30 Best Defensive Midfielders on Football Manager 2024 (Ranked)

Football Manager 2025 was recently cancelled, making FM24 the most up-to-date iteration in the franchise at present.

The game series has long been commended for its realism, explaining why it still has millions of players despite being a season out of date, as people look to take on a managerial experience as close to being a real-life manager as possible.

With thousands of clubs available in the game to start your career with, and an abundance of players available to sign, it can be difficult to put together the best team possible to ensure success. With FM’s ranking system determining how good a player is consisting of two hidden attributes, being Current Ability (CA) and Potential Ability (PA) scores out of 200, it can be tough to know just how good a player is before you sign them, although their profile attributes can give a good indication of the quality of the player in question.

With defensive midfielders being a crucial position in the game, it is vital to make sure your options in the position are up to scratch. With that said, here are the 30 best defensive midfielders money can buy in Football Manager 2024.

30-21

In an extremely competitive position in-game, these ten players fall just outside the top 20 defensive midfielders in the world, all separated by just three Current Ability (CA) ratings. In this section, we find a duo of players plying their trade in the Saudi Pro League, in the form of Al-Nassr’s Marcelo Brozovic and Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessie. Elsewhere in this section, we find a trio of midfielders who have moved to the Premier League since FM24 was released, in the form of now-West Ham player Guido Rodriguez, Arsenal’s Mikel Merino and Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte. This part of the top 30 also features a couple of ex-Fulham midfielders in the form of Joao Palhinha and Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa, while PSG’s Danilo Pereira and Atalanta man Teun Koopmeiners also feature.

20-11

Just missing out on the top ten defensive midfielders in world football, according to Football Manager 2024, is a set of ten players differentiated by just two CA points, including no less than seven Premier League players. In this set of players, we find Tottenham pair Yves Bissouma and injury-stricken Rodrigo Bentancur, while their London rivals Chelsea also have a couple of DMs in this set, in the form of Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo, who perhaps surprisingly is only rated as the 19th best in his position. Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali is also present here, alongside the struggling Casemiro. Alexis Mac Allister is the best player in this section, with a CA rating of 158 – making him the best Argentinian midfielder in the game. Also present here are PSG’s Vitinha, French midfielder Adrien Rabiot and Atlético Madrid legend Koke.

10

Hakan Çalhanoğlu

Inter Milan

In tenth place on this list, we find versatile Turkish midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who has a CA rating of 160 at the start of FM24 saves – making him a world-class player. Calhanoglu is known for his remarkable free-kick ability and his excellent technical skill, which he balances with his ability to play in a holding role for his club. At the age of 29, the Inter midfielder is right in his prime, so he would be an excellent signing for any club, and with an estimated value at around £50m, he would be well worth the investment.

9

Marco Verratti

Al-Arabi Sports Club

Former PSG man Marco Verratti finds himself as the ninth-best defensive midfielder in FM24, despite now plying his trade in Qatar with Al-Arabi Sports Club – showing how much he’s still rated in the game despite playing in a league unplayable in the base version of the game. The 30-year-old starts with a CA rating of 160, making him a world-class player, but getting him out of Qatar will be difficult should you wish to add the Italian to your ranks at your club, due to his staggering 575k per week wage. With standout stats including 18 in ‘Passing’ and ‘Composure’, as well as 17 in ‘Vision’, Verratti stands out as one of the best midfielders in the game, and will always be a reliable player to have in the middle of the park.

8

N’Golo Kante

Al-Ittihad

The best defensive midfielder in the Saudi Pro League, N’Golo Kante ranks as the eighth-best player in his position in FM24 with a CA score of 160, despite being at the age of 32 – showing his true quality. Renowned as one of the most likable players in world football, Kante is known for his agility and extreme work rate – and he still has those attributes to his name, as well as scores of 19 in ‘tackling’, ‘teamwork’ and ‘determination’. However, Kante will be difficult to obtain in FM24 – partly due to his inflated wages but also as a result of Al-Ittihad, understandably, labeling him as ‘Not For Sale’ from the start of the save. If you do manage to secure the Frenchman’s services though, he will certainly do an excellent job as one of the best midfielders in the game.

7

Thiago Alcântara

Liverpool

Now-retired midfielder Thiago Alcântara is the seventh-best defensive midfielder in FM24 with a Current Ability score of 163 – despite his consistent injury troubles that plagued his spell as a Liverpool player. The Spaniard, known for his exceptional technical ability and versatility in the midfield, comes with standout attributes, including 17 in ‘Passing’, 18 in ‘Vision’, and 18 in ‘First Touch’, which allows him to pick out a pass from any range and difficulty, whether it be defence splitting through balls or over-the-top diagonals to a winger. Due to his age and injury proneness, as well as the fact that his contract runs out at the end of the first season, Thiago can be signed for a far cheaper sum than his counterparts on this list, but you will have to be aware that he is very likely to pick up plenty of injuries. When he plays, though, he is guaranteed to be a world-class player for your team.

