Anyone who is a football or soccer fan will have noticed that the sport has evolved quite a bit. The tactics, formations, and player roles have shifted to suit the game’s more complicated and modern shape. For instance, defenders were only ever required to stand tall and firm to prevent attacking players from getting past them to get clear shots at the goal.
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The modern game has a lot of different roles and responsibilities that defenders have to fulfill, andEA Sports FC 24career mode captures that quite well. Ball-playing defenders have gained a lot of popularity in the sport. If you’re looking for defenders who can also fulfill the role of ball carriers and playmakers when called upon, here are the best ball-playing defenders to look at in career mode.
8Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel Magalhaes is a Brazilian defender who plays a crucial role in Arsenal’s main center-back pairing in the Premier League. He is 25 at the start of career mode with an overall rating of 84 and a potential rating of 86 overall, which can get higher due to dynamic potential.
Magalhaes is a solid defender with elite defensive stats and playstyles. He is not the best ball-playing defender at the start of career mode. However, he is the ideal partner to have next to a ball-playing defender in a two-CB partnership. He could provide reliable defensive coverage while your other center-back goes on runs and performs risky passes. Being only 25, Magalhaes could also be trained into an incredible ball-playing defender in his own right.
7Virgil Van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk was the best defender in the world at a time, and as of the launch of EA Sports FC 24, he is still an elite and reliable footballer. Van Dijk is 31 at the start of career mode with an overall and potential rating of 89, making him one of the best center-backs in the game.
Van Dijk has great, well-rounded stats that make him a solid center-back who can keep opposing strikers at bay. Regarding his credentials as a ball-playing defender, he has 79-rated short passes, which is decent for a possession-heavy team. His passing stats start to get impressive when you consider his 86-rated long passing stat and his long ball pass playstyle. With stats like that, you could line up with pacey wingers and forwards and have Van Dijk spray long passes to them on the counter after he wins the ball using his world-class defensive abilities.
6Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger is a world-class German footballer who is a center-back for Spanish giant Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga. He is 30 at the start of EA Sports FC 24 career mode, has an overall rating of 85, and has no potential to grow. However, this may change with the right development plans and dynamic potential.
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Rudiger is a decent passer of the ball and an elite defender. However, his 91-rated sprint speed, which rivals some ofthe best wingers, sets him apart from the other world-class defenders. Rudiger can carry the ball far up the pitch and provide an extra man in areas the opposition may not expect. Should he lose the ball during one of these runs, he can quickly recover and get back into position to fulfill his defensive duties.
5Joules Kounde
Kounde is a young and exciting French center-back/right-back who plays for Barcelona in La Liga. At the start of career mode, Kounde is only 24 with an overall rating of 85 and a potential rating of 89 overall.
Joules Kounde is a fun and exciting player with decent passing stats for possession-heavy teams that prefer to build up play from the back. However, he truly excelled as a ball-playing defender when you consider his impressive 83-rated sprint speed and 85-rated acceleration. With stats like that, Kounde can travel as far up the pitch as some midfield spots and give your team extra control over the match. With his jockey plus and relentless playstyles, he can also step up and win the ball in advantageous areas to spark swift counter-attacking play.
4Eder Militao
Militao is a 24-year-old center back at the start of career mode with an overall rating of 85 and a potential of 89 overall. Militao is undersized for a center back, only being 6’1 with a lean frame, where most center backs are at least 6’3 and stocky. However, his size puts him at an advantage regarding movement and agility.
This movement and agility make him a great defender against a counterattacking team, as he can catch up to opposition attackers on the run. His impressive movement stats also allow him to cover great distances across the length of the pitch and deliver brilliant floated balls into the box with his early crosser and long passer playstyles.
3Alessandro Bastoni
Bastoni is an 85-rated center-back who plays for Inter Milan in EA Sports FC 24 career mode. He is 24 years old at the start of career mode and has a potential rating of 90 overall, which would put him among the best players in the game after only a few seasons.
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Bastoni is an incredible defender and would have his defensive duties locked down for your squad. Additionally, suppose you run a tactical setup that builds up from the back or absorbs pressure and springs a counterattack when the opportunity presents itself. In that case, Bastoni is suited for both roles. He has fantastic long passing, rated at 82 overall. He also has the incisive pass and long ball pass playstyles, which make him the ideal ball-playing defender to build attacks from the back and send precise passes to wide players and strikers far up the pitch.
2William Saliba
Saliba is an exciting French footballer who plays as a center-back for Arsenal Football Club in the English Premier League. He is 22 at the start of career mode, making him the youngest entry on this list and an incredible long-term signing in your career mode save.
Saliba has an overall rating of 83 and a potential of 89 overall. He is an incredible footballer with excellent stats and room to grow. Saliba is a solid center-back who can match some of the best wingers in pace with his 86-rated sprint speed and 77-rated acceleration. With some training, you may turn this already elite footballer into the best ball-playing defender in the game.
1John Stones
Stones is a brilliant English center-back who plays club football for Manchester City in the Premier League. Stones is 29 at the start of career mode with an overall rating of 85 and a potential rating of 86. He is a versatile player who can play competently in the right-back position but does his best work as a center-back.
Stones has a lot of great stats that make him an incredible defender. However, as a ball-playing defender, you can rely on Stones to match the passing aptitude of some of your best central attacking midfielders and keep possession well with his 86-rated short passing. He can also deliver decent balls up the pitch utilizing his 79-rated long pass stat. And if you’re feeling creative, you can move Stones further up the pitch asa central defensive midfielder, where he can provide clinical passes and increased defensive cover.
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