Here at Caught Offside we stand with Paris in the wake of the attacks in the heart of France.
In this feature, we celebrate the greatness of French football and all of the incredible superstars the nation has given to the world over the span of the last few decades.
From club football legends like Thierry Henry and Jean Vincent, to Ballon d’Or winners like Michel Platini and Jean-Pierre Papin, France has been near or at the forefront of football greatness for over a century.
In this article, we present the 15 most unforgettable French footballers in history.
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Paul Pogba
The first French winner of the prestigious Golden Boy award, the Juventus midfielder led France to a win in the 2013 U-20 World Cup and is on a fast track to becoming one of the most dominant players in the world.
Karim Benzema
His football future is in jeopardy due to the ongoing criminal case against him, but as a striker for France and Real Madrid, he has been a lethal presence, and is the eighth-leading scorer in France’s history.
Patrick Vieira
One of the best French players in Premier League history, Vieira is the fifth most-capped player in France’s history and won plenty of accolades on the club and international level.
Laurent Blanc
A commanding defender for France and a terrific manager for Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain.
Jean Vincent
The late-great Jean Vincent played his entire football career in France, winning four Ligue 1 titles with Lille and Reims, and scoring 22 goals for France (10th in history).
Olivier Giroud
The final chapter has yet to be written in Giroud’s story, but with eight straight seasons with at least 13 goals, could this be the year he guides Arsenal to the title?
Sylvain Wiltord
The ninth-leading scorer and ninth most-capped player in France’s history, Wiltord won four Ligue 1 titles, scoring over 100 goals between six French clubs, and two Premier League titles with Arsenal.
Raymond Kopa
A finalist for the Ballon d’Or in four-straight seasons and the winner in 1958, Kopa won back-to-back league titles with Real Madrid and scored over 100 goals as a midfielder in a near-20-year career.
David Trezeguet
The third-leading scorer in French history, Trezeguet recorded the golden goal against Italy in the Euro 2000 Final and won several titles with Monaco and Juventus.
Just Fontaine
Finished third behind French teammate Raymond Kopa for the 1958 Ballon d’Or, recorded 18 goals for France that season – 13 of which came in the World Cup (and four against West Germany in the Third Place match). With 30 goals in just 21 caps, he holds the record for most goals/match in France’s history at 1.42/match.
Lilian Thuram
The most capped player in France’s history, Thuram was a two-time World Cup All-Star and was the lone scorer in their 2-1 win over Croatia in the 1998 World Cup semi-finals.
Zinedine Zidane
One of four Frenchmen to win the Ballon d’Or, Zidane may have been the most important goalscorer in the nation’s history, recording two goals in their 3-0 World Cup Final win over Brazil in 1998 as well as the team’s lone goal against Italy in their 2006 World Cup final loss…a match that ended in ignominy for France’s greatest player of all time.
Jean-Pierre Papin
One of only three players in Ligue 1 history to lead the league in scoring five times and the only one to do so in five straight seasons. He also won the 1991 Ballon d’Or, five straight Ligue 1 titles for Marseille en route to bagging over 200 club goals for his career, plus another 30 for France.
Michel Platini
Though he is now known as the UEFA President marred by FIFA scandals, he is the only player in football history to win the Ballon d’Or three consecutive times and won countless individual accolades representing France.
Thierry Henry
France’s all-time leading scorer, second-most capped player, two-time Ballon d’Or finalist, 1998 World Cup winner, and won five league titles between AS Monaco, Arsenal and Barcelona – Henry is truly on another level when it comes to football greatness.