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FIFA 23 is right around the corner and this marks another new season of EA's iconic FIFA series of football simulation games. As any football fan will agree, a good defence will make the difference whether your team will survive relegation, qualify for competitions or go all the way and win the league.
Good strikers will ensure your team gets goals consistently, great wingers will let you go past defenders with ease and class midfielders will let you dictate tempo and dominate the middle of the park. However, a good defence will keep pesky attackers at bay and help your team to keep that vital clean sheet.
From players like Van Dijk to Stefan Savić, every team will need a different type of defender to suit their playstyle. Whether you want to go for a three at the back or the traditional two, you may want to pick CBs that will complement each other and also suit your style and budget.
The following list is a compilation of the best centre backs in the game with the highest overalls. These players are the cream of the crop and will help you dominate your opponents in almost any situation.
| Player Name | OVR | Club |
| Virgil Van Dijk | 90 | Liverpool |
| Marquinhos | 88 | PSG |
| Ruben Dias | 88 | Manchester City |
| Antonio Rüdiger | 87 | Real Madrid |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | 87 | Chelsea |
| Milan Skriniar | 86 | Inter Milan |
| Aymeric Laporte | 86 | Manchester City |
| Thiago Silva | 86 | Chelsea |
| David Alaba | 86 | Real Madrid |
| Niklas Sule | 85 | Borussia Dortmund |
| Matthijs de Ligt | 85 | Bayern Munich |
| Jules Koundé | 84 | Barcelona |
| Eder Gabriel Militao | 84 | Real Madrid |
| Lucas Hernandez |
| 84 |
| Bayern Munich |
| Sergio Ramos | 84 | PSG |
| Raphael Varane | 84 | Manchester United |
| Mats Hummels | 84 | Borussia Dortmund |
| Fikayo Tomori | 84 | AC Milan |
| Alessandro Bastoni | 84 | Inter Milan |
| Leonardo Bonucci | 84 | Juventus |
| Joel Matip | 84 | Liverpool |
| Giorgio Chiellini | 84 | Los Angeles FC |
| Stefan De Vrij | 84 | Inter Milan |
| Stefan Savić | 84 | Atletico Madrid |
The next list is a collection of centre backs in FIFA 23 that has the highest pace ratings. Sometimes, you just need a defender that has the pace to handle pacy players like PSG's Kylian Mbappe or Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.
| Player Name | OVR | Pace | Club |
| Jeremiah St. Juste | 76 | 93 | Sporting CP |
| Maxence Lacroix | 77 | 87 | Wolfsburg |
| Lukas Klostermann | 80 | 86 | RP Leipzig |
| Eder Gabriel Militao | 84 | 86 | Real Madrid |
| Fikayo Tomori | 84 | 86 | AC Milan |
| Jules Kounde | 84 | 84 | Barcelona |
| Antonio Rudiger | 87 | 82 | Real Madrid |
| Ben Godfrey | 77 | 82 | Everton |
| Dayot Upamecano | 81 | 82 | Bayern Munich |
| Josko Gvardiol | 81 | 82 | RB Leipzig |
| Jurrien Timber | 80 | 82 | Ajax |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | 87 | 82 | Chelsea |
| Ibanez | 79 | 82 | Roma |
| Jordan Teze | 77 | 81 | PSV Eindhoven |
| Konstantinos Mavropanos | 78 | 81 | Stuttgart |
| Lucas Verissimo | 79 | 81 | Benfica |
| Raphael Varane | 84 | 81 | Manchester United |
| Virgil Van Dijk | 90 | 81 | Liverpool |
| Evan Ndicka | 81 | 80 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Goncalo Inacio | 79 | 80 | Sporting CP |
| Joe Gomez | 81 | 80 | Liverpool |
| Kim Min Jae | 79 | 80 | Napoli |
| Pierre Kalulu | 78 | 80 | AC Milan |
| Presnel Kimpembe | 83 | 80 | PSG |
The last list is a compilation of the best young centre backs with high potential that you can buy in FIFA 23. If you are playing career mode, you might want to look into some young recruits who can slot into the first team and also become the star defender in a season or two.
| PLAYER | AGE | POS. | OVR | POT. | CLUB | LEAGUE | VALUE IN € |
| Matthijs de Ligt | 22 | CB | 85 | 90 (+5) | Bayern Munich (N.) | Bundesliga | 75 Mil. |
| Joško Gvardiol | 20 | CB, LB | 79 | 89 (+10) | RB Leipzig | Bundesliga | 35.5 Mil. |
| Jurriën Timber | 21 | CB | 80 | 89 (+9) | Ajax Amsterdam | Eredivisie | 40 Mil. |
| Gonçalo Inácio | 20 | CB | 79 | 88 (+9) | Sporting CP | Liga Portugal | 32 Mil. |
| Castello Lukeba | 19 | CB | 76 | 87 (+11) | Olympique Lyon | Ligue 1 | 13 Mil. |
| Wesley Fofana | 21 | CB | 78 | 87 (+9) | Chelsea FC (N.) | Premier League | 30 Mil. |
| Morato | 20 | CB | 74 | 86 (+13) | SL Benfica | Liga Portugal | 9.5 Mil. |
| Nico Schlotterbeck | 22 | CB | 82 | 87 (+5) | Borussia Dortmund (N.) | Bundesliga | 42 Mil. |
| Eric García | 21 | CB | 79 | 86 (+7) | FC Barcelona | LaLiga | 32 Mil. |
| William Saliba | 21 | CB | 80 | 87 (+7) | Arsenal FC | Premier League | 36 Mil. |
| Maxence Lacroix | 22 | CB | 78 | 86 (+8) | VfL Wolfsburg | Bundesliga | 24 Mil. |
| Tanguy Nianzou | 20 | CB, CDM | 73 | 85 (+12) | FC Sevilla (N.) | LaLiga | 6 Mil. |
| Sven Botman | 22 | CB | 79 | 85 (+6) | Newcastle United (N.) | Premier League | 28 Mil. |
| Mohamed Simakan | 22 | CB, RB | 78 | 85 (+7) | RB Leipzig | Bundesliga | 24 Mil. |
| Marc Guehi | 21 | CB | 78 | 86 (+8) | Crystal Palace | Premier League | 26 Mil. |
| Evan Ndicka | 22 | CB | 80 | 85 (+5) | Eintracht Frankfurt | Bundesliga | 30 Mil. |
| Armel Bella Kotchap | 20 | CB | 73 | 85 (+12) | VfL Bochum | Bundesliga | 7.5 Mil. |