THE BEST FIFA 21 PREMIER LEAGUE CENTRE BACKS
A goalkeeper task is made easier if in front of him are quality central backs. Their function is to stop the opponent from getting dangerously close to your team’s goal.
Top 10
 Virgil van Dijk |  Netherlands |  Liverpool | |
 Joe Gomez |  England | Liverpool | |
 Davinson Sánchez |  Colombia |  Tottenham | |
 Aymeric Laporte |  France |  Manchester City | |
 Nathan Aké | Netherlands | Manchester City | |
 Antonio Rüdiger |  Germany |  Chelsea | |
 Eric Bailly |  Ivory Coast |  Manchester United | |
 Fernandinho |  Brazil | Manchester City | |
 Rúben Dias |  Portugal | Manchester City | |
 Victor Lindelöf |  Sweden | Manchester United | |
| Click or tap in any player to pop up his item. | |||
Key Attributes
On a centre back, two attributes assume particular importance on their performance: defending and physical.
A player with good at defending will have higher chances of dispossessing the opponent and avoid him reaching his box. The physical attribute measures how likely the players are to win possession with their body.
A player with good at defending will have higher chances of dispossessing the opponent and avoid him reaching his box. The physical attribute measures how likely the players are to win possession with their body.
Rating
| Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | Liverpool | 90 |
| Aymeric Laporte | France | Manchester City | 87 |
| Thiago Silva | Brazil | Chelsea | 85 |
| Toby Alderweireld |  Belgium | Tottenham | 85 |
| Fernandinho | Brazil | Manchester City | 84 |
| Joe Gomez | England | Liverpool | 83 |
| Joel Matip |  Cameroon | Liverpool | 83 |
| Harry Maguire | England | Manchester United | 82 |
| Antonio Rüdiger | Germany | Chelsea | 81 |
| Davinson Sánchez | Colombia | Tottenham | 81 |
| Rúben Dias | Portugal | Manchester City | 81 |
| Çağlar Söyüncü |  Turkey |  Leicester City | 80 |
| David Luiz | Brazil |  Arsenal | 80 |
| James Tarkowski | England |  Burnley | 80 |
| John Stones | England | Manchester City | 80 |
| Jonny Evans |  Northern Ireland | Leicester City | 80 |
| Kurt Zouma | France | Chelsea | 80 |
| Victor Lindelöf | Sweden | Manchester United | 80 |
| Willy Boly | France |  Wolves | 80 |
| Andreas Christensen |  Denmark | Chelsea | 79 |
| Ben Mee | England | Burnley | 79 |
| Chris Smalling | England | Manchester United | 79 |
| Conor Coady | England | Wolves | 79 |
| Eric Bailly | Ivory Coast | Manchester United | 79 |
| Nathan Aké | Netherlands | Manchester City | 79 |
Defending
| 90Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | Liverpool | 91 |
| 87Aymeric Laporte | France | Manchester City | 88 |
| 85Toby Alderweireld | Belgium | Tottenham | 87 |
| 85Thiago Silva | Brazil | Chelsea | 86 |
| 84Fernandinho | Brazil | Manchester City | 85 |
| 83Joel Matip | Cameroon | Liverpool | 85 |
| 83Joe Gomez | England | Liverpool | 83 |
| 81Rúben Dias | Portugal | Manchester City | 83 |
| 82Harry Maguire | England | Manchester United | 82 |
| 81Antonio Rüdiger | Germany | Chelsea | 82 |
| 81Davinson Sánchez | Colombia | Tottenham | 82 |
| 80John Stones | England | Manchester City | 82 |
| 80Jonny Evans | Northern Ireland | Leicester City | 82 |
| 79Andreas Christensen | Denmark | Chelsea | 82 |
| 80James Tarkowski | England | Burnley | 81 |
