Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)

George Best, Alfredo Di Stefano, Abedi Pele, George Weah... the list of world-class performers never to grace the World Cup is a long one. Destiny sometimes dictates that you are born in the wrong place or at the wrong time. Scarcely two years ago, it seemed that Andriy Shevchenko would be added to this prestigious, yet unfortunate band. As figurehead of a Ukraine side with a limited sporting tradition and no other big name stars, he was faced by the seemingly impossible task of hauling his country along the path to Germany practically single-handed. To qualify from a group containing reigning European champions Greece, and also strong contendors Turky and Denmark, the Ukrainians were banking on their principal attacking weapon to see them through. And Shevchenko did not let them down.

Andriy Vorobey (Ukraine)

Prolific striker who is a product of the Shakhtar Donetsk youth academy and he has stayed loyal to the club over the years despite the lure of bigger teams. The versatile forward became a household name during the 2001/2 season when he won the Ukrainian golden boot after scoring 21 goals in 24 matches. Vorobei has had much greater problems finding the net at international level. Nicknamed ‘The Swallow’, he played in nine FIFA World Cup qualifiers but failed to score.