A powerful, young defender who can play anywhere across the back four, Abdoulaye Méïté has formed an impressive partnership with Frédéric Déhu in the heart of the Marseille defence. Méïté was born in Paris and started his career in the capital with Red Star 93 before moving south to Marseille as a 19-year-old in 2000. An outstanding athlete who possesses a good turn of pace, he quickly established himself at the Stade Vélodrome and became a regular under Coach Alain Perrin in 2003-04.

Like most of the Marseille players, Méïté struggled in the Champions’ League that season as Marseille found themselves in a group with Real Madrid and the eventual winners Porto. It was obvious that he was giving 100% in every match but he was prone to getting caught of position against top-class opposition. The 24-year-old’s performance in the 4-2 defeat by Real in the Bernabeu - when he was given the unenviable task of marking Zinedine Zidane - came in for particularly harsh criticism.

Méïté re-found his confidence during the club’s run to the UEFA Cup Final, turning in outstanding performances against Inter, Newcastle United and Liverpool, against whom he scored with a thunderous header. In recent times, Méïté has developed into a key man for the Ivory Coast, the country of his parents, and has helped the African nation to the top of their World Cup qualifying group. Ex-Ivory Coast boss Robert Nouzaret had accused Méïté of avoiding national team selection for competitive matches so that he would remain eligible to play for France. But Méïté’s choice has since been made and he is optimistic of featuring in next summer’s World Cup.