My FM23 Player of the Year

 
 

by MaddFM.

How has it been a year already?! Steam tells me I am just shy of 1,000 hours of FM23 gameplay, and having had two thoroughly enjoyable long-term saves this year (Haarlem Globetrotters + Il Regionnaire), choosing a Player of the Year for this cycle will be no mean feat and considering the variance between each save, I have decided that this warrants both a Player of the Year and a Young Player of the Year award accordingly.

Young Player of the Year

Having gone through 8 seasons at HFC Haarlem in the Netherlands and considering the Dutch league is a thriving place for producing and developing young talent, there are a number of nominees who are worthy of this award including the likes of Brais Ruiz, Danilo Veiga, Zhuang Hui and a player whom I feel I was one of the first to discover in FM23 and became the inaugural player profiled for our Wonderkid Watch series, Maurice Krattenmacher, who we signed for just €800k and quite conceivably could have ended up our Player of the Year had he not moved on to Young Boys for €15m two seasons later before a €40m mega move to Bayern Munich.

That means we turn to another player who to this day I haven’t spotted in any other FM23 saves, and one whom we discovered while on a glorious scouting mission through the obscurity of the Croatian football league. His name? Well...

 

Ooohhhh, he’s Majić, you knowwww…

 

Toni Majić, the Croatian Creator. Aged just 16 at the start of the game, Majić looks reasonably promising in Dinamo Zagreb’s U19 side without hugely standing out and likely often goes under the radar in most people’s saves. One of things I do in most saves is manually scout and comb through specific clubs and leagues within select nations with Croatia being one at the top of my list, and in FM23 we were rewarded in the year 2027 when we stumbled across a 20-year-old Majić still in Croatia, wherein we agreed a loan-deal initially with a €2.9m optional fee should he prove to be as Majić as we hoped.

 
 

Majić he was. 17 league goals and 9 assists in his first season helped us to finish 6th in the league and earned him the Eredivisie Footballer of the Year award. We mainly deployed him as an Inside Forward on the left but he was as impactful as any striker and was the difference maker on several occasions not to mention rising to the occasion in big games when needed. What’s interesting in addition to his high attributes for Flair, Dribbling, First Touch and Pace is that he also has strong Composure and Off the Ball which makes him a highly effective Inside Forward either in terms of goal-creation or direct goal threat cutting inside.

 

2030 Profile - some improvement 🔥

 

Needless to say we activated his release clause and after 4 seasons Majić had racked up 32 goals and 23 assists in 87 appearances for the club, consistently scoring above a 7.2 average rating and one of the key figures in driving us to achieve back-to-back 3rd place finishes in the Eredivisie before the save ended - suffice to say he is definitely deserving of my FM23 Young Player of the Year accolade.

 
 

Player of the Year

While the Haarlem save was full of wonderkids, my Regionnaire save at AC Milan is definitely the one where my Player of the Year nomination will originate. I spent three seasons at the Rossoneri converting them to a local-only squad and transfer policy, by the end of which we won the Serie A and Coppa Italia double and this was largely down to the performances of a number of players (but one in particular as we will discuss imminently). The likes of Federico Dimarco (LWB) and Giorgio Scalvini (BPD) were outstanding throughout the save both defensively as well as contributing to our attacking output. Tomasso Pobega was a surprise star player once we moved him from DM to AMC after which he racked up 26 goals and 22 assists in just over 80 appearances, while the emergence of Cesare Casadei in our last two seasons (after we retrained him to be our main striker) also put him in with a shout as he bagged 45 goals and 13 assists in 75 appearances across all competitions.

But none of those players made as big an impact as one man in particular - a player who was the lynchpin of our tactical setup, the quarter-back of our first XI and ultimately became captain as we led Milan to Scudetto glory. That player is of course Sandro Tonali, which will be no surprise if you follow my blog, Twitter or have heard me wax lyrical about him on the 5 Star Potential podcast.

