The hard player: El-Hadji Diouf
Born on 15 January 1981 in Dakar, El-Hadji Ousseynou Diouf cut through the Premier League like a live wire. A sharp left winger, he made his name at RC Lens (61 appearances, 19 goals) before joining Liverpool, where his 80 appearances and 6 goals barely hint at the controversy that followed him.
His English chapter then took him to Blackburn Rovers (62 appearances, 4 goals), Leeds United (52 appearances, 7 goals) and Bolton Wanderers – the club where he appeared most, with 104 matches and 15 goals. On the international stage, Diouf scored 25 goals across 69 caps for Senegal.
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PlayThe medium player: Henrik Larsson
Born on 20 September 1971 in Helsingborg, Sweden, Henrik Larsson – nicknamed Henke – built his reputation as a ruthless goalscorer across Europe. He honed his craft at hometown club Högaborgs BK (64 appearances, 23 goals) before two spells at Helsingborgs IF totalling over 160 matches and more than 100 goals, then crossed the North Sea.
It was at Celtic that Larsson truly hit his peak: 242 goals in 313 matches, a staggering record. He also wore the Feyenoord shirt (149 appearances, 42 goals) and earned 106 caps for Sweden, scoring 37 international goals. The ultimate recognition came in 2004, when the Swedish Football Association, at UEFA’s request, named him the best Swedish player of the last fifty years. After hanging up his boots, he moved into management.
The easy player: Vinícius Júnior
Born on 12 July 2000 in São Gonçalo, Brazil, Vinícius Júnior started his career as a left-back before being converted into a left winger during his time at CR Flamengo. In 69 appearances and 14 goals for the Rio club, the youngster was already turning heads.
On 24 May 2017, aged just 16, Real Madrid signed him from CR Flamengo for 45 million euros – though he only made the move to Spain a year later, in July 2018. Since then, Vinícius Jr. has racked up 371 appearances and 125 goals in a Real Madrid shirt, cementing his place at the heart of the club. In February 2024, he was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.