FIFA 22 Hidden Gems: Top Lower League Gems to Sign in Career Mode

Want to buy-low and sell-high, or perhaps just develop a hidden gem into a star player? These are FIFA 22’s lower league hidden gems that you should sign.

Author:

Ben Chopping

Started off as a sports writer with a focus on football, ice hockey, boxing, and American football. After leaving RealSport, I diversified my writing substantially, kept with sport, but also leaned much more heavily into pop culture, iGaming, travel, business, tech, and especially gaming. Later, I co-founded Outsider Gaming, was the primary writer and editor-in-chief, and helped to train and bring on the writing talents who also had a passion for gaming. Now, I’m writing everything and anything, from sports to gaming, SEO-optimised content to reviews and previews.

Published on: Sep 30, 2021 | Updated on: Aug 11, 2023

Contents

1 Maarten Vandevoordt (72 OVR – 87 POT)
2 Jurriën Timber (75 OVR – 86 POT)
3 Fabio Carvalho (67 OVR – 86 POT)
4 Benjamin Šeško (68 OVR – 86 POT)
5 Leonidas Stergiou (67 OVR – 86 POT)
6 Gonçalo Ramos (72 OVR – 86 POT)
7 Francisco Conceição (70 OVR – 86 POT)
8 All of the best lower league hidden gems on FIFA 22

While FIFA 22 is loaded with great young players and wonderkids, many are already well-known, entering Career Mode with high valuations and often extortionate transfer demands.

Still, you don’t always have to pay a hefty sum to land one of the best young players in the game. By targeting relatively unknown or unproven players from lower leagues, you can save yourself a lot of money and still add a wonderkid to your squad.

Here, you’ll find all of FIFA 22’s lower league gems that are both high in potential and relatively cheap to sign.

Advantages of buying lower league hidden gems

As the lower league gems of FIFA 22 haven’t been snapped up by the big clubs yet, their values remain relatively low, with their clubs – that are often operating on lower budgets – being more likely to accept lower transfer offers.

Importantly, as FIFA’s rating system is greatly influenced by the need to give the players of top clubs high ratings to produce results akin to real life matches, those already at the top clubs tend to have higher overall ratings and valuations.

At lower league clubs, the overall values tend to stay low, but the potential ratings can still be high. Below, you’ll find those lower league gems, with each of them being 21-years-old at the most, boasting a potential rating of at least 85, and a value of around £10 million at the most.

Maarten Vandevoordt (72 OVR – 87 POT)

FIFA 22 top lower league gem to sign Maarten Vandevoordt

Team: KRC Genk
Age: 19
Value: £4.2 million
Wage: £3,100
Best Attributes: 74 GK Diving, 73 GK Reflexes, 71 Reactions

Coming in with an 87 potential rating and a mere £4.2 million valuation, Maarten Vandevoordt is FIFA 22’s best lower league gem to sign in Career Mode.

Standing 6’3’’, the 19-year-old young FIFA 22 GK is already a decent option in net for non-elite clubs – or if you have a rock-solid defence – with his 72 overall rating, 74 diving, 73 reflexes, and 71 reactions being serviceable already.

Playing in the Jupiler Pro League, Vandevoordt is already KRC Genk’s first-choice goalie. By his 40^th game for the Belgian club, the wonderkid netminder had already sealed ten clean sheets.

Jurriën Timber (75 OVR – 86 POT)

FIFA 22 top lower league gem to sign Jurriën Timber

Team: Ajax
Age: 20
Value: £10 million
Wage: £8,500
Best Attributes: 86 Sprint Speed, 82 Jumping, 80 Acceleration

While he tips the scales with his £10 million valuation, Jurriën Timber still manages to come in as a lower league gem of a FIFA 22 CB, boasting an 86 potential rating.

The most tantalising aspect of the Dutchman is that he’s got incredible speed while being a centre back. At 20-years-old, Timber already has 86 sprint speed and 80 acceleration, which will only grow as he develops towards his lofty potential.

Ajax never struggle for young talents, and Timber looks to have the makings of the next world-class defender to come out of the Amsterdam club’s youth system.

Fabio Carvalho (67 OVR – 86 POT)

FIFA 22 top lower league gem to sign Fabio Carvalho

Team: Fulham
Age: 18
Value: £2.2 million
Wage: £5,100
Best Attributes: 85 Balance, 79 Agility, 77 Acceleration

Fabio Carvalho offers one of the most cost-effective ways of getting a top-class wonderkid; Fulham’s attacking midfielder has an 86 potential rating but a valuation of just £2.2 million.

As an 18-year-old with a 67 overall rating, the Englishman doesn’t have too many overly impressive attribute ratings just yet, but his 77 acceleration, 73 sprint speed, and 71 ball control do already come in use.

The Torres Vedras-born wonderkid became a go-to starter for Fulham this season, scoring three goals in the first five Championship games, only to be derailed by a toe injury.

Benjamin Šeško (68 OVR – 86 POT)

FIFA 22 top lower league gem to sign Benjamin Šeško

Team: Red Bull Salzburg
Age: 18
Value: £2.6 million
Wage: £3,900
Best Attributes: 80 Strength, 73 Sprint Speed, 73 Jumping

Standing 6’4’’, Benjamin Šeško certainly doesn’t have the presence of a top young player in FIFA 22, and yet he’s only 18-years-old, has a potential rating of 86, and is only valued at £2.6 million.

