The hard player: Joël Matip
Joël Matip is a Cameroonian centre-back born on 8 August 1991 in Bochum. He made his name at Schalke 04 across 258 matches and 23 goals, establishing himself as a Bundesliga regular before making the move to England.
Signed by Liverpool FC, he went on to make 201 appearances and score 11 goals, cementing his status as a key figure at the heart of the Reds’ defence. Internationally, he earned 27 caps for Cameroon and scored once. Two clubs, two countries, but one defining trait: over 450 professional appearances at the highest level.
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PlayThe medium player: Jérémy Ménez
Born on 7 May 1987 in Longjumeau, Jérémy Ménez is a versatile attacker comfortable as a centre-forward, winger or attacking midfielder. He cut his teeth at Sochaux with 68 appearances and 8 goals, before moving to AS Monaco where he netted 14 times in 64 games.
His career then took him to AS Roma (114 apps, 12 goals) and Paris Saint-Germain (110 apps, 18 goals). A later stint at Reggina 1914 added 69 matches and 13 goals to his record, giving him a profile that spans four major European leagues. With France’s youth teams, he was a prolific figure, bagging 12 goals in 17 matches at under-16 level.
The easy player: Raí
Born on 15 May 1965 in Ribeirão Preto, Raí is a Brazilian attacking midfielder who built his name at São Paulo FC across two spells, racking up 127 and 87 appearances respectively for a combined 45 goals. He also turned out for Botafogo-SP and AA Ponte Preta before setting his sights on Europe.
It was at Paris Saint-Germain that he truly made his mark on the continental stage, appearing 215 times and scoring 72 goals in red and blue. For Brazil, he earned 49 caps and netted 17 goals, placing him among the most prolific midfielders of his era at international level.