Football Manager 2006 Wonderkids //top\\ Jun 2026

| Player | Club at Start | Cost | Position | Why they were broken | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Anderlecht | £2.5m | DC / DM | The perfect ball-playing defender. 20 for tackling, 18 for passing. Captain material. | | Nemanja Vidić | Spartak Moscow | £7m | DC | The human wall. 20 Bravery, 20 Determination. Cheap for an elite defender. | | Sergio Agüero | Independiente | £5.5m | ST | "Kun" had 19 acceleration and 20 agility. A pest. Scored 25+ a season by age 21. | | Lukas Podolski | Köln | £6m | ST / AM LC | Left-footed cannon. 20 Long Shots, 19 Finishing. Scored from everywhere. | | Francesco Totti | Roma | £20m | AM C | Not a "kid" (29), but a cheat code. If you had money, buy Totti. He had "Shoots From Distance" and "Tries Killer Balls"—both at 20. |

In 2005, Messi had just made his senior debut for Barcelona. FM06 gave him a random potential between 170 and 200, but due to his hidden attributes (consistency, big matches), he almost always hit 200. He was the perfect "Inside Forward" before the role officially existed. The problem? Barcelona never sold him. You could offer £100 million (a king’s ransom back then), and they’d laugh. If you started as Barcelona, you had to resist the urge to play him every single game to protect his young hamstrings. football manager 2006 wonderkids

These players were either labeled as "Wonderkids" or had the highly coveted (a dynamic rating between 170–200). Lionel Messi | Player | Club at Start | Cost

Whether you're firing up a retro save or just reminiscing about the days of 2D circles on a pitch, these were the young stars you The Global Icons (The Ones They Got Right) | | Nemanja Vidić | Spartak Moscow |

He moved to Liverpool in 2007, spending a decade on Merseyside as a beloved, reliable midfield anchor before enjoying a strong spell with Lazio. The Bargain Icons: European Value Pickups

Beyond these 16, the world was your oyster. Other notable wonderkids with incredibly high potential included: (Manchester United), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht), David Silva (Valencia), Cesc Fàbregas (Arsenal), João Moutinho (Sporting CP), Giampaolo Pazzini (Fiorentina), Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), and Leandro Gioda (Lanús).