Ranking the 5 greatest French footballers of the 21st century

#3. Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe is a flag-bearer for his country for the future.

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.

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#2. Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery was one of the most explosive and lethal wingers on his day.

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.

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#1. Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema has been one of the best strikers in the world in the 21st century.

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.