The hard player: Mustapha Hadji
Born on 16 November 1971 in Ifrane Atlas Saghir, in the province of Guelmim, Morocco, Mustapha Hadji was a midfielder who crisscrossed European football with determination. His longest stint came at AS Nancy Lorraine with 31 goals in 148 matches, before a move to Coventry City where he scored 13 times in 70 games. He also featured for 1. FC Saarbrücken, Sporting Portugal and Aston Villa.
An international for Morocco from 1993 to 2002, Hadji earned 64 caps and scored 12 goals with the Lions of the Atlas. Off the pitch, he is the older brother of fellow professional Youssouf Hadji and the father of Samir and Zachary Hadji.
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PlayThe medium player: Youri Djorkaeff
Born on 9 March 1968 in Lyon, Youri Djorkaeff – nicknamed “The Snake” – is the son of former French international Jean Djorkaeff. He emerged at FC Grenoble Dauphiné in Division 2, already wearing the captain’s armband at a young age, before confirming his class at AS Monaco with 67 goals in 196 matches over five seasons. A spell at PSG brought a Cup Winners’ Cup, then came a fruitful stint at Inter Milan with 39 goals in 127 games.
With France, he collected the golden treble: the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000 and the 2001 Confederations Cup. His nomadic career also took him to Kaiserslautern, Bolton Wanderers and the New York MetroStars, where he retired in 2006 – with over two hundred career goals to his name across five different leagues.
The easy player: Dwight Yorke
Born on 3 November 1971 in Canaan, Tobago, Dwight Yorke made his way from the Caribbean to the top of English football. Nicknamed “The Smiling Assassin” for his permanent grin and lethal finishing, he cut his teeth at Aston Villa with 91 goals in 232 appearances before moving to Manchester United, where he netted 64 times in 152 games.
Internationally, Yorke earned 72 caps for Trinidad and Tobago, scoring 19 goals and becoming a figurehead for the Soca Warriors. He later turned out for Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland and Sydney FC – where he added 7 goals in 21 matches – before hanging up his boots.