The best ultimate team defenders in EA Sports FC 25

The landscape for defense has changed EA Sports FC 25as a new year brings a new feel to the movement, especially as we've adjusted to the speed of playing with 99 rated cards at the end of the last cycle. With the new mechanics come new ratings for some of the best defenders in EA FC 25 as there are a few improvements to note.

While defending is usually a nerve-wracking aspect of the game, these excellent centre-backs and full-backs will help you keep your cool when Mbappé and Vini Jr. rushes at your target every match. However, being the best defender is more than just having the highest rating, as some players perform better than their peers with a similar rating.

10 Fridolina Rolfo – 86 overall

Fridolina Rolfo was one of the biggest surprises in EA FC 24, shocking everyone with her incredible card and even better game performance. Her well-balanced lineup of 80+ in all major areas makes Rolf an excellent choice either as a wing or left back although she he excels in the second role thanks to his Attacking Wingback ++.

Rolfo remains a great choice this year, but the links are unbearable. Ultimately, Rolfo is an excellent first choice off the bench, but her bonds make it difficult to get the most out of her unless you have the right support cast.

9 Gleison Bremer – 86th overall

Despite his noticeably poor weak foot and skill moves, Bremer is one of the best defenders to use in EA FC 25, largely due to his commanding physical presence that allows you to draw attacking players off the ball and regain possession.

Bremer was a force to be reckoned with in EA FC 24, and his two-point overall boost makes him an even better pick now.

Bremer's physical and defensive attributes are fantastic, 86 and 85, respectively. His pace allows him to keep up with some of the best players in the game and you will notice few players can slip through once Bremer gets close take the ball away.

8 Alphonso Davies – 82nd overall

Alphonso Davies has earned his place among the best defenders thanks to his impressive status as one of the fastest players in Ultimate Team, which makes him a huge asset.

Davies' rating of 82 is down one point from last year, but still solid across the board.

Although his overall rating is worryingly low, you won't be using Davies to rely on his physicality or defensive attributes, but rather because you need a quick winger who can get forward or stay in behind when needed. His Pace is easily Davies' best quality, but its use should not be underestimated.

7 Eder Militao – 85th overall

Eder Militao may not be one of the highest rated center backs in EA FC 25, but what he lacks in overall rating he makes up for with fantastic links and playmaking ability. Militao gets a spot over Bremer because Militao is much easier to link than Bremer and is much more flexible.

in addition Militao has a little extra pace, making it easier for him to defend against faster players despite his slightly lower physical and defensive attributes than Bremer.

6 Sakina Karchaoui – 87th overall

Sakina Karchaoui is an improved version of Fridolina Rolfo in terms of her offensive contributions, but she lacks the physical presence that some of the strong defenders have.

However, despite her low physical attributes, Karchaoui offers enough pace to keep up with anyone and the ability to help turn defense into attack. If you want a defender who can use skill moves, there is no one better than Karchaoui.

5 Antonio Rüdiger – 88th overall

Antonio Rüdiger will help you shut down some of the top-rated forwards in Ultimate Team with his devastating combination of size, speed and excellent link-ups.

Rudiger offers a massive upgrade over his gold card from EA Sports FC 24
after a string of strong performances last year for Real Madrid.

PlayStyle Plus' only Rudiger sole is the Bruiser, which helps you impose Rudiger's physical presence on opponents and bring the ball down using your body position rather than quick feet.

4 Theo Hernandez – 87th overall

Theo Hernandez offers a solid upgrade over all the wingbacks to date, especially Alphonso Davies, as these two players are known for their offensive contributions. However, Hernandez is a much better defender than Davies and clears his attributes easily.

Hernandez will likely be one of the best left backs in all of EA FC 25 and will likely receive a few promo cards that will continue to enhance his impressive skills.

3 William Saliba – 87th overall

William Saliba has everything a defender could want: size, pace, physicality and everything in between – though you won't find him using a lot of skill moves.

This incredible defender even brags
French and Premier League links
– the two most useful groups in EA FC 25.

Salib's best quality is undoubtedly his Anticipate PlayStyle Plus, which allows him to stay one step ahead of his opponents and easily grab the ball before they can run past. Combine this PlayStyle Plus with Saliba's sky-high defensive attribute to make him nearly impossible to beat.

2 Ferland Mendy – 84th overall

Ferland Mendy is the perfect two-way left-back for any team, as he boasts excellent links, great pace and solid defensive attributes that set him apart from some of the top-rated defenders in Ultimate Team.

Mendy even got a plus-two upgrade to his card from EA FC 24 and was already great.

Despite his low rating, Mendy is notoriously hard to get out of a deck, but he's worth every last bit of the roughly 100,000 coins he cost during the game's early access period.

1 Virgil van Dijk – 89th overall

Virgil van Dijk claims his rightful place as the best run defender in EA Sports FC 25 as he also claims a place among the top rated cards in Ultimate Team. Unsurprisingly, van Dijk is a force to be reckoned with and feels much quicker than his 78 Pace suggests as his sheer size helps him create plenty of space.

While his Aerial PlayStyle Plus might have been a worse choice than Anticipate, van Dijk works as a near perfect defender even without one of the best PlayStyles in EA FC 25. This card is so good it is it will probably last you most of the year even if you never want to upgrade.