Position: Midfielder
Born: 18.02.73
Club: Chelsea

Claude Makelele will never beat three men and fire the ball in from 30 yards; indeed Real Madrid president Florentino Perez reckoned he "never passed more than three metres".

Yet there is probably no midfielder in world football better than the Congolese-born Chelsea man at providing almost impenetrable protection to his defence.

Despite a number of years fetching and carrying for Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo in the Real midfield, Makelele was a largely peripheral figure in the minds of many until his move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2004.

Indeed, it was Madrid's apparent disdain for his contribution that led to a drawn-out transfer to London.

But those aware of his talents were not at all surprised by Chelsea's interest - unsurprisingly he went on to be a key figure as they won their first Premiership title - or Real's subsequent struggles since selling Makelele.

A teenage Makelele started his professional career at Nantes, before joining Marseille and then Celta Vigo, paving the way for his move to the Bernabeu in 2000.

He made his France debut a decade ago and actually retired from internationals in September 2004 having won 35 caps.

But with France struggling to reach this tournament, he decided to reverse that decision, and played a key role in three of the last four Group Four qualifiers.