Inevitably nicknamed 'Toto' after Italia 90 star Toto Schillaci, Monaco centre-back Sébastien Squillaci has come a long way in a short space of time. Perhaps not quite as quickly as his namesake, who shot from obscurity to stardom almost overnight fifteen years ago, but Sébastien will be hoping he can stick around at the highest level longer than the enigmatic Sicilian supersub.

Whether he will get that chance or not is another question. The tall, elegant stopper made his debut in France's first match after the debacle of Euro 2004 - a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina - and new Coach Raymond Domenech quickly settled upon a Monaco-dominated rearguard during his early months in charge. Squillaci partnered his friend and colleague Gaël Givet in the middle, with the athletic Patrice Evra at left-back, as Domenech seemed to be rewarding the principality outfit's run to the 2004 Champions' League final. But despite their excellent record – France are yet to concede in a competitive fixture with Squllaci in the side (as of Aug. 2005) – many began to question the ploy.

Squillaci's often wayward distribution was put under the microscope and, when he was struck down with injury in spring 2005, Domenech turned to William Gallas and Jean-Alain Boumsong to face Switzerland and Israel in World Cup qualifiers. The new pairing impressed straight away and, crucially, harked back to the men who previously took France to glory, with Boumsong touted as the 'new Desailly'. Then came the return of Lilian Thuram, and, although Squillaci received a call-up to the first squad in the wake of 'le grand retour', he has quite clearly slipped down the pecking order.

His club form dipped in 2005-06 as well, with Monaco failing to compete either at home or in Europe, but there can be little doubt that the Toulon-born ace has what it takes to play his way back into contention. "He's a defender to the very core of his being," says Lille boss Claude Puel, who coached Squillaci in the Monaco reserve team. "He's quick, he's tough in the tackle, he's tactically astute and his distribution is getting better all the time. What's more, this lad is a real pleasure for any Coach. With guys like him, you can go into battle without any worries."

Serious and hardworking, his attitude and talent have impressed every Coach he has worked with since making his professional debut with local team Toulon in 1997-8. Just six appearances with the Ligue 2 side were enough to persuade Monaco to snap him up, and after two seasons in the reserves he was sent out to Ajaccio on loan. Still only 21, he helped the Corsicans back into the top flight in 2002, and Coach Rolland Courbis was desperate to make the deal permanent.

Didier Deschamps was having none of it, however it still took a stroke of luck for Squillaci to get his big break: "When I came back, Deschamps told me I wouldn't be a starter, but before the season had even begun, [Rafael] Marques got an injury. All of a sudden, I was in the first team." Having overcome the shyness that plagued his early years, Squillaci played 35 Ligue 1 matches in 2002-03.

He added a goalscoring dimension to his game in the following campaign, posing a lethal threat from set pieces that notably saw him net against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and his self-confidence grows with every passing year. "I couldn't care less what they write about me in the newspapers," he says. "I prefer to judge my performances based on what [Raymond Domenech] and Didier Deschamps think."