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The 2022 World Cup was a chance for players across the world to introduce themselves to a global audience, and it’s safe to say plenty of them took that opportunity.
Scouts have a whole host of new names on their radars and that should be no different on Football Manager 2023. Whether you’re looking for a new cornerstone or you just fell in love with a player, now’s the time to get them on your team.
Here are 20 stars of the 2022 World Cup you should keep an eye out for on Football Manager 2023.
Morocco star Azzedine Ounahi is the talk of the football world after his stunning breakout tournament.
In FM, his talent is still a little under-the-radar. His stand-out stats include 14 passing and 16 determination, and the 22-year-old still comes with nice room to grow.
At £5.25m, you can’t really go wrong.
Anchoring the midfield alongside Ounahi was Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat.
Comfortable as a DM or a CM, Amrabat is good enough to hold his own in the top flight and is another who brings 14s across the board on his stats page.
With a contract that runs until 2024, Amrabat will set you back around £9m.
Goncalo Ramos was already on the radar of some top sides before he scored a hat-trick in the game he replaced Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 21-year-old Benfica starlet is incredibly well rounded and his stats page is full of 13s and 14s, but those numbers will soon start flying up as he realises his potential.
Fittingly, with someone with 14 all over his player page, Ramos can be signed for £14m.
If you’re a serial FM player who hasn’t been signing Dominik Livakovic for the past few years, where have you been?
A source of great pride for all us FM nerds out there, the Dinamo stopper is finally getting the praise we’ve been giving him in our virtual press conferences. With 19 one-on-ones and 18 reflexes, he remains a fantastic signing.
Livakovic can be yours for just £9.25m, and you might want to act quickly.
Few centre-backs had a better tournament that 34-year-old Nicolas Otamendi, who is a really smart signing on FM23.
The Benfica man is still one of the best defenders on the game, with his 10 pace the only downside to a stunning stats page that includes 18 marking and 16 tackling.
His age, and his expiring contract, leaves Otamendi worth just £3.5m to Benfica, which is an absolute steal.
Alongside Otamendi for club and country is Young Player of the Tournament winner Enzo Fernandez.
The 21-year-old is a top midfielder who could play for any team on the game thanks to his 16 passing and 16 vision, and just imagine what those stats will look like when he realises his potential.
Fernandez has only just joined Benfica and so can’t be convinced to join you just yet. Further down the line, his £103m release clause could come into play but you might land him for closer to £40m if you’re lucky.
Alexis Mac Allister enjoyed one hell of a 2022, capped off by becoming a world champion.
The 23-year-old is a creative force at DM, CM or AM with his 16 passing, 16 vision and 16 technique, and he’s another with really nice potential. He can be a star for any team in a year or two.
At £45.5m, he’s one of the more expensive options on this list, but that’s what happens when you’re negotiating with a Premier League team.
You already knew about Cody Gakpo before his three goals in the World Cup group stage.
The PSV forward is wanted by nearly every top side in the world and that’s the case on FM as well. He’s an elite forward already and brings some exciting potential to the table too.
Plenty of teams take a look at his £47m asking price, and you should too.
Iran’s World Cup wasn’t great but it did at least put more eyes on the excellent Mehdi Taremi.
The Porto hitman is a dominant force in the box and boasts some unreal mental stats to go along with his 14 finishing. He’s a top-tier striker, for sure.
You won’t need to trigger Taremi’s £52m release clause as Porto will sell for around £31m.
With a goal in the semi-final and a stand-out showing in the final, Randal Kolo Muani has forced his name onto everyone’s lips.
In FM, he’s a solid striker for any top-flight side and will cause problems with 16 pace, 15 dribbling and 14 finishing. The 23-year-old still has room to grow as well.
Kolo Muani has only just joined Frankfurt and so won’t be going anywhere soon, but he’s valued at just £14m to start the game.
Bono was one of the top stoppers at the World Cup, but that won’t have come as much of a surprise to anyone familiar with Sevilla’s exploits in recent years.
The Moroccan is one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga and is more than good enough to play for any team around.
Sevilla have no interest in selling him but his £32.5m release clause would force their hand.
Celtic right-back Josip Juranovic had a sublime tournament and is sure to find himself joining a top club in the near future.
On FM, such a move may be a little out of his reach but the 26-year-old still looks like he could be some fun to play with, bringing 16 pace and 14 crossing.
With a price tag of £8.5m, Juranovic could be a nice signing for a mid-table side.
One of the stand-out right-backs at the tournament, Netherlands and Inter’s Denzel Dumfries is absolutely somebody you should be looking at on FM.
He’s one of the best on the game in his position thanks to his elite physical stats, ensuring he’s perfect for the wing-back role that he has made his own for club and country.
Unsurprisingly, Dumfries won’t come cheap, with a price tag of £59m.
A relative unknown just a few years ago, Emiliano Martinez is now a Golden Glove winner and can say he produced one of the greatest saves in the history of the World Cup.
Martinez brings 18 reflexes and 16 handling in FM, and you can expect those numbers to rise a little if you can offer him regular, elite football.
Aston Villa are prepared to demand around £35m for his services, which is a little steep but nothing to rule out immediately.
Brazil’s squad was bursting with household names apart from perhaps one, Flamengo striker Pedro.
The 25-year-old is, on FM at least, Flamengo’s best player and stands out ahead of the well-known Gabriel Barbosa. His 16 finishing puts him up there with some of the best.
At £25.5m, Pedro is absolutely somebody to consider.
The second-best player on Flamengo’s books, Uruguay midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta has been flirting with a breakout for a while now.
Now 28, he’s probably out of time to live up to his full potential but De Arrascaeta is more than good enough as he is, with 16 dribbling and 17 passing his top stats.
He might have a £69m release clause, but Flamengo will sell De Arrascaeta for just £15m.
Diogo Costa may not have always covered himself in glory at the World Cup, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be signing him on FM.
Only 22 to start the game, Costa is already an elite stopper but he has the potential to become one of the best on the entire game, so he’s absolutely somebody you should be looking at.
Another release clause to take advantage of, Costa’s sits at £52m.
Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus is one of many top talents at Ajax who are ready to make the next move.
The 21-year-old, primarily a CM or an AM, is another well-rounded midfielder who could start immediately for any mid-level team in the top flight, but he’ll soon be a star once he fulfils his potential.
£29m should get the job done for Kudus.
To the shock of many Juventus fans, Adrien Rabiot was comfortably one of the top midfielders on show at the World Cup.
The Frenchman has attracted plenty of interest as he approaches the end of his contract, so your bargain senses should be tingling.
Juve will sell him for a cool £15.5m, which makes Rabiot a great signing on FM.
A World Cup icon, Guillermo Ochoa loves to show up on the biggest stage and he’s actually still good enough to do it at club level too.
On FM, the 36-year-old Mexican brings 17 reflexes and 16 one-on-ones, so you can trust him to keep out most of the shots that come his way.
He’s not going to be around long, but at just £575,000, you don’t need him to be.
