The days of slow centre backs are long gone, with the best CBs in EA Sports FC 25 all boasting top speeds that rival even the quickest of attackers.

To keep up with the rising standard of athleticism in football, defenders have adapted their game to prioritise physicality, meaning they can run faster, jump higher and fight harder than all but the top strikers.

These skills come with a price however. Recent years have seen an explosion in the transfer value of the best defenders, and since the £75m transfer of Harry Maguire to Manchester United EA has boosted the value of defensive players in the game to match their real-life price tags.

EA SPORTS FC 25 Official Launch Trailer | For The Club

So you can spend your limited transfer budgets wisely, we’ve drawn up a list of the best CBs to sign in EA Sports FC 25 Career Mode, all of whom have blistering pace, unmatched strength, incredible PlayStyles, sky-high potential, or a winning mixture of all of the above.

We’ve also gone through the top 25 highest rated CBs in the game too. This way you can either compare your back line to the best-of-the-best, or know who to sign if you’re working with one of the biggest budgets in world football!

For the best U21 defenders, check out our list of the Best EA Sports FC 25 Wonderkids.

Best CBs to sign in EA Sports FC 25 Career Mode

1. Micky Van de Ven - Spurs - 82 OVR
2. Goncalo Inacio - Sporting - 80 OVR
3. Ousmane Diomande - Sporting - 78 OVR
4. Jerry St Juste - Sporting - 77 OVR
5. Oumar Solet - Salzburg - 76 OVR
6. Jorel Hato - Ajax - 75 OVR - £10.5m
7. Zaid Romero - Club Brugge - 75 OVR
8. Jayden Oosterwolde - Fenerbache - 75 OVR
9. Saul Coco - Torino - 75 OVR
10. Kamil Piatkowski - RB Salzburg - 73 OVR
11. Christian Mawissa - Monaco - 73 OVR - £5m
12. Koni De Winter - Genoa - 72 OVR -
13. El Chadaille Bitshiabu - Leipzig - 68 OVR - £2.3m
14. Tobias Palacio - Argentinos Juniors - 68 OVR - £2.4m
15. Moise Bombito - Nice - 67 OVR
16. Japhet Sery Larsen - SK Brann - 66 OVR
17. Sam Sherring - Milton Keynes - 65 OVR

The key to overpowered CBs in EA Sports FC Career Mode is a mixture of unpassable speed, dominating strength and strong standing tackle. Due to his performances in the Premier League, most people will have heard of Micky van de Ven, but it’s really worth drawing attention to just how incredible his physical stats are this year. He’s also just 23, meaning you can focus on training just his technical defending to turn him into a complete wall.

Micky van de Ven will be very expensive, but there are lots of other similar players who suit all different kinds of budgets. Oumar Solet at Salzburg has had that same mix of great pace and physical stats for years now, but in FC 25 has improved defending and some good PlayStyles. Jayden Oosterwolde looks like a fantastic pick-up, especially since he has the powerful Anticipate PlayStyle to boost his standing tackle, as does Kamil Piatkowski.

For smaller budgets, Moise Bombito comes highly recommended with a whopping 91 pace and 82 jumping at 6ft 3”, whereas long-time Liverpool target Jorel Hato splits the difference with great stats but a middling price tag.

No list of the best centre backs is complete without the legends Jeremiah St. Juste (remember the “.” when you search for him) and Saul Coco. Two fast, solid defenders for mid-table or promoted teams who play far above their overall.

Finally, if you prefer more traditional, strong and slower defenders who rely on positioning, check out Zaid Romero or the man-mountain El Chadaille Bitshiabu.

Highest Rated CBs in EA Sports FC 25

1. Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool - 89 OVR - Aerial
2. Ruben Dias - Man City - 88 OVR - Bruiser
3. Antonio Rudiget - Real Madrid - 88 OVR - Bruiser
4. William Saliba - Arsenal - 87 OVR - Anticipate
5. Alessandro Bastoni - Lombardia FC (Inter Milan) - 87 OVR - Intercept
6. Marquinhos - PSG - 87 OVR - Intercept
7. Gabriel - Arsenal - 86 OVR - Bruiser
8. Jonathan Tah - Leverkusen - 86 OVR
9. Bremer - Juventus - 86 OVR
10. Nico Schlotterbeck - 85 OVR - Slide Tackle
11. Jules Kounde - Barcelona - 85 OVR - Jockey
12. Ronald Araujo - Barcelona - 85 OVR - Block
13. Eder Militao - Real Madrid - 85 OVR
14. David Alaba - Real Madrid - 85 OVR
15. John Stones - Man City - 85 OVR
16. Benjamin Pavard - Lombardia FC (Inter Milan) - 84 OVR - Jockey
17. Matthijs de Ligt - Manchester United - 84 OVR
18. Christian Romero - Spurs - 84 OVR
19. Kalidou Koulibaly - Al Hilal - 84 OVR
20. Manuel Akanji - Man City - 84 OVR
21. Nathan Ake - Man City - 84 OVR
22. Ben White - Arsenal - 84 OVR
23. Francesco Acerbi - Lombardia FC (Inter Milan) - 84 OVR
24. Lisandro Martinez - Manchester United - 84 OVR
25. Fikayo Tomori - Milano FC (AC Milan) - 83 OVR - Block

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