- 6 hours ago
Football Manager 2023 best players: All the top forwards, midfielders, defenders and goalkeepers
James Shearman
- Updated: 19 Oct 2023 16:21 BST
- 4 min read
Football Manager 2023 is now available on PC/Mac and Xbox, after the release of the beta on October 20.
And while many players will choose to start from the bottom of the managerial ladder, others will look to take charge of the top teams.
Building a team of global superstars can be equally exciting, so FootballTransfers have listed the talents that glory hunters should be going after on FM23.
READ MORE: Here are the best players from Football Manager 2022.
These are the best players on FM23, so be prepared to pay a fortune to sign them!
Football Manager 2023 best goalkeepers
Goalkeepers
| Playe | Value | Reputation |
|---|---|---|
| Thibaut Courtois, 30, Real Madrid | £168m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Manuel Neuer, 36, Bayern | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Ederson, 28, Man City | £255m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Alisson, 29, Liverpool | £253m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Jan Oblak, 29, Atletico | £93m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Edouard Mendy, 30, Chelsea | £160m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 30, Barcelona | £114m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma, 23, PSG | £120m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Keylor Navas, 34, PSG | £10.5m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Wojciech Szczesny, 32, Juventus | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
The highest rated goalkeeper in FM 23 is Real Madrid shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois, who has a four-star reputation within the game. He is also valued at around £168 million so it will be pretty much impossible for users to sign him within the first couple of years of play.
The cheapest goalkeeper on our list is veteran Keylor Navas, who represents a bargain at £10.5m.
Bayern legend Manuel Neuer will likely never be sold within the game, hence the 'Not for Sale'.
Football Manager 2023 best defenders
Defenders
| Player | Value | Reputation |
| Ruben Dias, 25, Man City | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Virgil van Dijk, 30, Liverpool | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Aymeric Laporte, 28, Man City | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Joao Cancelo, 28, Man City | £212m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Matthijs de Ligt, 22, Bayern | £91m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Raphael Varane, 28, Man Utd | £156m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Achraf Hakimi, 23, PSG | £172m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Sergio Ramos, 36, PSG | £12m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Milan Skriniar, 27, Inter | £44m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Marquinhos, 28, PSG | £186m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
Central defenders dominate the list of the best defenders within FM 23. Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk, Raphael Varane and Matthijs de Ligt all have four-star reputations.
The highest rated full-back within the game is Joao Cancelo, ahead of PSG's Achraf Hakimi, with a value of €212m.
Football Manager 2023 best midfielders
Midfielders
| Player | Value | Reputation |
| Kevin De Bruyne, 30, Man City | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Luka Modric, 36, Real Madrid | £23m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Joshua Kimmich, 27, Bayern | £83m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Bernardo Silva, 27, Man City | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Rodri, 26, Man City | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Ilkay Gundogan, 31, Man City | £42m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Sergey Milinkovic-Savic, 27, Lazio | £55m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| N'Golo Kante, 31, Chelsea | £27m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Paul Pogba, 29, Juventus | £92m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Leon Goretzka, 27, Bayern | £62m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Thiago, 31, Liverpool | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Phil Foden, 22, Man City | £111m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
The best midfielder in Football Manager 2023 is Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian's reputation continues to grow within the world of football and is certainly in the conversation for the best player around.
De Bruyne and Luka Modric are the only midfielders who earn four-and-a-half stars out of five.
Joshua Kimmich is the best defensive-minded midfielder in the list, with Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri also in the mix.
Football Manager 2023 best forwards
Forwards
| Player | Value | Reputation |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi, 35, PSG | £25m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Kylian Mbappe, 23, PSG | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Robert Lewandowski, 33, Barcelona | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 |
| Neymar, 30, PSG | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Karim Benzema, 34, Real Madrid | £89m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Erling Haaland, 21, Man City | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Harry Kane, 28, Tottenham | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Mohamed Salah, 30, Liverpool | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Thomas Muller, 32, Bayern | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Sadio Mane, 30, Bayern | £76m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Heung-min Son, 29, Tottenham | Not for Sale | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
| Leroy Sane, 26, Bayern | £55m | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
Not even Lionel Messi has a worldwide reputation of five stars in FM 23. But, even at 35, Messi's attributes are incredible, and he commands a transfer value of £25m.
Prolific forwards in Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski enjoy four-and-a-half star ratings for worldwide reputation.
The rest of the players on our list are all rated at four stars - and there are many more who missed out so attackers in the game are certainly the strongest out of all the positions.
Read more about: UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea, Juventus, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, PSG, Real Madrid, Kevin De Bruyne, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski
