Rio Ferdinand

Ferdinand has overcome numerous off-field problems to earn his status as one of the most composed central defenders in the game. The London-born player endured a torrid period including a drugs ban, a contract dispute and injury. But the Manchester United and England defender is still viewed as one of the best around.

The former West Ham United and Leeds United player joined United for around £30 million, a British transfer record for a defender, in July 2002 and has won almost everything there is to win in the club game: the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup, although he missed out on United's FA Cup win in 2004 due to a suspension for missing a routine drugs test.

At international level Ferdinand has established himself as first-choice centre back under successive England managers but it came a long time after making his debut at the age of 19 years and 8 days as a substitute in a friendly against Cameroon on November 15, 1997, making him the youngest defender to play for England at the time.

A lack of concentration curtailed his fledgling England career but, since maturing, the Peckham-born player has been to the 2002 and 2006 World Cup tournaments and was given captaincy of the side in February 2010 after John Terry's was stripped of the title, although missed out on the 2010 World Cup through injury.

Strengths: An excellent reader of the game, he has great positional sense and shows composure on the ball.

Weaknesses: His languid style can sometimes get him into trouble and he still suffers from the occasional lapse of concentration.

Career high: Lifting the Champions League trophy after he captained Manchester United to victory over Chelsea in the 2008 final in Moscow.

Career low: Missing a routine drugs test and missing half a Premier League season and Euro 2004 due to an eight month ban.

Style: Calm, composed, a player who uses his good positional sense to make interceptions.

Quotes: "I'm going to call you Pelé, son, I like the way you play." Youth coach Dave Goodwin spots an 11-year-old Ferdinand at the district trials.

Trivia: Rio comes from footballing stock, brother Anton and cousin Les have both played for England at various levels, but off the pitch he runs a music record label, White Chalk Music, and had a prank-based TV series called Rio's World Cup Wind-Ups.

Jermain Defoe

Since his days as a teen prodigy at West Ham, where he arrived as sixteen-year-old via a controversial move from Charlton, this England international has been regarded as one of the foremost finishers in the country.

A loan spell at Bournemouth in the old Second Division during the 2000-01 season saw him match a post-war record of scoring in ten consecutive matches and he showed similar qualities when granted his chance by the Hammers. Their relegation in 2002-03 eventually saw him sold the following January to Tottenham where he enjoyed intermittent gluts of goalscoring before eventually losing his place to the partnership of Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov.

A move to Portsmouth in January 2008 proved fruitful in terms of goals before he was then sold back to Spurs twelve months on for a considerable profit. However, as a result of the timing of his moves between the clubs, he missed out on a 2007-08 FA Cup winner's medal with Pompey by virtue of being cup-tied, having previously missed out on Spurs' Carling Cup win the same season despite playing in every round bar the final. Strengths: A quick-thinking striker who matches a poacher's instinct with a thunderous shot from long range. An impact player from the bench who can profit from tiring defenders. Weaknesses: Defoe has long been accused of not being able to play a bigger part in holding the ball up and being too selfish in possession. Career high: Scoring five goals in a single game as Tottenham ran riot to beat Wigan 9-1 in November 2009. Career low: Being omitted from Sven Goran Eriksson's 23-man England squad for World Cup 2006. Style: Pacy, instinctive, self-assured, a confidence player Quotes: "He looks stronger than I have ever seen him and I have known him since he was 14. He has done a lot of work in the gym in the summer and he looks even more explosive." Harry Redknapp, August 2009 Trivia: Defoe is a one-time paramour of David Beckham's sister Joanne.

Emile Heskey

Initially a figure of fun for his poor finishing, Heskey emerged as a vital player for club and country due to his unselfish work as a lone target man. His club career blossomed at Aston Villa, after several years of inconsistency, while he even won over some of his doubters at international level as well.

After making his name with Leicester City, he earned a move to Liverpool and won the cup treble in 2001. His early partnership with Michael Owen had the pundits purring, but he failed to fire on a regular basis and spells at Birmingham and Wigan saw him drop out of the spotlight before Fabio Capello showed great faith in him and restored him to the forefront of the international setup.

A move to Aston Villa in January 2009 confirmed his ascent, but after a poor 2010 World Cup, he announced his retirement from the international game.

Strengths: Physically powerful and good in the air, he provides others with opportunities and also has a burst of pace.

Weaknesses: His goalscoring record is poor for a striker, he is quite erratic and he does not have the best touch.

Career high: Part of the Liverpool side that won the cup treble in 2001, he bagged 23 goals that season.

Career low: Playing out of position on the left-wing at the 2002 World Cup exposed his limitations and made him the subject of criticism.

Style: Robust, powerful, unselfish, a strong target man.

Quotes: ''He has a lot of experience and a host of international caps ... He has also pulled himself round again when he may have perhaps seen his best days were behind him when he left Liverpool. He has done fantastically well to fight back, so much so that he is now well and truly in Fabio Capello's thoughts.'' Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, January 2009.

Trivia: His middle name is Ivanhoe. After Sir Walter Scott's popular 19th Century novel.