Player Profile - Claude Makelele
His former team-mates at the Bernabeu questioned the Spanish clubs decision to let him go and he has since gone on to win successive Premiership winner's medals with the Blues.
In 137 games for Jose Mourinho's side he has scored only once, but it his contribution at the other end of the field which makes him such an important player.
A tireless worker, Makelele is regarded as perhaps the best defensive midfielder in the business, but at the age of 33 this could be his last opportunity to shine on the international stage.
Makelele was born in Kinshasa in DR Congo and began his career in France with Brest, but quickly moved on to Nantes, where he won the French title and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
He was a regular with les Canaris for five seasons before spending a year at Marseille.
In 1998 he moved to Spain, signing for Celta Vigo, helping the unfashionable Galician club to finish fifth in his first season and reach the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup in his second.
His solid performances for Celta attracted the attention of Real where he was initially signed as a squad player but quickly established himself as a regular.
Makelele won the La Liga title twice and the Champions League in 2002.
But his wages were dwarfed by those of his team-mates and Makelele left Real for a more lucrative deal at Chelsea in 2003.
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He made his France debut in 1995, but did not establish himself in the team until after the 2002 World Cup.
Indeed, Makelele was not even in the squad for either the 1998 World Cup or Euro 2000 because of the competition for the central midfield spots, including Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Didier Deschamps, Alain Boghossian and Christian Karembeu.
He only played one game at the 2002 World Cup, before becoming a regular under Jacques Santini and he made three appearances at Euro 2004 in Portugal.
