Top 10 best French players of all time

While a particular generation associates the number 10 in the French national team with Michel Platini, many would agree that this number best represents a single man: Zinedine Zidane, who has had an excellent career both in France and abroad.

FIF repeatedly named him World Player of the Year, and Pelé ranked him among the top 125 football players in the world.

After many years with teams in the Marseille area, where he was already wearing the iconic No.10 jersey, he joined AS Cannes in 1987 at the age of 15, making his professional debut a year later.

In 1992, Girondins-de-Bordeaux recruited him, and he played for four years there, winning the Intertoto Cup, before joining Juventus Turin, one of the top teams in the world.

During his time in Italy, Zidane won many domestic trophies, including two championships, and competed in two Champions League finals, losing to Dortmund and Real Madrid.

His performances at Juventus, which included a Scudetto and a Champions League final appearance, won him the Ballon d'Or in 1998 as Europe's finest player.

Selected for the French national team at the age of 17, he swiftly rose to prominence, with his finest performance coming at the 1998 World Cup, when he scored two headers against Brazil to seal Les Bleus' first World Cup victory.

Zidane completed a historic double in football history in 2000 by helping Les Bleus win the UEFA European Championship before earning the title of FIFA Player of the Year.

Zidane joined Real Madrid in 2001, where he had his most successful years in football, winning the Spanish league championship in 2003 and, most importantly, the Champions League in 2002. He produced a beautiful volley in the final that will undoubtedly go down as one of his career highlights, cementing his status as one of Real Madrid's all-time best players.

Zinédine proclaimed his international retirement after failures at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, but returned to the French team a year later for the 2006 World Cup.

As the best player of the 2006 World Cup, Zidane's popularity allowed the French people to overlook his poor on-field behaviour, especially after he was sent off for famously headbutting Marco Materazzi during the final against Italy.

His international career concluded with three FIFA Player of the Year Awards, 108 games, and 31 goals, establishing him as the leader of one of the most significant generations in international football history.

After retiring in 2006, Zizou earned his coaching certification and returned to Real Madrid, initially as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti and then as head coach.

Once again, his amazing vision of the game paid off, as he became the first coach in history to win three straight Champions League championships.

It's difficult to discuss France's greatest players without mentioning Michel Platini, who dominated the football world in the 1980s as a creative midfielder and prolific goal scorer.

Born in Lorraine on June 21, 1955, Platini is considered one of the most complete players of all time as he was able to decide matches using a variety of techniques, including free kicks, on-the-ball dribbling, and deadly one-on-one finishing, all mixed with his extraordinary vision and ability to orchestrate moves.

Young Michel Platini, one of the most sought-after French players at the time, trained in Nancy before being signed by French club Saint-Etienne.

Despite winning the French title in 1981, Platini's performance with the Greens was mixed, and he eventually moved to Italian giants Juventus, where he realised his full potential.

Platini won a Champions League with Juventus in 1985, finishing as top scorer, as well as a Cup of Cups, a UEFA Super Cup, and two titles.

“Platoche” was also top scorer in the Italian Serie A three times, and with his vision and frequently decisive free kicks, he scored 313 goals in 583 appearances for his team.

Platini had an excellent record over five years, including a European Cup victory against Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

His reputation, however, is intimately intertwined with that of the French national team, as his stunning nine-goal heroics led the Blues to a successful European Championship in 1984.

He scored in the 57th minute of the final against Spain to hand France its first international trophy in history.

In 11 years with Les Bleus, Platini earned 72 caps, and although he never won the World Cup, this era is unquestionably one of the most enjoyable to watch in Les Bleus' history.

Platini was the first player to win the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, winning it in 1983, 1984, and 1985, respectively.

A year after coming third in the 1986 World Cup, Platini retired in May 1987 with 41 goals for the French national team, making him the country's all-time greatest scorer.

He took over as head coach of the French national football team in November 1988, succeeding Henri Michel.

He held a variety of responsibilities, including being co-president of the 1988 World Cup organising committee and a special consultant to the FIFA president.

He then became vice president of the FFF before taking over the international department in March 2005.

Michel Platini was elected president of UEFA for three terms, from 2007 to 2015, and regularly appears on Canal+'s Champions League nights as a sports consultant.

In December 2014, Michel Platini had bribery allegations with Russia for the 2018 World Cup levied against him, but he has categorically denied these charges.

Originally called Raymond Kopaszewski, Raymond Kopa, born to Polish immigrants in Noeux-les-Mines on October 13, 1931, started his football career in his hometown before moving to Angers in 1949.

