Habib Diarra

One of Senegal's brightest young talents, Habib Diarra captained and starred for RC Strasbourg before a club-record £30m move to newly promoted Sunderland in July 2025, signing a five-year deal as the replacement for Jobe Bellingham. Born in Guédiawaye but raised in Mulhouse, the dynamic box-to-box midfielder is now establishing himself in the Premier League and is valued at around €35m. He made his Senegal debut in 2024 and scored against England in a June 2025 friendly. Diarra was part of the 2025 AFCON squad whose final win over Morocco was later overturned by CAF (Senegal appealing to CAS), and after the campaign he was received by the mayor of Mulhouse, his French hometown. Named in Pape Thiaw's World Cup squad, he was an option off the bench against France: he did not start — the midfield three was Camara, Idrissa Gueye and Pape Gueye — and came on as a substitute around the 76th minute in the 3-1 defeat.