Manuel Cardoni

A tireless midfield playmaker, Cardoni started his career at US Rumelange before joining Luxembourg club Jeunesse Esch in 1992. He was then snapped up by Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, for whom he made only one substitute appearance (against Bayern Munich) in two seasons. He became the third Luxembourgish player in the Bundesliga ever, after Nico Braun and Robby Langers. He rejoined Jeunesse Esch in 1998 and became player-manager at US Rumelange in 2006. Cardoni won the Luxembourgish Footballer of the Year award four times (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000). He now serves as an ambassador for the Special Olympics.

Cardoni made his debut for Luxembourg national team in a May 1993 World Cup qualification match against Iceland and went on to earn 68 caps, scoring 5 goals. He played in 22 World Cup qualification matches. His final international game was an October 2004 World Cup qualification match against Liechtenstein.

Luxembourg National Division: 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004 Luxembourg Cup: 1999, 2000 Luxembourgish Footballer of the Year: 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000