FIFA 23 Career Mode: The 10 players with the highest potential overall
FIFA 23 is out now. We’ve decided to look at the 10 players with the highest potential in the game’s Career Mode.
You can choose to play EA’s brilliant football game as a single player – and if you do, you naturally want to know who has the potential to be the absolute best of the best.
Here, we’ve rummaged through the EA database to round up the top 10 in terms of maximum potential, rather than their rating at the start of the game.
10. Jude Bellingham – 91 Potential OVR
At just 18, Bellingham starts FIFA 23 with an 84 rating. But take him on as your Career Mode player and you can get up all the way to 91 overall.
That makes him the central midfielder with the second-highest potential on the game – and we think that’s a fair reflection of reality. The England midfielder has it all to be one of the very best.
9. Dusan Vlahovic – 91 Potential OVR
Despite Juventus’ collective struggles, Vlahovic has notched six goals in Serie A this season and could certainly become one of the most complete centre-forwards on the planet.
He has the physique, enough speed and a quite exceptional ability to finish chances from all angles and with both feet. When Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa are both back, we imagine Vlahovic’s scoring rate will only increase.
8. Kai Havertz – 91 Potential OVR
In any career, there are choices that affect just how good a player eventually becomes. And though he has won the Champions League at Chelsea, scoring the winning goal in the final, it doesn’t feel like we have ever seen Havertz unleash his full ability consistently at Stamford Bridge.
Blues fans will be hoping that Graham Potter will be able to help the lanky German find another gear in the coming months and years – because FIFA have got one thing right, his potential is vast.
7. Florian Wirtz – 91 Potential OVR
From one Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid attacker to another.
Wirtz set the Bundesliga alight in 2021-22, getting seven goals and 10 assists in 24 appearances before tearing his ACL in March.
He is yet to recover from that injury, and it’s hard to predict how that will affect his development. But the powers that be at FIFA have decided he’s still destined for big things. He starts the game with a rating of 84 – the lowest in this top 10 – but has the potential to be as good as Havertz in terms of overall rating.
6. Gianluigi Donnarumma – 92 Potential OVR
The only goalkeeper in this top 10, and what a goalkeeper he already is aged 23. Given how long he’s been around already, that feels like it should be a typo, but we can assure you it’s not.
After alternating with Keylor Navas last season for PSG, Donnarumma has been marked out as Christophe Galtier’s absolute first choice for 2022-23.
We were going to say that will doubtless have helped his confidence, but we shouldn’t think he needs much of a confidence boost. He’s already been named world and European goalkeeper of the year by numerous judging panels and taken home the Player of the Tournament award at a European Championships in which Italy won the trophy.
5. Vinicius Jr – 92 Potential OVR
If FIFA rated dance ability, Vinicius would be the undisputed best in the game. They don’t, but fortunately for the jet-heeled young Brazilian, he’s ridiculously good at football as well.
At 22, he’s already scored the winner in the Champions League final and won La Liga twice. Come November, he’ll be part of the Brazil squad that are favourites to take the World Cup in Qatar.
He starts FIFA 23 with a (slightly harsh?) rating of 86 but can boost that up to 92 overall at his peak.
READ: The 10 fastest players on FIFA 23: Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Dan James…
4. Phil Foden – 92 Potential OVR
The Stockport Iniesta is already bloody brilliant, but, like the FIFA ratings-givers, we also reckon he can get quite a bit better.
In May 2022, his manager Pep Guardiola told City’s official site: “For Phil, responsibility is not a problem. Since day one going to bigger stages, bigger scenarios and important games, it’s not a problem. He loves to play.
“He can play in all five positions up front: winger on both sides, striker through the middle and in the pockets like an attacking midfielder.
“I think in time he will be more capable to play in positions in the middle, he still has all the actions, the high speed, so maybe now the wide positions suit him better…
“It’s good as he is so aggressive and we need it but sometimes he needs [to slow things down] a little bit, but that is a question of time. He can do it [play in the middle of midfield] no problem, it’s just a question of time.”
3. Pedri – 93 Potential OVR
Speaking of pulling the strings from central areas…
Pedri is a genius, and we are already in love with him. At 19, he’s already one of the best players in the Barcelona first team and a really important part of the Spain set-up.
In February, Barca boss Xavi said: “There is no player in the world with as much talent as Pedri – and he is only 19!
“He is absolutely superlative. How he turns, his understanding of space and time and the fact he uses both feet. It is amazing to have him in the team and we must take care of him.”
While FIFA don’t agree that he’s the most talented player in the world – there are still two name to go here – they do give him a potential overall rating of 93 in Career Mode.
2. Erling Haaland – 94 Potential OVR
Half human, half Demogorgon, Erling Haaland has a monstrous appetite for goals and he is getting them in every way possible for Manchester City this season.
Just the 14 in nine games so far. No wonder FIFA have given him an overall potential of 94. In fact, the only surprise is that he’s rated just 88 at the start.
HAALAND, STOP THAT! 🤯
A ridiculous assist from Cancelo, an even more ridiculous finish from Erling Haaland 😍
How does he do this!? #UCL pic.twitter.com/7u2W23ZC6j
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 14, 2022
1. Kylian Mbappe – 95 Potential OVR
FIFA have stuck their necks out and given the nod to Kylian Mbappe as the player with the highest overall potential in world football.
Some people will inevitably be angry that the Frenchman gets one more point potential-wise than Haaland – and three more at the start of the game – but aim your vitriol at EA, please; they make it, we’re just the messengers.
It’s also pretty hard to argue with Mbappe’s brilliance. He just scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final ffs.
READ NEXT: The 10 highest-rated players on FIFA 23: Messi & Ronaldo but no Haaland…