Theofanis Gekas: Profile of Theofanis Gekas, Greece star player at World Cup 2010.

Proven his worth: Theofanis Gekas will be a worry for any central defender having scored 10 goals in the qualification rounds

Caps: 45
Goals: 20
World Cup appearances: None
World Cup 2010 qualification: 11 appearances/10 goals

Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Age: 29
Position: Striker

If you were to hazard a guess two years ago at the leading scorer in European World Cup qualifiers, it’s unlikely the unassuming Gekas would have been top of the list.

But with 10 goals, Gekas has beaten off Europe's top strikers and established himself as a striker of proven ability, and with qualification for next summer’s World Cup secured for Greece with a win against Ukraine, Gekas will finally be able to show the world what he is capable of.

Gekas came into the Greek side shortly after the country’s shock Euro 2004 win on the back of a scoring run for Panathanaikos that made him the country’s top scorer.

He moved to German side Bochum in 2006 and saved the unfashionable Ruhr team from relegation. The next season he was the Bundesliga’s top scorer, leading fans to nickname him the ‘Greek God’.

He moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2007, scoring seven goals on his debut in a 15-1 friendly win.

With opportunities limited, he moved to Portsmouth on loan in February this year, but found himself on the sidelines there too. His Portsmouth career lasted precisely one minute before he was despatched back to Leverkusen.