The hard player: Bonaventure Kalou
Bonaventure Kalou was born on 12 January 1978 in Oumé, Ivory Coast. A forward with an Ivorian passport, he started out at ASEC Abidjan (35 appearances, 6 goals) before heading to Europe via SC Heerenveen (30 appearances, 4 goals). France became his home: he impressed at AJ Auxerre (92 appearances, 33 goals) and then Paris SG (72 appearances, 18 goals), carving out two solid chapters of his career.
His longest stay came at Feyenoord, however, where he clocked up 191 matches and 42 goals in the Netherlands. With Ivory Coast, he earned 52 caps and scored 12 goals.
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PlayThe medium player: Robinho
Robinho was born on 25 January 1984 in São Vicente, Brazil. A versatile attacker, he made his name at Santos FC with 182 appearances and 81 goals – more than enough to catch the eye of Real Madrid, where he played 137 games and scored 35 times before crossing to Manchester City (53 appearances, 16 goals).
His career later took him to AC Milan (144 appearances, 32 goals) and Atlético Mineiro (109 appearances, 38 goals), a return to his Brazilian roots. With the national team, he earned 100 caps and scored 28 goals, a testament to the consistent trust Brazil placed in him.
The easy player: Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba was born on 11 March 1978 in Abidjan. A powerful centre-forward, he built his reputation as a prolific scorer at EA Guingamp (50 appearances, 24 goals), Le Mans FC (71 appearances, 15 goals) and Olympique de Marseille (55 appearances, 32 goals), turning heads across Europe along the way.
It was at Chelsea FC that he reached the very top: 341 matches and 157 goals in blue. A spell at Galatasaray (53 appearances, 20 goals) added further chapters to an impressive European career. For Ivory Coast, he earned 105 caps and scored 65 goals, cementing his status as the nation’s all-time icon.