Set to be a high-powered target man in the future, the Slovenian wonderkid can already be a menace in the box. His 80 strength, 73 jumping, and 71 heading accuracy make him an aerial threat, while his 73 sprint speed, 69 acceleration, and 69 finishing make him fairly dangerous on the ground.

The FIFA 22 striker from Radece spent most of last season out on-loan to FC Liefering in the second tier of Austrian football, scoring 21 goals in 29 games. This season, he’s stayed with RB Salzburg, netting seven times in his first 15 games of the season.

Leonidas Stergiou (67 OVR – 86 POT)

FIFA 22 top lower league gem to sign Leonidas Stergiou

Team: FC St. Gallen
Age: 19
Value: £2.1 million
Wage: £1,700
Best Attributes: 86 Jumping, 74 Strength, 71 Stamina

Leonidas Stergiou has been a solid option for the last couple of seasons with FC St. Gallen, which has cemented him in as a top CB wonderkid with an 86 potential, as well as a lower league gem with a £2.1 million valuation.

The Swiss defender’s 86 jumping, 74 strength, and 70 defensive awareness already make him quite the presence along the backline. However, he’ll need time to develop his rather lowly 67 overall rating.

A part of each of Switzerland’s youth teams, Stergiou also has a great deal of experience in top-flight football. Already, the Wattwil-native has played over 90 games for FC St. Gallen.

Gonçalo Ramos (72 OVR – 86 POT)

FIFA 22 top lower league gem to sign Gonçalo Ramos

Team: SL Benfica
Age: 20
Value: £4.9 million
Wage: £6,800
Best Attributes: 87 Stamina, 85 Strength, 83 Acceleration

Gonçalo Ramos offers a novel mix of having several superb attribute ratings, only being 20-years-old, and having a very low valuation compared to his current and potential rating – making him an excellent lower league gem to target in Career Mode.

The centre forward wonderkid is already a 72-overall player, with an 86 potential rating. What’s most impressive, however, is that for his £4.9 million value, Ramos boasts 87 stamina, 85 strength, 83 acceleration, 82 jumping, 80 sprint speed, and 73 finishing.

Born in Lisboa, Ramos made his league debut for SL Benfica in July 2020. Since then, he’s scored six times and teed up two more by his 22^nd game, set to remain a key piece of the first team throughout this campaign.

Francisco Conceição (70 OVR – 86 POT)

FIFA 22 top lower league gem to sign Francisco Conceição

Team: FC Porto
Age: 18
Value: £3.5 million
Wage: £2,200
Best Attributes: 85 Balance, 81 Acceleration, 78 Dribbling

Very much a hidden gem and a top lower league gem to sign in Career Mode, Francisco Conceiçãois valued at just £3.5 million despite his 86 potential and stack of highly-rated attributes.

Standing 5’7’’, this crafty Portuguese winger starts FIFA 22 with 81 acceleration, 78 dribbling, 75 sprint speed, and 76 ball control. Given his 70 overall, it’d be easy to overlook the RM, but Conceição is certainly not one to overlook.

In the second half of last season, Conceição started to emerge into FC Porto’s first-team ranks, coming on as a regular substitute in the league. This season, the teenager has continued to be deployed in this way, getting valuable minutes to develop the raw talent further.

All of the best lower league hidden gems on FIFA 22

In the table below, you can find all of the lower league gems with the highest potential and low valuations, sorted by their potential ratings.

Player	Overall	Potential	Age	Position	Value	Team
Maarten Vandevoordt	72	87	19	GK	£4.2 million	KRC Genk
Jurriën Timber	75	86	20	CB	£10 million	Ajax
Fabio Carvalho	67	86	18	CAM	£2.2 million	Fulham
Benjamin Šeško	68	86	18	ST	£2.6 million	RB Salzburg
Leonidas Stergiou	67	86	19	CB	£2.1 million	FC St. Gallen
Gonçalo Ramos	72	86	20	CF	£4.9 million	SL Benfica
Francisco Conceição	70	86	18	RM	£3.5 million	FC Porto
Santiago Giménez	71	86	20	ST, CF, CAM	£4 million	Cruz Azul
Thiago Almada	74	86	20	CAM, LW, RW	£9 million	Vélez Sarsfield
Pedro de la Vega	74	86	20	RM, RW, LW	£9 million	Club Atlético Lanús
Devyne Rensch	73	85	18	RB	£6 million	Ajax
Jayden Bogle	74	85	20	RB, RWB	£8 million	Sheffield United
Talles Magno	67	85	19	LM	£2.2 million	New York City FC
Kacper Kozłowski	68	85	17	CAM	£2.5 million	Pogoń Szczecin
Karim Adeyemi	71	85	19	ST	£3.9 million	RB Salzburg
Diogo Costa	73	85	21	GK	£5.6 million	FC Porto
Fábio Vieira	72	85	21	CAM	£5 million	FC Porto
Stipe Biuk	68	85	18	LM	£2.5 million	Hajduk Split
Octavian Popescu	70	85	18	RW, LW	£3 million	FCSB
Marcos Antonio	73	85	21	CDM, CM, CAM	£6.5 million	Shakhtar Donetsk
Alan Velasco	73	85	18	LM, LW, CAM, ST	£6 million	Club Atlético Independiente
Lautaro Morales	72	85	21	GK	£4 million	Club Atlético Lanús