10 Best Defensive Players In EA Sports FC 25

EA Sports FC 25 allows you to assemble a team of your best players, both on offense and defense. While you want strong strikers and mid-fielders to score goals, you’ll also need people in your backfield to protect your goalie. Without talented defensive players, your goalkeeper will be left helpless against a rival team’s assault.

Defensive players can be organized into three key positions – Left Backs, Right Backs, and Central Backs. All athletes in these spots are responsible for different sides of your backfield during a game. Some of the best formations from EA Sports FC 24 return as you use three players on defense to fill these roles in your team.

Even though goalkeepers are considered defensive players, they will not be included on this list since their position is extremely unique.

10 Joshua Kimmich (RB)

Good Defense With Stellar Passing

Joshua Kimmich, like all players in EA Sports FC 25, has an Overall Rating determined by several core stats that determine his abilities. Each major stat category has subsections that give more insight into an athlete’s skills. As a result, Kimmich is more than meets the eye, with an 85 score for Interceptions being a key example of his tendency to steal passes away from rival players.

Those looking for something more from their defensive player will be happy to know that Kimmich has other strong hidden traits. While he may not be the best at keeping Pace with others, Kimmich has incredibly high Passing compared to most athletes on defense. Kimmich has 91 Long Passing and 91 Crossing, allowing him to maneuver the ball away from an opposing team quickly to restore your squad’s momentum.

9 Joao Cancelo (LB)

Control The Ball Before Sending It Away

The Left Back Joao Cancelo is a balanced pick for any team’s defense, with strong 88 Stamina and 86 Acceleration stats that allow him to cover a lot of ground. However, it’s the outstanding control that Cancelo claims over the ball that makes him stand out among other defenders. With an 87 Ball Control score, you’ll be able to keep possession under pressure long enough to send the ball far away from your goalie.

Defenders do not always have to be good at Passing, as they will more often want to clear the ball from a bad position on your side of the field.

8 Trent Alexander–Arnold (RB)

Set Up Teammates When Rivals Least Expect It

As often as you may want a well-rounded defender, specialists like Trent Alexander-Arnold can also be excellent tools in your arsenal. This athlete has a complete focus on Passing, with amazing stats in that category. Some examples include 92 Long Passing, 93 Crossing, 89 Short Passing, and 89 Vision, which all come together to help you quickly give the ball to a mid-fielder ready to take it up the field.

The unique individual player changes in EA Sports FC 25 expand Alexander-Arnold’s effectiveness. With more subtle stats like his 88 Curve, the way this athlete approaches defense is very different compared to other players. As you can see in the above video by YouTube creator Austor – FIFA Prediction & More, the increased scores for Alexander-Arnold among his Liverpool teammates will help you flesh out his creativity even more on defense.

7 Carvajal (RB)

Pure Aggression To Force Turnovers

Carvajal is a player who thrives on being aggressive on defense, forcing turnovers and making it hard for rival players to make good passes. With an 85 Aggression stat, this athlete exemplifies consistent pressure that you can use to force enemy teams to make crucial mistakes. 81 Sprint Speed and 82 Acceleration also combine to allow Carvajal to close in on opposing players at alarming speeds.

You don’t even need to be controlling Carvajal for them to contribute to your team. This athlete’s 85 Reaction score means that they can recognize adverse situations fast and move to support the rest of their defensive teammates. 80 Defensive Awareness will contribute to this playstyle even more as enemy offenses try to sneak by your backfield for a surprise goal.

6 Marquinhos (CB)

Recruit A Top Heavy Specialist

Anyone looking for someone who solely defends should consider Marquinhos, a Center Back who excels at disrupting enemy offenses. With incredible stats, like an 89 Standing Tackle and 88 Heading Accuracy, you can prevent breakaways and cross passes that normally would set up your rivals for an easy goal.

Heading Accuracy refers to how easily your player can jump and use their head to perform an unorthodox pass. Headers usually need to be accurate to prevent a cross pass from setting up a goal.

