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The Ligue 1 is often derided as the 'Farmer's League' for its perceived lack of competitiveness compared to its other top-5 European league counterparts. Nevertheless, the Ligue 1 has been graced by many a fine player over the years, which includes players from South America as well.
Ten most prolific South American goal-scorers in Ligue 1 history:
Unlike in some of the other leagues across Europe, South American players have had limited success in the French top flight. However, a few have left their indelible mark on Ligue 1.
On that note, let's have a look at the top ten South American goal-scorers in the history of the competition.
#10 Rai (Brazil) - 51 goals
In a short five-season stint in Ligue 1, Rai scored 51 goals, all for PSG, in 147 games in the competition.
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The attacking midfielder had his most prolific Ligue 1 campaign in 1995-96, scoring 14 goals.
Recently, Neymar surpassed Rai's goal-tally for PSG to become the top-scoring Brazilian in the history of the Ligue 1 club.
#9 Michel Bastos (Brazil) - 51 goals
Michel Bastos played for two clubs - Lille and Lyon - during a seven-season stint in the Ligue 1 between 2006 and 2013.
The Brazilian midfielder had his most prolific Ligue 1 campaign with Lyon, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists in the 2008-09 season. However, despite Bastos' exploits, Lyon lost their seven-season Ligue 1 stranglehold, finishing nine points behind champions Bordeaux.
Bastos last played for Brazilian Serie B club America Futebol Clube in 2019.
#8 Angel Di Maria (Argentina) - 51 goals
After first cutting his teeth in European football with Real Madrid, Angel Di Maria endured a forgettable outing with Manchester United before landing at PSG in the summer of 2015.
The Argentine winger seemingly found a new lease of life on his arrival at the Ligue 1 club.
In almost 250 appearances for the Parisian club, Di Maria has conjured 87 goals - 51 of them in the Ligue 1 - while assisting over 100 times in various competitions.
The 33-year-old has won four Ligue 1 titles in five seasons in the competition.
#7 Neymar (Brazil) - 53 goals
Despite enduring an injury riddled stint since his arrival from Barcelona in the summer of 2017, Neymar recently recorded his 50th Ligue 1 goal in just 58 games for PSG.
The Brazilian forward has not yet scored 20 goals in a Ligue 1 campaign but has won the competition all three seasons he has featured in.
Neymar, who is one of the best-paid players in the world, is looking to improve on his modest return of six goals in 11 games this season and take PSG back to the Ligue 1 summit.
#6 Nene (Brazil) - 55 Ligue 1 goals
Nene had a six-season stint in the Ligue 1, which was split equally between Monaco and PSG between 2007 and 2013.
The Brazilian midfielder enjoyed his most prolific Ligue 1 campaign in 2011-12, when he netted 21 times for PSG, while also providing 13 assists. However, his only Ligue 1 title came the next season, where the player scored just once in nine games.
A quintessential number 10, the Brazilian had a blistering left foot, scoring many a fine long-range stunners.
The 39-year-old is currently plying his trade at Brazilian Serie A club Fluminense, for whom he has scored 11 times this campaign.
#5 Ilan (Brazil) - 59 goals
Despite playing as a striker, Ilan only managed a rather underwhelming tally of 59 Ligue 1 goals in 239 games across nine seasons in the competition.
The Brazilian had his two most productive Ligue 1 campaigns with Sochaux, scoring 13 and ten goals respectively in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 editions of the league.
Thereafter, his Ligue 1 goal-return steadily diminished, with Ilan managing only one goal in 30 games in his final season in the competition with Bastia in 2013-14.
#4 Lisandro Lopez (Argentina) - 59 goals
Lisandro Lopez had a fairly productive four-season Ligue 1 stint, scoring 59 goals for Lyon in 119 games between 2009 and 2013.
Despite the exploits of the Argentine centre-forward, Lyon couldn't continue their seven-season Ligue 1 stranglehold (2002 to 2008). Nevetheless, Lopez is largely fondly remembered by the Lyon faithful.
The 37-year-old forward last played for Racing Club in his native Argentina last year.
#3 Radamel Falcao (Colombia) - 65 Ligue 1 goals
Radamel Falcao arrived in the Ligue 1 in the summer of 2013 with much hype after prolific scoring stints with Porto and Atletico Madrid.
However, a combination of injuries and poor form meant that the Colombia striker struggled to reach his blistering best for the Ligue 1 club. Nevertheless, he did score a commendable 65 goals in 108 outings, which included a 21-goal campaign in 2016-17 to help Monaco interrupt PSG's Ligue 1 dominance.
After bidding adieu to the Ligue 1 club in 2019, the 35-year-old striker is currently playing for Turkish club Galatasaray.
#2 Juninho Pernamubucano (Brazil) - 75 goals
More renowned for his otherworldly free-kick prowess, Juninho Pernambucano was an integral part of the Lyon side that won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles in the 2000s.
Widely regarded as the best free-kick taker of all time, the Brazilian midfielder scored 75 Ligue 1 goals in 248 games spanning eight seasons.
Juninho scored an impressive 44 freekicks for Lyon, which comprised exactly 44% of his goal-tally in all competitions for the then-Ligue 1 giants.
#1 Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) - 138 goals
Edinson Cavani is the most prolific South American goal-scorer in the Ligue 1 by a proverbial country mile.
The Uruguayan forward amassed an impressive 138 goals in exactly 200 Ligue 1 games across seven glorious seasons for PSG.
During this period, Cavani won the Ligue 1 title on six occasions. Despite his league-leading 35-goal outing in 2016-17, PSG were edged out to the Ligue 1 title by Monaco.
Cavani overtook Zlatan Ibrahimovich to become PSG's all-time top-scorer before leaving the Ligue 1 giants last summer after scoring exactly 200 goals in all competitions.
