Central defence is hardly the most glamorous position in football, let alone in FIFA 22, but if you found the right combination of pace, athleticism, and chemistry, then a solid defence allowed you to focus on other areas of your team instead.
Identifying the right players to position in the heart of your defence was a bit trickier in FIFA 22. In FIFA 21, the community realized that full-backs were often more effective off-chemistry at centre-back, so pure CBs were few and far in competitive settings until Team of the Season brought in maximum pace options.
For FIFA 22, EA Sports had reduced full-backs' defensive awareness stats, meaning they were much less effective played out of position in the center. Fortunately, there were plenty of good CBs in FIFA 22, and if you happened to be running French players in other positions, then you were definitely in luck because most of the best at the time were French!
Here were the best centre-backs in FIFA 22:
Premier League
- Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands): VVD's absence through injury coincided with a FIFA where he wasn't meta. FIFA 22 was a different story, and he certainly had everything you wanted: pace, strength, and fantastic defensive stats.
- Raphael Varane (France): The meta choice for years, Varane's move to Manchester United only made him more desirable.
- Aymeric Laporte (Spain): Slower than we would have liked, but Laporte's defensive stats were impressive across the board.
- Ruben Dias (Portugal): Man City's VVD? His impact on Pep's team was certainly transformative, and his Portuguese links were great for hybrids.
- Joe Gomez (England) His reputation as a cheap beast in FIFA 21 stuck around after a season out through injury.
- Davinson Sanchez (Colombia): Sanchez was a good early-game option for Premier League teams, although his Colombian links meant he was difficult for hybrid teams.
- Ibrahima Konate (France): He cost Liverpool a packet and may not play much with VVD, Gomez and Matip fit, but Konate was a strong, flexible option for early-game Premier League or hybrid squads.
Ligue 1
- Sergio Ramos (Spain): He wasn't as fast as he used to be, but Ramos' defensive stats meant he was unlikely to be caught out of position too often.
- Presnel Kimpembe (France): One of those cards that always seemed a bit overpriced to us but Kimpembe did the job.
- Jason Denayer (Belgium): Cheap and cheerful, Belgian Denayer was always handy in an early-game French league squad.
Serie A
- Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal): Perennially linked with a big-money move that never materialized, Napoli's towering centre-back was the Rolls Royce of Serie A defences.
- Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands): It felt weird that he chose Serie A over other leagues after he emerged at Ajax, but when he glued our hybrid together and bosses powerful attackers in FUT Champions, we didn't complain.
- Kostas Manolas (Greece): One of the fastest Serie A options, although his Greek links were limiting.
LaLiga
- Clément Lenglet (France): The budget Varane became the best French centre-back in LaLiga, and his four-star weak foot meant he could play on either side.
- David Alaba (Austria): Not the fastest player, despite his origin at full-back, Alaba's Real Madrid card was nevertheless a strong choice, with a four-star weak foot too.
- Diego Carlos (Brazil): Another LaLiga defender with a four-star weak foot, Diego Carlos' Brazil links meant he was a more flexible choice than his colleagues.
- Jules Kounde (France): He might have missed out on a move to Chelsea, but Kounde was destined for greatness as he became an underrated card in FIFA.
Bundesliga
- Lucas Hernandez (France): Left-footed Lucas Hernandez was a strong early-game option and his French links were obviously very helpful for hybrids.
- Dayot Upamecano (France): Weirdly low acceleration meant Upamecano wasn't too useful after your early team, but until then he was the, uh, second-best French Bayern Munich centre-back.
- Lukas Klostermann (Germany): Faster than his face stats suggested thanks to a strong sprint speed, Klostermann was a good starter squad defender.
So there you have it, the best centre-backs in FIFA 22. If you're looking to build your team to be a Weekend Rivals beast, make sure to check out our guides on the best FIFA 22 goalkeepers, best FIFA 22 wingers, and more.