We all have them, those players who for some reason or another hold a permanent place in the darkened rooms of our mind.
Maybe he was particularly effective for you on an old Football Manager save, or scored a wonder-goal that stuck with you for no apparent reason. Maybe he was just a bit crap, but somehow eked out a Premier League career regardless.
Collating those players whose names instantly inspire some sort of reaction, we have a list of eight such players from the near-forgotten recesses of your mind that are actually still playing football.
Rarely glamorous, and in some cases outright bizarre, there's no doubt you'll have your own to add to the list. For now, here are some of the players you can scarcely believe are still playing football.
James McFadden (34) - Unattached
Fresh from an unsatisfying spell in the Scottish second-tier with Queen of the South, the SPL Young Player of the Year from 2002/03 dipped off the radar a few years back. At one stage lauded for his immense dribbling ability, the Scot played for Everton, Birmingham and Sunderland before returning north of the English border again. Scored an absolute banger of a goal against France in Paris (at first glance), although revisiting it since, Mickaël Landreau could have done a bit better.
Eric Djemba-Djemba (36) - FC Vallorbe-Ballaigues
Plying his trade in the fifth tier of the Swiss footballing pyramid, it is a testament to the sustained level of cultish curiosity in the Cameroonian that one can still identify his whereabouts. Having finally found his level, the former Nantes midfielder joined United as Roy Keane's ideal replacement; it didn't pan out. Alongside similarly ill-fated United players such as Eddie Johnson, David Bellion and Danny Pugh, he did score this memorable League Cup goal against Leeds United at least.
Mikael Forssell (36) - HIFK
Back where he started in the Finnish Premier Division, Forssell was one of the less-vaunted members of Chelsea's foreign-legion under Gianluca Vialli. Much like modern-day Chelsea, the Finn (born in Germany, interestingly) spent most of his time out on loan. If you remember him at all, it's bound to be from his 2003/04 exploits with Birmingham City, elevating the club into the top 10 of England's top flight for the first time in 30 years.
José Antonio Reyes (34) - Unattached
Not that rare a name for anyone watching La Liga, Reyes left Arsenal in 2007 to join Atletico Madrid. Subsequent spells with Sevilla and Espanyol have rarely captured however the excitement the young Spaniard generated when he arrived in North London. A marginal player in the Invincible Arsenal side of 2003/04, as the above videos demonstrate, he was primed for taking a hard-tackle every now and again.
Marcus Bent (39) - Wick
Anyone paying close enough attention to Marcus Bent will of course be aware of his recent issues with the law. However, six years after seemingly leaving football after a brief spell in the Indonesian Liga 1, the man who played for 14 different clubs before finishing up the first time is now playing for Wick, a Southern Combination league side. Roughly round the tenth tier of the football pyramid, Bent started his playing career 23 years ago now. While the above penalty isn't much in and of itself, Bent's goal did prompt one of the better football celebrations.
Roy Carroll (40) - Linfield
Synonymous with the 'goal that never was', Carroll's career-trajectory is a marvel in and of itself. Having played in England, Scotland, Denmark, Greece and now back in his native Northern Ireland with Linfield, Carroll - despite the odd blunder - has had a relatively successful career. Caught in the disenchanting middle-period for Manchester United between Schmeichel and van der Saar, he did a domestic treble of sorts with the Belfast side last season. Also holds our title of the oldest among these players still playing football
Pascal Chimbonda (38) - Washington FC
Don't let that name fool you, the former Spurs, Sunderland and French international (one cap, admittedly) isn't playing in America's capital. Washington FC play in England's Northern League; the world's second oldest league after England's football league itself and 9th in the overall footballing pyramid. A League Cup winner with Spurs ten years ago, Chimbonda has essentially worked from the top all the way down to the bottom.
Alan Smith (37) - Notts County
A fairly contentious figure who whimpered out of the Premier League after many numerous bangs, the forward-cum-midfielder received eleven red-cards across a promising career that disintegrated as quickly. A horrendous broken-leg injury while playing for Manchester United stunted his development no end, but, in leaving Leeds for the Manchester club, Smith seemed to make as many enemies throughout his career as friends. At least we can remember this stunning goal against Norwich City for now.
