The best defenders in FIFA 21

The defense is unquestionably the backbone of any football club, but finding quality and resilient defenders is far from easy. Your center-backs are quite literally the last line of defense against opposing strikers, and full-backs have grown to play an increasingly vital role in modern football. 

As Sir Alex Ferguson said, “Attack wins you games. Defense wins you titles.” That’s why we’ve done a deep dive and laid out the top defenders in FIFA 21 so that you’re fully equipped to withstand elite opposition and never get caught out of position. 

Who are the best defenders in FIFA 21?

Here’s a look at the best defenders in FIFA 21 by position.

Right-backs

1. Trent Alexander-Arnold (87) – Liverpool/England
2. Dani Carvajal (86) – Real Madrid/Spain
3. Kyle Walker (85) – Manchester City/England
4. Ricardo Pereira (85) – Leicester City/Portugal
5. Jesus Navas (84) – Sevilla/Spain
6. Azpilicueta (84) – Chelsea/Spain
7. Kieran Trippier (83) – Atletico Madrid/England
8. Joao Cancelo (83) – Manchester City/Portugal
9. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (83) – Manchester United/England
10. Sergi Roberto (83) – Barcelona FC/Spain
11. Nelson Semedo (83) – Wolverhampton Wolves/Portugal 
12. Lars Bender (82) – Bayer Leverkusen/Germany
13. Juan Cuadrado (81) – Piemonte Calcio/Colombia 
14. Thomas Meunier (81) – Borussia Dortmund/Belgium
15. Alessandro Florenzi (81) – PSG/Italy

Center-Backs

1. Virgil Van Dijk (90) – Liverpool/Netherlands
2. Sergio Ramos (89) – Real Madrid/Spain
3. Kalidou Koulibaly (88) – Napoli/Senegal
4. Giorgio Chiellini (87) – Piemonte Calcio/Italy 
5. Aymeric Laporte (87) – Manchester City/France 
6. Raphael Varane (86) – Real Madrid/France 
7. Gerard Pique (86) – Barcelona FC/Spain
8. Mats Hummels (86) – Borussia Dortmund/Germany 
9. Marquinhos (85) – PSG/Brazil 
10. Thiago Silva (85) – Chelsea/Brazil 
11. Matthijs De Light (85) – Piemonte Calcio/Netherlands
12. Milan Skrinier (85) – Internazionale/Slovakia 
13. Leonardo Bonucci (85) – Piemonte Calcio/Italy 
14. Toby Alderweireld (85) – Tottenham Hotspur/Belgium
15. Clement Lenglet (85) – Barcelona FC/France

Left-Backs

1. Andrew Robertson (87) – Liverpool/Scotland
2. Jordi Alba (86) – Barcelona FC/Spain
3. Alex Sandro (85) – Piemonte Calcio/Brazil
4. Alex Telles (84) – Porto FC/Brazil
5. Lucas Digne (84) – Everton/France 
6. Alex Grimaldo (84) – Benfica/Spain
7. Nicolas Tagliafico (84) – Ajax/Argentina
8. Marcelo (83) – Real Madrid/Brazil 
9. Ferland Mendy (83) – Real Madrid/France 
10. Juan Bernat (83) – PSG/Spain
11. Marcos Acuna (83) – Sevilla/Argentina
12. Yuri Berchiche (83) -Atletic Bilbao/Spain
13. Jose Gaya (83) – Valencia/Spain
14. Aleksander Kolarov (82) – Internazionale/Serbia 
15. Marcel Halstenberg (82) – RB Leipzig/Germany 

Outside of natural talent and overall skill level, the potential is another essential aspect to consider when finding the best defender to bolster your backfield. 

Some players will have higher ‘built-in’ potential for growth than others, so if your goal is to play for longer than two seasons, then potential will have a substantial impact on your squad. 

It’s also a great way to pick up a bargain deal, as there are countless talented prospects that you can purchase for cheap and turn into international footy superstars.