Position: Defender
Born: 17.08.77
Club: Chelsea

William Gallas only made his international debut in France's opening Euro 2004 qualifying match at home to Slovenia and it will come as no surprise to Premiership observers that he has rarely been out of the side since.

Indeed Roger Lemerre's omission of the Chelsea man for the 2002 World Cup had been inexplicable to most after the defender's commanding debut season for the Blues.

Exceptionally quick and a brilliant reader of the game, Gallas' pace in foot and mind was sorely missed as an ageing French backline was ripped apart in Japorea.

One of a dying breed of defenders to whom stopping the opposition is the unrivalled priority, it is a testament to the quality of his performances that Gallas has continued to feature prominently for Chelsea despite billionaire owner Roman Abramovich's extravagant spending.

Recruited from Marseille for £6.2million in May 2001, Gallas is primarily regarded as a central defender but is talented and adaptable enough to play in both full-back positions.

Yet playing at left-back for the majority of France's qualifying campaign left him "fed up" and he claimed he took "no feeling of joy" from victories, despite Raymond Domenech describing him as one of the best in the world in that position.