Best central midfielders to buy in EA FC 25 Ultimate Team

Every strong Ultimate Team needs a group of central midfielders capable of controlling the game on both ends of the pitch, and these are the best options to buy in EA FC 25.

As players construct their dream starting at 11 in FUT, looking at the best budget cards is the best place to start. After that, users will have enough coins to put together their first budget team.

However, when you are finally ready to take on FUT Champs, you will need some of the game mode’s best options to compete at a high level. To help you figure out who they are, we’ve outlined all of the best central midfielders in Ultimate Team, including CDMs, CMs, and CAMs.

Highest-rated Central Midfielders (CM)

RANK	PLAYER	VERSION	RATING
1	Aitana Bonmati	Gold	91
2	Homare Sawa	Icon	91
3	Julie Foudy	Icon	90
4	Kevin De Bruyne	Gold	90
5	Alexia Putellas	Gold	90
6	Andrea Pirlo	Icon	90
7	Xavi	Icon	90
8	Camille Abily	Icon	90
9	Lothar Matthaus	Icon	90
11	Federico Valverde	TOTW	89
10	Martin Odegaard	Gold	89
11	Paul Scholes	Icon	88
12	Federico Valverde	Gold	88
13	Patrick Vieira	Icon	88
14	Nadine Keßler	Hero	88
15	Bernardo Silva	Gold	88

Our recommendations

• Aitana Bonmati
• Homare Sawa
• Alexia Putellas

Aitana Bonmati is the highest-rated center midfielder in EA FC 25 Ultimate Team and is an absolute steal given her incredible stats. The Barcelona star excels in every category and has no weaknesses in her game, making her an obvious choice for your team.

If you ever have enough coins to afford Homare Sawa, she checks off every box from what you would want from a midfielder capable of spearheading an attack or dropping back and stopping the opposition from advancing. Her 91 Passing makes her a particularly good Playmaker, especially since she has Incisive Pass and Long Ball Pass.

While her below-average Defending and Physical attributes mean you must pair Alexia Putellas with a more defensive-minded midfield pivot partner, the Spaniard is still a top-class talent. With an appropriate partnet, Putellas is a lethal option in the final third or from outside of the box, able to both create plays or easily score depending on what is required of her.

Meta Central Midfielders (CM)

PLAYER	CLUB	VERSION	RATING
Aitana Bonmati	FC Barcelona	Gold	91
Homare Sawa	Icon	Icon	91
Julie Foudy	Icon	Icon	90
Alexia Putellas	FC Barcelona	Gold	90
Camille Abily	Icon	Icon	90
Lothar Matthaus	Icon	Icon	90
Federico Valverde	Real Madrid	Gold	88
Steven Gerrard	Icon	Icon	88
Patrick Vieira	Icon	Icon	88
Nicolo Barella	Lombardia FC	Gold	87
Claudio Marchisio	Hero	Hero	87
Grace Geyoro	PSG	Gold	86
Aleix Garcia Serrano	Bayer Leverkusen	Gold	85
Rodrigo De Paul	Atletico Madrid	Gold	84

Our recommendations

• Nicolo Barella
• Aleix Garcia Serrano

We have already mentioned Aitana Bonmati as the best CM option, but you should also consider getting Nico Barella and Aleix Garcia. The former is by far the best CM in the Serie A, while the latter is the best value SBC in the game right now.

Aleix Serrano’s SBC only costs 24,000 coins to complete, which is incredible value considering all of his face card stats are 80 or above. You have until the end of October to complete it, but we recommend getting the Leverkusen man as soon as possible.

He’s a little more expensive, but Barella is similar in many ways to Aleix Serrano. He also has very high stats and feels great on the ball. However, a big area where he differs is that Barella has far better physical attributes, which helps mitigate his smaller stature, an area where Serrano can struggle.

Highest-rated Central Attacking Midfielders (CAM)

RANK	PLAYER	VERSION	RATING
1	Pele	Icon	95
2	Zinedine Zidane	Icon	94
3	Johan Cruyff	Icon	93
4	Bobby Charlton	Icon	92
5	Roberto Baggio	Icon	91
6	Zico	Icon	91
7	Jude Bellingham	UCL RTTK	91
8	Ruud Gullit	Icon	90
9	Alessandro Del Piero	Icon	90
10	Jude Bellingham	Gold	90
11	Paulo Dybala	UEL RTTK	90
12	Florian Wirtz	TOTW	89
13	Kai Havertz	UCL RTTK	89
14	Socrates	Icon	89
15	Adebi Pele	Hero	89
15	Kaka	Icon	89

Our recommendations

• Pele
• Zinedine Zidane
• Johan Cruyff

CAM is a loaded position with so many unbelievable cards that any player would want in their Ultimate Team starting 11, so it can be hard to pick exactly who is the best.

