Getting a solid defence sorted on your FIFA 22 Career Mode will make you hard to break down, and therefore let you be more adventurous with your attacking players further up the pitch.
Getting in a wonderkid for your side is a great option to go down, as you can usually pick them up for cheap and know they have the potential to become great.
Check out who the best wonderkid centre-backs are to sign on FIFA 22 below.
First team fix
If you're searching for a player to get into your starting XI and the players in this list aren't quite good enough yet, then check out our list of the best young centre-backs.
There are many great talents who look set to become some of the best defenders in the game!
But beware, lots of them will be quite expensive, so you'd best have the budget to bring them in.
What makes a wonderkid CB?
To class as a wonderkid players will have to be a teenager upon your first FIFA 22 Career Mode save, so that means Wesley Fofana and Eric Garcia will not be on the list!
Goncalo Inacio (OVR 78 - POT 87)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB
Club: Sporting CP
Value: £25 million (Release clause: £54 million)
Wage: £7,000 a week
Goncalo Inacio could be the next Ruben Dias in the making.
Incredibly solid at the back, he is an out-and-out defender, and not too slow for a centre-back either.
Josko Gvardiol (OVR 77 - POT 87)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB, LB
Club: RB Leipzig
Value: £18 million (Release clause: £34 million)
Wage: £26,000 a week
Josko Gvardiol may be less of an unknown than many others on this list, as he has seen plenty of play on Ultimate Team.
That is due to his decent German links, but more importantly his 87 Sprint Speed and 84 Strength.
He already has 72 DRI and 74 DEF, so has all the makings of a great Career Mode signing.
Leonidas Stergiou (OVR 67 - POT 86)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB
Club: FC St. Gallen 1879
Value: £2.2 million (Release clause: £4.5 million)
Wage: £2,000 a week
Leonidas Stergiou already has great physicality and is decently mobile.
He is capable enough to fill in defensively and can become a key member in the future.
An issue many may have in signing him is that he is only 5'11".
Mario Vuskovic (OVR 72 - POT 85)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB
Club: Hamburger SV (on loan from Haiduk Split)
Value: £4.3 million
Wage: £430 a week
Mario Vuskovic may regret his loan move, as he is getting less game time than he was used to at his parent club.
His stats are all heavily weighted to be a solid defender, so don't expect him to start stepping into midfield.
Marton Dardai (OVR 71 - POT 85)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB, CDM
Club: Hertha BSC
Value: £2.7 million (Release clause: £34 million)
Wage: £8,000 a week
After playing a game at CDM there is still thinking Marton Dardai will end up there.
For now, he is settling in as a CB, with decent tackling and a good long pass in him.
Tanguy Nianzou (OVR 71 - POT 85)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB, CDM
Club: Bayern Munich
Value: £3.6 million (Release clause: £8.2 million)
Wage: £15,000 a week
Picking up 3 goals in 13 appearances for French giants PSG is pretty good for a CB, after which Tanguy Nianzou moved to German giants Bayern Munich.
He will hope to improve on a promising early career, although injury has hampered him already, which has seen him get the Injury Prone trait.
Eduardo Quaresma (OVR 71 - POT 83)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB
Club: CD Tondela (on loan from Sporting CP)
Value: £3.6 million
Wage: £3,000 a week
A potential defensive partner for Goncalo Inacio at Sporting in the future, Eduardo Quaresma is currently on loan at CD Tondela.
He already has great looking defensive stats, but unfortunately, is painfully slow, with 58 PAC, and will likely be turned easily as he only has 40 Agility.
Armel Bella Kotchap (OVR 70 - POT 83)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB
Club: VfL Bochum 1848
Value: £3 million (Release clause: £7.3 million)
Wage: £6,000 a week
A regular starter at CB for newly promoted VfL Bochum, Armel Bella Kotchap could become a towering defender.
At 6'3" he has great strength and speed to match his defensive nous.
He isn't the best on the ball, more of an old school CB.
Becir Omeragic (OVR 67 - POT 83)
Age: 19
Position(s): CB, RB
Club: FC Zurich
Value: £2.2 million (Release clause: £4.5 million)
Wage: £3,000 a week
Becir Omeragic has been a regular starter for Zurich over the past couple of seasons, playing at CB and as a RB.
He has 75 PAC and is capable in the air, but needs to improve his defensive abilities to reach his potential.
Rav van den Berg (OVR 59 - POT 83)
Age: 16
Position(s): CB
Club: PEC Zwolle
Value: £581,000 (Release clause: £34 million)
Wage: £430 a week
EA is predicting good things for Rav van den Berg, despite him not really playing much football.
With an overall of 59, it will take a lot of work on the training ground to get him to reach his potential.