The hard player: Djamel Belmadi
Born on 25 March 1976 in Champigny-sur-Marne, Djamel Belmadi began his footballing education at PA Champigny and AS Sucy-en-Brie before joining the Paris Saint-Germain academy in 1992. A right winger converted into a midfielder, he cut his teeth at FC Martigues in Ligue 2 before making a surprising move to Olympique de Marseille for the 1997-98 season. He played for OM from 2000 to 2003 – including a one-year loan at Manchester City – racking up 75 appearances and 14 goals in Marseille colours. In 2005, he signed for Southampton in the Championship, where he spent two seasons, before finishing his playing career at Valenciennes between 2007 and 2009.
Captain of Algeria at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, he earned 20 caps and scored 5 goals for the Fennecs. After hanging up his boots, he turned to coaching and won the Qatari league twice with Lekhwiya Sports Club, even completing a treble in 2018 – a first in Qatari football history. In August 2018, he took charge of the Algerian national team and, in July 2019, led them to the Africa Cup of Nations title. He was sacked in January 2024, the day after Algeria’s first-round exit at the 2023 AFCON.
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PlayThe medium player: Nuno Gomes
Born on 5 July 1976 in Amarante, Portugal, Nuno Gomes chose his stage name as a tribute to legendary Portuguese striker Fernando Gomes. A natural goalscorer with sharp instincts in front of goal, he spent the bulk of his career at Benfica, pulling on the famous red shirt across two separate spells: first 124 matches and 76 goals, then 274 matches and 90 goals. In between, he made a stop at Boavista (97 matches, 29 goals) and tested his luck in Serie A with Fiorentina, where he found the net 20 times in 65 games.
Late in his career, he added 29 more appearances with SC Braga before hanging up his boots. On the international stage, he represented Portugal from the under-15 level, scoring 3 goals in 3 matches. A career built on consistency, loyalty to one club above all, and a hunger for goals that never quite faded.
The easy player: Medhi Benatia
Born on 17 April 1987 in Courcouronnes, in the Essonne department, Medhi Benatia is a Franco-Moroccan centre-back who built his reputation step by step. It was at Udinese that he truly made his mark, clocking up 97 appearances and 7 goals, before the rest of Europe started taking notice. Versatile enough to play across every defensive position, he became one of the rocks of European football in the 2010s.
With Bayern Munich, he claimed two Bundesliga titles and reached the Champions League final in 2017. Juventus came calling next: 38 matches, 4 goals, and three Serie A titles to go with them. Captain of the Moroccan national team from 2013 to 2019, he flew the flag for the Atlas Lions on the international stage. Since January 2025, he has swapped his boots for a suit as Sporting Director at Olympique de Marseille.