From Lamine Yamal to hidden South American gems, these 10 real life
wonderkids are the closest thing to Messi regens in FM26, with roles, prices
and scouting tips for your next save.
Every FM save starts with the same impossible question – who are the true Messi regens in FM26? This guide picks out ten real life wonderkids who genuinely play like Lionel Messi in Football Manager 2026, backed up by our full FM26 wonderkids master shortlist sorted by PA, price and position, so you always know who the next superstar is.
Whether you want a wide right wizard, a drifting number ten or a deep lying playmaker, these “mini Messis” become ridiculous if you park them at elite academies. Pair them with the best youth academies in FM26, let them cook for a few seasons, and watch your save explode with homegrown magic.
Lamine Yamal - Barcelona - £223M
Lamine Yamal is basically what happens when Football Manager stops pretending and just drops a real life Messi regen straight into your save. At 17 he is already a regular starter for Barcelona and a fully capped Spanish international, with 14 goals in 73 club games and 21 caps for Spain. In FM26 he comes loaded with elite numbers for a teenager - 18 dribbling, 18 first touch, 18 technique, 17 passing and 18 vision - so every time he gets the ball on that right flank you know something is about to break.
Mentally he is just as disgusting. Decisions 16, Determination 17 and Composure 15 mean he is not only trying outrageous things, he is usually picking the right moment to do them. Add 19 flair and you get a winger who attacks defenders for fun, slips killer passes between the lines and punishes any full back who dares to stand him up one v one. Physically he is sharp too, with 16 acceleration, 18 agility and 15 pace giving him that trademark low centre of gravity burst.
The traits complete the Messi cosplay - cuts inside from right wing, likes ball played into feet, uses outside of foot and tries tricks. You play him as an Inside Winger or Inside Forward on the right, give him licence to roam and keep the ball on the deck, then build the rest of the tactic around covering his defensive laziness. If your save ever lets you sign him away from Barcelona, you are not rebuilding a club, you are buying yourself a decade of plug in and win football.
Désiré Doué - Paris SG - £85M
Désiré Doué is the kind of player who makes you rethink what an attacking midfielder is supposed to look like. In FM26 he is a right sided AM with the physical profile of a modern winger and the technique of a classic number ten. Seventeen dribbling, seventeen first touch and sixteen technique mean he can take the ball on the half turn in traffic, roll his marker and drive at the back line without breaking stride. Add fifteen passing, fifteen vision and fourteen crossing and you suddenly have a creator who can hurt teams from both central and wide areas.
What separates Doué from a lot of flair merchants is that he actually works. Determination 15, Work Rate 14 and Teamwork 14 give you a Messi like blend of genius and graft in the final third, rather than a luxury ten who disappears out of possession. With acceleration 16, agility 16 and pace 14 he is quick enough to win his duels, but his real weapon is how cleanly he manipulates the ball in tight spaces. The “Uses Outside Of Foot” trait just adds that highlight reel pass or finish on top.
In practical terms you want him as an Inside Winger on the right or a roaming playmaker style AMR/AMC who drifts into the half spaces, receives between the lines and links everything together. He will not reach Lamine Yamal’s pure superstardom in every save, but if you want a more two footed, hard working interpretation of the Messi template, Doué is the guy you quietly build your PSG or national team around for the next decade.
Arda Güler - Real Madrid - £96M
If Lamine Yamal is your wide Messi regen, Arda Güler is the version that lives between the lines and pulls strings from the half spaces. In FM26 he comes in as a left footed Advanced Playmaker who can operate both as an MC and an AMC, with 18 technique, 17 first touch, 16 passing and 17 vision. That combination means he can receive under pressure, pivot away from his marker and immediately slide a killer through ball that turns a half chance into a one v one. Add 16 long shots and 14 finishing and he is every bit as capable of ending the move himself.
Mentally he is exactly what you want from a “Turkish Messi” archetype. Decisions 14, Determination 16, Flair 15 and Teamwork 16 make him both a leader of your possession game and a nightmare to press effectively. He is not explosive like a winger, but 14 acceleration and 15 agility are more than enough when you already see the pass two seconds earlier than everyone else. The traits underline that: comes deep to get ball, dictates tempo and arrives late in opponents' area scream classic playmaker who controls the entire rhythm of your attack.
In terms of role, play him as an Advanced Playmaker (Support) in central midfield or as a roaming number ten with licence to drop in, collect and then drift into the right half space. Surround him with runners and willing pressers and let Arda live in that sweet spot where he can orchestrate everything without being asked to sprint up and down like a box to box mule. If you want your Messi regen to wear white, this is the guy you build your Real Madrid save around.
Geovany Quenda - Sporting CP (on loan from Chelsea) - £54M
Geovany Quenda is your pure chaos Messi regen, born in Portugal rather than Rosario. In FM26 he is an 18 year old left footed winger who can play on both flanks, but the real magic happens when you stick him on the right and let him drift inside. Sixteen dribbling, fifteen technique and eighteen flair tell you everything you need to know about his style. He wants the ball to feet, squares up the full back and then either knocks it past him or darts inside to open the pitch for a shot or a slipped through ball.
