Football has never truly been blessed with a litany of elite-level left-backs at any one given time.
Full-backs were regarded as undesirable for so long, although a few slick Brazilians helped shift public opinion. The position, both on the right and left, has evolved drastically in modern times to the point where youngsters are actually modelling their games on some of the role’s revolutionaries.
Genuine playmakers have started to blossom from right-back and head-down runners continue to thrive down the left. The functions each perform for control-oriented managers can be immensely complex.
Such complexity is unlikely to drift into the virtual world of EA FC 25. Gamers aren’t too fussed about creating central overloads and isolating wingers higher up the pitch. They want left-backs capable of shunning the tricky speed demons one-on-one. Pace and power reign supreme, but a well-rounded card is always desired.
Here are the ten highest-rated left-backs in EA FC 25. Oh, and we’ve also included those who have LB listed as an alternate position.
10. David Alaba – 85 OVR
David Alaba was one the undisputed number one left-back in the world, but the Austria international has primarily operated centrally since moving to Real Madrid.
His 85 rating reflects a player who remains excellent without being at the very top of his game. Alaba missed the second half of the 2023/24 season after tearing his anterior cruciate.
The quick-witted defender no longer has the speed rating (79) to be regarded as a top left-back option in EA FC 25.
9. Ona Batlle – 85 OVR
The La Masia graduate has come full circle in recent years, with Ona Batlle returning to the all-conquering Barcelona Feminino having enjoyed a successful spell in the WSL with Manchester United.
Batlle’s homecoming has been mightily prosperous, with her skillset, one harnessed by the club she grew up with, aligning perfectly with the ideals of former manager Jonatan Giraldez.
What the Spaniard lacks in speed and size is more than made up for through her versatility, technique and intelligence.
8. Katie McCabe – 85 OVR
The fiery Irishwoman has been with Arsenal Women since 2015, winning all there is to win on the domestic front in north London.
Katie McCabe is adored by the fanbase and a two-time Arsenal Women Player of the Year. She’s the face of Irish women’s football and is renowned for her well-rounded game.
Her 85-rated card looks pretty handy, with 74 shooting being the lowest of the attributes listed. She can do it all.
7. Andy Robertson – 85 OVR
Andy Robertson’s Ultimate Team ratings reflect a gradual decline. The Scotsman was once the left-back manifestation of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at their apex, providing relentless energy down his flank.
He was 87-rated in the last two FIFAs, an 86 last year and now he’s dropped again to an 85. There was a time when the Reds couldn’t function in Robbo’s absence, but they’ve learned to cope with the left-back’s diminishing influence over the past 18 months.
Robertson is still a superb full-back, but he’s no longer a dominant force, especially physically.
6. Alejandro Grimaldo – 86 OVR
Alejandro Grimaldo was not deployed as a traditional full-back last year, with the Spaniard thriving as a wing-back for Xabi Alonso’s all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen side.
While slight in stature, Grimaldo is impressively dynamic and dripping in technique. He was incessant on having an impact going forward in every game he played and the Spain international was handy from free-kick situations, too.
Grimaldo’s excellent season in the Bundesliga has seen him climb up two ratings in EA FC 25.
5. Joao Cancelo – 86 OVR
It took a while for Manchester City to get Joao Cancelo off their books in the summer, with the Portugal international eventually settling for a move to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.
His loan spell at Barcelona brought out the very best and worst of Cancelo, who continues to suffer from defensive lapses but can undeniably do pretty much everything with the ball at his feet.
His rating has not changed from EA FC 24.
4. Fridolina Rolfo – 86 OVR
This is a curious move from EA, with Fridolina Rolfo primarily operating in Barcelona Feminino’s frontline. The experienced Sweden international does have left-winger listed as an alternate position.
Rolfo’s 86-rated card bears no weaknesses. The listed stats read: 82, 83, 82, 87, 83 and 84. She’s the Ruud Gullit of left-backs and that five-star weak foot will entice many.
Her nationality isn’t exactly ideal for squad building, but this is a card that’s surely a must-have at the start of the game.
3. Selma Bacha – 86 OVR
There are few players more decorated in the women’s game than Selma Bacha, who first broke through at Lyon Feminin, France’s dominant force, when she was 16.
Bacha has remained with the club since, racking up five league titles and four Champions League crowns by the time she was 22.
The France international has been pivotal in those successes, too, and EA rightfully rates her among the very best left-backs in the game. Frighteningly, Bacha is only getting better.
2. Theo Hernandez – 87 OVR
The imposing French full-back has interestingly climbed up two ratings to an 87 and is the joint-highest rated left-back in EA FC 25. 2023/24 was Theo Hernandez’s best work, but he did enjoy a pretty strong Euro 2024 campaign with semi-finalists France.
Hernandez has been a protagonist in Milan ever since he joined the club, starring amid their 2021/22 Scudetto triumph. He’s impossible to stop in full cry and his one-on-one defending has undoubtedly come on leaps and bounds.
The physical aspects of his game are outstanding and those are reflected on his card.
1. Sakina Karchaoui – 87 OVR
The experienced defender joins compatriot Hernandez with an 87 rating. Sakina Karchaoui has appeared for three of the Premiere Ligue’s biggest clubs, breaking out at Montpellier and enjoying an eight-year career there.
Her time with Lyon was brief, but she’s found her feet once more in the capital with Paris Saint-Germain.
Karchaoui defines consistency down the left flank and is a wonderful manipulator of the ball. She’s quick, ever so dynamic and capable of producing a big moment or two in the final third from time to time.
The 28-year-old has also racked up 79 caps for the French national team amid her ascent to the very top of the left-back pool in the women’s game.