The aggressive midfielder was unquestionably the first great star of French football, and he went on to play for Stade de Reims, where he won the French title four times.

Raymond Kopa embodied French football of the 1950s, which drew fans with its attacking style. Kopa scored goal after goal for Stade de Reims, who dominated the national scene at the time, and it was only inevitable that he would grab Real Madrid's attention.

Raymond Kopa's biggest achievements came during his tenure with Real Madrid, from 1956 to 1959, when he won three European Cups.

Kopa, a quick playmaker who played as an offensive midfielder, was regarded as one of the finest players of the 1950s.

Raymond Kopa scored three goals in the 1958 World Cup, helping France to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by Brazil's Pelé, Vavá, and Nilton Santos. He was voted the tournament's top player and scored 18 goals for France in 45 games.

Often known as "the Napoleon of football," he led Les Bleus six times before winning the Ballon d'Or in 1958, a first for a French player after continental success with Real Madrid.

Despite the fact that his international career was cut short due to disagreements with his coach at the time, he helped revive the French national team.

On the field, Kopa was known for his superb vision, excellent skill, and ability to orchestrate his team's play all by himself.

Born in Ulis, France, on August 17, 1977, Thierry Henry started his professional career in 1994 and won the league title with Monaco in 1997. He is arguably the most iconic striker of the 2000s.

After a short period with Juventus, Thierry Henry joined Arsenal, where he spent his finest years of football.

With 228 goals in 370 appearances, Henry became Arsenal's all-time leading scorer, and a few years later was honoured with his own statue at the London Stadium.

Thierry Henry joined FC Barcelona in 2007 and improved his overall record with an incredible sextuple in 2009, including a Champions League triumph and a Spanish Championship. Henry is also one of the Champions League's all-time leading scorers.

At international level, Coach Aimé Jacquet picked Thierry Henry in the 1998 World Cup-winning team after he first wore a France jersey in 1997.

Between 1997 and 2010, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet formed one of France's most productive attacking combinations, winning the EUROS in 2000.

At the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, "Titi" was France's top scorer, winning three man-of-the-match accolades, including one in the final against Italy.

His third international success came in the 2003 Confederations Cup, when he was the tournament's top scorer (4 goals) and player of the year.

Following his winning goal against Brazil in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals, Henry finished as France's top scorer in another competition, even though he lost to Italy in the final.

In 123 appearances for France, Thierry Henry scored 51 goals before retiring in 2014 and becoming a sports consultant.

Although under serious threat from the trailblazing Kylian Mbappé, Thierry Henry maintains the record for the most goals scored for the French national team, is the second most capped player after Lilian Thuram, and is the only French player to have featured in four World Cups.

Thierry Henry, perhaps the best French striker of the century, has made a name for himself in every side he has played for because of his pace and finishing ability. He is also one of the top ten scorers in Euro history.

In August 2016, the former French international striker joined the Belgian national team as an assistant coach under Spanish head coach Roberto Martinez, who led the Red Devils to the 2018 Football World Cup.

Born in Morocco on August 18, 1933, Just Fontaine ranks fourth among the greatest French football players of all time. He gained fame for his record-breaking 13 goals in six World Cup games in 1958, which stands to this day.

After beginning with USM Casablanca, he travelled to France and signed with OGC Nice, where he scored 44 goals in three seasons, earning a transfer to Stade de Reims, one of France's top teams at the time.

Just Fontaine was twice the top scorer in the French league, scoring 259 goals in 283 games for his club, while for his country, he found the net 30 times in just 21 games, a lethal record in his short international career.

Fontaine and Kopa created one of the world's best attacks, contributing significantly to the French national team's comeback.

Didier Deschamps, a Bayonne native born on October 15, 1968, started his career with Nantes in 1985 and has since represented OM, Bordeaux, Juventus, Chelsea, and Valencia.

Every team needed a player to do the arduous work of ball recovery, and Deschamps, a defensive midfielder with a strong personality and a never-say-die mentality, excelled at it, earning the nickname "water carrier" from Cantona.

Didier Deschamps was the captain of the France squad that won the World Cup for the first time in history in 1998 and again two years later, partnering with player Zinédine Zidane.

Deschamps is considered one of the greatest defensive midfielders of all time, having won a World Cup and a Euro, and he holds the record for the most caps among French players with 103.

In his club career, he won two Ligue 1 championships, three Serie A titles, and two Champions League titles with Marseille and Juventus. He also won the FA Cup with Chelsea and reached the Champions League final with Valencia in 2001.

