Marcel Desailly won the Champions League in 1993 with Marseille. The following year he won it again, with AC Milan. Two different clubs, two consecutive seasons.
It set the tone for a career in which he won almost everywhere he went. With France he added the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, as a key part of a very hard defence. His partnership with Laurent Blanc was one of the most solid centre-back pairings international football has seen.
The Rock
The Franco-Ghanaian was built like a tank and played that way. He was one of the most physically powerful defenders of his time and very little got past him, whether he was at centre-back or in the holding midfield role, where he was just as effective.
Later he took that quality to Stamford Bridge, making over 100 Premier League appearances for Chelsea.
Marseille, Milan, France and then Chelsea. The Rock was the kind of player champions are built around, and his trophy cabinet would make most professionals quietly envious. He takes number 17 on our countdown.
Tomorrow: number 16.
