FIFA 20 fastest CBs guide: the quickest central defenders on the pitch

(Image credit: EA)

It’s a cliche to say that you need the FIFA 20 fastest CBs to compete online - but sadly, it’s also the truth. With gameplay in FIFA 20 noticeably slower than previous editions, recovery time is often critical when it comes to chasing a striker down or moving across to cut out a through ball. So it’s understandable that many consider defensive pace to be a necessity. Below we profile the FIFA 20 fastest CBs based on their standard Ultimate Team cards - followed by a list of the swiftest CB icons to finish. Of course, all of the FIFA 20 fastest CBs can also be picked up in Career Mode too if you're looking for a burst of speed in your back line.

1. Wan Gyu Gwon (Sangju Sangmu) - 85 pace, 63 overall

Ultimate Team’s fastest centre-back is a player you’ve never heard of. The 6ft-tall Wan will set you back just 200 coins, but there the good news ends. With ratings of 60 defensive awareness and 55 heading accuracy, he’s a liability in all areas other than pace. D’oh.

2. Ike Opara (Minnesota United) - 84 pace, 74 overall

A popular choice for FUT players over the past couple of years, given that he has decent height (6ft 2in) and physical stats (jumping 90, strength 85) to go with his rapid feet. He’s affordable, too. Opara’s rare silver card can be grabbed for 1000 coins. A solid, affordable super sub.

3=. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) - 83 pace, 85 overall

If Opara is affordable, Varane is anything but - then again, this isn’t a card you’re snapping up in order to see out the final 20 minutes of a close game. Varane costs in the region of 210,000 coins, and boasts 87 defensive awareness and 86 strength alongside his 83 pace. In a word: elite.

3=. Adedeji Oshilaja (Charlton Athletic) - 83 pace, 67 overall

As of mid-October, Oshilaja had only made four league starts for Charlton this season - yet in FIFA 20, he’s a tidy silver pick-up, available on the cheap at 500 coins. Strength of 84 and 76 stamina make him an essential buy if you’re building an all silver squad just for fun.

3=. Charles Dunne (Motherwell) - 83 pace, 65 overall

Another rare silver card with reasonable stats despite a lowly overall rating of 65. Dunne comes with 80 jumping, 75 strength and is 6ft 2in tall, enabling him to do a job on the right side of a back three, at least while you’re building towards a top-tier team. Nab him for 400 coins.

3=. Takuma Ominami (Jubilo Iwata) - 83 pace, 59 overall

We’re back to bronzes here, and the fastest centre back in the Japanese league can be snaffled for just 200 coins - although there’s a reason he’s so cheap. Other than sprint speed, Ominami has only one attribute rated above 80: jumping (88). And you have to wince at his positioning rating. It’s 22!

7=. Kostas Manolas (Napoli) - 82 pace, 85 overall

If you’ve followed our FIFA 20 coins guide you should have 20,000 big ones to drop on Napoli’s Greek god of defending by now - and he won’t let you down. As well as being beautifully light-footed he offers 86 jumping, 86 interceptions, 87 standing tackle and 89 standing tackle. As imperious as Poseidon, but without the attached water danger.

7=. Georgiy Dzhikiya (Spartak Moscow) - 82 pace, 78 overall

With the full Russian league now exclusive to PES 2020, it’s tough to build a quality side around Dzhikiya. However, he’s still a cheap gold option to add squad depth, with 86 strength, 85 sliding tackle and 82 defensive awareness. You can buy now for 750 coins, or get him at discard value on open bid.

7=. Jeremiah St Juste (FSV Mainz) - 82 pace, 74 overall

If you have any doubt about how high pace is valued as a FIFA 20 commodity, consider the price of St Juste’s Halloween card: 125,000 coins, with an OVR of 84. Yet its speed rating (84) is only two higher than that found on his rare silver-based card (82), which can be purchased for a far more palatable 5K.

7=. Costa Nhamoinesu (Sparta Prague) - 82 pace, 72 overall

Try saying that surname with your mouth full of Fruit Pastilles. Sparta’s Zimbabwean defender plays more like a centre-back/full-back hybrid than a true CB, with a reasonable (for a silver card) crossing rating of 66, but no exceptional defensive stats. Keep him in a back three if you do want to use him.

7=. Jinzhao Chu (Tianjin Quanjian) - 82 pace, 59 overall

Between Chu, Ominami and Wan Gyu Gwon you now have a solid base on which to build an all-East-Asian bronze side, so it’s a shame that there are no longer bronze-specific tournaments in which to enter them. The Chinese stopper, a rare bronze, will set you back 650 coins.

7=. Gustavo Velazquez (FC Juarez) - 82 pace, 68 overall

Continuing a theme, Velazquez is a rare silver card - available for 300 coins - who packs a decent pace rating, but can’t be trusted in a traditional CB pairing due to his moderate height (5ft 11), strength (74) and stamina (60). Still, he’s worth picking up as a future investment. If and when a Liga Bancomer MX set of squad building challenge drops, his price will skyrocket into four figures.

FIFA 20 fastest CB icons in Ultimate Team:

Marcel Desailly (France) - 84 pace, 87 overall
Sol Campbell (England) - 84 pace, 85 overall
Rio Ferdinand (England) - 84 pace, 85 overall
Paolo Maldini (Italy) - 82 pace, 92 overall
Lothar Matthaus (Germany) - 82 pace, 88 overall
Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) - 82 pace, 87 overall
Carlos Alberto (Brazil) - 82 pace, 87 overall