The hard player: Ibrahim Ba
Ibrahim Ba, a midfielder born in Dakar, built his career in France before making his mark across Europe. He began at Le Havre AC, where he featured in 140 matches and scored 8 goals, earning a move to AC Milan (77 appearances, 1 goal) – a transfer that launched him onto the continental stage at one of Italy’s most storied clubs.
He then turned out for Girondins de Bordeaux (41 appearances, 6 goals), before a loan to AC Perugia (20 appearances, 2 goals) and a stint at Bolton Wanderers (16 appearances, 0 goals) – a career that wound through the French, Italian and English leagues. He represented France at under-20 level in 3 matches.
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PlayThe medium player: Blaise Matuidi
Blaise Matuidi, a French defensive midfielder, started his career at Troyes before establishing himself at Saint-Étienne (154 appearances, 3 goals). That was just the warm-up: it was at Paris Saint-Germain where he truly made his mark, clocking up 295 matches and 33 goals to become a midfield fixture at the club.
From Paris, he moved to Juventus FC (133 appearances, 8 goals), rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite, before a final chapter at Inter Miami CF (48 appearances, 2 goals). At international level, Matuidi wore the France under-18 shirt on 9 occasions.
The easy player: Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman, a Dutch defender and midfielder, wore the jerseys of FC Groningen, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax Amsterdam, Feyenoord Rotterdam and FC Barcelona. At Barcelona alone, he made 264 appearances and scored 88 goals – a staggering return for a centre-back whose set pieces were worth the price of admission alone.
With the Netherlands national team, Koeman earned 78 caps and scored 14 goals. A career packed with clubs and trophies, before he channelled that same drive into management.