Top 15 French football players who have shaped the game
French football players like Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappé stand as legends who have changed the sport’s history. Their impact has shaped club victories and showcased France’s strength on the international stage. From World Cup wins to Champions League titles, these athletes embody France’s unmatched passion for football.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Thierry Henry holds the record as France’s all-time top scorer with 51 international goals.
- Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d’Or after a historic Champions League season with Real Madrid.
- Zinedine Zidane is one of France’s greatest footballers due to his World Cup and Champions League triumphs.
- Michel Platini dominated the 1980s, winning three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards.
- Kylian Mbappé is France’s modern superstar, already a World Cup winner at age 19.
Top 15 French football players
In compiling the list of the best French footballers of all time, we used recorded statistics and achievements as of 2025, recognising that rankings may change as active players continue their careers. This list was crafted with data and insights from trusted sources, including Sports Illustrated, GiveMeSport, and FourFourTwo.
| Ranking | Player name | Total appearances | Total goals | Major club trophies |
| 1 | Karim Benzema | 883 | 513 | 33 |
| 2 | Thierry Henry | 828 | 360 | 12 |
| 3 | Kylian Mbappé | 538 | 300 | 23 |
| 4 | Antoine Griezmann | 888 | 329 | 5 |
| 5 | Jean-Pierre Papin | 733 | 386 | 9 |
| 6 | David Trezeguet | 630 | 307 | 9 |
| 7 | Just Fontaine | 305 | 256 | 7 |
| 8 | Olivier Giroud | 938 | 330 | 8 |
| 9 | Michel Platini | 703 | 326 | 5 |
| 10 | Franck Ribéry | 681 | 376 | 12 |
| 11 | Zinedine Zidane | 739 | 561 | 10 |
| 12 | Raymond Kopa | 676 | 364 | 8 |
| 13 | Patrick Vieira | 607 | 6 | 12 |
| 14 | Lilian Thuram | 853 | 2 | 9 |
| 15 | Hugo Lloris | 699 | _ | 2 |
15. Hugo Lloris
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 26 December 1986
- Age: 38 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Club trophies: 2
- Total career appearances: 554 (club) + 145 (country)
- Team: Los Angeles FC
Hugo Lloris is France’s most-capped player with 145 appearances (all clean sheets or goals conceded). He captained France to the 2018 World Cup title and was runner-up at Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup. At club level, Lloris won the 2017–18 Ligue 1 title and multiple domestic cups with Lyon, and spent 12 seasons as Tottenham’s starting goalkeeper.
14. Lilian Thuram
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- Date of birth: 1 January 1972 (Guadeloupe)
- Age: 53 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 2 (country) + 0 (club) = 2
- Club trophies: 9
- Total career appearances: 711 (club) + 142 (country)
- Team: Retired
Lilian Thuram won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France. He is France’s most-capped outfield player with 142 appearances, scoring 2 goals (in the 1998 World Cup semifinal). Thuram won league titles in France (Monaco), Italy (Parma and Juventus) and Spain (Barcelona).
13. Patrick Vieira
- Date of birth: 23 June 1976
- Age: 49 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 6 (country)
- Club trophies: 12
- Total career appearances: 500+ (club) + 107 (country)
- Team: Retired
Patrick Vieira captained France as they won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. The successful player earned 107 caps and scored 6 goals for Les Bleus. At club level, Vieira won multiple titles: he was a three-time Premier League champion and four-time FA Cup winner with Arsenal (including the Invincibles in 2003–04), and also won Serie A (2006–07) with Juventus.
12. Raymond Kopa
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- Date of birth: 13 October 1931
- Age: 85 (would be 93 as of Sept 2025; died 2017)
- Goals scored: 346 (club) + 18 (country) = 364
- Club trophies: 8
- Total career appearances: 631 (club) + 45 (country)
Raymond Kopa was a star in the 1950s. He won three consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid (1957–1959) and two French championships with Stade Reims.
In 1958, he won the Ballon d'Or, becoming the first French player to earn it. For France, he scored 18 goals in 45 matches and helped the team to third place at the 1958 World Cup.
11. Zinedine Zidane
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- Date of birth: 23 June 1972
- Age: 53 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 530 (club) + 31 (country) = 561 (approx.)
- Club trophies: 10
- Total career appearances: 631 (club) + 108 (country)
Zinedine Zidane won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France, scoring twice in the 1998 final and ending his international career with 31 goals in 108 caps.
He won the 1993 Ballon d’Or and starred for Juventus and Real Madrid, winning five major trophies at Juve (including 1 Serie A and 1 UEFA Cup) and five at Madrid (2 Champions League, 1 La Liga, plus Super Cups and Club World Cup).
10. Franck Ribéry
- Date of birth: 7 April 1983
- Age: 42 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 360 (club) + 16 (country) = 376
- Club trophies: 12
- Total career appearances: 600 (club) + 81 (country)
- Team: Retired (last club Salernitana)
Franck Ribéry was a key winger for Bayern Munich from 2007–2019, winning nine Bundesliga titles and the 2012–13 Champions League. The prominent soccer player formed a famous partnership with Arjen Robben on the right flank.
Ribéry earned 81 caps for France, scoring 16 goals, and was a runner-up in the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2016. He won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award in 2013. Ribéry’s dribbling and work rate made him one of France’s top wingers of the 21st century.
9. Michel Platini
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- Date of birth: 21 June 1955
- Age: 70 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 285 (club) + 41 (country) = 326
- Club trophies: 5
- Total career appearances: 631 (club) + 72 (country)
Michel Platini is one of the old French football players known for his creativity and technical skills. He won the Ballon d’Or three times (1983, 1984, 1985) and led France to the Euro 1984 title, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with 9 goals.
Platini scored 41 goals in 72 caps for France (including 9 at Euro 1984) and is regarded as one of France’s greatest players. He also captained France to third place at the 1986 World Cup.
8. Olivier Giroud
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- Date of birth: 30 September 1986
- Age: 38 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 273 (club) + 57 (country) = 330
- Club trophies: 8
- Total career appearances: 801 (club) + 137 (country)
- Team: Lille
Olivier Giroud became France’s all-time top scorer in 2023, eventually reaching 57 goals in 137 caps. He began at Montpellier (winning Ligue 1 and Golden Boot in 2012) and starred for Arsenal, scoring 73 league goals and winning three FA Cups. At Chelsea, he added another FA Cup, plus the UEFA Champions League and Europa League in 2021.
In 2022, he joined AC Milan and helped them win Serie A, ending their 11-year drought. Across his club career, Giroud scored 273 goals in 801 appearances (all competitions). The football legend won the 2018 World Cup with France and earned two European Championship Silver Boots in Euro 2016 and 2020.
7. Just Fontaine
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- Date of birth: 18 August 1933
- Age: 91 years (as of Sept 2025; died 2023)
- Goals scored: 226 (club) + 30 (country) = 256
- Club trophies: 7
- Total career appearances: 284 (club) + 21 (country)
- Team: Retired (last club Stade Reims)
Just Fontaine was a legendary French striker best known for his record 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup (the most goals in a single tournament). He scored 30 goals in only 21 games for France (1.43 goals per game).
At club level, he won four French championships with Stade Reims (1958, 1960, 1962) and one with OGC Nice (1956), plus two French Cups. Fontaine ended his career with 226 club goals in 284 matches. He finished third in the 1958 Ballon d’Or race and is remembered as one of the most prolific finishers in World Cup history.
6. David Trezeguet
- Date of birth: 15 October 1977
- Age: 47 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 273 (club) + 34 (country) = 307
- Club trophies: 9
- Total career appearances: 559 (club) + 71 (country)
- Team: Retired (last club Pune City)
David Trezeguet was a key striker in France’s Euro 2000 victory – he scored the golden goal in the final against Italy. He earned 71 caps for France and scored 34 goals (fourth-highest in French history).
At the club level, he had a great career with Juventus, scoring 160 goals in all competitions and winning the Serie A title (1996) and Champions League (1996). In total, he scored 273 goals in 559 club matches. Trezeguet also won two Ligue 1 titles with Monaco (1997, 2000) and helped Argentina’s River Plate to a domestic title late in his career.
5. Jean-Pierre Papin
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 5 November 1963
- Age: 61 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 356 (club) + 30 (country) = 386
- Club trophies: 9
- Total career appearances: 679 (club) + 54 (country)
- Team: Retired (last club: Guingamp)
Jean-Pierre Papin was a prolific striker in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He won four consecutive Ligue 1 titles with Marseille (1989–1992) and the Coupe de France in 1989. Papin also won Serie A (1994) and the Champions League (1995) with AC Milan, plus the 1996 UEFA Cup with Bayern Munich.
