Geremi
the Champions League decider, and claimed the Copa del Rey to complete the ‘ Treble’.
He was part of a front-three that season that scored 100 goals between them – Lionel Messi (38 goals) topping the list, along with Eto’o (36) and Thierry Henry (26).
Ben Barek holds a special place in history as the first player of African descent ever to feature in LaLiga, paving the way for the likes of Yaya Toure, Seydou Keita and Samuel Eto’o to follow.
The attacking midfielder played international football for both Morocco and France, and found his passion for the game after being orphaned at a young age.
He was nicknamed ‘ The Black Pearl’ after starring in France, which led to a transfer to Atletico Madrid, where he stayed from 1948-53.
Such was his popularity, that one journalist wrote at the time: “Sell the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower, but do not sell Ben Barek.”
His goals helped Atletico to their third LaLiga title in 1949-50, and he followed that up with another league win in 1950-51.
He later became the first ever coach of the Morocco national team, and was awarded FIFA’s highest honour, the Order of Merit, in 1992, six years after his death.
But perhaps there can be no greater honour than this quote from Brazilian great Pele: “If I am the King of Soccer, then Larbi Ben Barek is the God of it.” at 1-1 that helped Real to their first title in four years.
He was a key cog again as they retained their title, taking his winning run of Championship success to six seasons in a row, having also won four titles in succession with Lyon before leaving for Spain.
Diarra was a genuine star of LaLiga, but then picked up a serious knee injury playing for Mali against Chad in October 2008, which ultimately kept him out for the remainder of the campaign.
In his absence, Real signed namesake Lassana Diarra from Portsmouth, and in a stinging turn of events, he was handed Mahamadou’s number six shirt.
He played only eight more times for the club in the next two seasons and eventually left for Monaco in France, before later signing for Fulham in England, but was never able to recapture his former glory.
Nationality: Cameroon
Position: Defender/midfielder
LaLiga clubs: Real Madrid
LaLiga games/goals: 45/0
Geremi Sorele Njitap Fotso’s time in LaLiga may have been fleeting, but his impact was immense and he makes many people’s all-time list of top Africans despite only playing 45 matches.
Able to play as a right-back or in the midfield, he arrived at Real in 1999 from Gençlerbirliği in Turkey and within a year was nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or such were his performances.
He helped Real to the UEFA Champions League title in the 1999/00 season and then next year they won LaLiga, but competition for places began to bite and he became less influential after that.
After a season on loan at English side Middlesbrough, Jose Mourinho brought him to Chelsea in July 2003, where he would spend four successful seasons that included two Premier League titles.
His stay at Real might have been short, but his impact has never been forgotten.
He also led Cameroon to the gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and victories at the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Geremi’s cousin, Pierre Webó, also had a successful time at Osasuna and Mallorca.