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During his illustrious two-decade-long career, Youri Djorkaeff shared the pitch with some of the most gifted players of his generation.

At club level, the French forward counts the legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo, his teammate at Inter Milan, as the finest player he ever played alongside. On the international stage, most neutrals would consider his compatriot and midfield partner Zinedine Zidane among the era’s greatest talents.

Yet, less than four years after supplying the assist for Zidane’s decisive second goal in the 1998 World Cup final, Djorkaeff’s career took an unexpected turn when he found himself donning the colours of Bolton Wanderers, playing alongside Dean Holden and Michael Ricketts.

Djorkaeff’s move to Bolton was one of the more surprising transitions of his career, but it quickly became clear that manager Sam Allardyce’s ambitious project was attracting a unique mix of experienced and charismatic players. Alongside Djorkaeff came Jay-Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo, both of whom shared the Frenchman’s enthusiasm for the club’s underdog challenge in the Premier League.

“We were all in the same boat,” Djorkaeff recalled in an interview with FourFourTwo. “If you play for Liverpool or United, the boat is huge. Ours was more like a little rowing boat!” he laughed. “If one of us leaned too far to the left, we’d all end up in the water.”

Despite their modest resources, Bolton quickly earned a reputation as a side determined to disrupt the established order. The ‘little rowing boat’ that Djorkaeff referred to became a symbol of the team’s collective grit and unity.

While the club couldn’t match the spending power of their neighbours in Manchester or the giants of Liverpool, Allardyce’s strategy of recruiting seasoned professionals paid off. The experience and leadership of players like Campo and Okocha proved invaluable both on and off the pitch.

“Campo and Okocha had more experience than most, so they helped me to lead that project,” Djorkaeff said.

When asked whether there were any areas where Kevin Nolan surpassed Zidane, Djorkaeff offered a thoughtful response. “You can’t compare them – it wouldn’t be fair,” he said. “Maybe he was the better warrior? But then again, so was Zidane. Bolton was like Asterix and Obelix in their little village standing up to the Roman Empire.”

He added with pride, “All of us were great fighters, battling against the rest.”