Spain's La Liga used to be packed with some of Africa's best players, but many have now left.

Here BBC Sport Online profiles some of the few that remain:

Samuel Eto'o Fils: Real Mallorca's Cameroonian striker is Africa's most exciting player in La Liga, but he came close to missing out on first-class football.

Mallorca finished way down the table last year - just two points off the relegation zone - a far cry from the third place two years ago that put them into the Champions League.

Part of the problem was Eto'o's lack of goals - he scored just five time in 2001/2, compared to 11 the previous season.

Eto'o's major strength is his lightning-quick pace, but he is often let down by a lack of composure in front of goal that has led on occasion to some quite hilarious misses.

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Benni McCarthy: South African hero Benni McCarthy finds himself back in Spain against his wishes.

He had a superb loan spell with Porto in Portugal in the second half of last season, scoring 12 goals - including two hat-tricks - to help them to third position, but a permanent move came to nothing after Celta Vigo refused to budge on their asking price.

A move to Middlesbrough in the English Premiership was scuppered by McCarthy's agent's late demands, so the striker seems destined to remain in Spain.

It is not a prospect he will be looking forward to - in the past he has struggled to get into Celta's first team, and despite a good World Cup, he may find it tough going again.

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Noureddine Naybet: Moroccan Naybet is a stalwart in Deportivo La Coruna's defence.

The side have grown in stature over the years and now are consistent challengers for the title - in the 99/00 season Depor were champions, and in last two seasons they have been second.

Last year the 32-year-old central defender signed a contract that keeps him at the club until 2005, a sign that he and his employers feel their relationship is far from over.

Solid, strong and dependable, Naybet is achieving the success in Spain that has proved so elusive with his national team.

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Cyril Domoraud: On loan from AC Milan to Barcelona's second club Espanyol, former Ivory Coast captain Domoraud at last has a chance to return to first-team football.

Domoraud has suffered a nightmare in Italy - despite being signed by both Milan clubs at various stages in his career, he has made very few appearances in Serie A.

This is his second spell on loan from Milan, having previously been released to Monaco.

Domoraud, who has had exceptionally good spells with French clubs Bastia and Marseille, has not played for the Elephants since their 2000 African Nations Cup misery when a failure to make it past the first round resulted in their squad being taken to an army camp and being forced to attend lectures on patriotism.