FIFA 21 CBs: Who are the best-rated centre-back players on the game?

Liverpool powerhouse Virgil van Dijk is the king of defence after once again being named the best central defender heading into the release of the FIFA 21 video game.

Ahead of the new game's release on October 9, the Dutch international earned the defensive honour after helping the Reds to their first Premier League title during the 2019-20 season.

Van Dijk was given the same overall rating of 90 as he had in FIFA 20, but has seen the score of his defending rise one point to 91.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has retained his position as the game's second best centre-half, with his overall rating staying at 88 but his defending rising a single digit to 88.

In third position, Manchester City target and Napoli stopper Kalidou Koulibaly features, despite his overall rating dropping from 89 to 88 as the Serie A side failed to win any trophies.

Interestingly, despite barely playing any football last season, Man City centre-half Aymeric Laporte rises to fourth-best central defender with his overall and defending statistics remaining the same.

Laporte's rise occurred due the drop of several players from their lofty positions, with Juventus veteran Giorgio Chiellini dropping from 88 to 87, while Barcelona's Gerard Pique fell to equal-sixth and Inter's Diego Godin tumbled to equal-ninth.

Dortmund's Mats Hummels dropped an overall rating point from 87 to 86, while Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld saw his questionably high rating of 87 pruned to 85.

His Spurs team-mate Jan Vertonghen - who was rated 87 in FIFA 21 - was nowhere to seen in the list of top 20 - which saw players with ratings as low as 84 make the cut.

Other players to make the list included new Chelsea signing Thiago Silva, while Man City's Fernandinho was included after his position was changed from DM to CB.

Best centre-backs on FIFA 21