Published: May 2, 2026 Category: Football Manager Retro Classics
Football Manager 2006 (or Worldwide Soccer Manager 2006 in North America) is widely considered a golden era for the series. The match engine was unpredictable, the training schedules were arcane, and the data was just crude enough to be magical. But most importantly: the wonderkids. Some became legends. Others became YouTube cautionary tales. football manager 2006 wonderkids upd
Hugo Lloris / Igor Akinfeev RB: Philipp Lahm / Glen Johnson (PA 173, cheap from Chelsea) LB: Gareth Bale (retrain quickly) / Leighton Baines (PA 171, bargain) CB: Vincent Kompany + Micah Richards (PA 179, Man City – £5M) DM: Cesc Fàbregas (DLP) + Luka Modrić (BBM) RW: Lionel Messi LW: Franck Ribéry / Nicolae Mitea AM: Wayne Rooney / Sergio Agüero ST: Fernando Torres (Atlético, PA 190 – £25M release clause) Published: May 2, 2026 Category: Football Manager Retro
If you’re playing today, these wonderkids still dominate. Messi and Rooney are cheat codes. Kompany and Modrić are reliable rocks. The hidden gems (Mitea, Mokoena) offer budget magic that modern FMs rarely allow. Some became legends
This article provides a of FM06 wonderkids—covering their original in-game stats, real-world career outcomes, and whether they’re worth signing in a retro save today. Why FM06 Still Demands a “Wonderkids UPD” in 2026 Let’s be honest. The original wonderkids lists from 2005–2006 are scattered across dead forums (RIP The Dugout, CMRevolution). Many existing guides overlook crucial players or list them incorrectly due to patch differences (6.0.1 vs. 6.0.3).
| Player | Club | Age | Position | PA (approx) | Real-world outcome | Cost (2005) | |--------|------|-----|----------|-------------|--------------------|--------------| | | Independiente | 17 | ST | 188 | All-time great. Premier League legend. | £5.5M | | Luka Modrić | Dinamo Zagreb | 20 | AM RC | 185 | Ballon d’Or 2018. Took Croatia to a final. | £1.5M (cheap!) | | Vincent Kompany | Anderlecht | 19 | D C, DM | 186 | Man City captain. One of the best CBs of his era. | £4M | | Philipp Lahm | Bayern | 22 | D RL | 184 | World Cup captain. Retired without a single red card. | £15M | | Franck Ribéry | Marseille | 22 | AM LC | 183 | World-class peak. 2013 Ballon d’Or finalist. | £10M | | Gareth Bale | Southampton | 16 | D/AM L | 185 | Left-back turned grenade. 2018 UCL final overhead kick. | £2.5M |
Have your own FM06 wonderkid memory? Did Supat Rungratsamee (Portsmouth, 17 – PA 170) ever become a star for you? Share your story on our forums. ~1,850 Keyword usage: “football manager 2006 wonderkids upd” – 7 times (title, headers, intro, body, image alt, URL slug, conclusion).