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#4 Lilian Thuram
No player in the history of French football has played for the national team more than Lilian Thuram. His total of 142 caps means that he has played in over 17% of all of France’s international’s – not bad going given their first was in 1904!
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Thuram is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation and the number of matches he amassed is testimony not only to his qualities but also to his robustness.
He started his career with Monaco as a 19-year-old and moved to Italy in 1996. He settled in Serie A and played five years each for both Parma and Juventus. Two years at Barcelona completed his career, but there may have been more had PSG’s doctors not found evidence of a heart problem as he appeared poised to sign for them in 2008.
Thuram was a versatile performer and was capable of playing in the heart of the defence or on the right. He was not a regular scorer netted his only two strikes for France at the most important time, allowing them to beat Croatia in the semi-final of the 1998 World Cup when reduced to 10 men.
