FIFA 12 | Lower League Gems – Centre backs (winter update)


I realise I may not have made it clear at first – this article refers to players’ stats after the winter update.

Next up – centre backs. Absolutely loads of players to choose from here! Whoever said lower league teams would struggle to get cheap, high potential players? Ha! (Note: it may have been me…)

We really are spoiled for choice here, but if I had to pick three players I’d recommend the following:

  • Eric Dier
  • Felice Natalino
  • Luca Antei

First up, Eric Dier. One of several promising young defenders on Everton’s roster, Dier is certainly one of the best bargains they have on offer. A mere £500,000 for someone who grows into a powerful, talented defender. He is my number 1 choice, and shouldn’t be missed.

My second choice is Felice Natalino. Although in real life he is merely on loan to Crotone from Inter, for some reason he is a permanent player for Crotone in FIFA 12 (much like Vid Belec). Anyway, you can take advantage of this by grabbing yourself a bargain – because he plays in the Italian 2nd division, other clubs are unlikely to come for him, so you can take your time and buy him when you feel you need him. His potential of 78 makes him among the most promising players available on this list.

Finally, my final recommendation is Luca Antei. Although he has the same potential as Jasmin Sudić and his OVR is one point lower, I feel the fact that he is two years younger than Sudić works in his favour; he will have more time to grow than the former. With this in mind, £475,000 is an incredibly low price to pay for him, and his wages are also very affordable. If you need a cheap yet talented option then he is definitely your man.

These figures refer to the winter update stats. As always, please bear in mind that these figures may not be exactly the same on your game. These stats are taken from my own personal experiences, but are likely to be very similar to those on your own game. The best thing to do is to make sure you keep checking these players, as their prices may change radically after a while.

Players are ordered by potential, then cost, so it should be pretty simple to find someone who meets both your budget and ability/potential requirements.

Finally, if you’ve had any experiences of good players’ prices changing wildly (especially if their price drops), please post it in the comments!

So, without further ado, here are the players:

PosNameOVRPotAgeCost (£)Wages (£)ClubFootWeak foot *Skills *Specialities/TraitsNotes
CBFelice Natalino637819700,0004,000CrotoneRight22
CBAndré Hoffmann627818750,0003,000MSV DuisburgRight12
CBChristopher Dibon657820975,0006,000AdmiraRight32
CBEric Dier617717500,0004,000EvertonRight32
CBDaniel Cappelletti627719725,0004,000C. StabiaRight22
CBKarim Rekkik627716750,0004,000Manchester CityLeft32
CBSebastian Neumann6577201,000,0006,000Hertha BSCLeft32
CBJasmin Sudić617620475,0004,000Malmö FFRight22
CBLuca Antei607618475,0003,000GrossetoRight22
CBMenno Koch607616500,0002,000PSVRight32
CBJanek Sternberg607618500,0003,000Hamburger SVLeft32
CBMikael Dyrestam637619625,0004,000IFK GöteborgRight42
CBSébastien Faure637620675,0005,000Olympique LyonRight22
CBFrancesco Bossa547621775,0007,000GrossetoRight22
CBKevin Dure557618800,0006,000Fredrikstad FKRight32
CBDaniel Devine557618800,0007,000Aston VillaRight12
CBSteven Saunders657620925,0005,000MotherwellRight23
CBLoïc Landre657619975,0005,000Clermont FootRight32On loan from PSG
CBBjarne Thoelke647619975,0007,000VfL WolfsburgRight32
CBGia Grigalava6576211,000,0005,000VolgaRight32Strength
CBRicardo Chará617521450,0004,000EmpoliRight32
CBFraser Kerr617518475,0003,000Birmingham CityRight32
CBDavide Adorni617518475,0003,000ParmaRight32
CBGuti617520475,0004,000Santa CatarinaRight22
CBWilfried Rother607520475,0004,000ES TroyesRight32
CBMatteo Bianchetti607518525,0004,000InterLeft22
CBJørgen Paulov Hammer637520600,0004,000Stabæk FotballRight32
CBThomas Fontaine637520625,0005,000Olympique LyonLeft23
CBJoseph Baffo627518650,0003,000Helsingborgs IFRight32
CBGiuseppe Prestia627517700,0003,000PalermoRight22
CBAarón Sandoval627517725,0003,000U.N.A.M.Right32
CBAlessio Di Falco627518725,0004,000NapoliRight32
CBRaffaele Rosato557517800,0003,000LecceRight32
CBLuke DeVere657521925,0005,000GyeongNam FCRight32
CBJulian Dudda587418325,0003,000Eint. FrankfurtLeft32
CBAndrea De VIto617419425,0004,000CittadellaLeft22
CBJeff Henderson607419450,0004,000Newcastle UnitedRight32
CBAmara Morike Kallé607420450,0003,000AJ AuxerreRight22
CBPietro Perdichizzi607417475,0002,000Club BruggeLeft22
CBAntonio Rüdiger607418475,0002,000VfB StuttgartRight32
CBMark Beevers637421600,0004,000Sheffield WednesdayLeft22
CBSimon Skou Jakobsen627420600,0004,000Silkeborg IFRight32
CBKalidou Koulibaly637420675,0004,000FC MetzRight32Strength
CBStefan Thesker627420675,0004,0001899 HoffenheimLeft32
CBMichael Hector557418750,0002,000BarnetRight32On loan from Reading
CBAntonio Briseño567417800,0003,000AtlasLeft32
CBAndre Wisdom567418800,0004,000LiverpoolRight32
CBAleksejs Giļničs557418800,0003,000CesenaRight32
CBJonatan Tollås Nation647421875,0005,000Aalesunds FKRight32
CBVujadin Savić657421925,0005,000Dynamo DresdenRight32On loan from Bordeaux
CBMarc Hornschuh647420925,0005,000FC IngolstadtRight32On loan from Bor. Dortmund
CBJohn Anthony Brooks647418975,0004,000Hertha BSCLeft22