The defensive midfielder is the balance of any team. On this page you will find the young defensive midfielders with the most potential in Football Manager 2027 (FM27), all under 23.
Winning the ball back, shielding the defence and starting the build-up: these wonderkids have everything it takes to become the anchor of your midfield for many seasons.
The highlights
At the top of this list are Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City, Morocco), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain, Portugal) and Noah Sadiki (Sunderland, DR Congo). In total there are 101 defensive midfielders under 23, ranked from highest to lowest potential.
How to use the list
Use the filters above the table to search by name, club, nationality, position or age, and tap any column title to sort. The stars show each player’s potential, from 3 stars (good potential) to 5 stars (future world star), in quarter-star steps.
List of FM27 wonderkid defensive midfielders
| # | Player | Pos. | Age | Potential | Nationality | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayyoub Bouaddi | DM | 19 | Morocco | Manchester City | |
| 2 | João Neves | DM | 22 | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain | |
| 3 | Noah Sadiki | DM | 21 | DR Congo | Sunderland | |
| 4 | Lamine Camara | DM | 22 | Senegal | AS Monaco | |
| 5 | Yehor Yarmoliuk | DM | 22 | Ukraine | Brentford | |
| 6 | Carlos Baleba | DM | 22 | Cameroon | Manchester United | |
| 7 | Chema Andrés | DM | 21 | Spain | Brighton & Hove Albion | |
| 8 | Kennet Eichhorn | DM | 17 | Germany | Bayer 04 Leverkusen | |
| 9 | Ngal’Ayel Mukau | DM | 21 | DR Congo | LOSC | |
| 10 | Gabriel Moscardo | DM | 21 | Brazil | Espanyol | |
| 11 | Shea Charles | DM | 22 | Northern Ireland | Fulham | |
| 12 | Dário Essugo | DM | 21 | Portugal | RC Strasbourg Alsace | |
| 13 | Stefan Džodić | DM | 21 | Serbia | Almería | |
| 14 | Ezechiel Banzuzi | DM | 21 | DR Congo | RB Leipzig | |
| 15 | Mario Martín | DM | 22 | Spain | Getafe | |
| 16 | Caleb Yirenkyi | DM | 20 | Ghana | Coventry City | |
| 17 | Matvey Kislyak | DM | 21 | Russia | CSKA Moscow | |
| 18 | Matteo Prati | DM | 22 | Italy | R. Santander | |
| 19 | Amadou Koné | DM | 21 | Ivory Coast | Neom S.C. | |
| 20 | Noël Aséko | DM | 20 | Germany | Eintracht Frankfurt | |
| 21 | Valentin Atangana | DM | 21 | France | Al Ahli | |
| 22 | Andrija Bulatović | DM | 19 | Montenegro | RC Lens | |
| 23 | Jorge Cestero | DM | 20 | Spain | R. Madrid B | |
| 24 | Reggie Watson | DM | 16 | England | Chelsea | |
| 25 | Luca Weinhandl | DM | 17 | Austria | Sportklub Sturm Graz | |
| 26 | Djibril Coulibaly | DM | 17 | France | OGC Nice | |
| 27 | Junior Mandza | DM | 17 | France | OGC Nice | |
| 28 | Omar Abdelrahim | DM | 17 | Egypt | Al-Ahly Sporting Club | |
| 29 | David Moses | DM | 22 | Nigeria | SK Slavia Praha | |
| 30 | Demir Ege Tıknaz | DM | 22 | Turkey | Sporting Clube de Braga | |
| 31 | Tobias Moi | DM | 20 | Norway | Viking FK | |
| 32 | Soumaïla Diabaté | DM | 21 | Mali | Fussballclub RB Salzburg | |
| 33 | Hamzat Ojediran | DM | 22 | Nigeria | Colorado Rapids | |
| 34 | Anthony Dennis | DM | 22 | Nigeria | Al-Jazira | |
| 35 | Obed Vargas | DM | 21 | Mexico | A. Madrid | |
| 36 | Silas Andersen | DM | 22 | Denmark | Sporting Clube de Portugal | |
| 37 | Lesley Ugochukwu | DM | 22 | France | Galatasaray A.Ş. | |
| 38 | Lorenzo Scipioni | DM | 21 | Argentina | Olympiacos SF Piraeus | |
| 39 | Rafel Bauzà | DM | 21 | Spain | Espanyol | |
| 40 | Gomolemo Kekana | DM | 20 | South Africa | Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club | |
| 41 | Mikel Amondarain | DM | 21 | Argentina | Bologna FC 1909 | |
| 42 | Aljoscha Kemlein | DM | 22 | Germany | 1. FC Union Berlin | |
| 43 | Jhon Solís | DM | 22 | Colombia | Birmingham City | |
| 44 | Fodé Sylla | DM | 20 | France | FC Sion | |
| 45 | Alex Opoku Sarfo | DM | 21 | Ghana | Aris Limassol | |