 

Tonali at the start of FM23

 

After settling on a 4-2-3-1 formation, we decided to pair a defensive Anchor (originally Bennacer, then Rovella & finally Locatelli) with a Segundo Volante on Attack duty (Tonali) knowing that FM actually recommends deploying one with the other in-game. As Tonali became more and more comfortable in the role, what we observed is that he was literally EVERYWHERE on the pitch - almost like a mixed hybrid of a Defensive Midfielder, Roaming Playmaker and CM-At all in one, whereby depending on the circumstances, Tonali would adapt to whatever was needed and seemed to morph into multiple roles throughout the 90 minutes both defensively and in attack.

Not only would see see Tonali operating in the half-spaces and making challenges in the DM strata - he also would press high, intercept and win the ball back in the opposition half as well as making surging runs into the box, from which he frequently got on the scoresheet for Milan throughout our three seasons there.

 
 

Over the course of 3 seasons Tonali contributed 22 goals and 21 assists from the Segundo Volante position which we have to remember is a Defensive Midfield role. Of course being a set-piece specialist helps; we had Tonali taking free-kicks, corners and penalties however that said, of those 22 goals scored, only 8 of these were from penalties or direct free-kicks with the rest coming from open play.

 
 

The icing on the cake? Tonali also had a few bangers in his locker which you absolutely love to see in the Football Manager match engine 🔥.

 
 

Tonali was instrumental in our double-winning third season at Milan chipping in 12 goals, 9 assists and a 7.32 average rating. During our time at Milan we added traits such “Plays One Twos” and “Tries Killer Balls Often” to his existing traits of “Dictates Tempo” and “Tries Long Range Passes”, and by the end of the save his Pace, Off the Ball, Vision, Positioning and Long Shots attributes had all improved as well as evolving from a “Hard Working Midfielder” to a “World Class Midfielder”, repeatedly attracting interest from the Premier League which is no surprise considering where he has ended up in real life. One thing is for sure - having been a wonderkid in multiple previous versions of FM down through the years, Sandro Tonali has certainly lived up to his potential and is without doubt my FM23 Player of the Year.

 

2025 Profile

 

Arrivederci Sandro - see you in FM24 👀.

Thanks for reading.

Check out the full breakdown of both Madd’s saves over at MaddFM.com where you can find all of his Football Manager content. Also, if you fancy writing about your FM23 Player of the Year, drop us a line on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM directly.

My FM23 Player of the Year

 
 

by José Rodriguez.

I spent my FM23 journey in the Swedish Arctic Circle with Kiruna FF. The goal here was to focus recruitment of Central American players and homegrown talent. When you've been with a club for ten seasons, it's natural to have a hard time choosing your favorite player. But for me, the decision was easy, it is one of our newgen forwards. A man by the name of Richard Bengtsson.

As someone who plays with attribute masking on, one of my favorite things to do at the beginning of every season is to look at all the newgen free agents, trial them and then offer contracts to anyone that looks decent. Richard Bengtsson was one of those players.

 

2023 Profile

 

He began his career as a 16-year-old in Sweden's fourth tier, Division 2 Norrland, scoring 18 goals and providing 6 assists in just 23 matches. He continued to improve every season as we climbed up the leagues, eventually breaking our all-time league scoring records and becoming the club's all-time leading scorer. He was the leader of the team, taking the Captian's armband at 20 years old.

What impressed me the most about Richard was his consistency. Even when we signed some incredible strikers, particularly in the last four seasons as we tried to compete in Europe, he always found himself back in the starting lineup. Perhaps it was my fondness for having "homegrown academy" players playing against the European elites, or maybe he was just that good.

All in all, Richard Bengtsson finished his 10th season at the club with 43 goals in 36 (5) appearances, tying fellow Kiruna academy wonderkid striker Mirsad Ziba for most goals scored in a season. He truly is an exceptional player and a testament to always trust your gut and not to be so fixated on star ratings.

 

2031 Profile

 

Career stats:

  • All-Time Appearances: 354

  • All-Time Goals: 275

  • All-Time Assists: 59

  • All-Time Rating: 7.74

  • League Appearances: 250

  • League Goals: 201

  • Leauge Assists: 43

  • League Rating: 7.60

 
 

Richard Bengtsson was the perfect example of a player who possessed all the right attributes in the right places. He may not have been a wonderkid, but he was consistent and reliable, which made him an essential player in the team. Even though he was called into the Swedish squad regularly, he never got the chance to feature in a match for the national team. Regardless, his outstanding performance at Kiruna FF made him a legend at the club and therefore he is my FM23 Player of the Year.

