EA FC 24 Best Defensive Midfielders
Profiles on some of the best defensive midfielders you can sign on EA FC 24 Career Mode
We cover youth football. For all you FIFA players, we’ve picked out a few of our favourite young defensive midfielders that would be suitable signings on your EA FC 24 Career Mode saves. From Arthur Vermeeren to Kobbie Mainoo, these are some of the best young CDMs in the game.
If you’re looking for older players, we have you sorted too, with a collection of the ten highest overall defensive midfielders at the start of your save. If you want more DMs to sign, browse our website.
LISTS OF THE BEST EA FC 24 TALENTS
How do I develop defensive midfielders in EA FC 24 Career mode?
There are a few key methods to develop defensive midfielders in EA FC 24. Firstly, they need to play senior minutes and get good match ratings in matches. Obviously, this needs to be balanced with your need to win games but getting them on the field as much as possible is vital.
If you can’t give them minutes, then consider sending them on loan. However, when loaning players, ensure that you are sending them to a club where they will play senior minutes, or you risk further stunting their growth.
Next, focus on doing well in training drills and earning good ratings. Generally, you should be able to play through each drill a few times, do them well, and then you should be able to subsequently simulate the sessions and earn a similar grade. However, if your grades start to fall, you should take control of your drills again to boost your ratings back up.
Lastly, and very importantly, is your player development plan. Development plans determine what kind of skillset you want your player to develop for their role in your team.
For defensive midfielders, there are five development paths to choose from:
Balanced – The all-round option that will see your defensive midfielders develop all their attributes with no real particular focus.
Deep Lying Playmaker – The deep-lying playmaker development plan will seek to turn your defensive midfielder into a player that can control the tempo of the game from deep. They will improve upon their vision, long passing, short passing, composure, ball control, dribbling, standing tackling, stamina, and their skill moves.
Anchor Man – An anchor man will look to shield the defensive line, defending aggressively in transition, using their speed and stamina to break up play. Training under this development plan, your defensive midfielder will improve their sprint speed, acceleration, stamina, slide tackling, interceptions, ball control, weak foot, reactions, agility, and short passing.
Ball Winning Midfielder – A ball-winning midfielder will look to master the art of all things defensive. This development plan focusses on the defensive and physical side of the game, improving upon a player’s defensive work rate, reactions, interceptions, heading accuracy, defensive awareness, standing tackle, jumping, stamina, strength, and aggression.
Defensive Midfield – The defensive midfield role is quite similar to the ball-winning midfielder role, except that it puts more focus on developing the speed of a player. It swaps out heading accuracy and jumping for sprint speed and acceleration, to make your player less of a threat in the air, but quicker across the ground.
Who are the best defensive midfielders in EA FC 24 Career mode?
| NAME | AGE | CLUB | OVERALL | POTENTIAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodri | 27 | Manchester City | 89 | 90 |
| Casemiro | 31 | Manchester United | 89 | 89 |
| Joshua Kimmich | 28 | Bayern Munich | 88 | 89 |
| Sandro Tonali | 23 | Newcastle United | 86 | 89 |
| N'Golo Kanté | 32 | Al-Ittihad | 86 | 86 |
| Declan Rice | 24 | Arsenal | 85 | 87 |
| Thomas Partey | 30 | Arsenal | 85 | 85 |
| Aurelien Tchouameni | 23 | Real Madrid | 84 | 89 |
| Ruben Neves | 26 | Al-Hilal | 84 | 86 |
| Fabinho | 29 | Al-Ittihad | 84 | 84 |
OUR LISTS OF THE BEST YOUNG TALENTS
Arthur Vermeeren
- Club: Royal Antwerp (BEL)
- Country: Belgium
- Market Value: €5 million
Just 18 and already a Belgian Pro League winner with Antwerp, Arthur Vermeeren is the definition of a steady defensive midfielder that is ready to step in and play a role for you in your FC24 career mode save.
