Match of the Day Top 10: Greatest French Premier League players
- Published
In the latest instalment from series five, the Match of the Day Top 10 boys debate the greatest French Premier League players.
From the Premier League's inception in 1992 until today, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards had no shortage of options.
Here are their picks. See what you think and then choose the order you would rank them in.
Eric Cantona
Clubs: Leeds (1992-93), Man Utd (1992-93-1996-97)
Premier League record: 156 appearances, 70 goals, 56 assists
Having a arrived from Leeds at Manchester United halfway through the 1992-93 season in a shock move, Eric Cantona was to be the catalyst that propelled the Red Devils to domestic success.
The French striker helped United win the first league title in 26 years in his first season at the club and then inspired a league and cup double in the 1993-94 campaign.
United did the same the following season, with Cantona scoring a stunning volleyed winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup final.
Cantona missed the second half of the 1994-95 season after being banned for kicking a fan following a red card against Crystal Palace but returned from that to once again help United to a league and cup double in 1995-96, a season in which he won the FWA Player of the Year award.
Claude Makelele
Clubs: Chelsea (2003-2008)
Premier League record: 144 appearances, 2 goals, 4 assists
Think great holding midfielders and one of the first names on many people's minds will be Claude Makelele.
He joined the Blues from Real Madrid in the summer of 2003 in the first wave of signings of the Roman Abramovic era and the fee of £16.8m proved a snip as Makelele went on to be a hugely crucial cog in the Blues machine over the next few years.
Overall, he helped Chelsea to win two league titles, one FA Cup and two League Cup trophies, with the Frenchman an ever present.
N'Golo Kante
Clubs: Leicester (2015-16), Chelsea (2016-present)
Premier League record: 222 appearances, 12 goals, 16 assists
Little was known about N'Golo Kante when he arrived at Leicester from Caen in 2015 for a very modest fee of around £5.6m but his impact was immediate as he played a key role in a fairytale title-winning campaign that year.
His domination of midfield for the Foxes convinced Chelsea to pay £32m for him the following season and he once again had the same impact, helping the Blues to win the title and being named PFA Player of the Year as well.
One of the best central midfielders of his generation, Kante has also added Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup winners medals to his collection.
Thierry Henry
Clubs: Arsenal (1999-2007; 2011-12)
Premier League record: 258 appearances, 175 goals, 74 assists
Thierry Henry played as a winger and even a wing-back in his early days but it was his move to Arsenal and a switch to a forward role by Arsene Wenger that would see him become one of the most prolific Premier League strikers of all time.
Henry was at his best between 2001 and 2006 when he scored at least 24 league goals in five consecutive campaigns, including 30 in the Gunners' famous 'Invincibles' season in 2003-04.
The France forward is Arsenal's all-time top scorer and is the joint record holder for most assists in a Premier League season with Kevin de Bruyne.
Robert Pires
Clubs: Arsenal (2000-2006), Aston Villa (2010-11)
Premier League record: 198 appearances, 62 goals, 41 assists
Another astute signing by Arsene Wenger, the midfielder developed into one of Arsenal's best ever players after arriving from Marseille for £6m in 2000.
At their peak, there were few better left-sided combinations than Ashley Cole, Thierry Henry and Pires, who played a particularly key role in that unbeaten 2003-04 season when he scored 14 league goals.
Pires also scored the winner for Arsenal in the 2003 FA Cup final and was included in the PFA Team of the Year from 2001 until 2004.
Patrice Evra
Clubs: Man Utd (2006-2014), West Ham (2018)
Premier League record: 278 appearances, 7 goals, 21 assists, 98 clean sheets
Patrice Evra had a debut to forget following his arrival at Old Trafford from Monaco in January 2006 and was taken off at half-time in the Manchester derby - but he recovered from that to become a key player for the club.
Alongside Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Edwin van der Sar, Evra was part of a formidable defence that set the record for consecutive clean sheets in 2008-09 with 13.
In his eight years at the club, he won the Premier League five times and the Champions League in 2008.
Patrick Vieira
Clubs: Arsenal (1996-2005), Man City (2010-11)
Premier League record: 307 appearances, 31 goals, 34 assists
Standing at 6ft 4in, Vieira was an imposing presence in the Arsenal midfield following his arrival from AC Milan in 1996.
Despite his tall stature, Vieira was a graceful player to watch, effortlessly gliding up the pitch while showing brilliant ball control.
He helped Arsenal to their two double wins in 1997-98 and 2001-02 and captained the Gunners during the unbeaten 2003-04 season.
Vieira helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2004-05 by scoring the decisive penalty before leaving for Juventus. Vieira returned to the Premier League in 2010 with Manchester City, winning the FA Cup with them.
Emmanuel Petit
Clubs: Arsenal (1997-2000), Chelsea (2001-2004)
Premier League record: 140 appearances, 11 goals, 26 assists
Arsene Wenger returned to his old club Monaco to sign Emmanuel Petit for £2.5m in June 1997 and the midfielder went on to develop an impressive midfield partnership with Patrick Vieira.
The pair combined to help the Gunners win the double in Petit's first season at the club before he left for Barcelona in 2000.
A World Cup and European Championship winner with France, Petit returned to the Premier League with Chelsea in 2001 and spent the next three seasons at Stamford Bridge.
David Ginola
Clubs: Newcastle (1995-97), Tottenham (1997-2000), Aston Villa (2000-02), Everton (2001-02)
Premier League record: 195 appearances, 21 goals, 42 assists
A team-mate of Alan Shearer's at Newcastle in the 1996-9 season, David Ginola helped the Magpies to two consecutive finishes in his two seasons at the club.
The skilful midfield enjoyed his best years at Tottenham and in 1998-99 won the PFA and Football Writers' Player of the Year awards, despite Manchester United dominating almost everything that season.
Despite his ability, Ginola only collected one winners' medal during his time in England, helping Spurs win the League Cup in 1999.
Nicolas Anelka
Clubs: Arsenal (1996-98), Liverpool (2001-02), Man City (2002-05), Bolton (2006-08), Chelsea (2007-12), West Brom (2013-14)
Premier League record: 364 appearances, 125 goals, 48 assists
Nicolas Anelka joined Arsenal in 1996 as a 17-year-old from Paris St-Germain for £500,000 but took no time at all to make an impression in the Premier League and to this day he remains the fourth highest scoring teenager in the league's history with 19 goals.
Anelka left the Premier League for Real Madrid in 1999 but would later return to England with Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton and then Chelsea, where he finished as the top scorer in the league in 2008-09 and, alongside Didier Drogba, powered the Blues to the Premier League title in 2009-10.