Are Wonderkids all they seem?

By this I mean do they always have top class potential or can it be wrong?

Depends, if they are trained properly and get first team football they will fulfill their potential but if they are left to rot in the reserves they will never become the players they could.

Me personally I have had a few who didn`t turn out the way I expected them to.

To be labelled a wonderkid a player has to have a PA of over a certain amount along with a CA of over a certain amount. This means that the players will always have the potential to be a top star. The thing is potential isn't everything if a CB has great potential but has 5 for jumping and 9 for tackling with positioning and decisions of 4, despite having high potential they will not be able to become a top CB.

Like Tibbolini said if the players are left in the reserves then they may never reach their potential.

I would add that first team time is critical. I've also heard that a player's reputation/fame plays a part too. So if they feature in a national squad, captain a U21 team, etc, or feature in the first team, this would increase their rep. That's my guess. So it's a mix of their abilities and their results, so to speak.

I was thought to believe being labeled as "wonderkid" has nothing to do with PA. I thought it was for players to have an exceptionally high CA for their age.

So that indeed they not always become a world class player.

Off course every player with high PA that does not get trained, tutored, looked after well will never reach that potential.

I've had several wonderkids who never made the grade. I've also had several wonderkids that have turned out to be some of the greatest players of their generation. So it completely varies. Just like real life.

I was thought to believe being labeled as "wonderkid" has nothing to do with PA. I thought it was for players to have an exceptionally high CA for their age.

I thought the same, it would make more sense that way.

I think you have to have both I am not sure on the exact numbers but I think its something like 140 plus for CA and 170 plus for PA.

I was just about to point out what SCIAG just said. They also need to have a fairly high reputation along with the relevant CA and PA values to be considered a Wonderkid. I've had countless players labelled as "Promising Youngsters" when they are at their initial clubs and when they sign up for me they become "Wonderkids" because of their reputation increase.

Thanks. Interesting posts.

I can't speak for FM 09 as I didn't play it but in FM 08, I have had U21 players with high CA but with PA 160+ being labelled wonderkids.

Wonder only means:

Age < 21, CA > 140, PA > 170, and some reputaion

No guarantee to be star player.

Indeed, no guarantees.

I had a former wonderkid whom I've just sold - I'd put him on the wrong training schedule.

on my game, theo walcott is a wonderkid but his stats are **** and he hes crap but is valued at 23 million!

jack wilshere always is one of the best left wingers in the game, but in my current game, i never seem to have a spare £3m money to buy him off arsenal. now he's 24 and he's shat cos he never been played. his stats are all distorted, crossing is still 9.

It's not true. My central defender is 18 years old, has a ca of 142 and a pa of 188 and is not described as a wonderkid.

What team are you?

ajax (i'd like to answer short, but only ajax is too short to submit :s)

Ajax isn't what it used to be, so the club's rep is probably not high enough for it.

Ajax isn't what it used to be, so the club's rep is probably not high enough for it.

I think that will be the reason, but my team is 19th in the world. It seems a bit odd to me why lesser teams have wonderkids and i don't have (while the players may be worse).

on my game, theo walcott is a wonderkid but his stats are **** and he hes crap but is valued at 23 million!

Thats because they had to artificially reduce stats for any pacy players.

Thats because they had to artificially reduce stats for any pacy players.

why did they do that??

Indeed, no guarantees.

I had a former wonderkid whom I've just sold - I'd put him on the wrong training schedule.

Lol

who was he??

Lol

who was he??

Regen.

Basically my attacking midfielder and winger training schedules are right next to each other - it's difficult to monitor real development in two-footers as well, so I never saw the progression much. I intended to train him as an attacking midfielder (he's an M C/AM RLC, natural M C) for most of his career and in his latter years as a winger to bring up his dribbling and crossing up a notch or two. Unfortunately I ended up training him as a winger until it was too late - he'd basically turned into Ryan Babel but much better - but still ineffective. He lacked any defensive skills and lacked the quality and devastating finishing/long shots as an attacking midfielder, key in my formation. I had to make a whole new formation to fit him and it just wasn't worth it.

PA doesn't have to be over 170, but I'm pretty sure CA must be over 140. I've done tests with all 16 wonderkids in my game, where the minimum CA was 142 and the minimum PA was in the 150 region.