A strong and physical defender, Abdoulaye Meite is likely to find himself watching the World Cup from the bench. Blaise Kouassi looks to have won the battle to become Kolo Toure's regular partner at the heart of the Elephants defence, meaning Meite may have to be content with a substitute's role. The Paris-born 25-year-old began his career with one of his home city's less well-known clubs, Red Star 93, before joining Marseille in 2000. His performances for the Mediterranean giants, which included helping L'OM reach the 2004 UEFA Cup final, have attracted interest from several clubs in England and he is expected to leave Stade Velodrome after Germany 2006.