Thanks for reading!

What a story and what a deserving nomination for FM23 Player of the Year! If you enjoyed this be sure to drop José a follow (@YouthIntake on Twitter), you can also find all of his save adventures and FM content over at CoffeeHouseFM.com.

Fancy writing about your FM23 Player of the Year? Drop us a line on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM directly.

My FM23 Player of the Year

 
 

I haven’t had what would be deemed as a “normal” experience with Football Manager. I just recently (in FM22) won my first Champions League. I haven’t had deep, 15-20 season saves where I take a club from the bowels of their country’s league system all the way to the top. I haven’t played in a completely random country (I haven’t even touched Italy yet) and I’ve played the game for over ten actual years.

However, I have had the chance to fall in love with some truly spectacular players over the course of my saves. I do usually have a Major League Soccer save each cycle to flex my American muscles and have a few players that did well there. I have moved from there to Arsenal and managed to win a Champions League (a feat I’m still confused about to this day).

I have had, what I would deem to be, unique experiences in this game.

With FM23 coming to a close I had to figure out who stood out above the rest. I recently started an AFC Wimbledon save to see if my wits could take a fan owned club from League Two to the Premier League before the end of the cycle. While the save isn’t terribly old, one player rose above the rest and played, as I like to say, “beyond his attributes” for us throughout the save.

My FM23 Player of the Year is Zach Robinson.

 
 

When you start a new save you usually try and pinpoint right away the players you can hold onto and who can be leaned on while you get your feet wet with the environment and how building the team would go. Starting from the off with Wimbledon, Robinson doesn’t possess anything flashy about him. He’s not physically gifted, not a clinical finisher, and generally looks, on attributes, that he is a bang average striker. And he is. But for whatever reason he just clicked with this team.

 
 

However, for a team on a budget and a team that looks to value homegrown, academy based players, he plays beyond that. With 13 off the ball, and some physical aspects to his game he was so often finding himself splitting defenses and opening up chances for a team that was below the average for League Two, and early season predictions didn’t have them anywhere near the playoffs, let alone second place, which we achieved in our first season.

I also think that for those who want to play something a little more advanced, Robinson provides a unique skillset not easily securable deep down the pyramid. Also his salary, while it has progressed over time, was certainly managed early on before I was able to start generating the cash.

He’s just a good player and a good guy to hold onto. Someone that, I believe, I experienced for the first time that emotion where I could see myself buying a jersey and put his name on the back of it. Football Manager eh?

Robinson won’t score you the winner in the Champions League Final. He might not get a start or even minutes in the Championship, but where his value came in was knowing I could focus on growing other aspects of the team safe in the knowledge that at the top I had a pillar willing and able to score when we needed it the most.

Up the Dons 💪.

Brian is the ultimate FM hype man and is well worth a follow over on Twitter (@SoccerWithBrian) as we gear up for FM24 - get it done! Also if you fancy writing about your FM23 Player of the Year, drop us a line on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM directly.

My FM23 Player of the Year

 
 

by Louis Bent

Football Manager 2023 has consisted of two main saves for me, my opening one was a typical ‘climbing the ladder’ game where I began with no coaching badges and an unknown reputation at (former) National League North side AFC Telford; the other which is ongoing has been to make Edinburgh City FC the best team in Midlothian.

If you care, my Edinburgh are on the cusp of promotion to the Scottish Premiership, with fellow Lothian team Hearts set to switch places with us amidst their impending relegation. But despite this being my most enjoyable save so far, my Player of the Year comes from my first save.

Beginning at Telford I won back-to-back promotions into League Two before the sharks began to circle, Swansea City approached me and the lure of Championship football became too much for me to handle. I took the job and was almost instantly met with a player who would serve me with distinction for the remainder of my career.

Perhaps surprisingly, this player I would fall in love with operates between the sticks… that’s right - it’s a goalkeeper. Step forward my FM23 Player of the Year - Matthew Davies.

Deemed one of the top prospects in my Swansea academy when I first joined, he caught my eye from the off, with his five-star potential and was already as good as my recommended first-choice, Matthew Cox. So as the youth-encouraging manager I attempt to be, why not chuck him in at the deep end and give him a try.

