France has produced some of the world’s best goal-scorers. So it’s no surprise that the leading goalscorers for the two-time World Cup Champions are a tight competition. Let’s run down the top 5 all-time Les Bleus scorers to date.
6. Karim Benzema (37 goals)
What else can be said about the Benz? While the Frenchman faced a temporary six-year ban from the national team after his suspected role in blackmailing a former teammate, the striker is still only 14 goals behind France’s all-time top scorer Thierry Henry. Benzema returned to the national team for the 2021 Euros.
Benzema has been in incredible Ballon D’Or worthy form in the past year at the club level, with a goal per game during the 2021/22 season, carrying his team to the Champions League title. So it’s no surprise to see his goal-scoring habits continue with Les Bleus, where he’ll be looking to add to his tally during the World Cup in Qatar.
5. Michel Platini (41 goals)
Michel Platini tallied 41 strikes in 72 caps for France. The three-time Ballon D’Or winner took France to the European championship in 1984. Platini was a key player for France during his career, helping the team to win the European Championship in 1984. He finished as the top goalscorer and most valuable player of the tournament.
4. Antoine Griezmann (44 goals)
With 44 strikes, Antoine Griezmann is France’s third all-time top goal scorer. The forward won the Golden Boot in Euro 2016 and dazzled in France’s victorious 2018 World Cup.
He’s also a top performer when it comes to cool haircuts.
3. Kylian Mbappe (48 goals)
The goals might be drying up at the 2024 Euros, but that doesn’t stop Kylian Mbappe from appearing on France’s all-time top scorers list. The 25-year-old was the second teenager to score after Pele in a World Cup final. At the 2022 World Cup final, Mbappe became the second player to score a hat-trick. Mbappe sits only ten goals behind breaking Giroud’s record — soon come, as they say in Jamaica.
2. Thierry Henry (51 goals)
Many great players have represented France over the years, but only a handful have been able to etch their names into the history books.
Thierry Henry is one of those legends. The French striker leads Les Bleus on the all-time scoring list with 51 strikes. The World Cup and Euros winner is also the all-time leading scorer for Arsenal with 228 strikes. He helped Barcelona win the 2008/09 Champions League.
1. Olivier Giroud (57 goals)
When one thinks about France’s elite goalscorers, Olivier Giroud may not immediately come to mind. After all, Karim Benzema once ridiculed the striker by calling him a “Go-Kart” compared to his “Formula 1.” But the tall Frenchman, who’s always flown under the radar even at club level (he scored 105 goals at Arsenal), has shown time and time again that he is one of France’s most reliable goalscorers.
The underrated and underappreciated striker topped France legend Thierry Henry’s goal record of 51 strikes in a triumphant Round of 16 game against Poland in Qatar. “I feel like I am 20. That’s how I play when I am on the pitch, a young player wanting to compete,” said Giroud after scoring his record 52nd goal for France. But how many goals does he have left in him?
“At one point my body will say stop but for now, it’s accompanying me on the journey.”
Photo: Twitter/@MrFilipeOrlando
