15 BEST FIFA 23 Central Midfielders [Our Expert’s Insight]

In our guide we will talk about the best Central Midfielders in the FIFA 23.

With so many players in the game, how will you know which are the pro-Central Midfielders in FIFA 23? If you have been facing this dilemma, do not fret. I have you covered. I will look into the top 20 of which you players should be aware.

Key Takeaways
  • FIFA 23 includes a list of top pro-central midfielders for players to choose from. Players need a good central midfielder to develop a great attack.
  • Kevin De Bruyne, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Frenkie De Jong, and Marco Verratti are among the top 15 pro-central midfielders.
  • These players are known for their skills and abilities on the field, including passing, shooting, insight, ingenuity, dribbling, and defensive positioning.

Our picks and comparison between the Best FIFA 23 CMs:

Player NameOverall RatingPassingShootingDribbling
Kevin De Bruyne91.093.088.087.0
Toni Kroos88.090.081.081.0
Luka Modric88.089.076.088.0
Frenkie De Jong87.086.069.087.0
Marco Veratti87.087.061.091.0
Leon Goretzka87.082.082.083.0
Thiago Alcantara86.086.072.090.0
Sergej Milinkovic Savic86.082.080.082.0
Nicolo Barella86.083.076.084.0
Dani Parejo86.090.083.080.0
Ilkay Gundogan85.084.080.085.0
Paul Pogba85.085.080.085.0
Jorginho85.086.067.081.0
Pedri85.081.069.087.0
Jude Bellingham84.078.075.084.0

Kevin De Bruyne – 91

rating for Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne rating
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
91 74 88 93 87 64 77

De Bruyne is a Belgian competitive football player. He currently competes for both the Belgium national squad as well as Premier League club Manchester City as a midfielder.

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Being considered among the finest performers throughout the game, which is precisely why he is highly regarded.Football gurus frequently refer to Kevin as a “complete footballer.” So, as you can imagine, he is a huge deal in the industry.

De Bruyne seems to have been a prominent player as soon as his tenure started, which is very rare for most if not all, pro footballers. He signed up with the English club Chelsea in 2012. However, he saw limited action before being transferred out to Werder Bremen.

After signing a contract there, he spent his 2014 and 15 DFB-Pokal seasons alongside Wolfsburg. This particular shift ended up being a good break; his career made a name for himself among the brightest players.

Toni Kroos – 88

FIFA rating for Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos rating in FIFA
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
88 53 81 90 81 71 68

German-born international athlete Toni Kroos represents Real Madrid in La Liga as a midfielder. However, Kroos is primarily utilized as a central midfielder.

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He has also played as a very competent playmaker. Toni is considered one of the  Mostly due to his world-class vision, passing, ingenuity, shooting,  and especially his set-piece brilliance.

Kroos got their professional breakthrough at the very young age of 17 back in early 2007. He played for Bayern Munich, which ended up being his very first professional club career. However, he played infrequently and thus decided to sign a transfer deal to Bayer Leverkusen of the same Bundesliga.

It ended up being the right call for him because he became a major player with the help of his new team. In 2010, he rejoined his native club, having a much higher reputation. He continues to make leaps and strides in the world of football.

Luka Modric – 88

rating for Luka Modric
Luka Modric FIFA rating
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
88 73 76 89 88 72 66

Croatia’s national squad is captained by senior football player Luka Modric. He is also a midfielder with the infamous La Liga team Real Madrid. His primary position is a central midfielder. 

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Luka, around 16, got recruited by Dinamo after noticing outstanding potential alongside the reserve squad of their local club NK Zadar. He proceeded to advance at Zagreb after getting a contract with Inter Zapres as well as Zrinjski Mostar. Fans call him one of the best players who have graced the fields, and I could not agree more!

Frenkie De Jong – 87

Frenkie De Jong rating
Frenkie De Jong ranking in FIFA
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
87 82 69 86 87 77 78

De Jong is an outstanding midfielder representing La Liga powerhouse Barcelona. He is also part of the Netherlands national team. De Jong is a dynamic midfielder who has amazing control over the ball.

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But that is not all. He is also very apt at dribbling, insight, good defensive positioning, plus offensive skills.

Somewhere around 2015, De Jong started their official debut at Willem II. He moved over to Ajax, following capturing a national double before making the entire way towards the Champions League semifinal. Very often, fans and officials call him the top, most promising midfielder in all of Europe.

Marco Verratti – 87

ranking for Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti rating
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
87 60 61 87 91 79 66

Italian-born central midfielder Marco Verratti Cavaliere competes for Italy’s national football club and Ligue 1 team Paris Saint-Germain.

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Verratti is a central midfielder who excels in inventiveness and tactical proficiency. He launched his professional career alongside the Italian club Pescara. It is here that he quickly established himself as one of the most prominent central midfielders in the whole of Europe.

So, as you can see, he is one of the best in the football community. He was the main driving force behind the team winning the Serie B championship in 2011 and 12. Hence, he was awarded the 2012 Bravo Award due to his efforts.

Thanks to their passing proficiency, foresight, and amazing composure, his approach to the game garnered parallels with Andrea Pirlo, which is quite a compliment!  He moved to Paris Saint-Germain in July 2012, wherein he earned eight Ligue 1 championships between 2013 to 2022.

Leon Goretzka – 87

raking or Leon Goretzka
Leon Goretzka rating
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
87 78 82 82 83 81 85

German pro footballer Leon Christoph Goretzka represents both the German national squad. He also plays for the infamous Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. His primary position is as the team’s midfielder.

