The best defenders in EA FC 25 do not always have the highest ratings and should not be underestimated. Some defenders can compensate for their weaker defensive stats with other attributes.
What does the Defensive stat mean in FC 25? The Defensive stat in EA FC primarily informs you about how good your player is at winning the ball from the opponent in duels or intercepting passes from the opponent. A player’s defense is composed of the following values:
- Interception: how well a player can anticipate and position themselves for the opponent’s passes
- Header Precision: how accurately a player’s headers are placed
- Defensive Awareness: how wisely a player behaves defensively when controlled by AI
- Fair Tackles: how well standing tackles are executed (range, success rate, ball control after winning)
- Slide Tackle: how well diving, ground tackles are executed (range, success rate, ball control after winning)
What else is important for a center-back? In addition to defending, the player should also have good physical attributes to succeed in direct (running) duels on the ground as well as in the air. These include:
- Strength value, to prevail in duels
- Speed stat, to keep up with fast strikers in sprint duels
- Height and/or Jump value, to assert oneself in aerial duels
10 strong defenders you shouldn’t underestimate
By taking a look at the defensive stats and physical attributes, we have identified ten strong center-backs for FC 25, who, due to their ratings, are not among the top-rated defenders.
The players with the highest ratings in our list have a maximum rating of 85 and are therefore not listed in the top 100 best players for FC 25.
The best 100 players and all important information about ratings can be found here: EA FC 25 Ratings: All information about release, leaks, and predictions
However, you should not underestimate the following defenders, as they have strong values and good playstyles. In the table, you can find the most important aspects of their defensive suitability.
| Player (Rating) – Club | Defending | Strength | Speed | Height (in m) | Jumping | Anticipation | Club |
| Nico Schlotterbeck (85) | 85 | 84 | 77 | 1.91 | 91 | Silver | Borussia Dortmund |
| Jules Koundé (85) | 86 | 80 | 84 | 1.80 | 90 | / | FC Barcelona |
| Éder Militão (85) | 85 | 79 | 85 | 1.86 | 91 | / | Real Madrid |
| Ronald Araújo (85) | 85 | 87 | 82 | 1.88 | 92 | Silver | FC Barcelona |
| David Alaba (85) | 85 | 78 | 79 | 1.80 | 86 | Silver | Real Madrid |
| Kalidou Koulibaly (84) | 85 | 90 | 76 | 1.86 | 81 | Silver | Al-Hilal |
| Fikayo Tomori (83) | 85 | 81 | 84 | 1.85 | 92 | Silver | Milano FC (Milan) |
| Micky van de Ven (82) | 83 | 84 | 88 | 1.93 | 89 | / | Tottenham Hotspurs |
| Dávid Hancko (81) | 81 | 82 | 78 | 1.88 | 84 | Silver | Feyenoord Rotterdam |
| Jean-Clair Todibo (80) | 80 | 82 | 81 | 1.90 | 89 | Silver | West Ham United |
What does the “Anticipation” column in the table mean? This refers to the crucial Anticipation playstyle for defense. If your player possesses this playstyle, the chance of successful tackles followed by ball control is significantly higher.
At the start of FC 25, only a handful of players have this playstyle as Playstyle+ (Gold). However, even in Silver, it provides a considerable advantage in duels and should therefore be mentioned.
With this, you have an overview of strong defenders who may not belong to the top tier of defenders, but should still be very good at the start of FC 25. Some may be very expensive in Ultimate Team, while others you should be able to afford. To avoid costly mispurchases, you can plan your team in advance: EA FC 25: Squad Builder – Comparison and guide for your perfect team
