The French soccer team has had some great teams and players. Players who have set records in international soccer cups and won trophies with the France national team. These are a few of the greatest French soccer players.
Zidane was a player who inspired France to glory in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Perhaps the best game he played was the 1998 final in which Zidane scored two goals to seal an emphatic three-goal victory for his team against the then-world champions Brazil. Zidane’s return to the national team in 2006 ensured France reached another FIFA World Cup final, as he scored against Spain and then Portugal in the semi-finals.
At the club level, Zidane played for both Juventus and Real Madrid. League titles were won with both clubs in La Liga and Serie A. With Madrid, Zidane scored a fantastic volley to ensure their victory in the Champions League final.
Just Fontaine is one of France’s former players who set records in the FIFA World Cup. He was a prolific striker who scored a remarkable 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup, in which France reached the semi-finals. That total is only three goals fewer than the overall World Cup scoring record of 16, and remains a record number scored in a single World Cup. Overall, Fontaine scored more than a goal a game for Les Bleus.
Michel Platini was France’s playmaker in the 1984 UEFA European Championship, and also starred in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. In 1984, Platini set new records. He scored nine goals in five games during the 1984 European Championship, which remains an overall scoring record in the UEFA European Championship. One of those came in the final against Spain, a match which France won to lift their first trophy. For many, Platini remains the most gifted playmaker to have played for the national team.
With blistering pace and great dribbling, Henry was a prolific goal scorer. Henry played as both a winger and a striker for club and country. It was primarily as a striker that Henry set scoring records for France, with just over 50 goals scored. Henry was a part of both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2002 winning teams, in which he scored goals in both cups.
Henry also starred for some great Arsenal and Barcelona teams. Henry was influential for the Gunners, as he scored a record number of goals for the club. Henry lifted two Premier League titles with them, a couple of FA Cups, and came close to lifting the European Cup as well, but Arsenal were beaten 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League final. However, with Barcelona, Henry won the European Cup, although he did not score as many goals as in the Premier League.
Mbappé is the current superstar of French soccer, playing for Real Madrid. He’s a forward with blistering speed and dazzling dribbling, comparable to Henry. Mbappé has currently scored 50 goals for France across 89 matches, and it looks likely he’ll net eight more times to eclipse Giroud’s French national team scoring record.
He was the top goal-scoring player in the 2022 World Cup with eight goals and scored a historic hat-trick in the final of that tournament. Mbappé also scored in the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which the French won with a 4-2 victory against Croatia.
Zidane, Henry, Platini, Mbappé, and Fontaine were undoubtedly influential for France and their clubs. They lifted four trophies with the national team and won a variety of trophies with their clubs, such as the European Cup, Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. Those players are among the best in European soccer history, generally.
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