Germany 
Still somewhat on the fringes of the squad with all four of his appearances in qualifying coming off the bench, Rolfes is the main beneficiary of Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Bernd Schneider's back injury.
An international debutant in March last year, the 26-year-old forced his way into the reckoning with a string of impressive performances for Leverkusen which were also enough for his club to award him with a new contract.
Primarily a defensive midfielder but also a good passer of the ball with good timing of his runs from midfield, Rolfes was once compared - by none other than former national coach Rudi Voller - to Michael Ballack.
Having started his pro career with Werder Bremen, Rolfes spent the 2004/05 season with Alemannia Aachen before joining Leverkusen, where he has gone on to become a mainstay in the Bundesliga.
As the type of player to grab the game by the scruff of the neck it is no surprise that Rolfes has captained Leverkusen in the absence of both Schneider and Carsten Ramelow, bringing an extra facet to his game.
