | 20 | Sassuolo | CAM, CM | 71 | 85 | £4.5m |
47 | R Matondo | 19 | Schalke | LM, ST, RM | 70 | 85 | £3.4m |
48 | E Smith Rowe | 19 | Arsenal | CAM, RM, RW | 69 | 85 | £2.1m |
49 | M Daramy | 18 | Kobenhavn | RM, ST, LM | 67 | 85 | £1.4m |
50 | X Simons | 17 | PSG | CM | 65 | 85 | £990k |