Position: Defender
Born: 18.03.77
Club: Bayern Munich

That the hugely effective Willy Sagnol is still some way short of the 50-cap mark is a testament to the strength of French football in the last decade.

Similar to his team-mate at club and international level Bixente Lizarazu, Sagnol is a solid defender with the capacity for stylish forays forward. Perhaps not Lizarazu's equal in attack, Sagnol is still a very strong tackler and has been an unsung hero in successes at home and abroad for Bayern.

Facing competition from two generations of exceptional talent, he only broke into the France squad after their Euro 2000 triumph, making his debut in November that year.

And with the likes of Lilian Thuram to compete with, it is no disgrace that Sagnol has found it hard to carve himself out a regular first-team role since.

That came his way during the second half of the World Cup qualifying campaign, though, and with time on his side Sagnol will surely go on to become a mainstay.

As committed as they come, the former St Etienne and Monaco man has been linked with a move to the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United in recent months but appears to have his heart set on Juventus.

• 15 Lilian Thuram
• 20 David Trezeguet
• 4 Patrick Vieira
• 11 Sylvain Wiltord
• 10 Zinedine Zidane