Nearly every team that’s achieved major honours in football has had a solid backline with at least one elite-level centre back at its core.
When a team’s rebuilding or advancing towards a title, it’s the signing or development of a world-class defender that proves to be pivotal.
Perhaps the best way to go about building a defence that can propel a victorious dynasty in Career Mode is to bring in at least one of the best young centre backs (CB) in FIFA 21.
These are ALL the best young centre backs (CBs) to sign for your FIFA 21 Career Mode team.
Choosing FIFA 21 Career Mode’s best young CB (Centre Backs)
This best young players sheet prioritises each player’s starting overall rating in FIFA 21 Career Mode. As such, these are the best young CBs right now in the game.
To make it onto this page, players have to be 23-years-old or younger, have CB as their preferred position, and have an overall rating of at least 77 OVR.
We’ve also taken note of their potential ratings, making sure that the best young centre backs that you sign can become even better.
If you’re looking for the best young centre backs with the highest potential ratings, check out the CB wonderkids article.
For a full list of ALL of the best young CB in FIFA 21, view the table towards the end of the page.
Matthijs de Ligt (85 OVR – 92 POT)
Team: Piemonte Calcio (Juventus)
Best Position: LCB, CB, RCB
Overall/Potential: 85 OVR / 92 POT
Value: £89 million
Wage: £72,000 per week
Best Attributes: 88 Strength, 86 Heading Accuracy, 86 Defensive Awareness
Still only 21-years-old, Matthijs de Ligt immediately cemented himself as a first-choice centre back after moving to the star-studded Juventus last summer.
In the 2019/20 season, playing alongside veteran and stand-in captain Leonardo Bonucci – in the absence of injured club captain Giorgio Chiellini – the young Dutchman helped his team to 14 clean sheets in 39 games, scoring four goals in the process.
In Career Mode, despite being two years younger than the cap age here, Matthijs De Ligt is the best young CB in FIFA 21.
Already a verified first-team centre back, De Ligt’s best attributes include his 84 jumping, 84 reactions, 84 standing tackle, 88 strength, and 86 defensive awareness.
Joe Gomez (83 OVR – 88 POT)
Team: Liverpool
Best Position: LB, LCB, CB, RCB, RB
Overall/Potential: 83 OVR / 88 POT
Value: £44.5 million
Wage: £84,000 per week
Best Attributes: 85 Sprint Speed, 85 Standing Tackle, 84 Interceptions
Having suffered major injury setbacks at the most inopportune moments of his development, Joe Gomez has somehow powered through to establish himself as Virgil van Dijk’s strongest centre back partner.
The young Englishman is, however, very versatile, with his strong tackling and mobility allowing him to be effective at full-back. Gomez featured in 43 games last season and has commenced this campaign as Jürgen Klopp’s preferred right-sided centre back.
The London-native starts Career Mode as one of the best young centre backs in the game, making the cut as a 23-year-old with an overall rating of 83.
With plenty of room to grow in FIFA 21, boasting a potential rating of 88, Gomez’s best ratings now are his 85 sprint speed, 84 interceptions, 83 defensive awareness, 83 strength, and 85 standing tackle.
Rúben Dias (81 OVR – 87 POT)
Team: Manchester City
Best Position: LCB, CB, RCB
Overall/Potential: 81 OVR / 87 POT
Value: £33.5 million
Wage: £13,500 per week
Best Attributes: 92 Aggression, 86 Stamina, 84 Standing Tackle
In playing 49 games, holding a near-90 per cent pass percentage, winning almost every aerial battle that came his way, scoring three, and teeing-up three more, Rúben Dias further impressed in his third season with the SL Benfica first-team.
Finally, one of Europe’s elite pulled the trigger to bring in the talented young Portuguese defender. On 29 September, Pep Guardiola’s £61.2 million transfer fee for Dias put his spending on defenders at Manchester City past £400 million.
Dias is already a beast of the backline in Career Mode, standing 6’2’’ with 92 aggression, 80 strength, 86 stamina, and 83 defensive awareness.
Expect the value and wage of Dias to shoot-up in later updates of FIFA 21, and potentially his OVR and POT ratings now that he’s moved to a higher-rated club in the game.
Éder Militão (80 OVR – 87 POT)
Team: Real Madrid
Best Position: LB, LCB, CB, RCB, RB
Overall/Potential: 80 OVR / 87 POT
Value: £36 million
Wage: £100,000 per week
Best Attributes: 85 Jumping, 85 Stamina, 83 Aggression
In 2018, Éder Militão made his way from the club that developed him, São Paulo, into European football through the well-trodden gateway of FC Porto.
After one season as the star centre back, os Dragões, converted their £6.3 million defender into a £45 million sale. Joining Real Madrid, Militão’s opportunities were sparse last season, seeing him only feature in 20 games.
Regardless of his record in 2019/20, Militão comes into FIFA 21 Career Mode as one of the best young centre backs to sign, sitting at 80 OVR now, with a potential overall rating of 87.
The Brazilian backstop has spent some time on either flank and is capable of doing so in the game, adding versatility to his favourable attribute ratings of 82 standing tackle, 82 interceptions, and 85 stamina.
Dayot Upamecano (79 OVR – 90 POT)
Team: RB Leipzig
Best Position: LCB, CB, RCB
Overall/Potential: 79 OVR / 90 POT
Value: £33 million
Wage: £32,000 per week
Best Attributes: 90 Strength, 88 Jumping, 84 Standing Tackle
Dayot Upamecano is one of the most sought-after young defenders in world football right now. The absurdly strong Frenchman has already played 116 games for the high-flying RB Leipzig.
After another solid season that featured two assists in 38 games for the East German side, the 21-year-old broke into the national team in September, playing 90 minutes in both UEFA Nations League wins against Sweden and Croatia.
