The hard player: Steve Marlet
Born on 10 January 1974 in Pithiviers, in the Loiret department, Steve Marlet learned his trade at Red Star 93 (150 matches, 45 goals) before establishing himself at AJ Auxerre (135 matches, 33 goals). His career then took him to Olympique Lyonnais (56 matches, 19 goals), Olympique de Marseille (69 matches, 17 goals) and across the Channel to Fulham FC, where he made 78 appearances and scored 19 goals.
A full French international, Marlet earned 23 caps for France, winning the Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003, and taking part in Euro 2004. After hanging up his boots, he stayed in football: from 2012, he joined Red Star FC, successively as assistant coach, sporting director and then advisor to the club president.
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PlayThe medium player: Bafétimbi Gomis
Born on 6 August 1985 in La Seyne-sur-Mer, Bafétimbi Gomis built his reputation in Ligue 1 with AS Saint-Étienne (165 matches, 49 goals) before moving to Olympique Lyonnais, where he became one of the most prolific strikers in French football with 95 goals in 244 appearances. A stint at Swansea City in the Premier League (71 matches, 17 goals) and a spell at Galatasaray (44 matches, 19 goals) rounded out his European career.
It was in Saudi Arabia that he truly found his playground: at Al-Hilal FC, Gomis fired in 116 goals in 154 matches, cementing his status as a reference in the Saudi league. A French international, he was capped as early as the youth level with France under-17.
The easy player: Alfredo Di Stéfano
Born on 4 July 1926 in Buenos Aires, Alfredo Di Stéfano Laulhé took his first steps in Argentine top-flight football with River Plate in June 1945, winning two Argentine championships before joining Millonarios de Bogota in 1949, where he became Colombian champion three times. In 1953, he joined Real Madrid to write the most golden pages of his career: 396 appearances, 308 goals, five European Cups, eight Spanish league titles and one Intercontinental Cup.
Individually, Di Stéfano won the Ballon d’Or in 1957 and 1959, then became the sole recipient of a Super Ballon d’Or in 1989, recognising his entire career. Naturalised Spanish in 1956, he went on to play 31 matches and score 23 goals for Spain, having already earned 6 caps and scored 6 goals for Argentina. He is a member of the World Team of the 20th Century. Di Stéfano passed away on 7 July 2014 in Madrid, just three days after his 88th birthday.