Physically he is electric. Acceleration 16, agility 17 and pace 15 mean that when he hits top speed defenders simply cannot recover if they have misjudged the duel. Add thirteen long shots and fifteen vision and you get a winger who is not only happy to belt one from the edge of the box, but can also clip little reverse passes in behind for your striker. The traits are very on brand too. Runs With Ball Often and Cuts Inside From Right Wing basically turn him into a one man transition threat any time you regain possession.
In your tactic he works brilliantly as a classic Winger on attack in a 4-3-3 or as a more aggressive Wide Forward if you want him arriving at the back post. The FM26 bio backs up the hype. Youngest ever goalscorer for Sporting against Porto, back to back Young Player of the Year awards in Portugal and a big money £44M move to Chelsea before being loaned back. If you want a slightly rawer, more north south version of Messi who can still win games on his own, Quenda is a ridiculous weapon to unleash on tired defences.
Estêvão - Chelsea - £59M
Estêvão is the one player on this list who literally comes labelled as a Messi clone in real life, and FM26 leans into that hard. You get an 18 year old, left footed right winger with 16 dribbling, 15 technique, 16 flair and 14 passing, who wants the ball, runs at defenders and embarrasses them. In your save he has already won Brazilian First Division Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year before Chelsea swooped in, which tells you he was carrying a grown up team as a teenager long before he set foot at Stamford Bridge.
His profile screams aggressive wide forward rather than delicate touchline hugger. Acceleration 16, agility 17 and pace 16 give him proper sprinter juice, while 13 finishing and 10 long shots mean he can actually end moves rather than just make highlight dribbles. The traits are perfect too. Tries Tricks and Runs With Ball Often make him a nightmare in transition, and in the personal tab you literally see Lionel Messi listed as his idol and Barcelona as a favoured club, which is perfect narrative fuel for this article.
You play Estêvão as a Wide Forward or Inside Forward on the right, tell him to attack and live with the defensive chaos behind him. Work Rate 11, Teamwork 9 and Strength 6 mean he is not tracking runners or bullying full backs, so you need a solid right back and a hardworking midfielder to clean up his mess. In return you get a kid who plays like he has watched Messi’s right wing highlight reel on loop and is now trying to speedrun his own version in the Premier League.
Franco Mastantuono - Real Madrid - £89M
Franco Mastantuono is the part of this list that feels almost too on the nose. A 17 year old, left footed Argentine attacking midfielder, plucked from River Plate by Real Madrid for big money, with Lionel Messi listed as his idol in the personal tab. In FM26 he drops into your save as a breakthrough prospect but his attributes already scream future star. Seventeen dribbling, sixteen technique and fourteen first touch allow him to glide past opponents in the half spaces, while thirteen passing and fourteen vision mean he can just as easily slip a team mate through on goal. The game labels him as an Attacking Midfielder with a Free Role, and that is exactly how you should treat him.
His technical profile is backed up by genuinely dangerous set piece numbers. Sixteen free kick taking, thirteen corners and thirteen penalty taking give you a kid who can handle every dead ball situation on his own. Long shots 13 plus the “Shoots From Distance” and “Tries Long Range Free Kicks” traits make him the sort of player who turns tedious cagey matches into one nil wins with a moment of shameless long range nonsense. On top of that, “Plays One-Twos” and “Likes To Switch Ball To Wide Areas” show that he is not just a dribbler, but also a proper organiser of your attacking patterns.
In your tactic Mastantuono works beautifully as an AMC on support, sitting in the right half space where he can cut inside from the right wing, link with your striker and opposite winger and then arrive at the edge of the box unmarked. Pace 14 and agility 14 are good enough to escape pressure, but it is his Flair 18 and Determination 14 that really separate him from the average wonderkid. He already has senior minutes and an Argentina cap on his CV, so you are not gambling on potential here, you are polishing the next great Argentine playmaker and hoping Real Madrid’s board do not wake up and realise they have just recreated Messi in white.
Claudio Echeverri - Bayer Leverkusen (on loan from Man City) - £26M
Claudio Echeverri is the closest thing on this list to a classic “Diablito” style Messi regen. In FM26 he is a 19 year old attacking midfielder who has already bounced from River Plate to Manchester City and now Bayer Leverkusen, but still feels like an unfinished monster. Sixteen technique, fifteen dribbling and fifteen first touch give him that slippery, low to the ground feel in tight spaces, while fourteen passing, thirteen vision and fourteen long shots mean he is just as happy threading the needle as he is smashing one from twenty five yards. He is listed as an Attacking Midfielder first, but the game clearly wants you to give him freedom.
Mentally he is wired exactly how you want your number ten. Flair 17 and Aggression 14 make him constantly look for ways to hurt the opposition, with Determination 14 and Work Rate 15 ensuring he does not just float through games. Acceleration 14, agility 15 and pace 14 are more than enough to burst away from a marker once he has rolled them. The traits are pure highlight bait too. Shoots From Distance, Likes To Round Keeper and Tries Long Range Free Kicks tell you he is always hunting that viral goal, whether it is a curler from the edge or a cheeky dribble round the keeper.
