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Best French football players ever - Not only is it famous for being the largest wine-producing country in the world with around 40,000 wine-making factories, but France also has a strong and developed football culture with many outstanding players. So who is the greatest French football legend? Let's find out with 2Sport!
Zinedine Zidane is perhaps the greatest football player of all time, few French football legends have been as great as Zidane has been on the pitch. He clearly had the ability to do anything with the ball at his feet and achieved a level of technical excellence that was hard to believe.
Zidane became famous after moving to Juventus in 1996 and was the main figure when France won the World Cup in 1998. By scoring two goals in the final match against Brazil, he proved that he had a higher skill level than many of the other "ordinary" matches.
That was a habit, he continued throughout his career, he helped Juventus win Serie A twice before moving to Real Madrid. He could hardly have done it in a more spectacular way, scoring an astounding goal in the 2002 final match that will go down in history. Nowadays, he is known for many advertising brands, representative of many famous brands around the world, and his image is often seen in magazines of famous people.
Michel Platini is a retired French football player, born on June 21st, 1955 in Lorraine. Trained in Nancy, Michel Platini quickly became one of the most coveted French players. Therefore, he quickly connected with Saint-Etienne, the best French team at the time. French champion and author of a very beautiful course in Europe, Michel Platini finally moved to Juventus of Turin, a powerful club from Italy. This is where he discovered his true potential.
Over the years, Platini has built an impressive record that includes a European Cup, winning a victory as a commemoration before Liverpool at the Heysel stadium in Brussels.
International French football player born in Ulis (France) on August 17, 1977, Thierry Henry began his professional career in 1994 under the colors of Monaco. After passing Juventus in 1999, Thierry Henry joined Arsenal, where he had his best years of playing. With 228 goals scored, the French player became the top goal scorer in Arsenal's history and later had a statue of himself erected in front of the London stadium.
In 2007, Thierry Henry moved to FC Barcelona and improved his team performance with six records in the 2009 season, one Champions League victory, and one Spanish championship among others. In 2010, New York Red Bulls became the new destination for the French striker.
Thierry Henry first wore the French national team jersey in 1997. In 1998, coach Aimé Jacquet selected him for the World Cup 1998 squad. Along with his teammates, David Trezeguet and Thierry Henry formed one of the most prolific attacking trios between 1997 and 2010.
In 2014, he ended his career as a player and then became an advisor to a player. In August 2016, the former French international striker joined the Belgian team as an assistant coach for the head coach, Roberto Martinez, to lead the Red Devils to the 2018 World Cup.
Raymond Kopa, the Kopa legend, was the first French player to win this prestigious individual award in 1958. Two years earlier, he came in second after Stanley Mathews with 3 points less. Kopa was third in 1957 (defender Di Stefano won the award), and second in 1959 (Di Stefano was number one).
The former Les Bleus player always ranked in the top 3 of the awards in the early years, becoming a symbol of the football world at that time. From 1952 to 1962, he played 45 times for Real Madrid, scoring a total of 18 goals. His exceptional ball deception skills were a feature of the legend's playing style.
Papin began playing for the French national team from 1986 to 1995. Over the course of 54 matches, he scored 30 goals while wearing the Les Bleus jersey. His striking ability from distance was impressive, particularly his acrobatic goal-scoring moves, which are now widely known as "marinades."
Papin made history as the only player to win the Ballon d'Or award while playing for a French club team. The 55-year-old legend won the award in 1991 while playing for Marseille. He also had notable stints at other top European clubs like Bayern Munich and AC Milan.
Lilian Thuram is the most capped player in the history of French football. With a total of 142 appearances for the national team, he played in more than 17% of all international matches for France. Thuram has considered one of the best defenders of his generation and his number of appearances is evidence not only of his quality but also his durability.
He began his career with Monaco at the age of 19 and moved to Italy in 1996, where he played in Serie A for both Parma and Juventus. Two years at Barcelona completed his career. Thuram was a versatile player and was capable of playing as a central or right-sided defender.