| 80Victor Lindelöf | Sweden | Manchester United | 81 |
| 79Chris Smalling | England | Manchester United | 81 |
| 79Nathan Aké | Netherlands | Manchester City | 81 |
| 80Çağlar Söyüncü | Turkey | Leicester City | 80 |
| 80Kurt Zouma | France | Chelsea | 80 |
| 80Willy Boly | France | Wolves | 80 |
| 79Ben Mee | England | Burnley | 80 |
| 79Nicolás Otamendi |  Argentina | Manchester City | 80 |
| 80David Luiz | Brazil | Arsenal | 79 |
| 79Conor Coady | England | Wolves | 79 |
Physical
| 90Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | Liverpool | 86 |
| 82Harry Maguire | England | Manchester United | 85 |
| 81Rúben Dias | Portugal | Manchester City | 84 |
| 80Kurt Zouma | France | Chelsea | 84 |
| 80Willy Boly | France | Wolves | 83 |
| 78Leander Dendoncker | Belgium | Wolves | 83 |
| 78Jack O’Connell | England |  Sheffield Utd | 82 |
| 87Aymeric Laporte | France | Manchester City | 81 |
| 81Davinson Sánchez | Colombia | Tottenham | 81 |
| 79Chris Smalling | England | Manchester United | 81 |
| 79Sokratis |  Greece | Arsenal | 81 |
| 75Pablo Marí |  Spain | Arsenal | 81 |
| 83Joe Gomez | England | Liverpool | 80 |
| 81Antonio Rüdiger | Germany | Chelsea | 80 |
| 80Çağlar Söyüncü | Turkey | Leicester City | 80 |
| 78Yerry Mina | Colombia |  Everton | 80 |
| 77Issa Diop | France |  West Ham United | 80 |
| 77Jamaal Lascelles | England |  Newcastle Utd | 80 |
| 76Mamadou Sakho | France |  Crystal Palace | 80 |
| 76Mohammed Salisu |  Ghana |  Southampton | 80 |
| 75Dan Burn | England |  Brighton & Hove | 80 |
| 75Tyrone Mings | England |  Aston Villa | 80 |
| 85Toby Alderweireld | Belgium | Tottenham | 79 |
| 84Fernandinho | Brazil | Manchester City | 79 |
| 80James Tarkowski | England | Burnley | 79 |
Pace
| 83Joe Gomez | England | Liverpool | 82 |
| 76Fikayo Tomori | England | Chelsea | 80 |
| 90Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | Liverpool | 76 |
| 81Davinson Sánchez | Colombia | Tottenham | 74 |
| 79Eric Bailly | Ivory Coast | Manchester United | 74 |
| 79Nathan Aké | Netherlands | Manchester City | 74 |
| 80Victor Lindelöf | Sweden | Manchester United | 72 |
| 77Mason Holgate | England | Everton | 72 |
| 76Diego Llorente | Spain |  Leeds United | 71 |
| 76Robin Koch | Germany | Leeds United | 71 |
| 81Antonio Rüdiger | Germany | Chelsea | 70 |
| 80Çağlar Söyüncü | Turkey | Leicester City | 69 |
| 75Ben White | England | Brighton & Hove | 69 |
| 80John Stones | England | Manchester City | 68 |
| 79Chris Smalling | England | Manchester United | 68 |
| 75Adam Webster | England | Brighton & Hove | 68 |
| 75Juan Foyth | Argentina | Tottenham | 68 |
| 80Kurt Zouma | France | Chelsea | 67 |
| 79Sokratis | Greece | Arsenal | 67 |
| 78Leander Dendoncker | Belgium | Wolves | 67 |
| 76Mohammed Salisu | Ghana | Southampton | 67 |
| 75Calum Chambers | England | Arsenal | 67 |
| 79Andreas Christensen | Denmark | Chelsea | 66 |
| 75Tyrone Mings | England | Aston Villa | 66 |
| 75Marcos Rojo | Argentina | Manchester United | 66 |
We don’t have to explain why Van Dijk is our favourite, right? He is the one. Joe Gomez is clearly the best teammate to play with him. Strong and with good defending skills, he is also one of the fastest centre-backs on the planet – only two gold CBs are faster than him.