After leaving football after Les Bleus' triumph in 2000, he went on to manage other clubs, notably AS Monaco, Juventus, and OM. He has been the French national team's coach since 2012, leading them to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup, winning the 2018 edition, and earning a silver medal in Qatar 2022.

The history of the French national team is more than simply its midfielders and forwards, as demonstrated by Lilian Thuram, one of France's greatest players.

Born on January 1, 1972, in Guadeloupe, Lilian Thuram began his career with AS Monaco in 1991, winning a French championship, before moving to Italy in 1996, first with Parma, where he won a UEFA Cup and an Italian Cup, and then with Juventus, where he won the league twice and, most notably, the Champions League. He later finished his career in Spain with FC Barcelona from 2006 to 2008.

From 1990 until 2000, Lilian Thurman, a resilient defender who excelled as a centre-back or right-back, worked alongside colleagues Bixente Lizarazu, Marcel Desailly, and Laurent Blanche to solidify the French defence.

Thuram won the 1998 World Cup after scoring two memorable goals against Croatia in the semifinals.

The player, who still holds the record for most caps (142), went on to win the European Championship (2000) and the Confederations Cup (2003), completing the trio of international trophies.

Thuram returned to the big stage in the mid-2000s, with Zinedine Zidane and Claude Makélélé, and won 95% of his defensive duels in the 2006 World Cup, although losing in the final.

Lilian Thuram served on the FFF's Federal Council until December 2010. The dedicated former player has also made countless television appearances to share his thoughts on immigration and racism.

Thuram was recognised for his flexibility and defensive prowess, and he is one of those outstanding players that exemplify how football is a team sport in which you can thrive at any position.

Jean-Pierre Papin, a devotee of spectacular goals and acrobatic volleys, was a major name in French football in the 1990s, winning the Champions League thrice with two different clubs: Olympique Marseille, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich.

Papin was a natural finisher with a range of skills to beat the opposition goalkeeper—whether it was a placed finish into the bottom corner, a lob over the keeper, or a low shot—and he consistently found the net.

Despite being part of the "cursed generation" between Platini (1980s) and Zidane (1990s), during which France missed the World Cup (1990, 1994) and the Euro (1988), Jean-Pierre Papin had a fantastic World Cup in 1986, scoring twice in four appearances and leading the French team to a third-place finish.

With 30 goals in 54 games as a "bleu," Papin was a superb footballer who won the Ballon d'Or in 1991 while playing for Marseille.

Despite his youth, Kylian Mbappé, the most likely successor to the vacant Messi-Ronaldo throne, has already earned a name for himself on the international stage as one of France's best players of all time.

Kylian Mbappé's ability to score stunning goals and create opportunities for his teammates makes him an important player for both club and nation.

Mbappé was a key architect of the French team's victory at the 2018 World Cup, and although he still has some promising years ahead of him, it is apparent that he will leave a lasting impact.

Mbappé has already smashed records at such a young age, with over 200 goals and more than 100 assists, in a strong indication that he has the potential to be the greatest French player ever.

After attending two of the world's best football academies, AS Bondy and Clairefontaine, Mbappé earned his first professional contract with AS Monaco, where he quickly established himself as a crucial player by winning Ligue 1 and reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

The teenage French striker joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and since then has scored 235 goals for the capital club, winning Ligue 1 six times and the French Cup four times.

Kylian Mbappé is not just a club player but also a legend in the French national team. After winning the European Under-19 Championship in 2016, he was immediately promoted to the French Under-21 squad. He won the 2018 World Cup with France, scoring four goals, one of which came in the final.

Marcel Desailly, born on September 7, 1969, in Accra, Ghana, started his professional career in 1986 and went on to have successful stints at Nantes, Marseille, Milan, and Chelsea before relocating to Qatar in 2004 and 2005.

A two-time Champions League winner and champion of Italy and Qatar, he contributed to the French team's international success.

Marcel Desailly was a monstrously strong player, unbeatable one-on-one, as seen by his achievements in the 1998 World Cup as one of the key members of the "invincibles." During his tenure, the defensive line of Thuram, Desailly, Blanc, and Lizarazu remained undefeated.

He won everything with the national jersey, beginning with the 1998 World Cup and progressing to the 2000 European Championship, as well as the 2001 and 2003 Confederations Cups, all of which he captained for France. He was capable of scoring key goals, such as in the 2001 Confederations Cup semifinal against Brazil.

He earned 116 international caps, keeping a high level from start to end, and now works as a sports consultant for Canal + and Bein Sports.