FM 27 Best Defensive Midfielders: Rice, Rodri, Caicedo

The FM 27 best defensive midfielders list is led by Arsenal's Declan Rice and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, both rated 91. Barcelona's Rodri is on 90, with PSG's Vitinha and Bayern's Joshua Kimmich on 89.

Launch Preview data, 1 November 2026. Ratings and attributes come from the FMInside FM 27 database. Ability and potential use FMInside's 1-100 scale. Attributes such as tackling and passing use the in-game 1-20 scale. The full game is out on 10 November and values may change.

FM 27 best defensive midfielders: top 18

The list covers male players registered at DM (defensive midfield) on FMInside, sorted by ability. Some of them, such as Bellingham, Kimmich and Pedri, can also play in other positions.

#	Player	Age	Club	Ability	Potential	Tackling	Positioning	Anticipation	Passing	Work rate
1	Declan Rice	27	Arsenal	91	92	17	16	18	15	17
2	Jude Bellingham	23	Real Madrid	91	94	15	12	17	17	16
3	Rodri	30	Barcelona	90	90	17	18	17	16	16
4	Vitinha	26	PSG	89	90	14	15	16	17	17
5	Joshua Kimmich	31	Bayern Munich	89	92	13	13	17	18	18
6	Pedri	23	Barcelona	88	93	11	12	16	18	16
7	Federico Valverde	27	Real Madrid	87	88	15	13	14	15	17
8	Enzo Fernández	25	Manchester City	86	87	13	10	14	17	16
9	Bruno Guimarães	28	Arsenal	85	85	14	15	16	17	17
10	Moisés Caicedo	24	Chelsea	84	93	18	16	15	15	20
11	Sandro Tonali	26	Tottenham	83	86	15	16	15	14	19
12	Aurélien Tchouaméni	26	Real Madrid	83	86	16	15	16	15	18
13	João Neves	21	PSG	82	87	16	15	14	15	16
14	Frenkie de Jong	29	Barcelona	81	90	10	14	16	17	13
15	Hakan Çalhanoğlu	32	Inter	81	82	13	12	16	18	12
16	Felix Nmecha	25	Borussia Dortmund	80	83	13	11	15	15	13
17	Manu Koné	25	AS Roma	80	83	15	13	16	16	17
18	Fabián	30	PSG	80	82	14	14	15	16	14

Source: FMInside FM 27 database, 1 November 2026.

A closer look at the top five

Declan Rice: 27, with anticipation 18, decisions 18 and stamina 18. Tackling 17 makes him reliable both without the ball and in build-up. Potential 92.

Jude Bellingham: 23, with potential 94. Passing and anticipation are 17. Tackling 15 and positioning 12 point to a midfielder who likes to push forward.

Rodri: 30, with positioning 18, tackling and anticipation 17 and decisions 18. He has the most balanced defensive numbers on the list.

Vitinha: 26, with passing and work rate 17 and stamina 18. A good fit for a side that wants to keep the ball.

Joshua Kimmich: 31, with passing 18 and work rate 18. He can also cover right back and central midfield.

Ball winners who sit in front of the defence

If you want to shut down the middle, check tackling, positioning and anticipation. Chelsea's Moisés Caicedo has the best tackling on the list with 18, plus 20 for both work rate and stamina. Rodri leads positioning with 18. Real Madrid's Aurélien Tchouaméni has tackling 16 and work rate 18.

• Moisés Caicedo: tackling 18, positioning 16, work rate 20.
• Rodri: tackling 17, positioning 18, anticipation 17.
• Declan Rice: tackling 17, positioning 16, anticipation 18.
• João Neves: tackling 16, positioning 15, and only 21.

Tottenham's Sandro Tonali is another strong option for a pressing system. He has work rate 19 and positioning 16. Real Madrid's Federico Valverde offers work rate 17 and stamina 18, though his positioning is 13.

Deep playmakers

To build from deep, passing, vision and decisions matter most. Three players have passing 18: Kimmich, Barcelona's Pedri and Inter's Hakan Çalhanoğlu. Çalhanoğlu also has decisions 18. He is 32 with work rate 12, though, so he needs a runner next to him.

Çalhanoğlu's contract ends in June 2027. FMInside estimates his value at 42-52 million euros, which makes him cheaper than most names on the list.

Young defensive midfielders with high potential

For a long save, look at young players with high potential. Bellingham (23) has 94, while Pedri (23) and Caicedo (24) have 93. PSG's João Neves is 21, rated 82 with potential 87.

Other young names in the top 18 include Enzo Fernández (25, potential 87), Felix Nmecha (25, potential 83) and Manu Koné (25, potential 83). Koné stands out with anticipation 16 and work rate 17 at Roma.

What to look for in a defensive midfielder

• Tackling and positioning: the core attributes for winning the ball in front of the back line.
• Anticipation and decisions: help him read passes early and step in at the right time.
• Passing: essential if you build from the back.
• Work rate and stamina: a pressing side needs him to run for 90 minutes.

For another position, see our FM 27 best wingers list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the best defensive midfielder in FM 27?

According to FMInside data, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham share first place on 91. Rodri is third on 90.

Who is the best ball-winning midfielder?

Moisés Caicedo leads tackling with 18. Rodri is best for positioning, also with 18.

Which young defensive midfielder has the most potential?

Bellingham has potential 94. Pedri and Caicedo follow on 93.

Is this list final?

No. It uses Launch Preview data. The full game is out on 10 November 2026 and values may change.