| 46 | Santiago Castañeda | DM | 21 | United States | SC Paderborn 07 | |
| 47 | Tomy Carbonell | DM | 21 | Spain | Real San Sebastián B | |
| 48 | Lamare Bogarde | DM | 22 | Netherlands | Aston Villa | |
| 49 | Simon Ebonog | DM | 22 | Cameroon | Havre AC | |
| 50 | Cauan Barros | DM | 22 | Brazil | Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama SAF | |
| 51 | Oumar Ngom | DM | 22 | Mauritania | Unione Sportiva Lecce | |
| 52 | Eddy Doué | DM | 20 | Ivory Coast | Club Football Estrela da Amadora SAD | |
| 53 | Jules Ahoka | DM | 20 | DR Congo | Sunderland | |
| 54 | Aladji Bamba | DM | 20 | France | Newcastle United | |
| 55 | Derek Mazou-Sacko | DM | 22 | France | Millwall | |
| 56 | Luca Regiardo | DM | 19 | Argentina | Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys | |
| 57 | Yunus Emre Konak | DM | 20 | Turkey | Lincoln City | |
| 58 | Tommy Marqués | DM | 19 | Spain | Sporting Clube de Braga | |
| 59 | Halam Loboa | DM | 20 | Colombia | El Equipo del Pueblo S.A. | |
| 60 | Lass Kourouma | DM | 22 | Guinea | Girona | |
| 61 | Mirza Ćatović | DM | 19 | Germany | Barcelona B | |
| 62 | David Ozoh | DM | 21 | England | Derby County | |
| 63 | Enoch Mastoras | DM | 20 | Netherlands | AZ Alkmaar | |
| 64 | Daniel Kelly | DM | 21 | Scotland | Millwall | |
| 65 | Maxi Oyedele | DM | 21 | Poland | RC Strasbourg Alsace | |
| 66 | Ousmane Diabaté | DM | 19 | Guinea | Gençlerbirliği | |
| 67 | Ridwan Popoola | DM | 19 | United Arab Emirates | Al-Wasl | |
| 68 | Nejc Viher | DM | 18 | Slovenia | NK Maribor | |
| 69 | Daniel Daga | DM | 19 | Nigeria | Molde FK | |
| 70 | Lucas Rodrigues | DM | 18 | Brazil | Goiás Esporte Clube | |
| 71 | Tiago Silva | DM | 19 | Portugal | FC Porto B | |
| 72 | Luis Otávio | DM | 19 | Brazil | Orlando City SC | |
| 73 | Landon Emenalo | DM | 18 | England | Celtic | |
| 74 | Aaron Mayol | DM | 18 | Spain | Valencia B | |
| 75 | Rafael Quintas | DM | 18 | Portugal | Sport Lisboa e Benfica B | |
| 76 | Mussa Kaba | DM | 17 | Germany | Borussia Dortmund | |
| 77 | Carlos Díez | DM | 19 | Spain | R. Madrid C | |
| 78 | Ederson Castillo | DM | 17 | Ecuador | Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito | |
| 79 | Luke Fahrenhorst | DM | 18 | Germany | Borussia Dortmund | |
| 80 | Believe Munongo | DM | 16 | France | FC Metz | |
| 81 | Sam Alabi | DM | 17 | England | Newcastle United | |
| 82 | Seth Ridgeon | DM | 18 | England | Fulham | |
| 83 | Ezekiel Alledji | DM | 16 | France | FC Nantes | |
| 84 | David Eze | DM | 16 | England | Manchester United | |
| 85 | Sandro Gambôa | DM | 17 | Portugal | Sporting Clube de Portugal | |
| 86 | Billy-Paul Mavudia | DM | 17 | France | Olympique Lyonnais | |
| 87 | Isaac Badu | DM | 16 | Portugal | Chelsea | |
| 88 | Leon Westin | DM | 17 | Sweden | R. Madrid C | |
| 89 | Karim Cassim | DM | 17 | England | Manchester United | |
| 90 | Jerome Abbey | DM | 17 | England | Wolverhampton Wanderers | |
| 91 | Luís Silva | DM | 16 | Portugal | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | |
| 92 | Victor Bastianele | DM | 16 | Portugal | Sporting Clube de Portugal | |
| 93 | Gnangoro Bouare | DM | 22 | Spain | Vallecano | |
| 94 | Arthur Piedfort | DM | 21 | Belgium | AJ Auxerre | |
| 95 | Mattes Hansen | DM | 22 | Germany | SC Paderborn 07 | |
| 96 | Mathias Delorge | DM | 22 | Belgium | KAA Gent | |
| 97 | Rabby Nzingoula | DM | 20 | France | West Bromwich Albion | |
| 98 | Matteo Francesconi | DM | 22 | Italy | Cesena Football Club | |
| 99 | Faton Ademi | DM | 20 | Kosovo | SpVgg Greuther Fürth | |
| 100 | Kamiel Van De Perre | DM | 22 | Belgium | Royale Union Saint-Gilloise | |
| 101 | Karlen Hovhannisyan | DM | 21 | Armenia | Akron Togliatti |
Potential: from 3 stars (good potential) to 5 stars (future world star), in quarter-star steps. Tap a column title to sort.
Keep exploring
Next position: FM27 Wonderkids: the best young central midfielders. See also the Top 50 FM27 wonderkids and the best young Portuguese players.
