Most In-Form U23 defenders This Season

The most in-form U23 defenders, ranked on Field Insider.

Most in-form goalkeepers Most in-form midfielders Most in-form attackers Best defenders Top-scoring defenders Most valuable defenders

At a glance

Alejandro Balde of Barcelona is the standout for raw talent across U23 defenders, with a Field Insider Rating of 83.5, and T. Palacios has been the form player this season, grading 71, and Š. Chaloupek leads the scoring with 9 goals.

The numbers a scout watches are the year-on-year jumps: L. Rivero has improved his Season rating most, up +47.4 on last season, while K. Peprah Oppong's scouting Rating has risen fastest, +49.2 over the same span. Those are the players whose trajectory is bending upward fastest.

By our market-value index, N. Savona of Nottingham Forest is the most valuable name in this group at 100.9.

Best talent

Alejandro Balde83.5RTG

K. Peprah Oppong+49.2RTG

Fenerbahçe · 24/25→25/26

Most improved

L. Rivero+47.4SsN

River Plate · 24/25→25/26

50 players · ranked by best this seasonCustomise →

	Player	Team
1	T. Palacios Full-back	Estudiantes L.P.	23	71100%	556.6%
2	O. Wójcik Centre-back	Werder Bremen	23	70	4024.2%
3	F. Sjøvold Full-back	Bodo/Glimt	23	6228%	51±0%
4	Álex Full-back	Burgos	23	62	73
5	E. Herrera Centre-back	San Lorenzo	23	6014.3%	542.7%
6	E. Skoglund Centre-back	Hammarby FF	22	578%	40±0%
7	L. Di Lollo Centre-back	Boca Juniors	22	5714.2%	57±0%
8	C. Ferreira Centre-back	Atletico Tucuman	23	55206.1%	5313.9%
9	É. Ocampo Full-back	Vancouver Whitecaps	22	5445.8%	506.2%
10	A. Koné Centre-back	RB Leipzig	21	543735.7%	655.7%
11	L. Rivero Centre-back	River Plate	22	5423%	541.5%
12	A. Resch Centre-back	Houston Dynamo	23	53	46
13	S. Varatynov Full-back	Baltika	23	51±0%	37±0%
14	M. Tudose Centre-back	Arges Pitesti	21	50	37
15	I. Vådebu Centre-back	Tromso	23	50275%	4510.6%
16	M. de Ritis Full-back	San Lorenzo	23	49202.5%	5415.3%
17	Sergi Domínguez Centre-back	Dinamo Zagreb	21	491046.5%	4244.1%
18	M. Larsson Full-back	Djurgardens IF	23	49370.2%	3946.1%
19	F. Wilfinger Centre-back	TSV Hartberg	23	48	48
20	S. Esposito Centre-back	Lecce	21	47	21
21	T. Silva Full-back	Platense	23	4757.2%	514.5%
22	T. Johnson Centre-back	Vancouver Whitecaps	21	4760.1%	497.7%
23	M. Mendoza Centre-back	Godoy Cruz	21	47154.1%	478%
24	Xi Yang Alex Full-back	SHANGHAI SIPG	21	45	32
25	Xu Bin Defensive midfielder	Wolves	22	44	33
26	C. Hughes Centre-back	Hull City	22	43145.5%	7211.9%
27	M. Duah Centre-back	San Diego	21	42301.9%	479.5%
28	A. Warneryd Full-back	Tromso	21	4285%	5062.1%
29	M. Zanotti Defensive midfielder	FC Lugano	23	41	48
30	O. Diao Full-back	FC Midtjylland	22	4152.8%	48±0%
31	M. Perković Full-back	Cracovia Krakow	23	41±0%	39±0%
32	Khaled Mohamed Awad Full-back	Pyramids FC	23	40	39
33	Cuiabano Full-back	Vasco DA Gama	23	4036.9%	666.7%
34	J. Bos Full-back	Feyenoord	23	39319.1%	7637.4%
35	M. Cissé Full-back	Aston Villa	21	39	50
36	Juan Moran Full-back	Godoy Cruz	20	39273.3%	437.1%
37	S. Baidoo Centre-back	Lens	22	39	79
38	Jonathan Centre-back	Cruzeiro	22	39125%	706.1%
39	J. Ludueña Centre-back	Union Santa Fe	23	38160.5%	5517.1%
40	A. Dony Centre-back	Patro Eisden	22	38932.4%	467.5%
41	Ignacio Ovando Centre-back	Rosario Central	19	38905.3%	5824.1%
42	A. Giay Centre-back	Palmeiras	22	374.6%	71±0%
43	B. Freimann Centre-back	FC Luzern	20	37	47
44	Mohamed Soumah Centre-back	Sirius	23	37117.9%	402.4%
45	M. Mitaj Full-back	Genoa	23	3790.1%	604.1%
46	F. Luberecki Full-back	Motor Lublin	21	36±0%	40±0%
47	P. Petrović Centre-back	Sturm Graz	21	36	45
48	L. Herrington Centre-back	Hull City	19	36204.3%	48163%
49	H. Hilvenius Centre-back	BK Hacken	18	36212.3%	4123.7%
50	M. Gašić Full-back	Radnik Surdulica	23	35	42