FIFA 22 Career Mode: Best Cheap Centre Backs (CB) with High Potential to Sign

While buying a cheap centre back with high potential is a cost-effective way to build your starting XI, it’s also a great way to increase your transfer budget down the line. Clubs like Brentford have found that buying low, developing, and then selling high can be a viable model for improving the squad.

To help create a solid defensive line for the future, at a minimal cost to your transfer budget, we’ve collected the best cheap centre backs with high potential ratings who you can sign from the start of FIFA 22.

Choosing FIFA Career Mode’s best cheap centre backs (CB) with high potential

Even though this list focuses on cheap centre backs, you’ll find several recognisable names, including Tanguy Nianzou, Leonidas Stergiou, and Morato.

To qualify for this list of the best and cheapest FIFA players – centre backs – with high potential, the players had to have CB listed as their preferred position, have a potential rating of at least 82, and be valued at around £5 million at the most.

At the base of this page, you’ll find a full list of all of the best young FIFA CBs with high potential ratings.

Leonidas Stergiou (67 OVR – 86 POT)

FIFA 22 best high potential cheap centre back Leonidas Stergiou

Team: FC St. Gallen
Age: 19
Wage: £1,700
Value: £2.1 million
Best Attributes: 86 Jumping, 74 Strength, 71 Stamina

Leonidas Stergiou is the epitome of a cheap centre back with high potential in FIFA 22, coming in with an 86 potential rating and a value of just £2.1 million. His current wages are also very low at £1,700.

The 19-year-old Swiss already boasts some impressive ratings despite being a 67-overall CB. His 86 jumping, 74 stamina, 70 defensive awareness, and 70 standing tackle are far better than his overall rating would imply.

Stergiou has been one of FC St. Gallen’s go-to centre backs for quite some time, despite still being a teenager. He’s already passed the 90-appearance mark for the Super League team, starting this season as a starting XI pick.

Tanguy Nianzou (71 OVR – 85 POT)

FIFA 22 best high potential cheap centre back Tanguy Nianzou

Team: Bayern Munich
Age: 19
Wage: £15,000
Value: £3.6 million
Best Attributes: 77 Jumping, 77 Strength, 74 Stand Tackle

Despite being at Bayern Munich, Tanguy Nianzou still has a low valuation with an 85 potential rating, making him one of the best cheap CBs with high potential to sign in FIFA 22.

At 19-years-old, the Frenchman is already a solid choice for your backline. Nianzou’s 77 jumping, 77 strength, 74 standing tackle, 72 heading accuracy, 70 aggression, and 6’2’’ frame make his 71 overall rating a bit misleading.

The Parisian joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer in 2020, after playing 13 times for Paris Saint-Germain. Injuries greatly hampered Nianzou’s first season in Germany, but when he was fit and not suspended, he was often given minutes.

Armel Bella Kotchap (71 OVR – 85 POT)

FIFA 22 best high potential cheap centre back Armel Bella Kotchap

Team: VfL Bochum
Age: 19
Wage: £6,300
Value: £3.6 million
Best Attributes: 86 Strength, 79 Sprint Speed, 76 Jumping

With the same overall and potential rating as Nianzou, Armel Bella Kotchap will likely be the cheaper option as he’s at VfL Bochum rather than Bayern Munich.

Bella Kotchap stands 6’3’’ and already boasts a strong set of attribute ratings for a centre back. His 86 strength, 79 sprint speed, 73 acceleration, 75 standing tackle, and 73 interceptions lay the foundations of a great CB to have in Career Mode.

As a young player, Bella Kotchap skipped between several set-ups, including those of Borussia Mönchengladbach, SG Unterrath, and MSV Duisburg. However, just two years after joining VfL Bochum’s under-17s side, he moved up to the first-team. Now a staple of the Bundesliga club’s backline, the French-born defender has already played over 50 games for the club.

Micky van de Ven (68 OVR – 84 POT)

FIFA 22 best high potential cheap centre back Micky van de Ven

Team: VfL Wolfsburg
Age: 20
Wage: £11,000
Value: £2.6 million
Best Attributes: 81 Strength, 76 Sprint Speed, 70 Slide Tackle

Valued at just £2.6 million while toting an 84 potential rating, Micky van de Ven comes into FIFA 22 as one of the best cheap CBs to sign, and looks to be a tough competitor as he develops in Career Mode.

The 68-rated CB stands 6’4’’ and already has an 81 strength rating. However, he’s not just a powerhouse, with the Dutchman’s 76 sprint speed and 67 acceleration boding well for his future build.

Last season, Van de Ven played 28 games for FC Volendam in the second tier of football in the Netherlands, finishing the campaign with the captain’s armband. So, Vfl Wolfsburg snapped up the young player for around £3 million.

Morato (69 OVR – 84 POT)

FIFA 22 best high potential cheap centre back Morato

Team: SL Benfica
Age: 20
Wage: £3,500
Value: £2.7 million
Best Attributes: 87 Strength, 74 Aggression, 69 Stand Tackle

Left-footer Morato already plays for one of the best teams in Portugal, SL Benfica, but his starting overall rating of 69 helps to lower his value, enabling you to snap-up an 84-potential CB on the cheap.