In total, he scored 356 club goals in 679 competitive games. He earned 54 caps for France, scoring 30 goals. In 1991, he won the Ballon d'Or after finishing as the European Golden Shoe winner (30+ goals in 1990–91).
4. Antoine Griezmann
- Date of birth: 21 March 1991
- Age: 34 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 285 (club) + 44 (country) = 329
- Club trophies: 5
- Total career appearances: 751 (club) + 137 (country)
- Team: Atlético Madrid
Antoine Griezmann won the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup with Atlético Madrid in 2018, then transferred to Barcelona (where he won a Copa del Rey in 2021) before returning to Atlético. He scored 204 league goals in 571 club appearances.
For France, Griezmann earned 137 caps and scored 44 goals, becoming the nation's fourth-highest scorer and third-most capped player. He was the tournament top scorer and Player of the Tournament at Euro 2016 (finishing runner-up) and won the Bronze Ball at the 2018 World Cup.
3. Kylian Mbappé
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- Date of birth: 20 December 1998
- Age: 26 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 300 (club and country)
- Club trophies: 23
- Total career appearances: 538 (competitive matches)
- Team: Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappé broke through at Monaco (Ligue 1 title in 2017) and then moved to Paris Saint-Germain, where he won six Ligue 1 championships and four Coupes de France. In 2023, he transferred to Real Madrid.
As of 2025, he has 90 caps and 50 goals, and he scored 13 goals at the 2018 World Cup to help France win the title, becoming the second teenager after Pelé to score in a World Cup final. The footballer also won the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot (in Qatar) and the UEFA Nations League in 2021.
2. Thierry Henry
- Date of birth: 17 August 1977
- Age: 48 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: 360 (club and country)
- Club trophies: 12
- Total career appearances: 828 (competitive matches)
- Team: Retired (last club New York Red Bulls)
Thierry Henry is Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer, with 228 goals across competitive matches for the club. He won two Premier League titles (including the undefeated 2003–04 “Invincibles” season), three FA Cups and the 2008 Champions League with Barcelona.
Henry scored 51 goals in 123 caps for France and starred as they won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He earned the Golden Boot at both tournaments and was runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 2003.
1. Karim Benzema
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 19 December 1987
- Age: 37 years (as of Sept 2025)
- Goals scored: over 500 (club and country)
- Club trophies: 33
- Total career appearances: 883 (competitive matches)
- Team: Al-Ittihad
Karim Benzema is one of France’s most accomplished forwards. He scored 476 goals in 883 club appearances and 37 goals in 97 caps for France, totalling well over 500 career goals. At Real Madrid, he became the club's second-highest scorer, helping the team win 25 trophies, including five UEFA Champions League titles.
After a move to Saudi Arabia in 2023, he led Al-Ittihad to the 2024–25 league title. Benzema won the Ballon d’Or in 2022 after scoring 44 goals in all competitions that season and guiding Real Madrid to both La Liga and the UCL titles.
Who is the best French football player?
Many consider Zinedine Zidane the best French football player for his skill, leadership, and 1998 World Cup win. Thierry Henry and Michel Platini also rank highly, while Karim Benzema's 2022 Ballon d'Or win further cements his legacy.
Which French footballer was in a coma for 39 years?
Jean-Pierre Adams, a former French defender, spent 39 years in a coma after a medical error during knee surgery in 1982. He had played for PSG and the French national team before the tragedy. Adams remained in a coma until his passing in 2021 at the age of 73.
Who is the fastest French footballer?
Kylian Mbappé is widely recognised as the fastest athlete in France. His explosive pace and acceleration have made him one of the most dangerous forwards in world football.
French football players such as Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, and Michel Platini have shaped football history with their brilliance. Kylian Mbappé now carries the torch as France’s most electrifying star.
Legit.ng recently published an informative post about players with the most assists in football history. From legendary names like Lionel Messi to Ferenc Puskás, these playmakers have carved their legacies by assisting and scoring countless goals.
A soccer assist is a pass that leads directly to a goal. FIFA first recorded this metric in 1994, and it's now become one of the most commonly used stats in the global game. Read on to discover the most assists in soccer history.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