There are a few great young centre backs on FIFA 21 with an opening overall rating of 79, but Upamecano boasts a tremendous 90 POT to put him well ahead of the rest.
Upamecano’s overall rating of 79 is incredibly deceptive as most of his key attribute ratings already surpass those of some established first-team CBs, including his 84 standing tackle, 77 sliding tackle, 81 aggression, 81 heading accuracy, 77 interceptions, 88 jumping, and 90 strength.
All the Best Young CB (Centre Backs) in FIFA 21
Here’s the complete list of all of the best young CB in Career Mode of FIFA 21, including those featured above.
| Name | Age | Position | Overall | Potential | Team | Best Attributes |
| Matthijs de Ligt | 20 | CB | 85 | 92 | Piemonte Calcio (Juventus) | 88 Strength, 86 Heading Accuracy, 86 Defensive Awareness |
| Joe Gomez | 23 | CB | 83 | 88 | Liverpool | 85 Sprint Speed, 85 Standing Tackle, 84 Interceptions |
| Rúben Dias | 23 | CB | 81 | 87 | Manchester City | 92 Aggression, 86 Stamina, 84 Standing Tackle |
| Éder Militão | 22 | CB, RB | 80 | 87 | Real Madrid | 85 Jumping, 85 Stamina, 83 Aggression |
| Dayot Upamecano | 21 | CB | 79 | 90 | RB Leipzig | 90 Strength, 88 Jumping, 84 Sprint Speed |
| Jules Koundé | 21 | CB | 79 | 86 | Sevilla FC | 86 Jumping, 82 Reactions, 82 Interceptions |
| Dan-Axel Zagadou | 21 | CB | 79 | 86 | Borussia Dortmund | 92 Strength, 87 Standing Tackle, 80 Sliding Tackle |
| Edmond Tapsoba | 21 | CB | 78 | 88 | Bayer Leverkusen | 82 Aggression, 81 Standing Tackle, 80 Short Passing |
| Pau Torres | 23 | CB | 78 | 86 | Villarreal CF | 81 Standing Tackle, 80 Sliding Tackle, 79 Ball Control |
| Unai Núñez | 23 | CB | 78 | 84 | Athletic Bilbao | 83 Sliding Tackle, 80 Interceptions, 79 Strength |
| Ibrahima Konaté | 21 | CB | 78 | 88 | RB Leipzig | 85 Standing Tackle, 83 Strength, 79 Sprint Speed |
| Gabriel Magalhães | 22 | CB | 78 | 85 | Arsenal | 84 Strength, 81 Standing Tackle, 80 Heading Accuracy |
| Antônio Chiamuloira | 20 | CB, LB | 78 | 78 | SC Internacional | 88 Jumping, 88 Aggression, 81 Defensive Awareness |
| Duje Ćaleta-Car | 23 | CB | 78 | 82 | Olympique de Marseille | 84 Strength, 80 Jumping, 80 Long Passing |
| Nico Elvedi | 23 | CB | 78 | 84 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 83 Standing Tackle, 82 Interceptions, 79 Strength |
| Ferro | 23 | CB | 77 | 84 | SL Benfica | 84 Aggression, 81 Shot Power, 81 Interceptions |
| Ozan Kabak | 20 | CB | 77 | 87 | FC Schalke 04 | 85 Strength, 84 Jumping, 80 Standing Tackle |
| Marcos Senesi | 23 | CB | 77 | 84 | Feyenoord | 82 Standing Tackle, 80 Defensive Awareness, 78 Strength |
| Luiz Felipe | 23 | CB | 77 | 85 | SS Lazio | 82 Interceptions, 81 Aggression, 81 Defensive Awareness |
| Issa Diop | 23 | CB | 77 | 84 | West Ham United | 86 Strength, 81 Sliding Tackle, 80 Standing Tackle |
| Thilo Kehrer | 23 | CB, RB | 77 | 82 | Paris Saint-Germain | 82 Jumping, 81 Sliding Tackle, 79 Aggression |
| Mason Holgate | 23 | CB, RB | 77 | 81 | Everton | 79 Standing Tackle, 79 Aggression, 78 Interceptions |
Lay the foundations of your team’s future success by signings one of these top young centre backs in FIFA 21’s Career Mode.
Looking for the best young players?
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Strikers & Centre Forwards (ST & CF) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young LBs to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Right Backs (RB & RWB) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Central Midfielders (CM) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Defensive Midfielders (CDM) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Attacking Midfielders (CAM) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Goalkeepers (GK) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Right Wingers (RW & RM) to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Young Left Wingers (LW & LM) to Sign
Looking for wonderkids?
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Centre Backs (CB) to sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Right Backs (RB) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Left Backs (LB) to sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Goalkeepers (GK) to sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Attacking Midfielders (CAM) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Central Midfielders (CM) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkid Wingers: Best Left Wingers (LW & LM) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkid Wingers: Best Right Wingers (RW & RM) to sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Strikers (ST & CF) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young Brazilian Players to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young French Players to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21 Wonderkids: Best Young English Players to Sign in Career Mode
Looking for bargains?
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Contract Expiry Signings Ending in 2021 (First Season)
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Centre Backs (CB) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Strikers (ST & CF) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Right Backs (RB & RWB) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Left Backs (LB & LWB) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Centre Midfielders (CM) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Goalkeepers (GK) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Right Wingers (RW & RM) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Left Wingers (LW & LM) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Attacking Midfielders (CAM) with High Potential to Sign
FIFA 21 Career Mode: Best Cheap Defensive Midfielders (CDM) with High Potential to Sign
Looking for the fastest players?
FIFA 21 Defenders: Fastest Centre Backs (CB) to Sign in Career Mode
FIFA 21: Fastest Strikers (ST and CF)
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