Similar to Van de Ven above, Morato is already a mighty unit to contend with in FIFA 22, weighing in at 6’3’’ with 87 strength and 74 aggression. As he develops, his 68 heading accuracy will also make the Brazilian a potent threat in set-piece situations.

After being given a couple of run-outs in Liga NOS at the end of last season, Morato looks to have become a regular starter in 2021/22, playing in the newly-sponsored Liga Bwin and in the UEFA Champions League.

Tomás Ribeiro (71 OVR – 84 POT)

FIFA 22 best high potential cheap centre back Tomás Ribeiro

Team: Belenenses SAD
Age: 22
Wage: £3,500
Value: £3.7 million
Best Attributes: 80 Jumping, 76 Aggression, 73 Strength

Another left-footed centre back to make it onto this list of the best cheap centre backs with high potential ratings, Tomás Ribeiro already has several very useful attribute ratings.

The 84-potential CB is only valued at £3.7 million despite his 80 jumping, 76 aggression, 73 strength, and 73 defensive awareness. At 22-years-old, Ribeiro will need consistent game time soon to grow his 71 overall rating into his potential.

Ribeiro became a mainstay in the Belenenses defence early in the 2019/20 season, but injuries forced him to miss the second half of the campaign. Last season, he made up for lost time, playing 36 games, and continues to be one of the first on the team sheet this season.

Jarrad Branthwaite (66 OVR – 84 POT)

FIFA 22 best high potential cheap centre back Jarrad Branthwaite

Team: Everton
Age: 19
Wage: £7,700
Value: £1.8 million
Best Attributes: 73 Jumping, 70 Stand Tackle, 68 Heading Accuracy

As the tallest centre back of the top cheap high potential players here, Jarrad Branthwaite certainly has an additional degree of appeal when looking at low-cost players to sign in Career Mode – even if his starting overall rating is a mere 66.

The English defender stands 6’5’’, with his best attributes being his 73 jumping, 70 standing tackle, 67 strength, and 68 heading accuracy. Branthwaite’s potential rating is 84, so those key attributes will improve substantially over the next couple of seasons.

This season, the Carlisle-native added a second appearance for Everton to his CV and was a regular feature on the Toffees’ bench through the early stages of the campaign.

All of the best cheap high potential centre backs (CB) on FIFA 22

In the table below, you’ll find all of the best cheap CB players with high potential in FIFA 22, sorted by their potential ratings.

Name	Overall	Potential	Age	Position	Team	Value	Wage
Leonidas Stergiou	67	86	19	CB	FC St. Gallen	£2.1 million	£1,700
Tanguy Nianzou	71	85	19	CB, CDM	Bayern Munich	£3.6 million	£15,000
Armel Bella Kotchap	71	85	19	CB	VfL Bochum 1848	£3.6 million	£6,300
Micky van de Ven	68	84	20	CB, LB	VfL Wolfsburg	£2.6 million	£11,000
Morato	68	84	20	CB	SL Benfica	£2.7 million	£3,500
Tomás Ribeiro	71	84	22	CB	Os Belenenses	£3.7 million	£3,500
Jarrad Branthwaite	66	84	19	CB	Everton	£1.8 million	£7,700
Rav van den Berg	59	83	16	CB	PEC Zwolle	£581,000	£430
Ravil Tagir	65	83	18	CB	Medipol Başakşehir FK	£1.5 million	£2,000
Márton Dárdai	69	83	19	CB, CDM	Hertha BSC	£2.7 million	£8,000
Žiga Laci	68	83	18	CB	AEK Athens	£2.2 million	£430
Bećir Omeragić	67	83	19	CB, RB	FC Zürich	£2.2 million	£3,000
Bryan Okoh	65	82	18	CB	FC Red Bull Salzburg	£1.5 million	£2,000
Levi Colwill	65	82	18	CB	Huddersfield Town	£1.5 million	£645
Alexios Kalogeropoulos	62	82	16	CB	Olympiacos CFP	£860,000	£430
Luke Mbete	62	82	17	CB	Manchester City	£860,000	£602
Illia Zabarnyi	72	82	18	CB	Dynamo Kyiv	£4 million	£430
Bruno Fuchs	72	82	22	CB	PFC CSKA Moscow	£4.2 million	£20,000
Lorenzo Pirola	64	82	19	CB	AC Monza	£1.2 million	£559
Nnamdi Collins	60	82	17	CB	Borussia Dortmund	£624,000	£430
Francés	69	82	18	CB	Real Zaragoza	£2.6 million	£860
Teden Mengi	64	82	19	CB	Manchester United	£1.2 million	£9,000
Benjamin Cabango	72	82	21	CB	Swansea City	£4.2 million	£12,000
Nathan Collins	71	82	20	CB, RB	Burnley	£3.3 million	£12,000
Mujaid	71	82	21	CB, RB	KRC Genk	£3.4 million	£6,000
Mark McKenzie	70	82	22	CB	KRC Genk	£3.2 million	£6,000