List of France top scorers ever
France is a football team that owns many top strikers, has been playing for prestigious clubs. They have talent, strength and, importantly, impressive goalscoring ability, which a high-class striker needs. History has seen names like Henry or Benzema turn the football village upside down. However, it is worth mentioning that they are not the player with the most France top scorers. Do you wonder who it is? Let admin Kingsocertips answer right away.
France top scorers – Who is the best?
1/ Olivier Giroud (56 goals)
Olivier Giroud can be seen as one of the least appreciated strikers of the French national team’s generation. He made his debut for France against the United States in November 2011 and scored his first goal for France in a 2 – 1 win over Germany.
After an emphatic 14-0 win over Gibraltar, the 2018 World Cup winner took his tally for France to 56, making him the all-time top scorer for Les Bleus. The striker who is on the AC Milan payroll has continuously shown impressive goalscoring ability. He also helped Chelsea lift the Champions League title in the 20/21 season.
2/ Thierry Henry (51 goals) – France top scorers
Member of the 1998 World Cup-winning France team, Thierry Henry, despite playing a reserve role, was still Les Bleus’ top scorer in this tournament with three goals. Although he did not really stand out in his first season at Arsenal, Henry was selected for France’s Euro 2000 squad and won the title.
He went on to be the team’s top scorer with three goals in the tournament, while also playing a bigger role at the start of the match and was named Player of the Match three times, including the final against Italy. Thierry Henry announced the end of his international career shortly after a 2 – 1 loss to South Africa, which saw France eliminated from the group stage of the 2010 World Cup.
3/ Kylian Mbappe (46 goals) – France top scorers
Mbappe made his debut for the national team at just 18 years, 3 months and 5 days in March 2017, the Paris Saint-Germain star scored his first goal for Les Bleus a few months later in a World Cup qualifying match against the Netherlands in 2017.
With his hat-trick against Gibraltar, the 24-year-old striker has improved his record to 46 goals scored for France and it is likely that he will continue to increase this achievement to become the greatest striker in the history of the French football team.
4/ Antoine Griezmann (44 goals)
While Kylian Mbappe dominated the headlines in the media, Antoine Griezmann’s performances as a new midfielder were also crucial for France in their journey to winning the 2018 World Cup and runner-up to the 2022 World Cup. It was only considered the beginning of an interesting team dubbed the “Generation of Griezmann” but it was Mbappe’s arrival that helped them go a step further and win many prestigious titles.
Now Griezmann is repaying the trust Deschamps has shown him, who gave Griezmann his Les Bleus debut as a 22-year-old in 2014. “I owe him (Deschamps) a lot. He was the one who called me up and we’ve been together ever since. I give everything for this shirt, for France and for him.” – Griezmann said.
5/ Michel Platini (41 goals) – France top scorers
Michel Platini is famous for his passes such as set for teammates to score, free kicks and as a goalscorer as a true striker. This talented French midfielder received the European Ballon d’Or title three years in a row in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
He was on the pitch for France from 1976 to 1987. But perhaps the highlight during that period was at Euro 1984 held in France. The creative midfielder wearing the number 10 shirt is not only a captain but also a savior in the matches where the French team struggles the most.
6/ Karim Benzema (37 goals) – France top scorers
In 2004, Benzema won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship trophy with the France U-17 national team. Next, in 2006, Benzema was called up to the France national football team for the first time by head coach Raymond Domenech, when he was just 18 years old. In his first game for Austria in March 2007, Benzema scored the only goal of the match against Austria after only 8 minutes on the pitch.
Euro 2008 was an opportunity for the striker to shine when he was included in the first team by coach Raymond Domenech. In the first match against Romania, Benzema was paired with Nicolas Anelka but both played very individually rather than coordinated so they were substituted in the 2nd half. Against Italy, he started again but still failed to find a goal and Benzema left Euro 2008 without scoring.
7/ David Trezeguet (34 goals)
Trezeguet won the 1998 FIFA World Cup trophy with France and in Euro 2000 scored the golden goal in the final against Italy to give France its second European Championship trophy. He also participated in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, and the 1997 U20 World Cup. In 2004 he was voted into the FIFA 100 list.
In the 2006 World Cup final, he was called up by manager Raymond Domenech for the second penalty, but he became guilty after hitting the crossbar, thereby kicking away the Gaulois Roosters’ chances of winning the World Cup for the second time in the history of the Gaulois Roosters
8/ Zinedine Zidane (31 goals) – France top scorers
On 17 August 1994, he was called up to the national team for the first time at the age of 22 against the Czech Republic at Bordeaux’s Parc Lescure. He came on in the 63rd minute when France were trailing 0–2. But with Zidane on the pitch, everything has changed. He scored a brace against his opponents to give France a 2 – 2 draw.
Since then, Zidane has become an indispensable player in coach Aimé Jacquet’s strategy to rejuvenate the French team towards the 1998 World Cup. Despite all the criticism, Jacquet put all his faith in Zidane and strongly dismissed established stars such as Eric Cantona, David Ginola…
9/ Just Fontaine (30 goals) – France top scorers
In the blue shirt of France, Fontaine’s achievement is even more impressive. On his international debut on 17 December 1953, Fontaine scored a hat trick to help France beat Luxembourg 8–0. In 7 years, he scored 30 goals in 21 matches for the national team.
However, people remember Fontaine for his performance at the 1958 World Cup. He scored 13 goals in 6 matches at this tournament, including 4 goals against defending champions West Germany and won the Golden Boot in this tournament. Fontaine played his last match in July 1962. He also briefly coached France in 1967, and was replaced after only two friendlies were lost.
10/ Jean-Pierre Papin (30 goals)
Papin played for France in 54 matches between 1986 and 1995, scoring 30 goals. His highest achievement while playing for the national team was finishing third in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He won the 1991 European Ballon d’Or. Papin was also included in FIFA’s list of the 125 best living players in the world in 2004, with his touches becoming classics.
This technique is the result of years of hard work, the accuracy and power of the shot compensating for Papin’s somewhat modest physique. It makes him a very unique type of striker, as a plugged centre-forward but capable of scoring goals from distance. Today, this movement bears his name, papinade strokes
11/ Youri Djorkaeff (28 goals) – France top scorers
Youri Raffi Djorkaeff (born 9 March 1968) is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. Throughout his club career, he played for teams in France, Italy, Germany, England and the United States.
In addition to the two major tournaments he won with the national team – the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 – Djorkaeff also played for his country at UEFA Euro 1996 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In the 1998 FIFA World Cup final in Paris, he assisted Zinedine Zidane’s second goal from a corner in a 3 – 0 aggregate win over defending champions Brazil.
12/ Sylvain Wiltord (26 goals)
Wiltord made his debut for France in a 2 – 0 win over England on 10 February 1999 at Wembley Stadium. With France, Wiltord made 92 appearances, scoring 26 goals. His most memorable goal for Les Bleus was scored in dramatic fashion in the final seconds of the UEFA Euro 2000 final against Italy to help the match draw 1 – 1 and send the match to extra time.
France then won the final thanks to David Trezeguet’s golden goal. Wiltord remained in the national squad for the 2002 World Cup, where France suffered a shock first-round defeat without a win or scoring a goal, the worst ever performance by a defending champion at the World Cup.
Conclude
The above is a list of the best France top scorers of all time. Please rest assured that the information we provide is statistical from famous information sites and 100% accurate. The names appearing all show their talent and effort, bringing glory to the French team. They are also the main strikers at the clubs they join. That is why the French team is getting stronger and more admired around the world.
See also: List of top La Liga scorers all time