The hard player: Valon Behrami
Valon Behrami, born on 19 April 1985 in Mitrovicë in Yugoslavia – on the territory of present-day Kosovo – grew up in the village of Stabio in Italian-speaking Switzerland. A defensive midfielder by trade, he built a European career as packed as it was under the radar: Lazio Rome (88 appearances, 5 goals), West Ham United (65 appearances, 5 goals), SSC Napoli (70 appearances), Watford (51 appearances) and Genoa (60 appearances) all featured on his CV. He ended his playing days at Brescia Calcio.
With Switzerland, Behrami was a quiet but reliable presence: 83 caps and 2 goals. He is particularly remembered for scoring in the first leg of the World Cup qualification play-off against Turkey, a crucial goal that helped Switzerland secure their place at the 2006 World Cup. Injured, he then missed several matches during the tournament itself.
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PlayThe medium player: Jan Koller
Jan Koller, born on 30 March 1973 in Smetanova Lhota in Czechoslovakia, is a centre-forward who made his physical presence felt across Europe’s top leagues. He passed through KSC Lokeren (109 appearances, 47 goals) and RSC Anderlecht (95 appearances, 55 goals) before joining Borussia Dortmund, where he established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most feared strikers with 79 goals in 184 matches.
His career then took him to Monaco (54 appearances, 12 goals) and on to Russia with Krylia Sovetov (47 appearances, 16 goals). With the Czech national team, Koller was even more prolific: 55 goals in 91 caps, a remarkable record for a player who carved through several major championships with the same devastating efficiency.
The easy player: Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes, born on 16 November 1974 in Salford, knew only one professional club in his entire career: Manchester United. He signed as a trainee in 1991, turned professional in 1993, and forced his way into the first team from the 1994-1995 season onwards. Across 718 appearances and 155 goals, he swept up eleven Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two Champions Leagues with the Red Devils.
The third most-capped player in Manchester United history, behind Ryan Giggs and Bobby Charlton, Scholes also played a key role in the club’s historic treble in 1998-1999. Since 2011, he has been one of the rare outfield players to have won the English championship in three different decades. On the international stage, he earned 66 caps for England between 1997 and 2004, featuring at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and the 2000 and 2004 European Championships. He hung up his boots for good in May 2013.