FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young Goalkeepers (GK) to sign in Career Mode

Finding the right goalkeeper is a must for any team, with a reliable shot-stopper being a key part of any successful side. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done, with several promising goalkeepers having failed to make the grade over the years.

Buying a young keeper with significant scope for improvement is one possible answer to solving goalkeeping issues in Career Mode, but it can be costly.

Here, we’ve found all of the best wonderkid keepers, with each GK having a high potential rating to grow into in FIFA 21.

Choosing FIFA 21 Career Mode’s best wonderkid goalkeepers (GK)

In the main body of this article, we feature the five goalkeepers aged 21 or under with the highest potential overall rating, including those currently on-loan. For a full list of all of the best wonderkid goalkeepers (GK) in FIFA 21’s Career Mode, please look at the table towards the end of the page.

Gianluigi Donnarumma (OVR 85 – POT 92)

Team: AC Milan
Best Position: GK
Age: 21
Overall/Potential: 85 OVR / 92 POT
Value: £84M
Wage: £30.5K a week
Best Attributes: 89 GK Reflexes, 89 GK Diving, 83 GK Positioning

The keeper with the highest potential rating, as well as the highest overall rating, is AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian keeper has been a member of the first-team in Milan since 2015 and has racked up over 200 appearances in all competitions since making his debut during the 2015/16 season.

Donnarumma had a solid 2019/20 campaign, keeping 13 clean sheets despite I Rossoneri finishing a disappointing sixth in Serie A. In what was surely a personal highlight for the young goalkeeper, Donnarumma was handed the captain’s armband for the final three games of last season.

The Italian’s 85 OVR should ensure that he is ready to take up the starting job for just about any side in the world, while there is still scope for him to improve by as much as seven rating points.

His 89 goalkeeper reflexes, 89 goalkeeper diving, and 83 goalkeeper positioning forge a stellar base to start his development. However, Donnarumma’s hefty value will make doing business with Milan difficult. Equally, however, he starts FIFA 21 with just one year left on his contract, so an early move for him could well pay dividends.

Luís Maximiano (OVR 78 – POT 88)

Team: Sporting CP
Best Position: GK
Age: 21
Overall/Potential: 78 OVR / 88 POT
Value: £24.5M
Wage: £6.6K a week
Best Attributes: 79 GK Reflexes, 79 GK Diving, 76 GK Positioning

Those who don’t watch much football outside of Europe’s top five leagues may have overlooked a hidden gem in Sporting CP shot-stopper Luis Maximiano. The Portuguese under-21 international spent the first part of last season deputising for Renan Ribeiro before making his debut against Gil Vicente.

Maximiano went on to make 23 Liga NOS appearances, notching 12 victories and ten clean sheets in the process. However, with the signing of Adrian Adan from Atlético Madrid, Maximiano could once again find himself struggling for game time in Lisbon.

The Celeirós-native has solid ratings between the sticks, with the highlights being his 79 goalkeeper reflexes, 79 goalkeeper diving, and 76 goalkeeper positioning.

If you sign Maximiano, he could prove himself to be the long-time number one GK for your team. His low wage also makes him an attractive proposition, although, Sporting’s transfer demands will likely be high.

Andriy Lunin (OVR 75 – POT 87)

Team: Real Madrid
Best Position: GK
Age: 21
Overall/Potential: 75 OVR / 87 POT
Value (Release Clause): £11M (£24.7M)
Wage: £44.5K a week
Best Attributes: 77 GK Reflexes, 75 GK Positioning, 74 GK Kicking

Andriy Lunin is widely considered to be the natural successor to Real Madrid’s current first-choice, Thibaut Courtois. The Ukrainian joined Los Blancos in 2018 after a strong season with Zorya Lugansk and has since spent time on-loan at three Spanish clubs.

The most recent of those loan spells came at Real Oviedo in La Liga2, with Lunin making 20 appearances for the Asturias side, conceding 20 goals and keeping six clean sheets.

With Lunin set to remain the second choice behind Courtois for the foreseeable future, it might be the perfect time to swoop for the Ukrainian.

His 77 goalkeeper reflexes, 75 goalkeeper positioning, and 74 goalkeeper kicking illustrate that Lunin has a strong all-round game. Better still, his release clause is also modest for a player with such high potential, but his wage demands could make a deal difficult.

Maarten Vandevoordt (OVR 68 – POT 87)

Team: KRC Genk
Best Position: GK
Age: 18
Overall/Potential: 68 OVR / 87 POT
Value: £2.4M
Wage: £500 a week
Best Attributes: 72 GK Diving, 71 GK Reflexes, 67 GK Handling

You may remember seeing Maarten Vandevoordt in the corresponding list of wonderkid goalkeepers for FIFA 20. In FIFA 21, The Belgian has once again received a high potential rating, which will make him a good buy for the future.

Last season, Vandevoordt appeared in the league on only four occasions, conceding five goals and failing to record a clean sheet. But he did make his debut in the Champions League, becoming the youngest keeper ever to start a game in Europe’s premier club competition.

Vandevoordt has more scope for improvement than just about any other player in FIFA 21. Although he is not quite ready to play at the highest level, his 72 goalkeeper diving, 71 goalkeeper reflexes, and 67 goalkeeper handling have him well-equipped to play in the Championship or 2. Bundesliga.

Most importantly, however, Vandevoordt has the potential to become a world-beater.

Alban Lafont (OVR 78 – POT 84)

Team: FC Nantes (On-loan from AC Fiorentina)
Best Position: GK
Age: 21
Overall/Potential: 78 OVR / 84 POT
Value: £16.5M
Wage: £22.5K a week
Best Attributes: 82 GK Reflexes, 79 GK Diving, 76 GK Handling

It feels like Alban Lafont has been around for quite some time, with the Frenchman having made his debut for Toulouse in Ligue 1 as a 16-year-old. He went on to spend three years with Les Violets, making 98 appearances in the league before joining ACF Fiorentina in the summer of 2018.

After just one season in Florence, Lafont was sent back to France for a two-year loan spell with FC Nantes. He made a strong start to life in Nantes, making 27 appearances and keeping ten clean sheets in the league.

Lafont has a strong starting foundation in FIFA 21, with his 82 goalkeeper reflexes, 79 goalkeeper diving, and 76 goalkeeper handling showing that he is a strong shot-stopper and capable with the ball at his feet.

His loan at Nantes does mean that you won’t be able to sign him until the start of the 2021/2022 season, but he may well prove to be worth the wait.

All of the best young wonderkid goalkeepers (GK) on FIFA 21

Here’s the complete list of all of the best wonderkid goalkeepers in FIFA 21 Career Mode.

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