I gave Davies his second-tier debut against Sunderland and not too soon after he was handed his first Welsh international cap against Armenia in the Euro Qualifiers. After a prosperous campaign in the Championship playing week in and week out, winning promotion via the play-offs, the ‘keeper was awarded the EFL Young Player of the Year award along with the ‘Golden Glove’ for the most clean sheets.

However, after keeping the Swans up in the Premier League but struggling to progress with a low budget, my head was once again turned with me opting to move to European challengers Southampton. But with my scouts giving him such a gleaming report, how could I leave poor Davies behind?

Pros

  • Is a current international with plenty of experience.

  • Performs especially well in training and continues to improve.

  • Ability to safely secure the ball in his hands during pressured situations.

  • Consistent performer.

  • Relishes big matches.

  • Good player for Premier Division sides.

Cons

Can improve short distribution.

 
 

Of course, with him having such a good recommendation, we signed him at a snip of £21.5million and we were again reunited., with him set to dominate the number one position for years to come.

Here are some of his key statistics for his first season with me at the Saints:

  • 38 league appearances

  • 43 goals conceded

  • 16 clean sheets (one away from the PL golden glove)

  • 90% pass accuracy

  • 82% of shots saved

And here he is in all his glory, my FM23 Player of the Year - Matthew Davies.

 
 

Thanks for reading,

Louis.

This is Louis’ second guest author contribution for 5 Star Potential following his excellent piece on Simplifying Player Roles in Football Manager - drop him a follow on Twitter for more of his FM content and save updates.

Fancy writing about your FM23 Player of the Year? Drop us a line on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM directly.

My FM23 Player of the Year

 
 

by Dictate The Game

You are in for a treat today as the gang from Dictate the Game each bring us their FM23 Player of the Year nominations! Enjoy 👌.

Ryan - Dane Scarlett

Where do we start then? It's been an absolute rollercoaster this year, and I have had so many different thoughts and opinions on who this player should be. I have finally decided and it's none other than Dane Scarlett.

Having started the unemployed journey with no badges, it took me until 2032 to meet the prolific striker. My online save with my friend is currently 20 seasons in and I don't think there's a player that's been as important for me. It's fair to say the memories I have with him are unrivalled, it was like a match made in heaven. Despite only managing the striker for a couple of years, no other player gave me as much joy as Dane did.

It's fair to say that his career definitely took a turn for the better when I was lucky enough to manage him at Aston Villa. He joined Villa in the 2028/29 season from Manchester United on an original loan where he scored 2 goals in 22 appearances, the deal was made permanent in the 2029/30 season for £36.5M. Before I managed him he had scored 55 senior league goals, on his debut season for me he scored 51 in the Championship.

 
 

Dane Scarlett's attributes and season stats for the 2032/33 season. A season to be remembered, where he massively helped the club get back into the Premier League. I honestly thought we'd struggle the season after, but his form remained the same. In our debut season back in the Premier League he scored 17 goals, and the season after he scored 23. That's when we departed and I went on to manage Tottenham. Although our meeting was brief, the long lasting memories were something I hadn't quite got with any other player.

 
 

Dane went on to play for Aston Villa for 9 seasons before moving to West Ham in 2037/38 and finishing his playing career at West Brom. At the age of 36 Dane decided to retire, if I had it my way he'd still be playing. Thankfully he continued his involvement in the game, and I decided to sign him whilst I was managing Wolves. He came in as an Under 18's coach, however, I fully expect his development to continue and he will go on to be a manager one day.

 
 

You can see how much he means to me, as I give him a personalised shout out in the Football Manager TikTok. In fairness, I don't think there are enough words that I could write that would match the appreciation I have for Dane Scarlett. He was not only pivotal in his own development but he very much allowed me to push on in my managerial career. Since Aston Villa, I have been lucky enough to manage Tottenham, Everton, Barcelona and most recently Villareal. What a guy.

 
 

George - Levi Colwill

What a year it has been! This has to have been one of the toughest choices I’ve made all year, which either says a lot about my personal life or that I’ve had an abundance of top tier players in this year's football manager. But after a lot of toing and froing I’ve decided on the man himself Levi Colwill.

