Football Manager 2020: 10 Expected Wonderkids You Must Sign

2. Xavi Simons - Barcelona

Named after the legendary Xavi, dubbed the next Messi, born to a land famed for its technical masters, currently in the famed La Masia system, personal friends with super-agent Mino Raiola, and with over 1 million Instagram followers and his own personal logo and branding, 16-year-old Dutch sensation Xavi Simons is viewed as one of the hottest can’t-miss prospects in world football.

Not only is Simons named after Xavi, those in the know are predicting that the young Dutchman could eventually find himself becoming as pivotal a piece of the Barcelona first team puzzle as Xavi himself was. Of course, that’s a ridiculous statement to make – but so often that seems to be the very nature of modern football.

If somebody’s decent at 16, already people are more than eager to throw as “he’s the next [insert all-time great name here]]”, not thinking of the pressure this instantly puts on someone who is still a child.

Still, where FMF2020 is concerned, expect Xavi Simons to be one of the hot young things you need to be making a move for.

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Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.