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He had his professional debut back in 2012 alongside the VfL Bochum.

Interestingly, he ended up playing upwards of 100 Bundesliga games for Schalke. Yes, I’m as shocked as you! He stayed on the team for quite a while before joining Bayern Munich in 2018. You may not know the following: Leon competed for the German Olympic team!

Thiago Alcantara – 86

Rating for Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara ranking
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
86 61 72 86 90 73 69

Professional athlete Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento performs as a central midfield for Liverpool; however, he is primarily part of the Spanish national team. At the tender age of 14, Thiago signed in Barcelona. Moreover, by the middle of  2009, he earned a professional appearance.

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He was recruited by Bayern Munich, which came right after he received awards. Wait till you read about them. You will be shocked! They include four La Liga championships, the UEFA Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup for Barcelona.

Sergej Milinković-Savić – 86

Sergej Milinković-Savić rating
Sergej Milinković-Savić ranking
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
86 68 80 82 82 79 86

Savic is a very famous Serbian footballer who plays as a central midfielder. He is also part of the Serie A team Lazio.

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Milinkovi-Savi started his official journey with the very well-known Serbian club Vojvodina. The team meant a great deal to him. He contributed to their 2013 and14 Serbian Cup victory. So, as you can see, he had innate talent. Sergej performed in 24 matches with the Belgian club Genk until moving to the Italian team Lazio a year later. You might not know this, but shockingly, he has played more than 250 times. 

Nicolo Barella – 86

rating for Nicolo Barella
Nicolo Barella ranking
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
86 79 76 83 84 78 81

Italian pro player Nicolo Barella Cavaliere competes for both the Italian national team as well as Serie A club Inter Milan.

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Within the European football press, Barella is regarded as a talented midfielder who has great potential plus skill. During 2012 and 2013, Nicolo became acknowledged as the young, promising Italian player.

Dani Parejo – 86 

FIFA ranking for Daniel Parejo Muoz
Daniel Parejo Muoz ranking in FIFA
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
86 50 83 90 80 71 68

Daniel Parejo Muoz is a midfield player with the Villarreal as well as Spain’s national squad. He began his career at Real Madrid before establishing a name for himself with Getafe in La Liga.

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Shockingly he has played in 383 formal games whilst winning the 2019 Copa del Rey. Fans call him one of the most promising players in the football world.  

İlkay Gündoğan – 85

Rating for İlkay Gündoğan
İlkay Gündoğan FIFA ranking
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
85 64 80 84 85 72 72

German-born European athlete Ilkay Gündoan is a midfielder for Premier League team Manchester City, where he also serves as leader.

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Gündoan graduated from the youth setup of VfL Bochum. After being recruited by Borussia Dortmund, he went on to capture the DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga double during his debut season. If that is not talent, I don’t know what is! In the summer of 2016, Gündoan left the club after 157 appearances, including 15 goals. After which he joined Manchester City. 

Paul Pogba – 85

ranking for Paul Labile Pogba
Paul Labile Pogba rating
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
85 67 80 85 85 62 80

Labile Pogba competes both for the France national squad as well as Serie A club Juventus. Pogba, who was raised in Lagny-Sur-Marne, first entered the Ligue 2 club Le Havre’s youth system in 2007. He later joined the infamous Manchester United.

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However, getting a small chance to play on the field forced him to leave Manchester United in order to sign with Juventus. There, he assisted the team wins four straight Serie A championships. In addition, he won two Coppa Italia plus two Supercoppa Italiana championships.

Jorginho – 85

ranking for Jorginho
Jorginho FIFA ranking
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
85 54 67 86 81 73 73

He is the main midfielder for both the Italian national team as well as Premier League team Chelsea. A Brazilian-born Italian immigrant, he began his official journey with the Verona youth squad. Since he was very talented, he was later pushed up to the main squad.

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He was contracted to Sambonifacese for the 2010 and 11 campaigns. Prior to Chelsea, which he transferred to back in 2018, he played in 160 matches—making him one of the youngest and most skilled players out there.

Pedri – 85

Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
85 79 69 81 87 68 74
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Pedri is a central midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Spanish team. In the football world, Pedri is recognized to be among FIFA 23’s Best Central Midfielders, as well as the most talented young players in the world.

Jude Bellingham – 84

ranking for Jude Victor William
Jude Victor William in FIFA ranking
Overall Rating Pace Shooting Passing Dribbling Defending Physical
84 75 75 78 84 77 80
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He is a member of the Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the official English football team. Unlike most players, he started his career very early on and made his debut at the age of 16. During the 2019 and 2020 seasons, he was deemed to be the club’s youngest player.

The new FIFA 23 is out, and I could not be happier! The 30th installment of the game hit the market, and fans are rushing to play the game, and I do not blame them. After all, FIFA 23 is the final installment of the franchise. Leaving behind a legacy that will be hard to beat.

We hope that my guide on FIFA 23 Best Central Midfielders was able to help you.

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Daniyal is a Guides Writer and Editor at eXputer with over one year of experience in content writing. He's had a passion for tech and gaming for more than 15 years. Ever since his first console, the PS2, he's constantly branching off to different genres, and his go-to at the moment is the Souls experience pioneered by FromSoftware, which is evident by his 1,500+ hours of game time on Elden Ring. You can learn some more about Daniyal's gaming journey on his Steam & Xbox profiles.

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