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We have decided to help the gamers choose the Best defensive midfielders in FIFA 15, like we did similarly in identifying the best attacking midfielders in the game. Honourable mention to Steven Gerrard, as he was also rated 82 in this game, but not selected in this list because of his age. He is 34 years old. Note: This list is only the Central Defensive Midfielders (CDM) and not the Central Midfielders (CM). The players are picked only based on their FIFA 15 Ratings.
#10 Thiago Motta
Nationality : Italy, FIFA 15 Rating : 82 , FIFA 15 Potential : 82
The Brazilian born Italian midfielder is listed tenth in our list. Thaigo Motta is versatile, he can play as a holding midfielder and also as central defender. His style of play is similar to Matuidi , but Motta concentrates more on the defensive side of play rather than going up front. He is mainly utilized as a deep lying playmaker for both Italy and PSG. He is well known for his tacking and defensive abilities, ball control, vision and passing range, but is also described as an injury prone player.
#9 Luiz Gustavo
Nationality : Brazil , FIFA 15 Rating : 82 , FIFA 15 Potential : 83
Luiz Gustavo is the type of player who does the "dirty work" in a very clean way. He can play as a centre back or left full back depending on the situation. He is well known for his heroics in World cup for Brazil, as he sat in the heart of defense and controlled the games. He is a very good tackler and passer of the ball. He is rated 82 in the game.
#8 Nemanja Matic
Nationality : Serbia, FIFA 15 Rating : 82 , FIFA 15 Potential : 85
The big Serbian returned back to Chelsea from Benfica last season and has settled in well in the holding midifleder position alongside Fabregas this season. He is your typical central defensive midfielder who bullies the opposition to win the ball and orchestrate the play from midfield. His aerial ability is a bonus to any team and he possesses an uncanny ability to turn defense into counter attacks. He is rated 82 among three other defensive midfielders and gets the nod here because of his age.
#7 Jeremy Toulalan
Nationality : France, FIFA 15 Rating : 83 , FIFA 15 Potential : 85
Toulalan, is a hugely consistent anchoring midfielder and is adaptable enough to play centre-back. He is known for his interceptions, good technique, and effective tackling. He is rated 83 in the game, despite his age (31 years), he has the potential to reach 85 in career mode. Toulalan was touted as the successor to Makelele and an ideal replacement to Patrick Viera in the national side.
#6 Blaise Matuidi
Nationality : France, FIFA 15 Rating : 83 , FIFA 15 Potential : 85
The 27 year old is our second player from PSG and France in this list and is one among the most underrated midfielders in Europe. He can be described as a "fierce and strong tackler" and still is one of the consistent performers for PSG in the last two seasons. Matuidi is compared to the France legend Claude Makelele for his similar style of play and the solid defensive attributes, but adds a dynamic attacking presence in the opposition area unlike the former. He has already scored 4 times in 6 appearences for France this year.
#5 Xabi Alonso
Nationality : Spain, FIFA 15 Rating : 84 , FIFA 15 Potential : 84
The classic example of a Deep lying Playmaker, the Spainard transferred to Bayern Munich from Real Madrid and set the Bundesliga alight with his great passing abilities. He set the record for most number of touches (206) and successful passes (196) in a single game. He is rated 84 in the game, and still one of the best defensive midfielders of this era.
#4 Daniele De Rossi
Nationality : Italy, FIFA 15 Rating : 84 , FIFA 15 Potential : 84
At the fourth position we have Daniele De Rossi rated 84. The Italian gladiator is labelled as the “complete midfielder” and is praised for his leadership, long distance shooting, tackling, vision, awareness, passing, and strength. He can also play as a defender or a sweeper.
#3 Sami Khedira
Nationality : Germany , FIFA 15 Rating : 84 , FIFA 15 Potential : 86
Sami Khedira along with three other defensive midfield players is rated 84 in the game, he is listed third because he is younger than the other two players. He is strong, hard tackler and can chip in some header goals from set pieces. He has been getting less game time this season because of the transformation of Modric to a deep lying playmaker and Kroos arrival.
#2 Sergio Busquets
Nationality : Spain, FIFA 15 Rating : 85, FIFA 15 Potential : 89
One of the best holding midfielders in the game. Busquets has formed a solid partnership with Xavi and Iniesta in the heart of Barcelona midfield, and is their go-to man for stopping the opposition counter-attacks. He is rated 85 in the game and can grow till 89 in the career mode.
#1 Philipp Lahm
Nationality : Germany , FIFA 15 Rating : 87 , FIFA 15 Potential : 87
The highest rated Central Defensive midfielder (CDM) in FIFA 15 is Philipp Lahm. He is considered to be the best full back of this generation, but Guardiola had other plans for him, when he came to Bayern Munich, as he moulded him into a complete midfielder. For the past two seasons, Lahm has been playing in this holding midfielder postion for Bayern and Germany in the World Cup. He has instantly transitioned to this new role and has been producing very impressive performances lately.