89 Jumping allows Marquinhos to leap for a header, making him the perfect defensive player to have against a cross pass from either corner. With 90 Defensive Awareness, it’s likely that this athlete will always be in the right place at the right time to stop his rivals from getting a game-winning goal. Even as playstyles from EA Sports FC 24 change, this strategy will still work well in this continuation of the series.

5 William Saliba (CB)

Use Strength To Overpower Opposing Players

William Saliba uses pure strength and toughness to implement his defensive skills, with an 87 Strength stat supporting this strategy. Other great traits like 89 Jumping allow Saliba to physically outshine most offensive players when competing for the ball. An absurd 89 Standing Tackle stat supports Saliba’s 88 Defensive Awareness to force plays to happen in your team’s favor in EA Sports FC 25.

4 Theo Hernandez (LB)

Combine Speed And Endurance

Very few players can match the speed of athletes like Theo Hernandez, whose Pace goes above and beyond what other defenders may have. Similar to chemistry in EA Sports FC 24, you can pair Hernandez with strong defenders to always make sure opponents are pressured the moment they move past your mid-fielders. This is due in part to Hernandez’s strong stats, like 95 Acceleration and 95 Sprint Speed.

According to the above video by YouTube creator AA9Skillz Extra, Hernadez thrives when you have teammates who support his weaknesses. Although Hernandez has 88 Strength and 86 Aggression, he may need to pass the ball to someone else to clear it in certain situations. However, due to his speed and strength, Hernandez likely has a better chance to force the ball away from an opponent first.

3 Antonio Rudiger (CB)

Simple And Straightforward Defense

Antonio Rudiger has some of the best balance between all his defensive skills more than other Center Backs in the game. 85 Interception, 87 Sliding Tackle, and 86 Defensive Awareness combine to create a defender who doesn’t slack in any category. A 91 Sprint Speed score also means Rudiger will find ways to chase down opposing strikers quickly to disrupt attempted shots.

Not many other defenders have Physicality stats like Rudiger either, such as his 91 Strength and 92 Aggression. Like Hernandez, Rudiger works perfectly as your primary defensive player, or the one who’s always at the forefront of the action. Cross passes across the middle can easily be contested by this athlete to make scoring a nightmare for any rival team.

2 Ruben Dias (CB)

Tackles Create Opportunities

Sliding and Standing tackles are an advanced technique for even top-rated players in EA Sports FC, but Ruben Dias makes them look easy. Very few players have a 90 Standing Tackle stat like Dias, which makes them explosive when approaching rival athletes. Those who are skilled at tackles can almost always use this player to steal the ball and create opportunities for their team instantly.

90 Strength and 90 Defensive Awareness also give Dias the ability to be consistently successful with the risks he takes. For example, missing a Sliding Tackle can leave a lane open for an offensive player to make a good pass for a goal. Due to his pure physical skill, Dias rarely allows this to happen since he has the awareness to pick and choose moments to strike.

1 Virgil van Dijk (CB)

Consistent And Unrelenting Force

Virgil van Dijk is the defensive player with the highest Overall Rating in EA Sports FC 25, but that’s not why he is special. This player has outstanding physical stats, sporting 90 Defensive Awareness and 93 Strength to enforce that knowledge. With 90 Composure as well, van Dijk is a calm, collected soldier who hits like a tank at only the right moments to help your team the most.

As you can see in the above video by YouTube creator
DanFIFA
, the 89 Jumping and 85 Aggression stats on van Dijk are scores that would be the highest of other players but are just part of this player’s qualities.

There’s almost nothing van Dijk can’t do, from performing tackles to headers with shocking accuracy. He isn’t a bad passer either, possessing the ability to clear the ball when needed with an 88 Reactions score to help determine what needs to be done. Anyone looking for the best defensive player in EA Sports FC 25 should consider picking up Virgil van Dijk purely for his unrelenting versatility.

Source: Austor – FIFA Predictions & More/YouTube, AA9Skillz Extra/YouTube, DanFIFA/YouTube