Best EA Sports FC 25 Centre Backs to sign in Career Mode

The best CBs in EA Sports FC 25 have a rock-solid mixture of speed, strength and tackling ability.

Image credit: EA Sports/VG247

Guide by James Billcliffe Guides Editor

Updated on Dec. 13, 2024

Update: We've added updated potential ratings for all of our recommended FC 25 CBs, as well as five new targets for a range of budgets, including Vivian, Abdukodir Khusanov and Pau Cubarsi.

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.

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

Micky Van de Ven - Spurs - 82 OVR/87 POT - £35.3m
Vivian - Athletic Bilbao - 82 OVR/86 POT - £33.6m
Goncalo Inacio - Sporting - 80 OVR/87 POT - £34m
Jarrad Branthwaite - Everton - 79 OVR/86 POT - £28.1m
Levi Colwill - Chelsea - 79 OVR/85 POT - £21.7m
Ousmane Diomande - Sporting - 78 OVR/86 POT - £24.7m
Giorgio Scalvini - Bergamo Calcio (Atalanta) - 78 OVR/88 POT
Mosquera - Valencia - 77 OVR/86 POT - £18.3m
Murillo - Forest - 78 OVR/84 POT - £17.4m
Jeremiah St Juste - Sporting - 77 OVR/80 POT - £10.2m
Oumar Solet - Salzburg - 76 OVR/83 POT - £11.9m
Jorrel Hato - Ajax - 75 OVR/88 POT - £10.6m
Jarell Quansah - Liverpool - 75 OVR/83 POT - £10.2m - CB
Zaid Romero - Club Brugge - 75 OVR/82 POT - £8.9m
Jayden Oosterwolde - Fenerbache - 76 OVR/85 POT- £13.6m
Saul Coco - Torino - 75 OVR/82 POT - £8.5m
Pau Cubarsi - Barcelona - 74 OVR/90 POT - £8.5m
Abdukodir Khusanov - Lens - 75 OVR/84 POT - £9.8m
Kamil Piatkowski - RB Salzburg - 73 OVR/77 POT - £3.3m
Christian Mawissa - Monaco - 73 OVR/84 POT - £5.1m
Thomas Beelen - Feyenoord - 73 OVR/81 POT - £5.5m
Koni De Winter - Genoa - 72 OVR/84 POT - £4.7m
El Chadaille Bitshiabu - Leipzig - 69 OVR/84 POT - £2.6m
Tobias Palacio - Argentinos Juniors - 68 OVR/84 POT - £2.4m
Moise Bombito - Nice - 71 OVR/77 POT - £2.3m
Jorne Spileers - Club Brugge - 70 OVR/84 POT - £3m
Tobias Palacio - Argentinos Juniors - 68 OVR/84 POT - £2.4m
Japhet Sery Larsen - SK Brann - 66 OVR/75 POT - £1.5m
Sam Sherring - Milton Keynes - 65 OVR/70 POT - £800k

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 even lower budget teams.

Also for smaller budgets, Moise Bombito comes highly recommended as soon as you can get him with a whopping 91 pace and 82 jumping at 6ft 3”, whereas long-time Liverpool target Jorrel Hato splits the difference with great stats but a middling price tag.

For managers who like developing young talent, Pau Cubarsi, who's performing well in Hansi Flick's revamped Barcelona side, as well as Jorne Spileers and Tobias Palacio are all affordable youngsters with huge potential.

If you have got a bit more cash to work with though, there are a couple of incredibly good, young CBs to try out this year. The Brazilian Murillo has started every game in the Premier League for Forest this season, but his unbelievable stats and potential will surely see him at a more established club soon. While the similarly awesome Mosquera needs to be rescued from almost rock-bottom Valencia in La Liga.

The Bilbao defender Vivian has recently seen a rating adjustment which has turned him into a great physical and technical defender worthy of even the best teams. He's also young enough to get a lot better and flies under the radar as a not too obvious signing.

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.