Didier Deschamps made his debut for Nantes in 1985, and spent four seasons at Stade de la Beaujoire before moving to Marseille in 1989.

After making his international debut in a 0-0 draw with Yugoslavia and playing a bit-part in winning the league in 1989/90, Deschamps moved to Bordeaux for a season, but promptly returned to Marseille when Les Girondins were surprisingly relegated.

Having established himself in the starting eleven at the Southern French side, Deschamps won a second French title in 1991/92, and would captain the side in the inaugural Champions League campaign.

Marseille defeated AC Milan 1-0 in the 1993 final, and Deschamps became the youngest ever captain to win the trophy.

By 1994 he had moved on to Juventus, where he would spend the most successful years of his career. The Frenchman won the first of three Serie A titles in his first season, adding a second Champions League title to his haul in 1996 as Juve beat Ajax.

Deschamps captained the French side to the semi finals of the European Championships in 1996, but will be more fondly remembered for leading the side to victory in the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championships. He made a total of 103 appearances for his country and scored three goals.

After fleeting cameo seasons at Chelsea and Valencia, where he received a Champions League runners up medal, Deschamps retired, taking over the managerial reigns at Monaco.

After leading the club to the Champions League final in 2004, Deschamps answered the call of Juventus, who had been relegated to Serie B for match fixing. He left the club having returned them to Serie A.

In 2009 he returned to another of his former clubs, Marseille, to lead them to their first Ligue 1 title in almost two decades. He remains manager at the Stade Velodrome.

We'll be publishing profiles of each of the Medallion Men EuroChampsChallenge meet along the way. You can follow their diary here.

For more information and updates visit the EuroChampsChallenge website. You can also find them on Facebook and follow on Twitter @ECChallenge. You can make a donation at www.virginmoneygiving.com/eurochampschallenge.