The hard player: Adrian Mutu
Born on 8 January 1979 in Călinești, Romania, Adrian Mutu is a striker whose career blends undeniable talent with a turbulent journey. He started out at Argeș Pitești (47 matches, 10 goals) before moving through Italian and English clubs: Hellas Verona (62 matches, 17 goals), Chelsea (38 matches, 10 goals), then Juventus (46 matches, 11 goals). It was at Fiorentina that he found his finest form, with 144 matches and 67 goals – by far the most impressive numbers of his career.
With Romania, Mutu was a key figure: 77 caps and 35 international goals, a striker’s record as solid as it is telling. After his playing career, he moved into coaching.
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PlayThe medium player: Shunsuke Nakamura
Born on 24 June 1978 in Yokohama, Shunsuke Nakamura is a Japanese midfielder who built a career as elegant as it was methodical. Developed and established at Yokohama F. Marinos, he racked up over 400 appearances across two spells (236 and 176 matches, with 44 and 38 goals respectively) before taking on Europe. He first tested himself at Reggina Calcio in Serie A (87 matches, 12 goals), then moved to Celtic Glasgow, where he played 151 matches and scored 31 goals, carving out a strong reputation in Scotland. He also had a spell at Júbilo Iwata (52 matches, 5 goals) upon returning to Japan.
On the international stage, Nakamura represented Japan at under-20 level (5 matches, 1 goal). A technically gifted, composed midfielder, he embodied Japan’s step up in quality on the world football stage at the turn of the millennium.
The easy player: David Ginola
Born on 25 January 1967 in Gassin, David Ginola turned professional at 18 with SC Toulon before moving through Matra Racing and Brest Armorique. It was at Paris Saint-Germain, which he joined in 1992, that the winger truly hit his stride: French champion in 1994, two French Cups (1993 and 1995), a League Cup (1995), and European semi-finals against Real Madrid that earned him the nickname El Magnifico from the Spanish press. In 1993, he was named best French player of the year.
Crossing the Channel in 1995, Ginola went on to represent Newcastle and then Tottenham, where he swept up both the PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards in 1999. With France (17 caps, 3 goals), his international career was a frustrating one: brilliant at club level but often left on the bench in blue, he remained forever linked to France’s failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and was never called up again after 1995. In retirement, he reinvented himself on television, from the BBC to Canal+, and hosted La France a un incroyable talent on M6 from 2016 to 2020.