 
 

A stalwart of my FM journey is my annual Bolton wanderers save I do at the start of every year and this year was no different. After a tough road to the premiership, I finally made it in the 27/28 season and my first signing was none other than the rock at the back Levi colwill. It was a bargain like no other picking him up for 6.5 million from the recently relegated Southampton, an absolute steal if I do say so myself.

 
 

The way I set my side up I needed a centre back that was not only physically adept but was a good dribbler to open the game up and although I only managed him for 4 seasons, the overwhelming happiness watching him make team splitting runs through the centre was unparalleled. With 7 goals in his first season he was no doubt a major reason why we survived our first season of the top flight.

An ever-present dominating presence at the back, he would go on to make 178 appearances for the whites scoring 21 goals in the process. Not only was he impressive on the field he was also a key dressing room figure being one of the three leaders that lead my side from strength to strength including a very satisfying victory over “rivals” Manchester United in which he got himself on the score sheet.

 
 

During the 2031/32 season he played a key role in getting Bolton to the champions league for the first time. Finishing 4th in the league in a season that finally got him a place in the overall best 11. We are now in the 2032/33 season as I’m writing this post where he’s one of 3 players that aren’t regens still in my starting line up, having recently gone back to this save I’m hoping I can squeeze a tiny bit more out of him before the FM23 cycle comes to an end!

 
 

Patrick - Loranzo Blasco

When I was asked to choose my player of the cycle, I knew it was going to be a difficult choice. My eight seasons at SD Compostela have been excellent, and I’ve had some really memorable players at the club in our rise to the top. Would it be Peru Ruiz, who still holds the club record for goals scored in a single season (37)? Could it be José Lara, the diminutive winger whose mazy running helped us achieve back-to-back promotions to the second division? Perhaps Tòfol Montiel, discarded by Mallorca and Fiorentina, but who found a home at Compostela and catapulted us into La Liga, reviving his career in the process?

In my end of save review, I highlighted my favourite player as Beñat Prados, who has spent seven years at the club now after joining from Bilbao. He’s played in both La Liga 2 and the Champion’s league for us, and he’s shown unwavering loyalty. But I’ve already spoken about him, and I don't think he's been my best player, just my favourite.

Instead, I've nominated an Argentinian newgen as my best player of FM23 - shock.

 
 

Lorenzo Blasco has been integral to our success. Signed for free after leaving PSM Fútbol in Argentina, he spent a season out on loan at Châteauroux and became a first team regular straight after. Four years on, and he is one of the first names on the team sheet. At one point in the 2030/31 transfer window, PSG, Man United, Bayern Munich and Tottenham were all interested in him, but none were willing to pay his £115M release clause. Their loss.

His best traits are a mix of technical ability, defensive intelligence and stamina. It makes him versatile - he started his Compostela career as a Defensive Midfielder, then tactical shifts saw him fielded as a Carrilero, and now I use him as a Mezzala on support duty. I’ve crafted him into a ‘dribbling 8’, in the mould of someone like Dominik Szoboszlai, a role he excels in. Although never a prolific goal scorer or provider, his latest season (2029/30) was his best, registering 7 goals and 7 assists, as well as making his Argentina debut.

 
 

What makes me love him even more is at 22 his best years are still ahead of him. With FM24 less than two months away, I’m not sure if I’ll get to see them before moving on to a new team, with new stars and favourites. I’ve no doubt that he’ll end up amongst the world’s best, and he deserves it. I've also no doubt that he will eventually leave for a much bigger club, making us a tidy profit in the process. For now at least, he’s a Compostela player, and a bloody good one too.

Three great nominations - if you enjoyed that, be sure to follow DictateTheGame to catch all of their Football Manager content especially with a new game just around the corner! Let us know your thoughts on these nominations in the comments below and if they are worthy of consideration - also, if you fancy writing about your FM23 Player of the Year, drop us a line on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM directly.

My FM23 Player of the Year

 
 

by @fm_throwing

During Football Manager 2023 I’ve embarked upon a few different careers, each with differing purposes and intensity. One player made himself a key part in two of those teams.