Even so, Pele, Zinedine Zidane, and Johan Cruyff manage to stand out as the absolute pinnacle players in Ultimate Team. These three legends are incredible CAMs that all have world-class Dribbling, Shooting, and Passing attributes.

Meta Central Attacking Midfielders (CAM)

PLAYER	CLUB	VERSION	RATING
Pele	Icon	Icon	95
Zinedine Zidane	Icon	Icon	94
Johan Cruyff	Icon	Icon	93
Bobby Charlton	Icon	Icon	92
Zico	Icon	Icon	91
Jude Bellingham	Real Madrid	UCL RTTK	91
Ruud Gullit	Icon	Icon	90
Alessandro Del Piero	Icon	Icon	90
Abedi Pele	Hero	Hero	89
Florian Wirtz	Bayer Leverkussen	TOTW	89
Enzo Francescoli	Hero	Hero	88
Paulo Dybala	Roma	Gold	87
Marek Hamsik	Hero	Hero	87
Rayan Cherki	Lyon	UEL RTTK	87
Landon Donovan	Hero	Hero	86

Our recommendations

• Enzo Francescoli
• Rayan Cherki
• Landon Donovan

While Enzo Francescoli doesn’t possess the best Passing attributes, he is still an exceptional attacker. He can utilize his Shadow Striker++ role well thanks to his 88 Shooting and 90 Dribbling, as well as access to meta scoring PlayStyles like Finesse Shot.

Meanwhile, Rayan Cherki has 96 Shot Power and is eligible for more upgrades if Lyon performs well in the Europa League, which could result in him becoming one of the best goalscorers from outside the box in the entire game. Be sure to buy him early before he skyrockets once people catch on.

Landon Donovan only costs around 100,000 coins and is the perfect early game CAM in Ultimate Team. He is fast, feels good on the ball, and has a great shot, making him a strong all-rounder. As a bonus, he will always have maximum chemistry too, as is the case with all Heroes.

Highest-rated Central Defensive Midfielders (CDM)

RANK	PLAYER	VERSION	RATING
1	Rodri	Gold	91
2	Patri Guijarro	Gold	88
3	Xabi Alonso	Icon	87
4	Declan Rice	Gold	87
5	Frank Rijkkaard	Icon	87
6	Yaya Toure	Hero	87
7	Claude Makelele	Icon	87
8	Emmanuel Petit	Icon	87
9	Lia Walti	UWCL RTTK	86
10	Georgia Stanway	TOTW	86
11	Keira Walsh	TOTW	86
12	Stephen Eustaquio	UEL RTTK	86
13	Pierre Lees-Melou	UCL RTTK	86
14	Michael Essien	Icon	86
15	Ramires	Hero	86

Our recommendations

• Claude Makelele
• Yaya Toure
• Ramires

When you are choosing a CDM for your squad, you’ll want to pick a card that is quick, strong, and a top-tier defender. For this, Claude Makelele is a great option, with the underrated icon having all the attributes needed to shut down opposing attacks, including 86 Defending.

Alternatively, Yaya Toure can score long shots better than most other midfield options and is also a brick wall on defense. This makes him very flexible, with the Ivorian Icon being able to play as a Holding midfielder or a Box-to-Box depending on what your team needs most.

It won’t be cheap, but Ramires does everything required and more for a CDM and is easily good enough to be on your team all year round, so he is worth the investment to set yourself up long-term.

Meta Central Defending Midfielders (CDM)

PLAYER	CLUB	VERSION	RATING
Patri Guijarro	FC Barcelona	Gold	88
Declan Rice	Arsenal	Gold	87
Emmanuel Petit	Icon	Icon	87
Claude Makelele	Icon	Icon	87
Yaya Toure	Hero	Hero	87
Hakan Calhanoglu	Lombardia FC	Gold	86
Michael Essien	Icon	Icon	86
Ramires	Hero	Hero	86
Stephen Eustaquio	Hero	Hero	86
Sandro Tonali	Newcastle United	Gold	85
N’Golo Kante	Al-Ittihad	Gold	85
Franck Yannick Kessie	Al Ahli	Gold	82

Our recommendations

• Patri Guijarro
• Sandro Tonali
• N’Golo Kante

For just 30,000 coins, Patri Guijarro is one of the best-value cards in Ultimate Team. The same can be said about Sandro Tonali, who has attributes on par with some Icons yet costs even less than Guijarro.

Ultimate Team fans often regard N’Golo Kante, who performs well above his stats on paper, as one of the best CDMs in the game, and the same can be said again for this title. The Chelsea legend remains a top option even after all of these years, with his 85 Defending and Intercept+ playstyle making him a menace to go up against.

To make your Ultimate Team even better, be sure to check out the best goalkeepers, best defenders, best wingers, and best wingers in EA FC 25. By using all of our guides, you’ll be able to create a side that will dominate everything from Squad Battles to FUT Champs.