Mustapha Hadji

For one summer, the best footballer in Africa was a Deportivo player — and hardly anyone in A Coruña got to see the version the rest of the world was applauding. Mustapha Hadji joined from Sporting CP in 1997, a quick, inventive attacking midfielder who had announced himself at Nancy. Across two seasons at Riazor he made 31 appearances and scored twice, competing for minutes in one of the deepest squads in Spain.

Then came France 98. Hadji was the creative heart of the Morocco side that came within minutes of the knockout rounds, and his tournament earned him the 1998 African Footballer of the Year award — collected while under contract in A Coruña. It remains one of the quieter distinctions in the club’s history: an African Player of the Year on the books, mostly on the bench.

Coventry City paid to find out what Deportivo had in reserve, and the Premier League got the Hadji that Galicia only saw in flashes. His 63 caps for Morocco, two World Cups and a long, wandering career through England, Germany and Luxembourg mark him as one of his generation’s genuine originals — and a reminder that even the Super Dépor squads occasionally let a talent slip through half-used.