Maldini - one of Italy's greats (Allsport)

Position: Defender
Born: 26.06.68
Club: AC Milan

A true legend of the Italian game, Maldini remains one of the best defenders in world football.

A glittering career with AC Milan, his only professional club, started back in 1985 when he made his debut against Udinese in a 1-1 draw.

And just three years later Maldini was making his international debut for in a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia.

Since then he has won everything there is to win in the game – with one major exception.

Six Italian titles, three Champions League titles, three UEFA Cups and four Italian Supercups all sit proudly on Maldini's CV – but there is no World Cup winner's medal.

The most-capped player in Italy's history, his first World Cup campaign was in his home country in 1990 where he picked up a third-place medal.

He went one better in 1994 in the USA but it was still heart-ache for the Italians as they lost to Brazil on penalties.

And in France in 1998 his side could only reach the quarter-finals, meaning that the defender, who has only been on the losing side 18 times in 118 international games, has some unfinished business in this event.

Maldini played in seven of Italy's eight qualifying games, and for the fourth World Cup finals in a row will again wear that famous number three shirt.

His World Cup dreams were almost in tatters just before Christmas when it looked like he'd suffered a serious injury.

But those fears were allayed and he now looks certain to grace the Far East with his brilliant defensive ability.