In EA Sports FC 26, the best CDMs can make a massive difference not just to your defensive structure, but how your whole team performs, as they win the ball back in important areas of the pitch and set up counter-attacks.
The tough-tackling defensive midfielder has always been a fan-favourite position. From the likes of Billy Bremner in the ‘60s and ‘70s to Keane and Vieira at the start of the Premier League and now Rodri winning the Balon D’or.
But ironically, what was fancied as an unglamorous, functional position has become the favourite of stats nerds and football hipsters alike due to a CDM’s ability to secure possession, progress the ball up the pitch to gain territory and tidily perform a high volume of accurate passes.
In FC 26, the best CDMs can perform a variety of roles, but there are a few qualities they all have in common.
They need to have a strong physical profile, either being fast enough to close down large distances quickly or possess enough strength to bully opponents off the ball. Then, once they’ve won possession with a well-placed tackle, they need to be able to turn defence into attack, either by being a competent enough dribbler to shuttle the ball forward or by using their passing range to pick out a teammate.
We’ve scoured the whole FC 26 database to pick out the best CDMs to sign in Career Mode to suit a variety of teams and budgets, choosing both ready-made superstars and accessible options for clubs looking to rise through the ranks.
But if you want to learn the best formations to get the most out of your players, take a look at our page on the best FC 26 Tactics codes.
EA Sports FC 26 Best CDMs
| Name: | Team: | Age: | Overall: | Key Attributes: | Value/Wage: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felix Nmecha | Dortmund | 24 | 82 | Easily the best blend of overpowered pace, physicals and technical ability in the CDM role with 86 Potential to get even better | £34.4m/£43k |
| Quinten Timber | Feyenoord | 24 | 80 | 85 Potential with very solid all-round stats and Bruiser PlayStyle to dominate the midfield | £27.1m/£16k |
| Jorthy Mokio | Ajax | 17 | 70 | Wonderkid with 89 Potential and decent passing, technical and strength stats for his age already | £3.3m/£4k |
| Jauregizar | Bilbao | 21 | 78 | 88 Potential with great tackling, stamina and the Relentless PlayStyle to run all day | £27.1/£27k |
| Hugo Larsson | Lille | 21 | 78 | 87 Potential and a slew of great passing PlayStyles plus a 6ft 2” frame | £27.1m/£22k |
| Ayyoub Bouaddi | Lille | 17 | 75 | Unbelievable stats for his age, 86 Potential and Technical Dribbler PlayStyle | £9.9m/£12k |
| Richard Rios | Benfica | 25 | 79 | Physical monster with great technicals to match, top quality | £21.1m/£19k |
| Zeno Debast | Sporting | 21 | 78 | Quality deep-lying playmaker with great passing and tackling, 86 Potential | £25.8m/£13k |
| Lennon Miller | Udinese | 18 | 71 | Already good all-round midfielder with 85 Potential | £3.7m/£7k |
| Lamine Camara | Monaco | 21 | 77 | Kante-style shorter but high stamina and fast DM with good passing and dribbling, 85 Potential | £20.2m/£20k |
| Ibrahima Bangoura | Genk | 21 | 70 | Classic, massive holding DM | £3.2m/£9k |
| Arne Engels | Celtic | 21 | 75 | Basically ~75 in every key stat with 84 Potential to quickly make that ~80+ | £10.8m/£29k |
| Raphael Onyedika | Club Brugge | 24 | 77 | Quick and physical with Bruiser PlayStyle and 84 Potential | £17.2m/£22k |
| Ardon Jashari | Milano FC (AC Milan) | 22 | 77 | Exceptional stamina, quick and strong with great passing, 86 potential and Relentless PlayStyle | £19.4m/£30k |
| Ezequiel Fernandez | Leverkusen | 22 | 75 | 83 Potential deep-lying playmaker with great PlayStyles including Long Ball Pass, Anticipate and Bruiser | £10.3m/£40k |
| Dario Essugo | Chelsea | 20 | 75 | Great pace, physical and tackling stats with 85 Potential to build up technicals, Bruiser PlayStyle | £9.9m/£50k |
| Maurits Kjaergaard | RB Salzburg | 22 | 73 | Giant with great physical profile and passing PlayStyles | £6m/£12k |
| Christian Ordonez | Parma | 20 | 72 | Exceptional stamina and speed to break up attacks quickly, 83 Potential | £4.1m/£9k |
| Ezechiel Banzuzi | RB Leipzig | 20 | 70 | Solid holding midfielder with accessible price tag and 84 Potential | £3.3m/£16k |
| Alejandro Torres | Club Brugge | 19 | 65 | Cheap all-rounder with 85 Potential | £1.7m/£5k |
| Nathan De Cat | Anderlecht | 16 | 63 | He’s De Cat with 83 Potential | £1m/£3k |
If you’re working with one of the bigger budgets in world football, there are a couple of standout names you should be looking to bring into your squad. Both Felix Nmecha and Quinten Timber offer a near perfect physical profile with solid technical stats with bags of Potential growth at just 24. While they’ll both be marquee signings with a huge transfer fee, their starting stats are already well-worth the investment.
But speaking of investment, the highest potential growth of any CDM belongs to Ajax’s Jorthy Mokio, who looks like the archetypal Ajax youth product, combining solid athleticism with technical class which belies his age.
Also just 17, and with almost unbelievable stats for his age, is Ayyoub Bouaddi at Lille. He’s more of a shuttling midfielder who picks up the ball deep and dribbles forward using his Technical PlayStyle. His starting Overall makes him a great hit for mid-table clubs from the off, where his Potential growth makes him malleable enough to turn into basically any kind of midfielder you want.
For more mid-tier options, take a look at Dario Essugo at Chelsea, Raphael Onyedika at Club Brugge and Arne Engels at Celtic who all offer great all-round stats for the price and have loads of Potential to reach even greater heights. When most of their key stats are already around 75-80, it doesn’t take a lot with +10 Potential growth to push those towards 85-90.
But you can still get great deals with more limited budgets too. Christian Ordonez looks like a really fun, nippy midfielder with great pace to close down attacks quickly and exceptional stamina to do it over-and-over, which is rare for young players. Or for a different approach, Ezechiel Banzuzi is yet another youth product from the RB academy system who looks destined for a big move. He’s a player you can look to for strength and a huge presence in the middle, but for a smaller price tag.