Best Defensive Midfielders under 1M Coins

We score every FC 27 Ultimate Team card in every role it can play. These are the 4,767 Defensive Midfielders you can buy for 1M coins or less, ranked by Meta Score with their best chemistry style. Pedri leads with a Meta Score of 90.7 and costs about 235k coins. Cheaper: Karchaoui scores 89.0 for about 92k coins.

Updated October 8, 2026

Top picks

Pedri card — Best overall
The highest Meta Score

Sakina Karchaoui card — Best value
Almost as good, for fewer coins

Felix Nmecha card — Hidden gem
Plays far above its OVR

Defensive Midfielders ranking

Top 30 of 4,767

1
CDM90.7235K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
2
CDM90.5192K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
3
CDM90.1292K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
4
CDM89.6769K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Anchor
5
CDM89.5167K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
6
CDM89.5850K
Holding · Shadow
7
CDM89.092K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
8
CDM89.0500K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
9
CDM88.8710K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
10
CDM88.7419K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
11
CDM88.7577K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
12
CDM88.690K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
13
CDM88.6500K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
14
CDM88.6999K
Holding · Shadow
15
CDM88.5403K
Holding · Shadow
16
CDM88.415.3K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
17
CDM88.2379K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
18
CDM88.1257K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
19
CDM88.059K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
20
CDM88.0377K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
21
CDM88.0510K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
22
CDM88.0850K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
23
CDM87.9540K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
24
CDM87.8363K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
25
CDM87.7580K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
26
CDM87.5120K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
27
CDM87.490K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
28
CDM87.316.5K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow
29
CDM87.2930K
Centre Half · Shadow
30
CDM86.9138K
Deep-Lying Playmaker · Shadow

Defensive Midfielders at a glance

Cards ranked: 4,767
Avg. Meta Score, top 10: 89.5
Median price, top 10: 355.5k
Most common chem style: Shadow
Most common PlayStyle+: Tiki Taka

Defensive Midfielders roles

Every card is scored in each of these roles, and the ranking above uses its best one. Open a role to see who suits it best.

Best Holding (CDM)

A pivotal role in modern football, this defence-minded midfielder focuses on guarding their backline during attacks, and covering off against counter-attacks, with limited attacking support.

Best Deep-Lying Playmaker (CDM)

The key cog to building up play from the back, this defensively positioned midfielder will often be the catalyst for attacks.

Best Wide Half (CDM)

A defensive midfielder charged with marking and covering the sides of the pitch when needed.

Best Centre Half (CDM)

A defensive midfielder that will drop between the centre-backs while their team is in possession to offer protection against the counterattack.

Best Box Crasher (CDM)

A defensive midfielder who can get forward to join the attack, making trailing runs into the box, if the opportunity arises.

How we rank Defensive Midfielders

Meta Score rates a card in a specific role rather than overall. It weighs the attributes that role needs, PlayStyles and PlayStyles+, AcceleRATE, skill moves, weak foot, height and Role+ / Role++, and tests every chemistry style at full chemistry to find the best one. OVR only averages attributes, so a lower-rated card often plays better in the right role.

Only cards on the console Transfer Market for 1M coins or less are included. Switch to PC above the ranking to rebuild the list from PC prices.

What is Meta Score?

Defensive Midfielders for every budget

Cheapest players by rating All players by Meta Score

FAQ

Who are the best Defensive Midfielders under 1M coins?

By Meta Score, the top three are Pedri (90.7), Patri Guijarro (90.5) and Valverde (90.1).

What is the cheapest option among the top 10 Defensive Midfielders?

Karchaoui costs about 92k coins and has a Meta Score of 89.0, 1.7 points behind the best.

Which chemistry style is best for Defensive Midfielders?

Shadow is the best chemistry style for 9 of the top 10. The best style depends on the card, so every row in the ranking shows the one that gets the most out of it.

Why isn't this list sorted by OVR?

OVR averages attributes and ignores PlayStyles, AcceleRATE, skill moves, weak foot and height. Meta Score weighs what the role needs, which is why Nmecha (OVR 86) reaches a Meta Score of 89.5.

How often is this list updated?

Prices refresh throughout the day and the ranking is rebuilt at least every 30 minutes. A card's Meta Score changes when the card is upgraded or the scoring is retuned.

Are these console or PC prices?

Console prices by default. Switch to PC above the ranking to see PC prices; on budget pages the list is also rebuilt from PC prices.