Where does Karim Benzema rank among the best French strikers of all time?

4. Jean-Pierre Papin

Jean-Pierre Papin played his football alongside Eric Cantona in the French national team. The two formed the attacking duo of France’s golden generation that surprisingly didn’t win any major titles for France. 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.

He stood out in the Striker’s role and undoubtedly deserves a place on this list. He is the joint eighth-highest scorer for France with 30 goals to his name in the national colors alongside the legendary Just Fontaine. He scored a staggering 156 goals in the Ligue 1 while playing for Olympique Marseilles and sits on a career tally of 252 goals.

Papin wasn’t all about goals. While he never played any other position but the center-forward, he made sure his goal scoring was accompanied by a decorated trophy cabinet. His club career includes 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. He is the only player on this list to have won the coveted individual prize.