5 French players who can win the Ballon d’Or

1996 to 2002 was a golden age for France as Ligue 1 produced a lot of classy French players.

This production line gave the world such world-class talents like Marcel Desailly, Lillian Thuram, Robert Pires, Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and many more. This generation went on to propel Les Bleus to its finest hours; the World Cup win on home soil and victory at the Euros in 2000.

A lot of players in this generation were Ballon d’Or worthy and the undoubted star of that era; Zinedine “Zizou” Zidane won the award in 1998.

Whisper it quietly but there are stirrings about the current set of players having quality as good as those of the Zidane-era. No Frenchman has won the big individual awards since Zizou but there are possibilities about this changing soon.

Here is a list of five French stars who can over the next decade prove to be the best in the world.

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#5 Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)

Varane may be the first defender to win the award in a very long while

Fast, agile, intelligent and proactive, Varane has for a very long time been regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.

The 24-year-old centre-back was furiously scouted by Europe’s leading clubs while still a teenager before then Real support staff and current first team coach Zidane prevailed on the Real Madrid hierarchy to move for the fresh youngster.

He has grown leaps and bounds since joining the Spanish giants and has a roomful of medals including three UEFA Champions League winners’ medals to show for it.

For Les Bleus, Varane has been an ever-present (whenever he has not been injured) since he made his debut against Georgia in 2013.

His qualities have seen him installed as one of the leaders in Didier Deschamps’ teams and has even captained the team in a few games.

While it is difficult to imagine that a centre-back would win the Ballon again given the domination of the award by forwards in the last couple of years, a sterling display in the coming World Cup and for Real in La Liga and the Champions League might just tip the odds in Varane’s favour.

#4 Anthony Martial (Manchester United)

The brilliant young Frenchman has the skills needed, all that is left is consistent delivery

The effervescent one, Martial is one player who seems destined to compete at the top echelon of world football.

The youngster has been highly rated since he began his footballing journey at local team CO Les Ulis (the same team that produced Thierry Henry and Patrice Evra). This journey has led him through Lyon and AS Monaco before landing at Old Trafford in a £58 million deal.

Skillful and blessed with electric pace, vision, and strength, Martial is an awesome player for who has the talent needed to become a Ballon d’Or hopeful in the nearest future.

Able to man either flank or play as the main striker, he is yet to really show his worth at the national team level and is hoping that manager Deschamps would give him the chance to prove himself once the World Cup comes around.

A fully fit and motivated Martial is a joy to watch and while he is yet to achieve the consistency required of a potential Ballon d’Or, his youthfulness coupled with his ability means he will still have a good chance of winning the big individual prizes.

#3 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)

More than just a fashionable player, Pogba has all it takes to win the coveted award

The poster boy, the fashionista, the midfield wonder, Pogba is one French player that has long been tipped for the Ballond’Or back when he was strutting on Italian pitches in the colours of Juventus.

Now the main man for Manchester United, Pogba’s development is coming along nicely and the Frenchman is the heartbeat for a United side that is still struggling to come to grips with the post-Ferguson era.

He has been sorely missed in the games where he has been absent this season as a result of injuries and suspension.

The prototype complete midfielder; Il Polpo Paul, or Paul the Octopus as he was nicknamed by the press during his time in Italy, is nominally a central midfielder renowned for his vision, passing and ability to do the spectacular or extraordinary.

The stock of central midfielders world over is rising but given that they do not score as many goals as the forwards, the likes of Pogba (and his ilk like Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Kevin De Bruyne) are usually limited to coming in the top 5/10 of the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s The Best awards.

The French international might just be the player to break that jinx especially if he can play a leading role for France in the World Cup.

#2 Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

The current Golden Boy, Antoine Griezmann

Always smiling, always jovial but a brilliant footballer, Griezmann represents probably France’s best chance to get back the Ballon d’Or trophy.

The Atletico Madrid forward has become the go-to guy for both his Spanish club and the French national team and is central to the hopes and dreams of both sides.

A brilliant finisher who also doubles as a very good playmaker, Griezmann was voted as the Player of the Tournament as his goals and performances propelled hosts France to the final of Euro 2016 where they eventually lost out to Portugal.

His combination of incisive passing, razor-sharp finishing, a willingness to sacrifice himself for the benefit of the team and his flair for the dramatic.

While he has not been as prolific this season as he has been in recent seasons, Griezmann’s ability to deliver when it matters the most puts him in the line of world-class players just below the footballing demi-gods of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

With both players expected to begin an inevitable decline in the nearest future, Griezmann has a good chance to be one of the successors to the Ballon d’Or throne and if he can have the same impact at Russia 2018 that he had at Euro 2016, expect him to be one of the favourites come the end of the year.

#1 Kylian Mbappé (PSG)

The present and the future, it seems a matter of when and not if Mbappe will win a Ballon d'Or

Golden Boy, Boy Wonder, Teenage Tyro!! These and many more appellations have been used to describe the teenage star and if he continues developing the way he has, Ballon d’Or winner may be the next title to be added to his name.

There have been quite a number of teenage superstars who have gone on to become legitimate all-time greats in the last couple of decades: Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry are just some of the illustrious youngsters who fulfilled all expectations that were had about them.

The young Mbappé has the abilities to be just as good as the aforementioned greats and is already being spoken of in the same light as Arsenal and France great Thierry Henry.

A self-professed fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, the youngster combines the best elements of the Portuguese and French superstars into one very deadly cocktail of pace, precision, and power.

In the few games, he has played for the national team, the young striker has looked at home either leading the line or supporting the more experienced forwards.

He is set to become the 2nd most expensive player in the world next season when PSG pay up the agreed £166m to AS Monaco next season and given his abilities, this might prove to be a bargain.