The hard player: Salomón Rondón
Salomón Rondón was born on 16 September 1989 in Caracas, Venezuela. A centre-forward by trade, he carved out a nomadic career spanning several continents, taking on different leagues with the same predatory instinct. He started out at Aragua FC in his native country, scoring 18 goals in 58 appearances, before heading to Europe. At Zenit Saint-Petersburg, he hit 28 goals in 57 appearances, confirming his status as a reliable striker at the highest level.
His longest European stint, however, came at West Bromwich Albion, where he racked up 120 appearances and 28 goals in the Premier League. He also experienced Spanish football with Málaga CF, netting 27 goals in 72 matches. In Mexico, at CF Pachuca, he posted his best return: 41 goals in 89 appearances, proof that his finishing instinct never dulled. Even before all of this, he had signalled his intentions with the Venezuela Under-20s, scoring 7 goals in just 11 matches.
Discovering Le Roi des Footix? Identify 3 football players a day, climb the leaderboard, become the Roi des Footix.
PlayThe medium player: Santi Cazorla
Santi Cazorla was born on 13 December 1984 in Llanera, Spain. A box-to-box and attacking midfielder by trade, he quickly established himself as one of the most technically gifted midfielders of his generation. It was at Arsenal that he enjoyed his finest European chapter: 180 appearances and 29 goals for the Gunners, a spell that lives long in the memory of fans at the Emirates.
He also made his mark at Villarreal CF across two spells: 173 appearances for 28 goals on his first stint, then 86 appearances for 22 goals on his return. In Qatar, with Al-Sadd SC, he continued to impress with 97 appearances and 39 goals. He eventually settled at Real Oviedo for 85 appearances and 5 goals, closing his career where it had first taken root. With the Spanish national team, Cazorla racked up 81 caps and 15 goals – the record of a key figure in La Roja.
The easy player: Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro was born on 13 September 1973 in Naples, Italy. A central defender by trade, he built his career between Italy and Spain, becoming one of the most decorated defenders of his era. It was at Parma that he stayed longest, making 290 appearances and scoring 6 goals – an impressive tenure for a defender at a club that was among Italian football’s elite at the time.
He then moved through Inter Milan (74 appearances, 3 goals) and Juventus (95 appearances, 7 goals), before earning a chapter in Madrid with Real Madrid, where he clocked up 106 appearances and 1 goal in the famous white shirt. He closed his career at SSC Napoli, the club of his hometown, with 68 appearances to his name – a symbolic return to his roots. On the international stage, Cannavaro also represented the Italy Olympic team on 3 occasions.