In your tactic he shines as an AMC on attack in a 4-2-3-1 or as a free roaming ten behind a lone striker in any system. Give him licence to roam, keep plenty of runners ahead of him and let him dictate where the attacks go. The favourite personnel tab literally shows Lionel Messi as his idol, which is exactly the kind of lore you want when you are selling him to your board and your own imagination as the next great Argentine playmaker in Europe.
Andrija Maksimović - RB Leipzig - £15M
Andrija Maksimović is the bargain Messi regen on this list. An 18 year old Serbian international with Lionel Messi as his listed idol, he turns up in FM26 as a left footed inside winger who can also play centrally. Fifteen technique, fourteen first touch and thirteen dribbling give him enough quality to receive under pressure and drive at defenders, while thirteen passing and thirteen vision mean he is not just a runner - he can actually pick the final ball when he cuts in from the right.
What really jumps out is his set piece profile. Fourteen free kick taking, thirteen corners and fifteen penalties on an 18 year old wide player is ridiculous value, especially when you remember his transfer value is only around £12M to £15M. Long shots 13 add another layer, so if you give him licence to shoot from the edge of the box, he will chip in with those annoying worldies that flip tight games in your favour.
Physically he is not explosive like Estêvão or Quenda, but 13 acceleration, 13 pace and 13 agility are more than enough when you combine them with Flair 15 and Determination 14. Use him as an Inside Winger or Inside Forward on the right, surround him with aggressive pressers and let him drift into central pockets to combine and shoot. For mid tier clubs looking for a cheap, high ceiling Messi style wide playmaker, Maksimović is exactly the sort of calculated punt you make before Leipzig turn him into a £60M monster.
Tomás Parmo - Independiente - £16.5M
Tomás Parmo is the deep lying Messi regen on this list. Instead of hugging the touchline, he lives in central midfield and dictates everything with his right foot. At just 170 cm he has that classic low centre of gravity you instantly associate with Argentine playmakers, and FM26 leans into it with a really tidy technical spread. Fifteen passing, fourteen technique and thirteen dribbling on a 17 year old are serious numbers, while finishing 14 means he is far more than a sideways recycler. He can step up from midfield and actually end attacks himself.
Mentally he looks like a future leader of your possession game. Decisions 13, Vision 13, Work Rate 12 and Concentration 11 give him a grown up brain for someone who is still a teenager. Combine that with Off The Ball 16 and you get a midfielder who constantly drifts into clever pockets, receives on the half turn and progresses play with one or two touches. He is not a pure destroyer, but tackling 10 and marking 11 are good enough for a modern technical eight.
In your tactic Parmo shines as an Advanced Playmaker or roaming Mezzala in a three man midfield. Give him runners ahead of him, a proper holding midfielder behind him and keep your passing tempo high. He will knit everything together, arrive at the edge of the box and chip in with goals, all while looking like the kid version of Messi who dropped into midfield and decided he quite likes being the smartest player on the pitch.
Dro - Barcelona - £17.25M
Dro is the pure imagination pick on this Messi regen list. A 17 year old Spanish Filipino playmaker tucked away in Barcelona’s under 19s, he has not kicked a ball in senior football yet, but FM26 already paints the picture of a classic La Masia ten. Technique 15, dribbling 14 and first touch 13 mean the ball sticks to him in tight areas, while passing 12 and vision 14 are more than enough for him to thread those little disguised through balls into your striker’s path. He might not have the raw numbers of Yamal yet, but the profile is very clearly that of a creative hub rather than a runner.
Mentally his spread is exactly what you want from a teenager you are planning to build around. Decisions 14, Determination 14 and Composure 12 give him the mentality to cope when you throw him into senior football early. Flair 17 is the real headline though. Combine that with traits like Moves Into Channels, Tries Killer Balls Often and Tries Tricks and you get a kid who is constantly hunting pockets between the lines, then trying something ambitious once he receives the ball. He will frustrate you at times, but when it comes off it looks ridiculous.
Physically he is steady rather than explosive, with 12 acceleration, 14 agility and 14 natural fitness suggesting he will grow into his body over the next few seasons. The smart play in FM26 is to pick him up while he is still valued around the £17M mark, park him as an Advanced Playmaker or Free Role AMC in a 4-2-3-1 and give him minutes behind a proper goalscorer. If you can ride out the inconsistency and keep his development on track, Dro is exactly the type of Barcelona bred wonderkid who could end up running your attack for a decade.
Final Thoughts
That is your shortlist of FM26 Messi regens sorted – from ready made superstars like Lamine Yamal to pure imagination picks like Dro. If you want to go even deeper into finding Messi regens in FM26, make sure you scout our FM26 hidden wonderkids guide for the freak talents your scouts keep missing.
If your budget is tighter, you can still build a Messi style dynasty by raiding the FM26 cheap wonderkids under £5M list and the FM26 wonderkids under £100K. Stack those bargains, plug them into the right tactic and your save will feel like a never ending La Masia highlight reel.
