Ranking the 5 best forwards in Ligue 1 this year (2021)

The French Ligue 1 has had some of the finest forwards in the game over the last few years. In fact, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that the division currently matches up with the Premier League and La Liga in terms of the quality of forwards.

This summer, Ligue 1 welcomed arguably the greatest attacker in history when Lionel Messi left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain. Unfortunately, the Argentine has had a slow start to life in the French top flight, scoring just once in 11 games thus far.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner may be struggling to make his mark in the division. However, a couple of attackers are busy making their impacts felt with their exploits in front of goal. On that note, here's a look at five of the best forwards in the French top flight in 2021:

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#5 Gaetan Laborde

The striker had an incredible outing with Montpellier in Ligue 1 last season, bagging 16 goals and eight assists in 38 games. He was snapped up by Stade Rennais this summer, and has gone on to establish himself as a key player for his new team.

So far this season, Gaetan Laborde has made 19 appearances for Rennais, recording nine goals and four assists to his name. Thanks to his exploits in front of goal, the Ligue 1 outfit have enjoyed a decent start to their campaign.

As things stand, they occupy the third spot in the table, having accumulated 31 points from 19 games. It remains to be seen if Laborde can continue with his goalscoring run and help his side secure a Champions League spot come the end of the term.

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#4 Ludovic Ajorque

Another prolific campaign for the Strasbourg striker

Ludovic Ajorque has been one of the most potent forwards in Ligue 1 since the current campaign kicked off. The Racing Strasbourg striker has been a huge revelation in front of goal, recording an impressive nine goals and five assists in 17 games.

Ajorque has scored four goals in his last four games in the French top flight, finding the back of the net against the likes of Monaco, Bordeaux, Nice and Marseille. He also had an outing to be proud of last season. He concluded the campaign with an impressive tally of 16 goals and four assists.

#3 Wissam Ben Yedder

The Frenchman has been a huge force to be reckoned with in Ligue 1 since leaving Sevilla to join Monaco in the summer of 2019. He caught the attention of many teams, as he finished last season with 20 goals and eight assists in 37 games in the French top flight.

This term, Wissam Ben Yedder has continued from where he left off last campaign. The 31-year-old has racked up ten goals and two assists for Monaco in 19 league games so far. That has earned him a spot among the most prolific scorers in the division at the moment.

It is worth noting that the Frenchman has scored in every 115 minutes he's played the French top flight, with an impressive goal ratio of 0.78 per 90 minutes. If he maintains this level of performance until the end of the term, he could be in the reckoning for the Golden Shoe.

#2 Jonathan David

What Jonathan David is doing in Ligue 1 this season deserves a lot of plaudits. At just 21, the Canadian has established himself among the elite attackers in the division, scoring consistently to keep his team moving in the right direction.

The Lille striker currently tops the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts with 12 goals in 19 appearances. Last season, he scored 13 goals in the French top flight. As things stand, David is well-placed to double that record this term. Only time will tell how many goals he'll score in the second half of the campaign.

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#1 Kylian Mbappe

The winger has been PSG's standout performer in Ligue 1 this season.

In a season where Lionel Messi and Neymar have failed to step up in Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappe has been PSG's saviour. The Frenchman has been carrying the goalscoring burden for his team since the campaign kicked off, showing why the Parisians are desperate to renew his contract.

So far this season, Kylian Mbappe has bagged nine goals and eight assists for PSG in 17 league games. The 22-year-old missed PSG's last league clash with Lorient, and it was obvious the Parisians weren't the same without the winger.

It is worth mentioning that the attacker tops the assists chart in the division right now, with eight assists. Olympic Marseille's attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet is his closest rival in this regard, having set up seven goals so far.