After trying to sign this player, unsuccessfully, on numerous occasions in FM22, I first found myself being lucky enough to manage him when I played a season in France’s Ligue 1. The aim of this particular save was to bring the tactical system of Will Still’s Stade de Reims alive in the virtual world.

During this season he proved his versatility as a combative midfielder, a creator and even filled in at right wingback (as performed better than the starter he filled in for). Along with the free-scoring Florian Balogun, he was my favourite player in the Reims team.

It’s little wonder then, that when I found myself back in France (hey, I love managing in Ligue 1) with Montpellier and needed a multi-faceted midfielder I knew exactly the player to make my #1 priority. Whilst in my Montpellier midfield he’s been both a ball winning midfielder and a segundo volante, notching up an average rating of 7.34 and the following statistics:

  • 78% tackles won ratio

  • 73% headers won ratio

  • 0.30 goals per 90

  • 0.15 assist per 90

  • 89% pass completion ratio

  • 7.07 progressive passes per game

Not bad for a player spending most of his time in the defensive midfield strata.

In case you hadn’t guessed, my favourite player of Football Manager 2023 is Swedish International, Jens Cajuste.

Standing at 6’2” tall, Cajuste joined Stade de Reims from FC Midtjylland for £8m.

 
 

So, all seems good. A midfielder who can play at a high level in most of the roles and can even fill in at right wingback… surely he’s got some negatives?

Let’s have a look at what the scouts say.

Pros:

  • Works really hard for the team

  • A committed player who gives his all to the cause

  • Fairly consistent performer

  • Enjoys big matches

  • Displays a fairly determined attitude

Cons:

  • Can be wayward when crossing the ball

  • Fairly susceptible to injuries

Ok, so that last one could be quite a biggie. Let’s look at his medical history:

Since a hip injury suffered in a game in July 2022, he’s had two seasons of only very light niggles. His longest absence was for 8 days due to a cold.

 
 

If you have a good medical staff and don’t go all “military boot camp” in your training sessions you should be ok.

How much?

So, how much would it take to get my Player of the Year over to your team? Well, I picked him up for £8.5m on a wage of £27,500 per week.

In my opinion, if you’re playing in one of the top 5 leagues and are looking to make the push from the bottom half or midtable towards the European places, you could do much much worse than buying Cajuste. He’s a combative midfielder who can not only help lock down the middle of the park, but also has the ability on the ball to unlock defences and provide a goal scoring threat.

He’s not even playing at his full potential yet, either!.

Oh, he can also score goals like this:

 
 

Ladies and Gentlemen, my FM23 Player of the Year… Jens Cajuste.

Thanks for reading.

You can find more of Matt (aka @fm_throwing on Twitter) over at ViewFromTheTouchline as well as some of his contributions to the Football Manager website via The Byline - top blogger and a top lad as well.

Fancy writing about your FM23 Player of the Year? Drop us a line on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM directly.

Wonderkid Watch - Antonio Nusa

 
 

by MaddFM.

A Norwegian forward tearing it up in one of Europe’s up and coming leagues - not another one? While a completely different type of player, it’s easy to see why Norwegian and Belgian football commentators are very excited about the emergence of Antonio Nusa and the thought of seeing him line up alongside Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard for Norway in the very near future, and rightly so given his impact so far this season after a breakout campaign last year.

Born in Norway of Nigerian descent, Antonio Nusa broke into the Stabaek first team at the age of 16 but his time was short-lived as Club Brugge’s ever expanding scouting network identified him and moved early to secure his signature for the club. Less than a year later, Nusa was featuring for the Club Brugge first team and became the youngest player to score on his Champions League debut in a 4-0 thrashing of FC Porto, which made him the second youngest in the tournament’s history behind Ansu Fati after he scored against Inter Milan in 2019.

 
 

This season Nusa has stormed out of the traps with two goals and two assists in just 5 games for Brugge and still only 18-years-old, which also saw him called up to the Norway senior side for the first time wherein he also scored on his debut in a 6-0 friendly win over Jordan and picked up 3 assists in two games for his national side. Two-footed but favouring to drift out wide on the left-hand side and taking on opposition full-backs either on the outside or cutting in, Nusa is direct, fast, skillful and sublime with the ball at his feet, everything you want in a winger in real life and of course, in Football Manager.

