The best centre-backs to sign in FC 26 Career Mode
From Jérémy Jacquet to Jon Martín, here's a curated of the best young centre-backs to sign on your FC 26 Career Modes
SCOUTED is a magazine about youth football. Turns out, all that knowledge is pretty useful for FC 26 Career Mode, who'da thought?
We’ve picked out a few of our favourite young centre-backs that would be suitable signings on your EA FC 26 Career Mode saves. From Joel Ordoñez to Matte Smets, these are some of the best young centre-backs in the game.
If you are looking for older players, we have you sorted too, with a collection of the ten highest overall centre-backs at the start of your save. We scout players IRL, if you're a budding Director of Football - have a browse through the rest of our website for more young players to sign.
Who are the best centre-backs in FC 26 Career Mode?
The best centre-backs in FC 26 Career Mode are those with the highest overall rating. Here's a handy list, including their overall at the start of the game, and their highest possible potential rating (in brackets):
- Virgil van Dijk - 90 (90)
- Gabriel - 88 (88)
- William Saliba - 87 (89)
- Alessandro Bastoni - 87 (89)
- Marquinhos - 87 (87)
- Jonathan Tah - 87 (87)
- Antonio Rüdiger - 86 (86)
- Rúben Dias - 86 (87)
- Willian Pacho - 86 (89)
- Ibrahima Konaté - 86 (87)
Look, we say the best, but this is SCOUTED - and you know us. We're not so interested in who's the best right now, but who's going to conquer the world in the next five years.
The magic of career mode is finding the next big thing on the cheap, before the blow up, and handcrafting them into one of the best players on the planet. To that end, here's our list of the real best centre-backs to sign: the youngsters with massive space to grow.
The six best young Centre-Backs to sign and develop in FC 26 Career Mode
For easy reference, here's our list. Don't worry - we'll dive into detail momentarily. As before, their rating is included alongside their potential (in brackets) and there should be a player for every Career Mode budget:
- Konstantinos Koulierakis - 77 (86)
- Matte Smets - 76 (86)
- Joel Ordoñez - 75 (86)
- Jérémy Jacquet - 75 (84)
- Jon Martín - 68 (84)
- Joane Gadou - 66 (85)
That's more like it. Let's get into the detail.
Konstantinos Koulierakis
Position: CB
Club: VfL Wolfsburg
Nation: Greece
Market Value: £20m
Konstantinos Koulierakis is part of Greece's extraordinary next generation - expect he and his fellows to make a serious dent in a EUROs sometime this decade. He's into his second Bundesliga season now, and has established himself as one of Germany's most exciting defensive talents.
He's a brick wall at the back, with great jumping and aggression stats. His wages are relatively cheap but Wolfsburg will expect a very decent fee - save your pennies, he's worth it.
- Overall: 77
- Potential: 86
- Potential Growth: +9
Matte Smets
Position: CB
Club: Genk
Nation: Belgium
Market Value: £14m
Matte Smets was a midfielder before he transitioned to pure defender, and that shows in his technical proficiency. Belgium know they have a good one here, and he made his international debut in 2024 - a trajectory only likely to accelerate from here.
Smets is a nicely balanced centre-back with great passing and balance stats out the gate - perfect for any high-possession playstyle.
- Overall: 76
- Potential: 86
- Potential Growth: +10
Joel Ordoñez
Position: CB
Club: Club Brugge
Nation: Ecuador
Market Value: £10.5m
South American centre-backs are so hot right now, and Club Brugge have introduced the world to another in Joel Ordoñez. At 21, he is already Willian Pacho's established partner in the heart of a mean Ecuadorean defence that also includes Arsenal's Piero Hincapié.
Ordoñez is a physical beast: tall, strong and quick when he gets going, he'll hold down the heart of your defence for years to come. Pull the trigger.
- Overall: 75
- Potential: 86
- Potential Growth: +11
Jérémy Jacquet
Position: CB
Club: Stade Rennais
Nation: France
Market Value: £10.5m
A big SCOUTED favourite IRL, Jacquet has exploded in Ligue 1 over the past year and is already fielding interest from the biggest clubs in the world. We think you should buy him before the inevitable price jump ruins your day.
Jacquet is a big, garden-wall type defender. He's pretty immobile, but with imposing physicals, will send back any threats your opponent can muster. At 75 overall he's a slot-in-and-watch-him-go purchase.
- Overall: 75
- Potential: 84
- Potential Growth: +9
Follow your EA FC 26 Career Mode wonderkids IRL on the Sofascore app.
Jon Martín
Position: CB
Club: Real Sociedad
Nation: Spain
Market Value: £1m
Our analysis editor Jake is absolutely obsessed with Jon Martín IRL, because the big Spaniard jumps like a Harrier Jet and heads the ball like it's personally offended him. La Real are integrating him slowly this season, so act before they realise they messed up.
Unsurprisingly, Martín's jumping starts at 69 (nice) but should rocket upwards as you work towards his potential of 84. If it doesn't, we'll submit a complaint to the developers. All aboard Air Martín.
- Overall: 68
- Potential: 84
- Potential Growth: +16
Joane Gadou
Position: CB
Club: Red Bull Salzburg
Nation: France
Market Value: £1.8m
Red Bull Salzburg have found the going tough in recent years, but that certainly hasn't stopped the conveyor belt of talent purring along. Joane Gadou is yet another French centre-back prospect - the Red Bull network have a type, and who can blame them?
At 18, Gadou is already a monstrous 6'5" with great jumping and physical stats. If you're conceding from crosses, you could do worse than planting him in the box - and with 85 overall potential, you'll be very well rewarded for developing him.
- Overall: 66
- Potential: 85
- Potential Growth: +19
Sorted. Now you have a SCOUTED-approved list of the best young centre-backs to sign for you FC 26 Career Mode save. You could even check out the players that featured on last year's list, we've included their rating (and potential) for EA FC 26 below:
- Pau Cubarsí - 82 (88)
- Giorgio Scalvini - 77 (86)
- António Silva - 78 (86)
- Ousmande Diomandé - 80 (87)
- Finn Jeltsch - 72 (87)
- Luka Vušković - 72 (87)
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