Real Madrid’s talisman, Karim Benzema was recently awarded the best French player of the year for 2021. And, with his recent win in the final of the UEFA Nations League, he also became the most decorated French player in history with 28 career titles to his name which includes the latest Supercopa de Espana addition. The Frenchman’s recent success has forced me to wonder where he ranks among the best French footballers of all time. This, therefore, is an attempt to find an answer to the same.
Honorary Mention: Starting with the honorary mention who just missed out on a top-10 finish is one of France’s key campaigners in their 1998 World Cup triumph. An absolute rock to his side, the center-back Marcel Desailly could only make it to an honorary mention although for no mistake of his own. The quality of players in this magnificent nation is such that would probably leave him a little hard-done-by.
He also has a European Championship medal to his name that France won in 2000. He was named the captain on Didier Deschamps’s retirement. He led his French side to a confederation cup success in 2001 and hung his boots in 2004 with 116 Caps for the national side.
10. Eric Cantona
Placing Eric Cantona over Marcel Desailly is a big call. And, his bad-boy attitude indeed limited Cantona from success on the International front. But, at the club level, Cantona was an absolute emblem of Manchester United who wore the iconic Red’s number 7 shirt. A responsibility he justified until the very end. The sort of magic Cantona could produce with the ball on his feet, is enough reason for me to have him in the top-10 French players of all time.
His trophy Cabinet lacks major continental success but he does have five Premier League titles, four with Manchester United and one with Leeds United, six English Super Cups, one with Leeds and rest with United, and two FA Cups with the Reds among other major titles from his time at Marseilles. Although his partner in the attack was the magnificent, Jean-Pierre Papin it is hard to digest that the Les Bleus didn’t fare better on the International stage.
9. Jean-Pierre Papin
If I had to choose between Cantona and Papin, the latter would be my obvious choice. While Cantona was out from the International scene, Papin enjoyed a better spell without him. France cruised to a third-place finish in the 1986 World Cup and Papin, the newcomer was a key campaigner for Les Bleus.
His club career too was arguably better than Eric Cantona with two successes at the continental stage. He won the coveted Champions League with AC Milan in 1994 and the UEFA Super Cup with Bayern Munich in 1996. But, it was actually his time in France where he absolutely shines, having finished as the top scorer of Ligue 1 for five consecutive seasons, from 1987/88 through 1991/92. He finally won his Ballon d’Or in 1991 for his exploits with Olympique Marseilles.
8. Just Fontaine
Just Fontaine came like a flash and left like a flash scoring 30 goals in only 21 appearances for Les Bleus. A ratio of 1.4 goals every match. He was a prolific goal-scorer and his display in the 1958 World Cup is probably the best Individual-campaign of all time. He scored a total of 13 goals and only the legendary Gerd Muller, and Brazil’s phenomenon, Ronaldo, has been able to better it.
Only those two players and, more recently, Germany’s Miroslav Klose became the only players with more World Cup goals than the legendary Fontaine. At the club level, Fontaine won four Ligue 1 titles, three with Reims and one with OGC Nice. He also won two French Cups, one with each club alongside being the top scorer in Ligue 1 twice in his career.
7. Raymond Kopa
The first Madrid-man on the list, Raymond Kopa was a key campaigner of Real Madrid’s three of the first five European Cup-winning campaigns from 1957 to 59. An attacking midfielder, Kopa had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some of Real Madrid’s all-time icons like Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano. He also won 5 major titles with Stade Reims after his time with Real Madrid.
If anything was lacking for Kopa in his career it was an International trophy with France. He did take part in two World Cups scoring 18 goals, but he could never win it. However, he was named the Young Player of the Tournament in 1954 and the Player of the Tournament in 1958. The latter campaign is the one that brought him his Ballon d’Or later in the same year.
6. Thierry Henry
One of the greatest goal-scorers France had ever produced, Thierry Henry was instrumental in the World Cup-winning campaign in 1998 and the European Championship win in 2000. He still holds the record of being the highest scorer for Les Bleus of all time with 51 goals. But, I think players like Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, and Karim Benzema have a clear chance at surpassing his tally.
Henry could easily say that he had an equally impressive record at the club level. While his time at AS Monaco prepared him and his time at Juventus made him a sought-after player, it was truly his time at Arsenal that he exploded as one of France’s greatest of all time. He won seven major titles with the Gunners alongside being the highest goal scorer in gunners’ history with 228 goals and the most assists (106). He then went to FC Barcelona in 2007 and won the sextuple with them in 2009. To summarize, titles were never a scarcity for the great Henry.
