The hard player: Shefki Kuqi
Born on 10 November 1976 in Vučitrn, Kosovo, Shefki Kuqi is a Finnish international striker of Albanian origin. His career took him to Ipswich Town (70 games, 27 goals), Sheffield Wednesday (64 games, 19 goals) and Crystal Palace (78 games, 17 goals), making him a familiar face across English football’s divisions. He also had stints at HJK Helsinki (72 games, 18 goals) and MP Mikkeli (50 games, 10 buts) in Finland.
With the Finnish national team, Kuqi earned 62 caps and scored 8 goals. A career that crossed Kosovo, Finland and England – which perhaps explains why only 19% of players managed to put a name to his face. His younger brother, Njazi Kuqi, is also an international footballer.
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PlayThe medium player: Filippo Inzaghi
Born in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna on 9 August 1973, Filippo Inzaghi was the archetypal poacher. Nicknamed ‘Super Pippo’ or ‘Inzagoal’, he scored 316 goals throughout his career, making him the fourth-highest scorer in Italian football history, behind Silvio Piola, Giuseppe Meazza and Roberto Baggio. He turned out for Atalanta Bergamo (34 games, 25 goals), Juventus (165 games, 89 goals) and above all AC Milan, where he played 300 games and scored 126 goals.
With the Azzurri, he earned 57 caps and scored 25 goals. He hung up his boots at the end of the 2011-12 season before moving into coaching: first with AC Milan’s youth teams, then in charge of the first team during the 2014-15 season, finishing tenth before being dismissed in June 2015. His brother Simone Inzaghi also had a professional playing career and was coaching Al-Hilal in 2025.
The easy player: Antoine Griezmann
Spotted by Real Sociedad at just thirteen years old, Antoine Griezmann left Mâcon to develop his game in the Spanish Basque Country. He made his professional debut in La Liga in 2010 before joining Atlético de Madrid in 2014. With the Colchoneros, he quickly made his mark: best player in La Liga in 2016, winner of the 2018 Europa League with a brace in the final, and named best player of the competition. His spell at FC Barcelona (102 games, 35 goals) fell short of expectations, overshadowed by Lionel Messi, before he returned to Atlético and became the club’s all-time top scorer.
With the French national team, Griezmann racked up 137 caps, 44 goals and 30 assists. World champion in 2018, man of the match in the final against Croatia (4-2) and third-best player of the tournament, he was also top scorer at Euro 2016 with six goals. His international career ended in September 2024, at 33, after 84 consecutive appearances for Les Bleus – shattering Patrick Vieira’s previous record of 44.