6

Bruno Guimaraes

Newcastle

Brazil’s best defensive midfielder is Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, who starts with a CA rating of 165 – making him a world-class player at any level. The 25-year-old can play either as a defensive midfielder or as a box-to-box central midfielder in-game, and is best characterized by his power and all-round ability – as well as his passion, a trait that makes him adored by Toon fans. With his standout attributes including 18 ‘First Touch’, ‘Passing’ and ‘Technique’ among other excellent scores, Guimaraes would be an excellent addition to any team in the world. It will be difficult to prize him away from St. James’ Park, however, as he has five years remaining on his deal at the beginning of the game, so to sign him will likely cost a heavy premium.

5

Frenkie de Jong

Barcelona

Elite Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong ranks in 5th on this list with a CA score of 165, making him one of the best players in La Liga. De Jong possesses all the attributes you would require in a world-class defensive midfielder, including excellent passing, vision, teamwork and anticipation, and at 26 still has room to become even better. The Ajax academy product also has good physical attributes, including a score of 16 in ‘Agility’, which should allow him to play in several roles, and could even play further forward if you so wish. De Jong might also be more attainable than some of his counterparts on this list, as Barcelona are riddled with some of the financial strain they face in real life, and the sale of an asset such as him would go some way to solving that for Los Cules.

4

Eduardo Camavinga

Real Madrid

The youngest player on this list, French wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga is the best defensive midfielder La Liga has to offer on FM24, with a remarkable CA score of 170 at the age of just 20, making him an elite-level player with plenty of room to grow into one of the world’s very best. The Real Madrid man comes with a Potential Ability (PA) rating of 180 – and would be a superb player to sign for your club if you are looking for a defensive midfielder that you can likely rely on for well over a decade in your save. Due to both his CA and PA however, the signing of Camavinga will likely set you back well over £100m, but we think it is worth it to sign FM24’s most promising defensive midfielder. The Frenchman’s technical attributes are less impressive than some of the other players on this list, with no rating in this section above a score of 15, but he comes into his own in the mental and physical sections, where he has no less than 8 different scores of 16 or higher, including a remarkable 19 in ‘Stamina’.

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3

Joshua Kimmich

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich stalwart Joshua Kimmich is the 3rd best defensive midfielder in Football Manager 2024, with a current ability of 174. Known for his versatility, having started his career as a right-back, the German international took to the DM role like a duck to water, and has since established himself as one of the world’s best midfielders. At the age of 28, Kimmich is exactly in his prime and that is reflected in his ability in-game, with his attributes including a staggering three perfect scores, ‘determination’, ‘work rate’ and ‘natural fitness’, with a remarkable four further scores of 18 or above. Kimmich can defend and attack superbly, so he is an ideal player for the middle of the pitch. You may struggle to sign him from Bayern, however, due to his hidden loyalty attribute.

2

Declan Rice

Arsenal

Just missing out on top spot is Arsenal’s Declan Rice, who is England’s best defensive midfielder with a CA score of 176. Known for his work rate and tireless nature, Rice is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, and that is reflected in his rating in the game, marking him as an elite level player. With an incredible 12 different attributes rated 16 or above, including 18s in ‘Decisions’, ‘natural fitness’ and ‘anticipation’, as well as 19 in ‘Teamwork’, Rice will cover plenty of ground for you and guarantee protection for your defence, as well as creating opportunities for your attacking players. At just 24, Rice has plenty of space to improve even further with a PA score of 182, and as such Arsenal will demand a significant fee to part with his services, so if you’d like to manage Rice, you may just have to be the Gunners boss.

1

Rodri

Manchester City

Officially the world’s best player, Manchester City star Rodri is perhaps unsurprisingly, the best defensive midfielder in the game with a CA of 180, although this is only enough for him to be the ninth-best player in the game. The Spanish superstar has an astonishing 13 different attributes rated at 16 or above, including a perfect 20 in ‘composure’. Rodri has all the attributes you would need in an elite level defensive midfielder and, at 27, is right in the prime of his career. He might not have the potential to improve further upon his current ability like Rice or Camavinga, but there’s no doubt Rodri is the best DM money can buy on FM24 from the start of a save. At 6’3″ tall, he is also a huge threat from set pieces, helped in no small part by his 17 ‘Jumping Reach’ attribute. It goes without saying that to sign Rodri, you’re going to have to pay a significant fee to get the Ballon d’Or winner.

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