5. Karim Benzema
Thierry Henry, in my opinion, was overtaken as the greatest goal-scoring French player in history very recently. And, the man dispossessing him of the position is none other than Real Madrid’s talisman, Karim Benzema. Benzema is the only player on this list who has a chance at improving his position on the list in another couple of years when I’d like to redo the list.
Benzema is making all sorts of headway at 34 years of age. He is aging finer and finer like wine. With Real Madrid’s latest title in Saudi Arabia last weekend, Benzema has now won 28 major honors at the club level and one International title in the Nations League which makes him the most decorated French player of all time.
If anything is lacking that is a major International trophy and a Ballon d’Or. This year, he deserved a podium finish but instead, he finished only fourth in the rankings. He’ll look to better that in the coming year and has won a title and scored 24 goals in all competitions alongside 9 assists for Los Blancos already.
4. Didier Deschamps
One of France’s most popular defensive players, Didier Deschamps played as a defensive midfielder for clubs like Nantes, Marseille, Bordeaux, Juventus, Chelsea, and Valencia. And, he won a lot of titles with them too. He has two UEFA Champions Leagues, one with Juventus and one with Marseilles in their famous run of 1992/93. He won the UEFA Super Cup with the old lady too, alongside bagging all domestic honors. He further helped Chelsea to one FA Cup title.
On the International front is where Didier’s main show begins. He won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000 with Les Bleus. He ultimately retired at 104 caps for the national side in which he scored four goals. And not to forget he is one of the only three footballers on earth to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a manager. He achieved this feat when Les Blues won the World Cup in 2018 under his management.
3. Lilian Thuram
On number three, we have the most capped French player of all time with 142 caps. Hugo Lloris is quickly catching up on that number and he might soon surpass the legend. But, there’s one thing that’ll still keep Thurram at such a high position and that is how much the French people admired him.
One of the most admired French defenders, Thurram was a utility man for Les Bleus who could play both as a center-back and a right-back. It was only because of his versatile qualities that the national side relied so heavily on his defensive duties. He won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000 alongside featuring in the 2006 World Cup where France finished in second place.
He famously scored his two international goals in the semifinal of the 1998 World Cup. He was named the man of the match in the 2006 World Cup semifinal and he also led the Les Bleus as their captain in the 2008 European Championships. On the club level, major titles are scares but he did win the Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona in 2007 as well as two Serie A titles and an Italian Super Cup with Juventus.
2. Michel Platini
The top two were the easiest to decide because there are no contestations here. Starting the discussion with the second greatest French player of all time – Michel Platini is the winner of three consecutive Ballons d’Or from 1983 through 1985. He led Les Bleus to their first-ever European Championship title in 1984 whilst scoring 9 goals in the process and was named the player of the tournament and was also the top-scorer of the tournament.
Before this success in 1984, he captained his side to a World Cup semifinals in 1982 and then again in 1986. During his prime, Platini was probably one of the best footballers to watch. His passing, shooting, and skills on the ball were the stuff dreams were made of. In 72 caps for France, Platini scored 41 times.
At the club level, Platini scored 104 goals in 223 appearances for Juventus and won 2 Serie A titles, one European Cup, one Italian Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, and one intercontinental cup besides being the top scorer in Serie A thrice in his career. He has continued serving football post his retirement and was the President of UEFA from 2007 to 2015.
1. Zinedine Zidane
There was never any doubt in my mind for number 1 when I sat down to compile this list. The bald midfielder who played and also managed Real Madrid to numerous Champions League titles is the best French player history would ever witness. Zinedine Zidane is of the finest breed of footballers there is and I am sure there would be no reactions to him being placed as the winner of this list.
Class personified, Zidane is one of the finest play-makers to have graced the game. The hero of La Novena, Real Madrid’s ninth Champions League title, the winner of the World Cup in 1998, and the European Championship in 2000. Zidane has probably won it all during his time with Real Madrid and Juventus.
He also won the coveted Ballon d’Or in 1998 for his exploits in the World Cup and with Juventus. This was when Real Madrid zeroed in on bringing this fine talent to the Bernabeu and he’d forever be the greatest number 5 there ever was in Los Blancos’ history.
To talk of Zidane’s exploits for France would require just so many words but to highlight a few key moments, he made his presence in the side felt during Cantona’s lengthy ban from international football. He scored twice in the 1998 World Cup Final. He is only the fourth player to score in two different world cup finals and his head butt on Marco Materazzi is probably the most iconic a moment can get in French football. He’s undoubtedly the best French footballer ever.