HATEM TRABELSI - TUNISIA

Date of birth: Jan. 25, 1977
Birthplace: Aryanah, Tunisia
Club: Ajax (Netherlands)
Position: Defender
International debut: May 1998 vs. Georgia

Tunisian defender Hatem Trabelsi has often been compared to Roberto Carlos for his attacking runs down the right side of the field.

Such comparisons are misleading because, unlike the speedy Brazilian, Trabelsi possesses solid defensive skills.

Regarded as being among the best right fullbacks in the world, Trabelsi, who plays in the Netherlands with Ajax, takes advantage of his speed and agility down the flanks to help direct Tunisia's attack. He also uses his speed to track back and resume his defensive duties after bombing forward to provide deadly crosses into the middle from the wings.

Trabelsi's fondness for making attack runs is hardly surprising, considering he began as a winger with CS Sfaxien in his home country. Trabelsi's reached a new plateau after four seasons with Sfaxien when he earned a move to Ajax in 2001.

Ever since arriving in the Netherlands, Trabelsi has become a regular starter and key role player for Ajax both in league play and in Champions League competition. Trabelsi helped Ajax win the Dutch league title, Dutch Cup and Dutch Supercup in his first season with the club, establishing himself as one of the league's brightest stars.

Following another successful 2002-03 season, Trabelsi saw action in just eight games during 2003-04 because of injuries and was forced to watch from the sidelines as Ajax claimed another league title.

The past two years he's been injury-free, allowing him to reclaim his old form and earn glances from other European teams interested in his services.

Trabelsi has also impressed for Tunisia's national team ever since making his debut in 1998. He played one game at the 1998 World Cup in France. Four years later he was a starter for his country and played in all three games for Tunisia at the 2002 World Cup.

His shining moment came two years later when he helped Tunisia win the 2004 African Nations Cup on home soil. He cemented his reputation as one of the best African players in the world with his strong play in the recent World Cup qualifiers as Tunisia book a spot at the World Cup for the third straight time.