Good passing and defensive stats, paired with decent physical and technical attributes makes him a solid option at €5 million, with room to grow from a 72 overall into an 85. Nominally a right footer, his 4 star weak foot means he will be comfortable operating on both sides of his body.
- Overall: 72
- Potential: 85
- Potential Growth: +13
Raphael Onyedika
- Club: Club Brugge KV (BEL)
- Country: Nigeria
- Market Value: €9 million
Another option to bring over from Belgium, this time from Club Brugge, is 22-year-old Raphael Onyedika. He is a slightly more ready made option than Vermeeren, with a €9 million market value to match.
But he brings a few different things to the table. 86 stamina means he will be running all game, while he has some impressive long range shooting capabilities to match with his solid ball winning characteristics. He is a less technical, more ruthless option than Vermeeren, and can eventually grow to the same 85 overall from his 74 base.
- Overall: 74
- Potential: 85
- Potential Growth: +11
Silvano Vos
- Club: AFC Ajax (NED)
- Country: The Netherlands
- Market Value: €1.7 million
Ajax’s Silvano Vos is starting to make his way into Ajax’s first team on a consistent basis, but his growing stature in real life is not quite reflected in his starting overall in FC24. Vos starts the game as a 65 overall, with decent physical capabilities, but deficiencies in a few other areas.
That being said, he is very cheap, with a market value of just €1.7 million. If you are prepared to play the long game, he is an excellent low cost, high ceiling option that can eventually reach an 84 overall. 4 star weak foot is another added bonus.
- Overall: 65
- Potential: 84
- Potential Growth: +19
OUR LISTS OF THE BEST YOUNG TALENTS
Matteo Prati
- Club: Cagliari (ITA)
- Country: Italy
- Market Value: €3.6 million
Matteo Prati has become a bit of a sensation in Italy after his stunning performances at the 2023 Under-20 World Cup. Now at Cagliari, Prati presents as a very balanced midfield player in FC24, with no major strengths and no major deficiencies in his game as a 70 overall player.
With a market value of 3.6 million, he is a slightly more expensive, more ready-made option than Vos with a similar ceiling. From his 70 starting point, Prati can reach an overall rating of 84, with the potential to mould him into one of the most well-rounded defensive midfielders in the game.
- Overall: 70
- Potential: 84
- Potential Growth: +14
Benjamin Tahirović
- Club: AFC Ajax (NED)
- Country: Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Market Value: €3.6 million
Another Ajax option to consider is Benjamin Tahirović. The Bosnian midfielder, signed from Roma in the summer, is more of a classic ball-winner type that also possesses some solid passing attributes. In addition, he stands at an imposing 6’3”.
With a market value of €3.6 million, the same as Prati, the difference between the two simply depends on which profile you are looking for. If you want a destroyer, get Tahirovic. If you want a balanced midfielder that contributes in more phases, then take a look at Prati.
- Overall: 70
- Potential: 84
- Potential Growth: +14
Kobbie Mainoo
- Club: Manchester United (ENG)
- Country: England
- Market Value: €1.2 million
If you are prepared to wait and develop a player, and you are looking for someone with a superb physical baseline, then Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo is the player to target. With a market value of €1.2 million, he is very accessible and at a stretch could be a contributor in most saves — at least off the bench.
Mainoo can grow from a 62 overall player into an 84, with his role looking like primarily being a midfield receiver that can evade pressure and advance the ball forward at speed. If you can afford him, even as a lower level club, he is someone to consider to sign early to progress through your career mode save with.
- Overall: 62
- Potential: 84
- Potential Growth: +22
Who is the best defensive midfielder in EA FC 24 Career Mode?
Rodri, Casemiro, Joshua Kimmich, Sandro Tonali and N’Golo Kanté are the highest-rated CDMs in EA FC 24 Career Mode.
Who is the best young defensive midfielder in EA FC 24 Career Mode?
Arthur Vermeeren, Raphael Onyedika and Silvano Vos are three of the young defensive midfielders with the highest potential in EA FC 24 Career Mode.