Davinson and Laporte are the best alternatives to the Liverpool duo. The City’s Centre Back defends better and is much better with the ball on his feet. However, we can’t resist to Davinson’s pace. After these two, our preferences go for Aké, Rüdiger and Bailly, for this order. They are very similar but the new City defender is better to start the construction of the attack.
The last three are not as good as the first ones, but they may be useful depending on your needs. It’s the case of Fernandinho, a centre back with skills that you won’t find in anyone else.
Davinson and Laporte are the best alternatives to the Liverpool duo. The City’s Centre Back defends better and is much better with the ball on his feet. However, we can’t resist to Davinson’s pace. After these two, our preferences go for Aké, Rüdiger and Bailly, for this order. They are very similar but the new City defender is better to start the construction of the attack.
The last three are not as good as the first ones, but they may be useful depending on your needs. It’s the case of Fernandinho, a centre back with skills that you won’t find in anyone else.
THE BEST FIFA 21 PREMIER LEAGUE RIGHT BACKS
A goalkeeper task is made easier if in front of him are quality central backs. Their function is to stop the opponent from getting dangerously close to your team’s goal.
Top 10
 Kyle Walker | England | Manchester City | |
 Trent Alexander-Arnold | England | Liverpool | |
 Nélson Semedo | Portugal | Wolves | |
 Aaron Wan-Bissaka | England | Manchester United | |
 Ricardo Pereira | Portugal | Leicester City | |
 João Cancelo | Portugal | Manchester City | |
 Héctor Bellerín | Spain | Arsenal | |
 Ryan Fredericks | England | West Ham United | |
 DeAndre Yedlin |  USA | Newcastle Utd | |
 Reece James | England | Chelsea | |
| Click or tap in any player to pop up his item. | |||
Key Attributes
Defending and pace are very important attributes for any right back.
As defenders that they are, they should have good defending capacities. This reduces a team’s risk of conceding. A flanked game tends to be faster than a game based in the middle of the field. The players that fill these spaces need to be fast, both penetrating defensive and attacking moves of the team.
As defenders that they are, they should have good defending capacities. This reduces a team’s risk of conceding. A flanked game tends to be faster than a game based in the middle of the field. The players that fill these spaces need to be fast, both penetrating defensive and attacking moves of the team.
Rating
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | England | Liverpool | 87 |
| Kyle Walker | England | Manchester City | 85 |
| Ricardo Pereira | Portugal | Leicester City | 85 |
| Azpilicueta | Spain | Chelsea | 84 |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | England | Manchester United | 83 |
| João Cancelo | Portugal | Manchester City | 83 |
| Nélson Semedo | Portugal | Wolves | 83 |
| Matt Doherty |  Republic Ireland | Tottenham | 81 |
| Héctor Bellerín | Spain | Arsenal | 80 |
| Serge Aurier | Ivory Coast | Tottenham | 80 |
| Séamus Coleman | Republic Ireland | Everton | 79 |
| Davide Zappacosta |  Italy | Chelsea | 78 |
| Vladimír Coufal |  Czech Republic | West Ham United | 78 |
| George Baldock | England | Sheffield Utd | 77 |
| Kenny Tete | Netherlands |  Fulham | 77 |
| Reece James | England | Chelsea | 77 |
| Ainsley Maitland-Niles | England | Arsenal | 76 |
| Cédric | Portugal | Arsenal | 76 |
| DeAndre Yedlin | USA | Newcastle Utd | 76 |
| Diogo Dalot | Portugal | Manchester United | 76 |
| Frédéric Guilbert | France | Aston Villa | 76 |
