Almost every single team that has won the most prestigious trophies have been able to do so because they feature at least one elite-level centre back.
A commanding and level-headed presence along the backline is essential for a team to find success, and now that EA Sports have revealed their highest-rated players, we can identify the top CBs of FIFA 21.
READ MORE: FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Centre Backs (CB) to Sign
On this page, you’ll find features of each of the best five centre backs in FIFA 21, with a full table of all of FIFA 21’s best CB position players at the base of the piece.
Virgil van Dijk (90 OVR)
Team: Liverpool
Best Position: CB
Age: 29
Overall Rating: 90
Nationality: Dutch
Weak Foot: Three-Star
Best Attributes: 93 Marking, 93 Standing Tackle, 90 Interceptions
The signing of Virgil van Dijk for £75 million in January 2018 is what transformed Liverpool from top-four challengers to title contenders.
A towering presence hailing from the Netherlands, Van Dijk was worth every penny of the world-record fee for a defender, with his five goals through 38 Premier League games last season showing that he contributes much more than just rock-solid defending.
In FIFA 21, Van Dijk weighs-in as the best CB in the game, boasting a whole stack of user-friendly attribute ratings, including 89 reactions, 90 composure, 90 interceptions, 77 ball control, 93 marking, 93 standing tackle, 86 sliding tackle, 90 jumping, 92 strength, and an 86 for the Dutchman’s long passing.
Sergio Ramos (89 OVR)
Team: Real Madrid
Best Position: CB
Age: 34
Overall Rating: 89
Nationality: Spanish
Weak Foot: Three-Star
Best Attributes: 93 Jumping, 92 Heading Accuracy, 92 Reactions
Real Madrid’s stalwart captain is still one of the best defenders in the world despite now being 34-years-old. Once the best right-back in the world, starting his transition to a pure centre back about a decade ago, he’s now a brick wall up the middle while also being a threat in the opposition box.
Over his 650 games for Los Blancos, Ramos has stacked up 97 goals and 39 assists, claiming 13 of those goals and one of those assists in his 44 games last season.
He may be in his mid-30s, but Ramos still has all of the attributes that you look for in a top FIFA 21 CB, including 88 composure, 88 interceptions, 92 reactions, 90 sliding tackle, 88 standing tackle, 85 strength, and 85 marking.
Ramos enters the new game at 89 OVR, keeping par with his final FIFA 20 rating, and is set to be one of the best pre-contract signings of FIFA 21.
Kalidou Koulibaly (88 OVR)
Team: SSC Napoli
Best Position: CB
Age: 29
Overall Rating: 88
Nationality: Senegalese
Weak Foot: Three-Star
Best Attributes: 94 Strength, 91 Marking, 87 Sliding Tackle
In a league which has historically touted some of the best defensive players and teams in Europe, Kalidou Koulibaly has been able to stand out as one of Serie A’s finest.
Alongside Andrea Barzagli, Andrea Pirlo, Radja Nainggolan, and Miralem Pjanić, Kalidou Koulibaly has made it into the Serie A Team of the Year four times, making a strong case for a fifth selection even though he only played 25 games due to multiple injuries last season.
Boasting a high defensive work rate and an 88 overall rating in FIFA 21, Koulibaly is one of the best players at the CB position in the game.
A purely defensive presence, Koulibaly’s main assets are his ball-winning abilities and physicality, boasting a 91 for marking, 89 for his standing tackle, 94 for strength, and 87 for his sliding tackle.
Aymeric Laporte (87 OVR)
Team: Manchester City
Best Position: CB
Age: 26
Overall Rating: 87
Nationality: French
Weak Foot: Three-Star
Best Attributes: 89 Marking, 89 Standing Tackle, 89 Standing Tackle
Just as he had cemented himself as the standout centre back for Manchester City, Aymeric Laporte picked up a hefty knee injury and only made it onto the pitch 20 times in all competitions in 2019/20.
City suffered a double-whammy last season by losing their commander, Vincent Kompany, and their best CB, Laporte, at once. The Agen-native is back now, though, with a strong new centre back partner in the energetic Nathan Aké.
Despite his lengthy absence last season, Laporte returns in FIFA 21 with the same 87 OVR that he ended FIFA 20 with, still boasting many top attributes.
As you’d assume from a player picked by Pep Guardiola, Laporte boasts strong passing attributes, with an 82 for short passing and 80 for long passing, as well as sound defending fundamentals, such as 89 marking, 89 standing tackle, and 87 interceptions.
Giorgio Chiellini (87 OVR)
Team: Juventus
Best Position: CB
Age: 36
Overall Rating: 87
Nationality: Italian
Weak Foot: Three-Star
Best Attributes: 94 Marking, 90 Standing Tackle, 90 Aggression
Already a legendary defender, even at 36-years-old, Giorgio Chiellini is still the cornerstone of the silverware-hunting Juventus.
