FIFA 20 Matthijs de LigtGetty/EA

FIFA 20 best young defenders: The top 50 DEFs on career mode

Manchester United made Harry Maguire the most expensive defender in the world in August, breaking the record set when Liverpool bought Virgil van Dijk in January 2018. World-class defenders are also expensive in FIFA 20 Career Mode, but there are many bargains to be had if you are willing to scout in the right places.

New Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt is the best young defender in the game and has the potential to be a 92-rated superstar, while RB Leipzig have a centre-back pairing that should dominate for the next decade or more. Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano are valued at £18.9 million and £15m at the start of Career Mode so may be above the budget of many clubs.

Portugal has a number of top young defenders in the league, including Porto right-back Tomas Esteves and Benfica's Nuno Tavares who has the ability to play in both full-back spots. Both of these are available at less than £3m and will end up as some of the best full-backs in the game.

Article continues below

Here are all the best young defenders in FIFA 20 Career Mode, ordered by their potential rating in the game.

PO. = Position(s)

CR = Current Rating

PR = Potential Rating

VA. = Value

*Clubs listed are the clubs the players are assigned to in FIFA 20 Career Mode, while ages shown are the age at the start of Career Mode

FIFA 20: Best young defenders

#NameAgeClubPO.CRPRVA.
1M de Ligt19JuventusCB8592£42.8m
2T Alexander-Arnold20LiverpoolRB8590£41.4m
3D Upamecano20RB LeipzigCB8089£18.9m
4I Konate20RB LeipzigCB7988£15m
5A Davies18Bayern MunichLB, RM, LM7788£11.3m
6W Saliba18ArsenalCB7588£9.9m
7R James19ChelseaRB, CDM7587£9.5m
8D Zagadou20Borussia DortmundCB, LB7986£14.4m
9J Kounde20SevillaCB7786£12.6m
10O Kabak19SchalkeCB7786£10.8m
11E Tapsoba20Bayer LeverkusenCB7686£10,4m
12Z Vanheusden19Standard LiegeCB7586£9m
13J Todibo19BarcelonaCB, CDM7386£6.3m
14M Simakan19StrasbourgCB, RB7286£5.4m
15M Kumbulla19Hellas VeronaCB, RB7286£5.4m
16B Williams18Man UtdLB, LWB7186£4.1m
17E Ampadu18ChelseaCB, CDM6886£1.5m
18M Kana16AnderlechtCB, CDM6686£1.1m
19L Stergiou17St GallenCB6386£675k
20A Bastoni20InterCB7585£9m
21Diogo Dalot20Man UtdRB, LB7585£9m
22E N'Dicka19Eintracht FrankfurtLB, CB7585£8.6m
23Emerson20Real BetisRB, RM, RWB7585£9m
24M Salisu20Real ValladolidCB7585£9m
25M Aarons19NorwichRB7385£5.9m
26L Pellegrini20CagliariLB7185£4.3m
27R Ait Nouri18AngersLB7085£3.1m
28Eric Garcia18Man CityCB6985£1.8m
29J Frimpong18CelticRB, RWB6885£1.5m
30J Gvardiol17Dinamo ZagrebCB, LB6785£1.3m
31J Vagnoman18HamburgRB, LM, LB6685£1.1m
32A Bella-Kotchap17BochumCB6385£675k
33P Retsos20Bayer LeverkusenCB, RB, LB7584£8.6m
34O Wijndal19AZ AlkmaarLB7484£7.2m
35N Perez19Atletico MadridCB7484£7.2m
36Tomas Tavares18BenficaRB7284£4.2m
37Nuno Tavares19BenficaLB, RB7184£3.7m
38D Popov20Dynamo KyivCB7184£3.8m
39J Tanganga20SpursCB, RB, LB6984£2m
40Tiago Djalo19LilleCB6984£1.9m
41N Katterbach18KolnLB6784£1.4m
42S van der Berg17LiverpoolCB6684£1m
43N Armini18LazioCB6684£1.1m
44N Collins18StokeCB6384£700k
45K Hoever17LiverpoolRB, CB6284£550k
46S Bornauw20KolnCB7583£8.1m
47V Mykolenko20Dynamo KyivLB7483£7.2m
48P Schuurs19AjaxCB7483£6.8m
49D Bradaric19LilleLB7383£5m
50Pedro Porro19Man CityRB, RWB, RM7383£5m
51R van Drongelen20HamburgCB7383£5.4m
52Diogo Leite20PortoCB7283£4.2m
53B Sutalo19AtalantaCB7283£4.3m
54T Tomiyasu20BolognaRB, CB7283£4.4m
55L Cacace18Wellington PhoenixLB, LWB7283£4.1m
56T Kouassi17PSGCB, CDM7183£3.1m
57J Bogle18DerbyRB7183£3.2m
58D Maresic19ReimsCB7183£3.4m
59I Diveev19CSKA MoscowCB7083£2.8m
60Mujaid19Deportivo La CorunaRB, CB6983£1.9m
61A Chindris20BotosaniCB6983£2m
62N Ferguson18West BromRB, LB, CB6883£1.5m
63L Balerdi20Borussia DortmundCB6883£1.6m
64A Bernabei20LanusLB, LW, LM6783£1.4m
65J Beyer19Borussia M'gladbachRB, CB6783£1.3m
66K Sardella17AnderlechtRB, LB6583£900k
67E Laird17Man UtdRB6583£900k
68Manu Sanchez18Atletico MadridLB6483£800k
69T Harwood-Bellis17Man CityCB6083£400k
70L Matheson16RochdaleRB6083£400k
Advertisement