| Joel Ward | England | Crystal Palace | 76 |
| Jonjoe Kenny | England | Everton | 76 |
| Manquillo | Spain | Newcastle Utd | 76 |
| Ryan Fredericks | England | West Ham United | 76 |
Defending
| 84Azpilicueta | Spain | Chelsea | 84 |
| 83Aaron Wan-Bissaka | England | Manchester United | 82 |
| 85Ricardo Pereira | Portugal | Leicester City | 81 |
| 87Trent Alexander-Arnold | England | Liverpool | 80 |
| 85Kyle Walker | England | Manchester City | 80 |
| 79Séamus Coleman | Republic Ireland | Everton | 79 |
| 76Joel Ward | England | Crystal Palace | 78 |
| 83João Cancelo | Portugal | Manchester City | 77 |
| 83Nélson Semedo | Portugal | Wolves | 77 |
| 80Serge Aurier | Ivory Coast | Tottenham | 77 |
| 77Kenny Tete | Netherlands | Fulham | 77 |
| 81Matt Doherty | Republic Ireland | Tottenham | 76 |
| 80Héctor Bellerín | Spain | Arsenal | 76 |
| 78Davide Zappacosta | Italy | Chelsea | 76 |
| 75Matthew Lowton | England | Burnley | 75 |
| 76Frédéric Guilbert | France | Aston Villa | 74 |
| 76Jonjoe Kenny | England | Everton | 74 |
| 76Manquillo | Spain | Newcastle Utd | 74 |
| 75Luke Ayling | England | Leeds United | 74 |
| 78Vladimír Coufal | Czech Republic | West Ham United | 73 |
| 77Reece James | England | Chelsea | 73 |
| 77George Baldock | England | Sheffield Utd | 72 |
| 76Cédric | Portugal | Arsenal | 72 |
| 75Kyle Walker-Peters | England | Southampton | 72 |
| 76Diogo Dalot | Portugal | Manchester United | 71 |
Pace
| 85Kyle Walker | England | Manchester City | 92 |
| 83Nélson Semedo | Portugal | Wolves | 92 |
| 76DeAndre Yedlin | USA | Newcastle Utd | 92 |
| 76Ryan Fredericks | England | West Ham United | 92 |
| 80Héctor Bellerín | Spain | Arsenal | 87 |
| 83Aaron Wan-Bissaka | England | Manchester United | 86 |
| 83João Cancelo | Portugal | Manchester City | 86 |
| 85Ricardo Pereira | Portugal | Leicester City | 83 |
| 76Ainsley Maitland-Niles | England | Arsenal | 83 |
| 75Matty Cash | England | Aston Villa | 82 |
| 78Vladimír Coufal | Czech Republic | West Ham United | 81 |
| 87Trent Alexander-Arnold | England | Liverpool | 80 |
| 77Reece James | England | Chelsea | 80 |
| 77George Baldock | England | Sheffield Utd | 79 |
| 76Diogo Dalot | Portugal | Manchester United | 79 |
| 80Serge Aurier | Ivory Coast | Tottenham | 76 |
| 76Cédric | Portugal | Arsenal | 76 |
| 78Davide Zappacosta | Italy | Chelsea | 75 |
| 76Frédéric Guilbert | France | Aston Villa | 75 |
| 75Kyle Walker-Peters | England | Southampton | 75 |
| 77Kenny Tete | Netherlands | Fulham | 74 |
| 81Matt Doherty | Republic Ireland | Tottenham | 73 |
| 76Manquillo | Spain | Newcastle Utd | 73 |
| 76Jonjoe Kenny | England | Everton | 71 |
| 79Séamus Coleman | Republic Ireland | Everton | 70 |
The best choice is pretty obvious. Kyle Walker, who has been featuring on our guides since FIFA 13, is still the fastest one despite his age. He is also the stronger and on the Top 5 for defence. What else do you need?
Were you expecting to see Trent Alexander-Arnold in the top of this list? No, you won’t see him there because he doesn’t even have a solid second place. He is the most complete right-back of this league but he lacks in pace and, as you know, later or sooner is all about pace. Thankfully, Nelson Semedo is a new addition. The extra speed he has makes the difference between him and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The Portuguese army also counts with Ricardo Pereira and João Cancelo, decent alternatives to the first ones. We also have highlighted Héctor Bellerín but pay attention to his defensive work rate to not be surprised in-game. He is the weakest player physically but balanced enough in the rest of the stats.