While the left-footed centre back could only muster four appearances throughout the entirety of last season, due to a cruciate ligament injury, the dominant Italian looks set to reprise his role as team captain this year.
Missing almost the whole 2019/20 season resulted in Chiellini being docked one point in his overall rating, being an 87 OVR CB in FIFA 21.
The Juventus talisman continues to hold strong ratings where it counts, too, boasting an 88 for interceptions, 94 for marking, 90 for his standing tackle, 88 for his sliding tackle, 87 strength, and 84 composure.
All the Best Centre Backs (CB) in FIFA 21
Here’s the list of all of the best CB players in FIFA 21. The table below will be updated with more players once the full game launches.
| Name | Overall | Age | Team | Best Attributes |
| Virgil van Dijk | 90 | 29 | Liverpool | 93 Marking, 93 Standing Tackle, 90 Interceptions |
| Sergio Ramos | 89 | 34 | Real Madrid | 93 Jumping, 92 Heading Accuracy, 90 Sliding Tackle |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | 88 | 29 | SSC Napoli | 94 Strength, 91 Marking, 89 Standing Tackle |
| Aymeric Laporte | 87 | 26 | Manchester City | 89 Marking, 89 Standing Tackle, 88 Sliding Tackle |
| Giorgio Chiellini | 87 | 36 | Juventus | 94 Marking, 90 Standing Tackle, 90 Aggression |
| Gerard Piqué | 86 | 33 | FC Barcelona | 88 Reactions, 88 Marking, 87 Strength |
| Mats Hummels | 86 | 32 | Borussia Dortmund | 91 Interceptions, 90 Marking, 88 Standing Tackle |
| Raphaël Varane | 86 | 27 | Real Madrid | 89 Marking, 87 Standing Tackle, 87 Interceptions |
| Marquinhos | 85 | 26 | Paris Saint-Germain | 89 Jumping, 87 Standing Tackle, 87 Marking |
| Matthijs de Ligt | 85 | 21 | Juventus | 88 Strength, 86 Marking, 85 Standing Tackle |
| Thiago Silva | 85 | 36 | Chelsea | 90 Jumping, 88 Interceptions, 87 Marking |
| Milan Škriniar | 85 | 25 | Inter Milan | 92 Marking, 87 Standing Tackle, 86 Aggression |
| Clément Lenglet | 85 | 25 | FC Barcelona | 90 Marking, 87 Interceptions, 86 Standing Tackle |
| Leonardo Bonucci | 85 | 33 | Juventus | 90 Marking, 90 Interceptions, 86 Standing Tackle |
| Toby Alderweireld | 85 | 31 | Tottenham Hotspur | 89 Standing Tackle, 88 Marking, 86 Composure |
| Diego Godín | 85 | 34 | Inter Milan | 90 Marking, 89 Jumping, 87 Interceptions |
| David Alaba | 84 | 28 | Bayern Munich | 88 Reactions, 85 Marking, 85 Free-Kick Accuracy |
| Stefan de Vrij | 84 | 28 | Inter Milan | 88 Marking, 87 Standing Tackle, 86 Interceptions |
| Felipe | 84 | 31 | Atlético Madrid | 92 Aggression, 90 Jumping, 89 Strength |
| Niklas Süle | 84 | 25 | Bayern Munich | 93 Strength, 88 Standing Tackle, 87 Sliding Tackle |
| José María Giménez | 84 | 25 | Atlético Madrid | 90 Strength, 90 Jumping, 89 Aggression |
| Jan Vertonghen | 83 | 33 | SL Benfica | 86 Sliding Tackle, 86 Marking, 85 Standing Tackle |
| Konstantinos Manolas | 83 | 29 | SSC Napoli | 87 Sliding Tackle, 86 Jumping, 86 Interceptions |
| Joel Matip | 83 | 29 | Liverpool | 86 Interceptions, 86 Standing Tackle, 85 Marking |
| Francesco Acerbi | 83 | 32 | SS Lazio | 87 Marking, 87 Standing Tackle, 86 Strength |
| Samuel Umtiti | 83 | 26 | FC Barcelona | 85 Strength, 85 Jumping, 84 Interceptions |
| Alessio Romagnoli | 83 | 25 | AC Milan | 88 Marking, 86 Interceptions, 86 Standing Tackle |
| Diego Carlos | 83 | 27 | Sevilla FC | 86 Strength, 85 Aggression, 84 Interceptions |
| Joe Gomez | 83 | 23 | Liverpool | 85 Standing Tackle, 84 Interceptions, 83 Reactions |
Looking for the best young players in FIFA 21?
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FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Centre Backs (CB) to Sign
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