If that sounds like a big assertion, wait till you read our list of the greatest Ligue 1 players ever. French football has given us some of the most exceptional players the world has ever seen. Players in Ligue 1 are frequently inventive, flamboyant, and technically skilled, and many are still well-respected today. It’s hardly surprising that some of Europe’s greatest soccer players eventually move there given the allure of French culture, food, and the top-tier soccer teams in France. Find the list of the Top 10 Ligue 1 players of all time below.
10. Gregory Coupet
Gregory Coupet was a custodian who played in Ligue 1 for all but one season of his 18-year career. He was one of the select few players to have won a record seven Ligue 1 championships. Coupet solidified his position as Saint-Etienne’s primary custodian after making his debut there in 1993. He joined Lyon in 1997 and played 370 league games with them. Coupet, one of the finest goalkeepers France has ever produced, won all seven of his league championships with Lyon and was a key member of a club that won the league every year from 2001 to 2008. Four times, Coupet was named Ligue 1 Keeper of the Year and started our list of the Top 10 Ligue 1 players of all time.
9. Juninho Pernambucano
Juninho Pernambucano, who is rightfully regarded as the greatest free-kick expert of all time, developed his unique method of kicking a football from a dead-ball position that made his free-kicks nearly hard to predict. The amazing Brazilian scored 148 league goals over the course of a 20-year career, the majority of them free kicks.Pernambucano had a multifaceted career that included playing football in Brazil, France, America, and Qatar. With Lyon in Ligue 1, Pernambucano joined the elite group that captured seven straight league championships. Although Pernambucano was an extraordinarily talented midfielder, many will remember him for the crazy way the Brazilian scored goals from long distance just for fun.
8. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is not only the youngest player on our list, but he also has a good chance of being the greatest French player of all time. Given his extraordinary potential and the outstanding start to his career, Mbappe has a chance to rank among the all-time great football players. Mbappe has emerged as one of the most significant players Paris Saint-Germain has ever acquired. He has already won the World Cup and UEFA Nations League with France. Everyone believed the young sensation would be leaving Ligue 1 behind when his contract ended and he had the chance to join Real Madrid, but a last-minute change of heart led him to recommit to PSG.
7. Just Fontaine
There are some players who dream of scoring a goal or two while playing in the World Cup, but Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in one World Cup final, is an exception. With 248 league matches and 226 goals in a 12-year career, Fontaine was one of French soccer’s most dangerous players.Just Fontaine, a French international icon, only won 21 caps for France, but his influence on the blue jersey of his nation was so great that Fontaine will always be remembered.
6. Laurent Blanc
Center-back from France In his 20-year stellar career, Laurent Blanc played for some of the top football clubs in the world. Blanc, who had stints at Barcelona, Manchester United, and Inter Milan, was a constant for France as well, earning 97 caps. Blanc frequently returned to France during the course of his great career, spending time with five different Ligue 1 teams. Blanc began his professional career with Montpellier before relocating to Nimes in 1992. Before moving to Barcelona for one season in 1997, Blanc had stints at Saint-Etienne and Auxerre.
5. Michel Platini
One of the most well-known and renowned soccer players of all time, Michel Platini, only played for three teams during his career, which may come as a surprise to some. Platini played for Nancy and Saint-Etienne during his first 10 Ligue 1 seasons of his 15-year career. Platini was an unmatched midfielder who excelled at free kicks and scored 156 goals in 285 league games for Ligue 1.Platini later left Ligue 1 for Juventus, where he eventually rose to fame because to this astonishing number, although he was already amazing there.
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
You might be wondering how Zlatan Ibrahimovic entered our list at all, much alone the top five, considering how many great players have played their whole careers in France. Ibrahimovic scored approximately one goal per game during his four seasons with Paris Saint-Germain, ending with 113 goals in 122 league outings. Ibrahimovic, who was equally adored and despised, made our list because of his influence and impact on the French top division. In a league that was reeling from the loss of the X factor, Ibrahimovic tore through clubs with brazen ease. His acquisition signaled that Ligue 1 was once again on the upswing.
3. Raymond Kopa
You probably haven’t heard of Ballon d’Or winner Raymond Kopa, one of the finest attacking midfielders in French football during the 1950s and 1960s, but you should since he was a superb player. Kopa played all but three of his career in Ligue 1, where he excelled as a playmaker who could effortlessly dribble past opponents to score goals or set up teammates.
2. Zinedine Zidane
We move from the brilliant but relatively obscure Raymond Kopa to the enigmatic and illustrious Zinedine Zidane, one of the most admired and successful players in all of football. Marseille-born Before moving to Bordeaux in 1992, Zidane began his career in 1989 with Cannes, where he quickly rose to the top of the football world. Zidane, an offensive midfielder by profession, was one of the most inventive and astute soccer players ever to play in Ligue 1. He was extremely difficult to stop because of his utilization of space and his ability to manoeuvre in relatively small distances.
1. Jean Pierre Papin
Jean Pierre Papin, one of the finest attackers France has ever produced, was a prolific scorer with a penchant for spectacular goals. Papin was an excellent at volleyed goals because he was a quick, lethal finisher who could score with both feet, was powerful in the air, and could hit the ball cleanly.At Marseille, where he was not only the team’s primary striker but also club captain, Jean Pierre Papin perhaps enjoyed his best period of play. Papin earned four Ligue 1 championships, a Coupe de France, and participated in the 1991 European Cup runner-up squad while playing for Marseille. Papin received the Ballon d’Or and the Silver medal for FIFA World Player of the Year in the same year, helping him to the top of our list of the Top 10 Ligue 1 players of all time.
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