The glamour clubs of Serie A have never proved themselves particularly keen on African footballers.

Here BBC Sport Online profiles some of the few who are maturing in the Mediterranean:

Mohammed Kallon: Ronaldo's continuing struggle with injury last season gave Inter Milan's Sierra Leonean the chance to shine.

He scored nine goals and finished the highest African scorer in Serie A.

But the Brazilian's return to fitness and astonishing form at the World Cup seemed to have placed a large triangle-haired boulder in Kallon's path.

However, a dispute over wages has led to Ronaldo demanding out of the San Siro, giving Kallon the chance to go into the next season as Hector Cuper's first choice alongside Christian Vieri.

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Siyabonga Nomvethe:

24-year-old Nomvethe is one of South Africa's most exciting players, and is beginning to realise his potential with Udinese.

His ability to break quickly and his unselfish forward play are two aspects of his game that Udinese will be counting on if they are to improve on last years position in Serie A, where they finished 14th.

The striker impressed at the World Cup, and could rapidly become one of Udinese's most sought-after players.

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Hani Said:

Hani Said will be looking to get his head down after all the controversy of last season which saw him suspended from playing for failing a drugs test.

The defender tested positive for Nandrolone at the Nations Cup in Mali, and was suspended for six months.

This is the 22-year-old's fourth season at Bari, but only his second playing for the first team.

He will be wanting to repair the damage to his reputation as fast as possible to ensure he keeps on playing in Serie A.