Were you expecting to see Trent Alexander-Arnold in the top of this list? No, you won’t see him there because he doesn’t even have a solid second place. He is the most complete right-back of this league but he lacks in pace and, as you know, later or sooner is all about pace. Thankfully, Nelson Semedo is a new addition. The extra speed he has makes the difference between him and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The Portuguese army also counts with Ricardo Pereira and João Cancelo, decent alternatives to the first ones. We also have highlighted Héctor Bellerín but pay attention to his defensive work rate to not be surprised in-game. He is the weakest player physically but balanced enough in the rest of the stats.
THE BEST FIFA 21 PREMIER LEAGUE LEFT BACKS
Left backs have exactly the same role of their team mates on the other flank. In other words, they try to make a winger’s job hard and participate in the team’s offensive manoeuvres.
Top 10
 Alex Telles | Brazil | Manchester United | |
 Andrew Robertson |  Scotland | Liverpool | |
 Reguilón> | Spain | Tottenham | |
 Luke Shaw | England | Manchester United | |
 Lucas Digne | France | Everton | |
 Kieran Tierney | Scotland | Arsenal | |
 Patrick van Aanholt | Netherlands | Crystal Palace | |
 Benjamin Mendy | France | Manchester City | |
 Konstantinos Tsimikas | Greece | Liverpool | |
 Emerson | Italy | Chelsea | |
| Click or tap in any player to pop up his item. | |||
Key Attributes
Defending and pace are very important attributes for any left back.
As defenders that they are, they should have good defending capacities. This reduces a team’s risk of conceding. A flanked game tends to be faster than a game based in the middle of the field. The players that fill these spaces need to be fast, both penetrating defensive and attacking moves of the team.
As defenders that they are, they should have good defending capacities. This reduces a team’s risk of conceding. A flanked game tends to be faster than a game based in the middle of the field. The players that fill these spaces need to be fast, both penetrating defensive and attacking moves of the team.
Rating
| Andrew Robertson | Scotland | Liverpool | 87 |
| Alex Telles | Brazil | Manchester United | 84 |
| Lucas Digne | France | Everton | 84 |
| Reguilón | Spain | Tottenham | 82 |
| Ben Chilwell | England | Chelsea | 81 |
| Benjamin Mendy | France | Manchester City | 81 |
| Jonny | Spain | Wolves | 81 |
| Luke Shaw | England | Manchester United | 81 |
| Marcos Alonso | Spain | Chelsea | 81 |
| Ben Davies |  Wales | Tottenham | 80 |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko |  Ukraine | Manchester City | 80 |
| Danny Rose | England | Tottenham | 79 |
| Emerson | Italy | Chelsea | 79 |
| Enda Stevens | Republic Ireland | Sheffield Utd | 78 |
| Kieran Tierney | Scotland | Arsenal | 78 |
| Ryan Bertrand | England | Southampton | 78 |
| Sead Kolašinac |  Bosnia And Herzegovina | Arsenal | 78 |
| Aaron Cresswell | England | West Ham United | 77 |
| Arthur Masuaku |  Congo DR | West Ham United | 77 |
| Charlie Taylor | England | Burnley | 77 |
| Patrick van Aanholt | Netherlands | Crystal Palace | 77 |
| Konstantinos Tsimikas | Greece | Liverpool | 76 |
| Marçal | Brazil | Wolves | 76 |
| Matt Targett | England | Aston Villa | 76 |
| Abdul Rahman Baba | Ghana | Chelsea | 75 |
Defending
| 87Andrew Robertson | Scotland | Liverpool | 81 |
| 84Lucas Digne | France | Everton | 80 |
| 81Luke Shaw | England | Manchester United | 80 |
| 84Alex Telles | Brazil | Manchester United | 79 |
