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The French national team is one of the most dynamic, youthful and exciting sides in world football presently. With Didier Deschamps as manager, the French national team recently finished runners-up at the UEFA Euro 2016 and won the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
Former greats such as Deschamps, Laurent Blanc, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, helped oversee the French domination of football between 1997-2002.
The French national team won the World Cup in 1998, followed by their extra-time win at Euro 2000. David Trezeguet scored the 'golden goal' to hand the cup to the French making them the first side to win the Euros as world champions.
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With several young players already playing at top clubs across Europe, France has one of the most jaw-dropping talent pools. They have had great players to pick from for the past many decades.
On that note, let's take a look at the greatest French players of the 21st century.
#5. Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris was born in Nice, France, in 1986. He began his youth career at his local club and broke into Nice's first team in 2005. Lloris played at the French club for three seasons before moving to Lyon in 2008. He was then signed by Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 for €10 million plus an additional €5 miilion in bonuses and has been with the north Londoners since.
The French custodian has made 670 career club appearances, conceding 725 goals and keeping 228 clean sheets. Known for his leadership, acrobatic stops, positioning and passionate style of play, Lloris has been a pillar of Spurs' rise in the past few years. He has been their captain since the 2015-16 season.
Here is a montage of some of the Frenchman's best saves:
Lloris has made 136 appearances for Les Bleus, keeping 62 clean sheets in the process. He is currently second on France's list of highest-capped players, seven games away from breaking Lilian Thuram's record of 142.
The custodian has been the captain of the French team since 2012. He won the 2018 FIFA World cup and the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League with his country.
Lloris will look to end his trophy drought with Spurs this season with new boss Antonio Conte actively making an impact. He will also have one eye on next year's World Cup in Qatar in what could be his last major tournament with the French team.
#4. N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kante was born in Paris, France, in 1991. He began his youth career with Boulogne and made his senior debut for the club in 2012.
Kante rose to prominence during his first and only season with Leicester City in 2015-16, winning the Premier League in remarkable fashion.
The Frenchman has made 392 career appearances, scoring 23 and setting up a further 23. Kante is known for his ability to cover unbelievable amounts of ground during games. He also has impeccable defensive positioning and the ability to break-up play.
The Frenchman won the Premier League with Chelsea in the 2016-17 season. For his performances, Kante was named Premier League Player of the Season for 2016-17.
The Frenchman has made 51 appearances for his country, scoring twice and providing one assist. He was part of the team that finished runners-up to Portugal at 2016 UEFA Euro and that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
At club level, he has won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one UEFA Champions League and one UEFA Europa League.
Kante is currently with Chelsea and will play a crucial role in their fight for the Premier League title, as well as their defense of the Champions League.
#3. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe was born in Paris, France, in 1998. He came through the ranks at AS Monaco's youth system and debuted for their senior team in 2015. The young Frenchman enjoyed a breakthrough season with Monaco in 2016-17, the year he gained international acclaim. He helped them win the Ligue 1 title that season, scoring 15 goals and assisting 11 in 29 appearances in the league.
Aged just 23, Mbappe has already made 263 club appearances, scoring 177 goals and providing 111 assists. He has a contribution rate of 1.09 goals per game throughout his career, a mind-boggling stat for someone as young as him.
At club level, the Frenchman has won four Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de France cups and two Coupe de la Ligue cups.
Mbappe has made 53 appearances for the French national team, scoring 24 goals and setting up a further 20. With his goal in the 2018 World Cup final, Mbappe became the first teenager since Pele in 1958 to score in a World Cup final.
You can watch the goal here:
The ceiling for a player of Mbappe's caliber is too high to imagine. With at least 10 more playing years ahead of him, it will be interesting to see just how many records the Frenchman breaks throughout his career.
#2. Franck Ribery
Franck Ribery was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, in 1983. He came through the ranks at his local club and made his senior debut for them in 2000. Ribery mainly played on the right wing and represented various clubs over the course of his career. The Frenchman was most revered for his 12-year spell at Bayern Munich between 2007-19.
Ribery has played 619 career club games, scoring 151 goals and assisting a further 223. The Frenchman has won nine Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokal cups, four DFL-Supercups and one UEFA Champions League. Ribery formed a lethal partnership with fellow winger Arjen Robben at Bayern. The duo combined to wreak havoc in defenses across Europe.
The pair combined to score one of Bayern's most iconic Champions League goals in the 2009-10 season. Ribery assisted Robben who scored off a volley from a corner against Manchester United.
The Frenchman made 81 appearances for his country, scoring 16 goals and assisting 25. He was part of the squad that finished runners-up to Italy at the World Cup in 2006.
Ribery was initially included in France's squad for the 2014 World Cup but injury forced him out and he retired from international football that year. He is currently playing for Italian club Salernitana.
#1. Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema was born in Lyon, France, in 1987. He came through the ranks at his local club and made his senior debut for them in 2004. In 2009, Benzema was bought by Real Madrid for €41 million from Lyon. He has been with Los Blancos since.
The Frenchman has made 730 career appearances, scoring 365 goals and providing 179 assists. Earlier this month, he surpassed Thierry Henry (360 goals) to become the highest-scoring Frenchman in club games. Benzema is also Real Madrid's fourth-highest goalscorer with 299 strikes, only nine away from equalling Alfredo Di Stefano in third place.
Karim Benzema has won seven domestic league titles, three domestic cups and four UEFA Champions League titles. He was part of the historic Real Madrid side that completed the UCL three-peat between 2016-18.
The Frenchman has also played 94 games for his country, scoring 36 goals and assisting 20. He is currently fifth in their all-time scoring charts, 15 behind Thierry Henry in first place.
Benzema has made a strong start to the 2021-22 season with 20 goals and 12 assists in just 23 appearances this season. He will look to carry this form throughout this season and into next year's World Cup in Qatar.
