Noureddine Naybet

Noureddine Naybet born on February 10, 1970, is a soccer player from Morocco who played as central defender for the national team and has earned a total of 100 caps. He came to play Spanish football in 1996, joining the Spanish division team Deportivo La Coruña. During his stint with the team he won one league title, I Copa de Rey and 2 Spanish Super Cups. He has also played for the Moroccan National team and Manchester United, joining the latter in 1999. However this move was cut short when the Red Devils, worried about the effect of his injured knee on his game, signed Mikaël Silvestre.

He moved to the English Premiership in 2004 at the age of 34, where he started as a regular for the first team in 2004-2005. He was the reserve player under Martin Jol for the 2005-2006 seasons. Naybet made one appearance in 2005 and 2006 when the team played against Charlton Athletic at the Valley and his experience is credited for helping improve the defense partnership of Ledley King and Michael Dawson. He made his sole goal for the Spurs when they played against the Arsenal where they lost to a score of 5-4.

He also played for Morocco during the 2006 African Cup of Champions which was his last appearance before he announced his retirement from international football shortly afterwards. Tottenham Hotspur released Naybet in 2006 and a year later he assumed the position of assistant to Henri Michel, the national team manager. In total, Naybet has played in two World Cup finals and six African Cup Nations tournaments.