Frédéric Oumar Kanouté (born 2 September 1977) is a retired professional footballer who played for several top-tier clubs within UEFA, enjoying his greatest success with La Liga side Sevilla FC. Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the first player born outside Africa to win the award.

Although this might seem like a bit of an odd choice, I think Frederic Kanoute is an underrated player that was one of the unfortunate ones that didn't get the chance to shine in a World Cup. Originally from Mali, Kanoute made a name for himself in various European leagues, like in France, England and Spain. It was in the latter, playing for the club Sevilla F.C. that Kanoute reached his prime and with his skills and leadership led Sevilla to challenge the two soccer giants of Spain; Real Madrid and Barcelona. Back to back UEFA Cup wins in 2006 and 2007 cemented his status of local legend. Unfortunately Kanoute's national team, Mali could never reach his heights and did not qualify for a World Cup during Kanoute's playing days.