Editing Marcel Desailly (section)

==Style of play==
Nicknamed "The Rock", due to his consistency, strength, and hard-tackling playing style, Desailly is considered one of the most accomplished players of his generation, and one of the finest [[Defender (association football)|defenders]] ever, who stood out for his charismatic leadership and ability to organise his team's back-line and break down opposition plays throughout his career. A quick, hard-working, tenacious and powerful player, who excelled in the air and at anticipating his opponents, he combined his aggression, stamina, and ability to read the game, as well as his physical, mental, and defensive skills, with a notable confidence and good technique on the ball, which also allowed him to play in [[Midfielder|midfield]] throughout his career; indeed, after moving to Milan, although he initially started out playing as a centre-back or sweeper, and occasionally even as a [[Full-back (association football)|full-back]], he was later deployed as a defensive midfielder, a position in which he also excelled, successfully filling the void left by the departure of [[Frank Rijkaard]] due his ball-winning abilities and capacity to start attacking plays after winning back possession. In addition to his defensive skills, he was also capable of contributing to his team's offensive plays with goals by making attacking runs into the box.<ref name="The five players Fabio Capello made superstars"/><ref name="All-Star Team of the 1998 World Cup">{{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=71747/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129073958/http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/news/newsid=71747/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 November 2014|title=MasterCard All-Star Team of the 1998 World Cup|publisher=FIFA|date=10 July 1998|access-date=23 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/euro2000/teams/france/squad/744760.stm|title=BBC Sport: Euro 2000 Profile - Marcel Desailly|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ruud-gullit-perfect-xi#:PzGSoTgQUwmnAA|title=Ruud Gullit: Perfect XI|work=Four Four Two|author1=Hitesh Ratna|date=1 December 2007|access-date=31 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="magliarossonera">{{cite web|url=http://www.magliarossonera.it/protagonisti/Gioc-Desailly.html|title=Marcel DESAILLY (II)|publisher=magliarossonera.it|language=it|access-date=23 November 2017}}</ref> In 2004, he was named by [[Pelé]] in the [[FIFA 100]] as one of the world's greatest living players.<ref name="Pele"/>