The hard player: Stephen Ireland
Stephen Ireland was born on 22 August 1986 in Cobh, Ireland. An Irish midfielder, he built the bulk of his career in the Premier League, away from the spotlight but with a consistency many would envy.
Manchester City was where he spent most of his time: 176 appearances and 23 goals, a genuine presence in the Manchester club’s midfield. He then moved to Aston Villa (57 matches, 1 goal), before landing at Stoke City, where he clocked up 70 matches and 6 goals, plus a loan spell of 17 matches yielding 3 more. For the Republic of Ireland, he earned just 6 caps – but scored 4 goals, a ratio that demands a second glance.
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PlayThe medium player: Gonzalo Higuaín
Gonzalo Higuaín was born on 10 December 1987 in Brest, France – a geographical detail that often raises eyebrows. An Argentine centre-forward, he began his career at River Plate with 15 goals in 41 matches before heading to Europe.
At Real Madrid, he fired in 121 goals across 264 appearances. Then came Naples: 91 goals in 146 matches, numbers that need no commentary. Juventus followed, with 66 goals in 149 games. He brought the curtain down at Inter Miami, adding 29 goals in 70 matches to an already remarkable tally. At youth international level, he represented Argentina Under-23s, scoring twice in a single match.
The easy player: Alexandre Lacazette
Alexandre Lacazette was born on 28 May 1991 in Lyon, a city he never really strayed far from. A French striker through and through, he is the purest product of Olympique Lyonnais: he represented the club across three separate spells, racking up 449 appearances and 226 goals in the famous red and blue.
Sandwiched between those Lyon chapters was a cross-Channel move to Arsenal, where he netted 71 goals in 206 matches. After his London adventure, he headed to Saudi Arabia to join Neom SC, scoring 12 goals in 33 appearances.