8 Robert Koren
Robert Koren began his professional footballing career in his home country, playing for the likes of Publikum and Radlje, but made his move to the Norwegian Premier League in 2004 with Lillstrom.
Koren excelled while at Kanarifuglene, and the playmaker’s 19 goals and countless assists in his 75 appearances for the club, sparked mass interest from clubs in England’s Premier League, although it was West Brom who eventually swooped for him in 2007, with the Baggies signing the player on an 18-month contract, with the option of a further year.
Koren has since made over a century of appearances for the Championship side, and in the 2008/09 season he broke the record for most appearances of the season for an outfield player.
Koren made his international debut for Slovenia in 2003 after coming up through the Under-21 national set-up, and quickly cemented his place as skipper in Matjaz Kek’s squad. He will be hoping to add to his four international goals when the team head to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