 

Nusa with a few fans..🔥🔥

 

In FM23, Nusa starts out as a highly versatile 17-year-old attacking midfielder who can play on either wing with promising all-round physical, technical and mental attributes no to mention 18 Flair and pre-programmed player traits of “Tries Tricks” and “Likes to Beat Opponent Repeatedly”. With a value of €900k - €5.2m and a contract until June 2025, Nusa is highly attainable for any top tier clubs with bags of room to rapidly grow and develop under your tutelage. We often joke that the AI can’t coach young players to save it’s life but under a human manager it’s a certainty that his ability will rapidly progress in-game; with FM24 just around the corner, it’s likely we will see a much more physically developed technical version of Nusa which in turn will likely increase big club interest in his services accordingly - time will tell, but for now get him in and say you had him first 😎.

 
 

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for reading - let us know if you have any encounters with Nusa and/or if you would like us to review any other potential wonderkids as part of our new “Adventures in Wonderkid-land” segment - drop us a line in the comments below or @5StarPod on Twitter 👌.

Wonderkid Watch - Ruben van Bommel

 
 

In 2010, the Netherlands reached the World Cup Final only to narrowly lose out to Spain courtesy of a 116th minute moment of magic from that man Andrés Iniesta which most of you readers of age will remember as being an outstanding tournament in South Africa. In the middle of the park for Netherlands that day was a man named Mark van Bommel, a combative but highly intelligent and technical ball winning midfielder who earned 79 caps for his national side as well as having an illustrious career spanning across the 90’s and 00’s wherein he featured for the likes of PSV, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.

Interestingly - the Netherlands manager at the time was a man named Bert van Marwijk who also enjoyed relatively successful spells at the likes of Feyenoord, Dortmund and various national team roles. What is interesting is that not only was van Bommel one his manager’s most relied upon and experienced players - he is also Bert van Marwijk’s son-in-law having married his daughter way back in 2001.

 

Mark van Bommel & Bert van Marwijk

 

Why is this important? Well - fast forward to the year 2023 and it’s Mark’s son (and Bert’s grandson) Ruben van Bommel who is grabbing headlines across Dutch football enthusiasts, largely due to his blistering start to the 2023/2024 season at his new club AZ Alkmaar, wherein at the time of writing he has already picked up 3 goals and an assist in just 340 minutes of first-team football.

 
 

Van Bommel originally came through the PSV academy alongside his brother Thomas before moving on to MVV Maastricht in the Dutch 2nd Tier. After impressing last season where he bagged 15 goals and 5 assists largely from the Left-Wing position, AZ Alkmaar saw an opportunity and it took them €550k for MVV to part ways with van Bommel. A naturally right-footed player who likes to cut inside from the left-flank, van Bommel is lightning quick with an innate explosiveness and athleticism on the turn, which combined with his confidence and good ball control make him very tricky for opposition defenders to handle. He rotates between being the creator and a direct goal threat throughout games, and as a result has already been capped for the Netherlands U20 side.

 

In action for Netherlands U20’s

 

In FM23 van Bommel (still at MVV) is reasonably highly rated for what is still only a 17-year-old with his 18th birthday arriving just after we start a new save in-game. Decent physical and mental attributes with promising technical ability make him a good and relatively high potential option for any mid to lower level club particularly if you are looking to bolster your underage sides and create pathways to the first team.

 
 

With FM24 on the horizon, we will likely see a rejuvenated and upgraded van Bommel at AZ Alkmaar who have a legacy of developing high quality and high potential wonderkids - in recent years they have produced and sold the likes of Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta - €14m), Tijani Reijnders (Milan - €19m), Calvin Stengs (Nice - €15m), Owen Wijndal (Ajax - €10m) and Myron Boadu (Monaco - €17m) so it’s safe to say this club has quite the pedigree in identifying and developing top talent. If van Bommel continues his early season form, that €550k transfer fee may turn out to be quite the bargain for AZ. Remember the name 👀.

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for reading - let us know if you have crossed paths with van Bommel and if you would like us to review any other potential wonderkids as part of our new “Adventures in Wonderkid-land” segment - drop us a line in the comments below or @5StarPod on Twitter 👌.

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