| 81Jonny | Spain | Wolves | 79 |
| 82Reguilón | Spain | Tottenham | 78 |
| 80Ben Davies | Wales | Tottenham | 78 |
| 81Ben Chilwell | England | Chelsea | 77 |
| 81Benjamin Mendy | France | Manchester City | 77 |
| 81Marcos Alonso | Spain | Chelsea | 77 |
| 80Oleksandr Zinchenko | Ukraine | Manchester City | 77 |
| 79Danny Rose | England | Tottenham | 77 |
| 78Ryan Bertrand | England | Southampton | 76 |
| 77Charlie Taylor | England | Burnley | 76 |
| 79Emerson | Italy | Chelsea | 75 |
| 77Aaron Cresswell | England | West Ham United | 75 |
| 76Marçal | Brazil | Wolves | 75 |
| 78Enda Stevens | Republic Ireland | Sheffield Utd | 74 |
| 78Sead Kolašinac | Bosnia And Herzegovina | Arsenal | 74 |
| 76Matt Targett | England | Aston Villa | 73 |
| 78Kieran Tierney | Scotland | Arsenal | 72 |
| 75Abdul Rahman Baba | Ghana | Chelsea | 72 |
| 75Kieran Gibbs | England |  West Brom | 72 |
| 77Patrick van Aanholt | Netherlands | Crystal Palace | 71 |
| 75Brandon Williams | England | Manchester United | 71 |
Pace
| 76Konstantinos Tsimikas | Greece | Liverpool | 87 |
| 78Kieran Tierney | Scotland | Arsenal | 86 |
| 77Patrick van Aanholt | Netherlands | Crystal Palace | 86 |
| 84Alex Telles | Brazil | Manchester United | 85 |
| 82Reguilón | Spain | Tottenham | 85 |
| 77Arthur Masuaku | Congo DR | West Ham United | 84 |
| 87Andrew Robertson | Scotland | Liverpool | 83 |
| 79Emerson | Italy | Chelsea | 81 |
| 75Brandon Williams | England | Manchester United | 81 |
| 81Benjamin Mendy | France | Manchester City | 80 |
| 81Luke Shaw | England | Manchester United | 79 |
| 84Lucas Digne | France | Everton | 78 |
| 78Ryan Bertrand | England | Southampton | 78 |
| 75Abdul Rahman Baba | Ghana | Chelsea | 78 |
| 81Jonny | Spain | Wolves | 77 |
| 81Ben Chilwell | England | Chelsea | 76 |
| 75Kieran Gibbs | England | West Brom | 76 |
| 79Danny Rose | England | Tottenham | 75 |
| 78Enda Stevens | Republic Ireland | Sheffield Utd | 75 |
| 76Marçal | Brazil | Wolves | 75 |
| 80Ben Davies | Wales | Tottenham | 73 |
| 80Oleksandr Zinchenko | Ukraine | Manchester City | 73 |
| 78Sead Kolašinac | Bosnia And Herzegovina | Arsenal | 73 |
| 76Matt Targett | England | Aston Villa | 72 |
| 77Charlie Taylor | England | Burnley | 70 |
Andrew Robertson used to be the first option to the left side of the defence of every Premier League squad. However, with the addition of Alex Telles, he has now competition. In fact, the Brazilian defender is slightly better than Robertson. He scores more goals and is also slightly faster. If you can’t afford them, Reguilón is also a quality choice who deserves to be on this list of the best FIFA 21 Premier League Defenders.
In a lower level, you should also add Lucas Digne and Kieran Tierney to your notes. The first one is slow but more capable in the rest of the other skills. The other, despite his rating, is fast and strong (only Sead Kolašinac is stronger than him).
There is also a special mention to Konstantinos Tsimikas. He’s only 76 rated but he’s the fastest one. If all you want is pace, then you should try him.
In a lower level, you should also add Lucas Digne and Kieran Tierney to your notes. The first one is slow but more capable in the rest of the other skills. The other, despite his rating, is fast and strong (only Sead Kolašinac is stronger than him).
There is also a special mention to Konstantinos Tsimikas. He’s only 76 rated but he’s the fastest one. If all you want is pace, then you should try him.
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