The hard player: Salomon Kalou
Born on August 5, 1985 in Oumé, Ivory Coast, Salomon Kalou built a solid European career starting from the Netherlands. At Feyenoord Rotterdam (82 apps, 42 goals), he established himself as a decisive wide attacker before landing at Chelsea FC, where he racked up 254 appearances and 60 goals. He then moved to Lille OSC (80 apps, 34 goals), followed by Hertha Berlin (173 apps, 53 goals), where he became a key figure in the Bundesliga. A final Brazilian chapter with Botafogo (27 apps, 1 goal) brought the curtain down on a career that took him across the continent.
He is the younger brother of Bonaventure Kalou, who himself played for AJ Auxerre and Paris Saint-Germain. Off the pitch, Salomon Kalou made his mark as president and founder of the Fondation Kalou, which built the first decentralised public haemodialysis centre in Ivory Coast in 2013, with its work focused on combating chronic kidney disease and protecting young children.
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PlayThe medium player: Michael Ballack
Born on September 26, 1976 in Görlitz, in what was then East Germany, Michael Ballack was a force of nature in German football. After spells at Chemnitzer FC (49 apps, 10 goals), FC Kaiserslautern (54 apps, 4 goals) and Bayer Leverkusen (107 apps, 38 goals), he went on to shine at Bayern Munich (154 apps, 46 goals) before moving to Chelsea FC (165 apps, 26 goals). Three-time German Footballer of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005) and named UEFA’s best midfielder of the year in 2002, he captained Germany from 2004 to 2010, featuring in three European Championships and two World Cups.
But fate had a cruel streak for Ballack: the man simply couldn’t win a final. World Cup runner-up in 2002, Euro finalist in 2008, beaten in the Champions League in 2002 and 2008 – he collected silver medals the way others collect trophies. Across 100 caps for the Mannschaft, he scored 42 goals, and remains one of the most impactful midfielders of his era – just one who never got his hands on the big prize.
The easy player: Lamine Yamal
Born on July 13, 2007 in Esplugues de Llobregat, Lamine Yamal Nasraoui Ebana didn’t need to wait for adulthood to make his mark. Trained at FC Barcelona’s famous Masia academy, he made his professional debut in 2023 at just 15 years old, instantly breaking the record as the youngest scorer in La Liga history. With 151 appearances and 49 goals in blaugrana colours, he quickly established himself as a key starter at Camp Nou.
On the international stage, he featured at Euro 2024 with Spain, becoming the tournament’s youngest participant, youngest scorer and youngest winner. La Roja claimed the final 2-1 against England, and Yamal walked away as the best young player of the competition. In 2024-2025, he added a domestic treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup) to his CV, finished runner-up in the Ballon d’Or behind Ousmane Dembélé, and claimed the Kopa Trophy for the second consecutive year.