The hard player: Dado Pršo
Born on 5 November 1974 in Zadar, Dado Pršo is a Croatian striker who built most of his career away from the biggest spotlights. It was at AS Monaco that he truly made his mark, scoring 45 goals in 146 appearances for the Principality club. He then joined Glasgow Rangers, where he netted 36 goals in 124 matches, before moving on to AC Ajaccio – 21 goals in 54 matches – and later to more modest clubs such as NK Pazinka and Stade raphaëlois.
With Croatia, Dado Pršo earned 32 caps and scored 9 international goals. A solid career built club by club, far from the tabloid headlines but with genuine goalscoring quality throughout.
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PlayThe medium player: Javier Mascherano
Born on 8 June 1984 in San Lorenzo, Santa Fe province, Javier Mascherano began his career at River Plate before heading to Brazil’s Corinthians, where he won the league title in his very first season. His move to Europe in 2006 started at West Ham alongside Carlos Tévez, but he stayed only six months before signing for Liverpool in January 2007. Under Rafael Benítez, alongside Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard, he established himself as a top-class defensive midfielder and reached the Champions League final in 2007.
It was at Barcelona, from 2010 onwards, that Mascherano truly reached the summit. Converted into a centre-back to cover for the absent Carles Puyol, he made 333 appearances for the Blaugrana and won two Champions League titles, in 2011 and 2015. With Argentina, he earned 147 caps – the second most-capped Argentine of all time behind Lionel Messi – competed in four World Cups, four Copa Américas, and remains the only double Olympic football champion from Argentina, with gold medals at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. He also played in the 2014 World Cup final against Germany. After retiring, he became Argentina Under-20 head coach, then took charge of Inter Miami, winning the MLS Cup in 2025.
The easy player: Gianluca Vialli
Born on 9 July 1964 in Cremona, Lombardy, Gianluca Vialli left a lasting mark on Italian football with his power and goal-scoring instinct. Nicknamed “Luca Gol” and “Re Leone”, he built his reputation at Sampdoria, forming a devastating strike partnership with Roberto Mancini. Together they led the club to the Italian league title in 1991, the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1990, and the Champions League final in 1992. In total, he made 328 appearances for the blucerchiati, scoring 141 goals.
His career never lost momentum. Joining Juventus in 1992, he won the UEFA Cup in 1993 and the Champions League in 1996 before moving to Chelsea. In London, he not only played 88 matches and scored 40 goals, but became a player-manager from February 1998 – a rare feat in professional football – and added another Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998. With Italy, he earned 59 caps and scored 16 goals, finishing third at the 1990 World Cup on home soil. Long after retiring as a player, he returned as Roberto Mancini’s assistant with the national team and was part of Italy’s triumph at Euro 2021. Gianluca Vialli passed away on 5 January 2023 in London.