7. Gabriel Appelt Pires
Age: 18 Club: Pro Vercelli (on loan from Juventus) Position: CM Current Ability: 66 Potential: 88 Signed by Juventus is an eye-catching move before his 18th birthday, Pires was unable to join the Italians until his birthday, some 9 months or so later, and after spending half a season in the reserves at the club joined Italian Serie B side Pro Vercelli to get some first-team action. He is expected to have a big future, citing Andrea Pirlo as a major influence on him, but he will take some time getting used to the Italian game, as he is currently frequently off the pace, and struggles with the speed of the matches. In FIFA 13, Pires' appeal is all about his potential - at the start of play, the defensive midfielder's stats aren't particularly impressive at all - and are solid more than spectacular, though his stats for Short Passing, Ball Control and Vision (all 72) suggest that he has something to offer, but his massive potential of 88 - an uplift of 22 on his starting overall rating, is a huge draw. Provided you can convince Juventus to part with the player - and it might not take as much as it will in a couple of years - the likely increase in value that will come if Pires reaches his potential in your ranks should be enough to convince you to buy.